Just adding my tale of woe to this thread. I have been a Qantas Freq Flyer member since 1993 (yes, nearly 30 years!) I handed over more than $5000 - directly to Qantas - in February 2022 for flights in August (today!). During the past months, Qantas changed my booking 4 times, largely due to abrupt changes to flight schedules. About 3 weeks ago, I applied for a points-based upgrade to the 14-hour leg of my 3 outward flights.
Finally, it was the day before I needed to head to the airport at 3:30 in the morning (to allow 2 1/2 hours checkin for a 6:00 am domestic flight - ridiculous!). I finished my packing (anxiously swapping items between checked and carryon because of my fear the checked baggage won’t follow the same route I do). I received a text message inviting me to confirm my checkin online. I started completing this on my phone and decided to do this on my laptop instead and got distracted by other travel planning, including booking the rideshare to the airport. About 3 hours later, I received another text message that my flights were changed.
Boy, were they changed! As one of my flights was cancelled, the other two needed to be changed so the connections could be made. This was done by moving me to a different airline for the 2nd and 3rd flights. This was the only offer, take it or leave it. I took the offer. Oh, and the service rep said I should have received a text message that my request for an upgrade was refused (still haven’t gotten that message).
After closely examining what I agreed to, I called again to request an updated booking and intinerary (I was continually sent the old one from the online booking page) and clarify the travel class (as the new airline uses different names.)
Good thing I called. Because I have been switched to a different airline, I now have to collect my checked baggage after the first leg, find my own way from the domestic to international terminal in Sydney and re-check my baggage once I arrive there! I just hope I can get through the security in time!
I am now panicking even more about my flights. I did ask the second customer service rep who will carry the can if anything else goes to h**l in a handbasket, given that 2 flights are now booked with a different airline. I was assured that I only need to deal with Qantas. We’ll see how that goes.
What I would say to Mr Joyce about lack of ‘match fitness’, is that it is the team with the bloated coaching staff and not enough players (let along experienced players) which is destroying the game. I hope some day Mr Joyce is a second-string waterboy for an under 10’s team in Nebraska, reminicing about how he ran a world-class team into the ground!