Got an airline complaint? Here’s one way to get it resolved

One of the recurring themes of 2023 has been the number of letters from travellers complaining about their treatment by airlines. Other miscreants are bringing their own version of agony to the travel adventure – online travel agencies especially – but airlines reign supreme in the number of complaints they generate.

There’s a familiar pattern to these grievances. The traveller follows the airline’s complaints procedure, contacts customer care, fills in a form or makes a call but often the outcome is the same. They get stonewalled and stymied and then there’s silence. Sometimes promises of redress are made and then nothing happens.

The customer-care representatives who handle initial complaints have limited ability to right any wrongs. Their job is to follow the letter of the airline’s terms and conditions with the least cost to the airline, regardless of the merits of the complaint. Even when the matter is escalated to a supervisor, frustration often results.

Faced with delays, excuses and equivocations, many will give up, but there is a way to get results. Write to the airline’s chief executive – make it a polite letter, just stating the facts. It’s not difficult to find out their name and business address. Make it an old-fashioned letter because email addresses are a closely guarded secret.

Among the feedback from those whose appeal has been answered when they wrote to the CEO, a traveller claiming compensation for a damaged suitcase was rewarded with instant compensation. Another’s reward points booking for a flight to the UK was cancelled during the pandemic, and the points subsequently disappeared. After a frustrating to-and-fro with the bottom rung of the complaints ladder, a letter to the chairman of the board saw the points reinstated, and a seat on a flight to the UK.

A friend who booked a Qantas return full-fare business class ticket to Europe via Bangkok had to cancel the return journey due to unforeseen external circumstances. Despite a promise of a full refund, the refund was only partial, but a letter to Qantas CEO Vanessa Hudson produced the desired result.

In the initial phase it’s important to follow the airline’s prescribed complaints process, but don’t mess around. If your complaint is reasonable and it’s going nowhere, go to the top.