An Australian couple thought they had found their ideal vacation when they booked through Qantas-owned travel sites, securing business class tickets for $1,000 each. However, things took a surprising twist when they were informed of an additional fee of $5,000.
Rod Gayner organized a getaway via the travel platform Tripdale, which included three nights in Fiji, an 18-day cruise to Sydney, and a flight back home to Perth in business class.
Overall, the couple spent around $12,000 for the trip, including $2,000 for the business class flights.
“I told them it was a great deal, super cheap,” Gayner reflects. He now warns others to thoroughly examine the fine print before committing to such deals.
Yet, when they received their flight details two weeks post-booking, they found themselves shifted to economy class seats on Qantas flights back to Perth.
“Of course, I reached out to Tripdale,” Gayner said, but received no sympathy. They simply referenced their terms and conditions.
Gaynor later discovered that the aircraft had twelve business seats available, raising questions about the company’s handling of upgrades.
Despite his findings, the 68-year-old claims Tripdale denied them access to business class and initially refused to refund any fare difference.
They explained that the business class upgrade exceeded the net price they had built into their transaction, which was supposedly why an upgrade wasn’t possible.
However, after a retired school teacher informed Gaynor that this practice might actually be illegal, following advice from the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission, the company suddenly changed its tune.
Tripdale then offered a refund as a “goodwill gesture,” even as Gaynor had pointed out better-priced business seats on other flights.
“They offered us $350 each as a refund,” he mentioned, acknowledging their acknowledgment of his frustration.
“But they maintain that our costs exceed their net pricing, which is also tied to the shifting availability within airlines,” he noted.
Currently, Gaynor is set to receive a $700 refund, but he still feels let down, asserting that Tripdale never genuinely intended to fulfill their business class promises and suspects he isn’t alone in this experience.
Tripdale provided prices for business class seats on the Qantas flights at $1,266 per person and $2,377 for Virgin flights.
“It seemed evident from the get-go that they planned for us to be in economy on the return journey,” he claimed.
“This isn’t just a matter of differing classes; it feels more like they’re intentionally misleading customers, which is baffling,” he argued.
“Whenever I press them on the details, it’s almost like they’re expecting me to back down,” he added with a hint of frustration.
The notion of having to pay extra for what was supposedly included felt almost laughable, to him.
“It’s utterly ridiculous,” he expressed.
Gaynor compared Tripdale to earlier days of Qantas when they controversially sold plane tickets without actually departing.
However, following outreach by News.com.au, the couple was finally issued business class seats for their flight to Perth.
In an apology, a Tripdale spokesperson acknowledged the mix-up during the booking and confirmed they are checking the couple’s business class reservations to ensure a smoother experience.
Despite this, Gaynor has chosen never to use Tripdale again, expressing frustration over what he perceives as blatant disregard for customers.
“It felt like a constant uphill battle to get any answers,” he said.
“In the end, I had to ask if they could just get me a seat. I was informed I needed to go through the airline directly for that,” he recalled.
News.com.au learned that Tripdale generally does not handle seat selection and advises customers to manage bookings through the airline directly.
Gaynor lodged a complaint with a customer advocate for the airline and has since left a negative review online due to his frustrating experience.
Qantas acquired a majority stake in Tripdale last year, aiming to tap into the substantial online holiday package market.
