Schedule Change and Disruption Handling Guide

At times, changes need to be made to our Qantas flights. The way these changes are handled differs depending on when the change takes place.

If your customer has been affected by a schedule change or disruption, this guide will assist you to communicate the right information to your customer. 

Schedule Change Handling

What is a Schedule Change

A schedule change is an involuntary change to a Qantas flight outside 72 hours prior to flight departure.  

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How your Customer is Notified of a Schedule Change

  • Qantas generates a message through your Technology Partner queues or notifications informing you of the schedule change
  • The affected flight in the booking is updated with the status UN or TK
  • You are required to contact your customer to advise of the schedule change, update the booking and arrange for the ticket to be updated if it has not been revalidated by the Qantas auto-revalidation process.

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Further Information

For further information, including for flights to and from Canada, please refer to the Qantas Schedule Change Policy.

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Disruption Handling

What is a Disruption

A disruption is an involuntary change to a Qantas flight within 72hrs prior to departure that impacts your customer’s journey.

Disruptions include:

  • Flight cancellations
  • Flight diversions
  • Missed connections
  • Late arriving aircraft
  • Change of aircraft type (including size of aircraft and class change)
  • Offloads
  • Any other scenario where the flight does not depart or arrive as per published schedules.

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How your Customer is Notified of a Disruption

Close to departure, flight disruptions are not generated to your customer’s booking as Qantas will attempt to contact customers that are impacted by a disruption on QF operated/marketed and QF/JQ codeshare flights to minimise the risk of mishandling.

Customers are contacted by email, SMS or phone call. Qantas Travel App subscribers will also receive push notifications.

Depending on the extent of the disruption and its impacts on your customer, the following actions may be taken by Qantas:

  • SMS/email advising new flights time with no further action required and changes to be viewed via qantas.com/yourbooking or the Qantas App
  • SMS/email advising a flight change has occurred and to review and confirm via qantas.com/yourbooking or the Qantas App
  • SMS/email advising an important flight change or cancellation has occurred and to get assistance via the Qantas App or by calling a local QF number provided

To ensure that your customers can be reached by Qantas during disruptions we require you to include your customer's contact details as an SSR in their booking. Please refer to Customer Contact Details for more information.

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How Disruptions are Processed

Where possible, Qantas will automatically revalidate or reissue the affected coupon/s whenever a disruption occurs. You will need to contact Qantas for assistance if the reaccommodated flights are unacceptable and Qantas has reissued the affected coupons.

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For disruptions that happen close to the time of departure, you will not see any changes to the affected flights in your customer’s booking. This means that Qantas is dealing direct with your customer. 

We will notify your customer of the disruption, assist with any changes that need to be made to their flights, including connecting flights if on the same ticket, and reissue or revalidate the affected coupons as required. If your customer contacts you about the disruption, please advise them to follow the instructions provided to them by Qantas.

This generally applies to departures within 2 hours for Australian domestic flights and within 4 hours for international flights.

Unless the disruption is close to departure, you will receive a UN/TK message via your Technology Partner queues or notifications. If you accept the change on behalf of your customer, please also update their ticket if Qantas has not already done so. This will advise Qantas that your customer is aware of and has accepted the change to their flight. If the reaccommodated flight is not acceptable, please rebook your customer to an alternative flight. 

Refer to the Qantas Schedule Change Policy for reaccommodation options.

Codeshare Flights

For disruptions, IATA regulations require the operating carrier to liaise with the customer and rebook/reissue the impacted coupons of their ticket. If your customer is booked on a Qantas codeshare flight operated by another airline, the operating carrier will reaccommodate your customer to an alternative flight/s, regardless of whether the customer is holding a QF or other airline ticket. 

Accommodation

In the unlikely event that your customer’s flight is delayed overnight for reasons within our control and your customer is away from their home port, we will provide your customer with meals, accommodation (except where providing an accommodation will further delay the customer) and transfers.

We will provide your customer with any further assistance required by the laws of the applicable country if their travel on a Qantas operated flight is disrupted outside Australia.

Refer to Customer CharterOpens in a new tab or window and Cancellations and RefundsOpens in a new tab or window for further information.

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