I was facing a 10 hour layover between flights in Dubai and I was less than thrilled about it. I had booked a 10.10am flight using frequent flyer points as there were no frequent flyer seats on the 2.45am flight.
I had asked in Nice if Emirates might put me on the earlier flight and was advised that the check-in staff at Nice couldn’t do it, but to ask in Dubai. I headed straight to the lounge after landing and was advised by a staff member that it was impossible on the ticket I had. Not happy with that response, I tried a different staff member at a different service desk and explained the situation again. The gentlemen’s initial response was a “no” due to the way the ticket was issued. I asked him if there was another way around the situation. He thought for a few moments, asked a couple of questions and then made a couple of calls. It was at this point that I realised I was dealing with someone who was interested in helping customers, as opposed to simply enforcing the rules.
He asked a few more questions and suggested an option that involved cancelling the Qantas issued ticket, booking an Emirates frequent flyer seat on the 10.10am flight and then applying for a standby seat on the earlier 2.45am flight. In the end, his plan worked – I moved my Qantas frequent flyer ticket forward a few months, so it wouldn’t be wasted, and walked away happy.
Admittedly there were a few things that might have ruled me out, such as not having enough Emirates points or being unable to move the unused portion of the Qantas ticket forward, but the Emirates staff member was happy to run through the criteria with me and, luckily, I was comfortable with all he suggested.
This staff member gets a high five because he was prepared to search for a solution and not simply take the easiest way out by saying NO!
