Clare Mooney, with son Charlie Read, said it took media involvement to get the cost of flights and accommodation refunded. Photo / Supplied
Clare Mooney, with son Charlie Read, said it took media involvement to get the cost of flights and accommodation refunded. Photo / Supplied
The mother of a 12-year-old boy who was barred from a Qantas flight to see his dad said she furious at the way she has been treated by the airline since receiving an initial apology.
Clare Mooney said she had to go to the media twice to resolve the issue after her son was refused entry on the flight to see his father in Bangkok after months apart.
The airline took responsibility for the error and apologised to the family after it was contacted by the Herald but Mooney said since then she had heard nothing - until she called on the media again.
“Right at the start I had emailed and messaged and asked for some resolution and no one would take responsibility,” Mooney said.
After the Herald contacted Qantas two weeks ago the family received an apology, an explanation, and a promise of a refund.
“I had one phone call after the initial story ran in the paper and the woman said she would email back in 10 minutes. I haven’t heard anything from her since,” Mooney said.
“Charlie’s father Andrew, who booked and paid for the ticket, had also heard nothing - until the Herald emailed Qantas.”
“It seems the airlines only respond when the media gets involved which isn’t much help for the hundreds of people on Facebook trying to get refunds for flights.”
Mooney said she had wasted days trying to get a refund for the unused ticket, related accommodation and fuel costs for the holiday that never happened back in early October.
The saga began when Charlie was due to fly on a Qantas flight to Bangkok to see his father just before the school holidays.
He and Mooney had driven from Kerikeri the day before and stayed at a hotel close to the airport to make the 3am check-in.
But come check-in time, Read was told he couldn’t get on the flight. His father had booked and paid extra for an unaccompanied minor ticket so the pre-teen would be looked after on the long journey.
But the ticket, booked with a Qantas agent, should never have been issued because the flight was a code-share flight with Emirates.
It meant that halfway to Bangkok the carrier and staff changed and Charlie could not be seen door-to-door by an adult.
Both Mooney and Charlie’s father, Andrew Read, thought they had the matter sorted after the Herald ran an article and Qantas apologised and promised a refund.
But weeks later, apart from one initial phone call, the pair had heard nothing.
Mooney decided to send a message via Facebook private messenger linking to the news article in the Herald and asking for someone to get in contact.
She was told to make a complaint through the website.
“I was basically being told to make a complaint about my complaint - It was full circle and back to square one.”
“I promptly explained that we had exhausted all avenues, including filling in two customer care service forms, hence why I had directed this person to the news article for some insight into our case.”
Charlie, 12, and Andrew Read have been reunited in Bangkok but only after new flights were purchased. Photo / Supplied.
Since then the Herald has been back in touch with Qantas and Qantas has been in touch with Mooney and Read.
In a letter from Executive Relations at Qantas, the pair are given another apology and promised a refund.
“I would like to once again apologise for what transpired at Auckland airport when Charlie was denied boarding for his flight,” the letter reads.
“I can assure you that your experience was not the normal standard of service we deliver. You have every right to expect professional, courteous, and helpful service from all our staff. Please accept my sincere apology that you did not receive this premium level of service.”
The pair have been promised a refund for the costs of the $3293 flight, the unaccompanied minor fee of $110, the cost of accommodation costs in Auckland the night before the flight, and a $500 travel gift voucher.
Mooney said she was relieved the issue seemed to be resolved but felt for the people in a similar situation.
“Once the article was released in the paper it was brought to my attention through more than 600 comments on the NZ Herald Facebook page that there were many others that have experienced similar issues with Qantas,” she said.
“Some still waiting for their flight refund nine months later with very little or no communication along the way.”
