Wait longer with Qantas

A RECENT study conducted by CHOICE has found phone wait times for Qantas were much longer than rival Virgin Australia.

The consumer advocacy group found the average wait time on the phone to Qantas was 39 minutes 37 seconds (more than 50 minutes for calls after midday), whereas the standard time on hold to Virgin Australia was just over seven minutes.

The mystery shopper study was initiated on the back of traveller feedback which suggested some were “waiting several hours” to change bookings during the pandemic, and while CHOICE said its findings did not reflect times as poor as that, the group did conclude that airlines are expecting customers to wait on hold for far too long.

The worst time to call Qantas was found to be around 5pm, where customers were kept on hold for over an hour on average, while VA’s worst time was shown to be later in the evening, clocking its worst average time of 12 minutes.

Both airlines were found to be far more responsive in the mornings, with Qantas averaging a five-minute wait and VA getting back in only a couple of minutes.

In addition to the tardy call centre responses, TD readers continue to raise concerns about slow refunds from airlines, with QF among the worst offenders.