Qantas review by Michael 2014-08-04

I flew a Qantas A380 from MEL to LHR via DXB. I had a business meeting in London before flying on to FRA four hours later. After departing DXB the plane had mechanical problems and had to return to DXB. 2 Hours after takeoff we arrived back in DXB only to have to wait on the plane for almost another 2 hours before disembarking. Add another hour waiting at the service desk only to be told that there was no information on a replacement flight, and that hotel accommodation was on a SHARED basis. As I was travelling alone I did not believe this was acceptable (I also found out later in is against the law in UAE). Given the lack of information and the unacceptable accommodation I was fortunate enough to be able to book a flight DXB to FRA (I was already going to miss my London meeting). After contacting Qantas and providing full details of the incident (at least the customer service agent was sympathetic and was horrified at what had happened) I was eventually told that management had decided that no form of compensation would be offered. After pushing the issue I was eventually given some frequent flyer points (totally inadequate), and advised in an email that Qantas' only obligation was to get you from departure to destination as per your ticket. Apart from the fact they didn't, it appears they have not read, or chose to ignore, their own Qantas Charter which clearly outlines what they claim are their responsibilities. A sad day when a once fantastic airline treats its customers so badly (I forgot to mention I have been a Qantas Club member for over 20 years). Truly disappointing, but at least their are a number of other airlines flying the same routes at better prices, with more reliable aircraft.