A 78-year-old man was downgraded from Qantas' business class so an off-duty pilot could take his seat: report

06.09.2023 - 21:57 / insider.com / Alan Joyce

Qantas Airways downgraded a man from business class so that an off-duty pilot could take his seat, the man told Melbourne radio station 3AW.

In an interview published Tuesday, Stephen Jones, 78, told the outlet that he and his wife were sitting in a business-class lounge in Melbourne's airport on Sunday when he heard his name called over the intercom. About 30 minutes before his flight was set to leave for Adelaide, an employee told him he'd been "bumped."

"It didn't register at first," Jones told 3AW. "I wasn't quite sure what 'bumped' meant. She said, 'I'll have to reissue your ticket for economy class.'"

The employee told him that an off-duty Qantas pilot would take his seat, as flying business class was part of his contract, Jones said to 3AW. 3AW received confirmation from Qantas that Jones was bumped from first class. The airline said that Jones was seated in economy because no business class seats were left. 

"We've apologized to the customer, and explained why the downgrade was necessary," Qantas' statement to 3AW read. "When this happens we provide customers with a partial refund." Qantas did not respond to a request for comment from Insider, and Insider was unable to verify Jones' story independently. 

Jones told the radio station that he'd also been offered 5,000 frequent flyer miles as part of his compensation. He told 3AW that while he understands pilots are "entitled to rest and comfort" on their way to their next flight, the incident was "unsettling and made me a little irritable."

Justin Lawrence, a partner at Henderson Ball Lawyers, later told 3AW that getting downgraded isn't uncommon.

"Unfortunately, their terms of carriage allow them to do this sort of thing," Lawrence told 3AW. "This happens so often they've actually got a term for it — buckle up — they call this 'involuntary downgrading.'"

This is the most recent scrutiny that Qantas has faced. As Insider previously reported, the airline faced backlash after selling tickets for thousands of flights that had already been canceled. On August 31, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission announced that it was taking the airline to court and seeking "hundreds of millions of dollars" in fines.

After the lawsuit was announced, Qantas CEO Alan Joyce said he'd be stepping down.