An Australian couple has claimed airline Qantas booked their 13-month-old daughter onto a separate flight from them and then refused to take responsibility for the massive blunder.
Stephanie and Andrew Braham were traveling through Europe when they received a notification from Qantas that their flight back home had been changed.
But when they checked the new flight time, they discovered their baby girl had mistakenly been booked on to a completely different flight than their own.
The parents told Australian morning show Today that as a result of the error, they had no choice but to spend 20 hours on hold as they attempted to speak to staff at Qantas. But apparently, when they eventually did get through, the airline denied any accountability for the mistake.
Speaking to Today's presenters, Stephanie said: "They said they hadn’t done anything wrong because they did book her a ticket. Initially, they denied any liability. That’s Qantas."
She continued: ”We spent 20 hours, 47 minutes and 13 seconds on the phone to Qantas over a 24-hour period, and over 55 separate phone calls, before they finally agreed to book us on new flights home.”
After spending nearly a full day on hold, the mom said the Qantas customer service reps eventually agreed to move the three onto a new flight where they could all travel together. The new flight was booked for 12 days after their original one.
The Brahams were in Rome at the time that their flights were changed, which meant they were forced to sort out expensive last-minute accommodation in the Italian city.
“We’re seething. I’m meant to be home,” Andrew told Today. ”I don’t think we will really feel assured until we get on that plane and the plane is in the air at this stage.”
In a statement to Daily Mail Australia, Qantas say they "sincerely apologise" to the family and that a "backend administrative error" between the airline and partner KLM resulted in the youngster automatically being transferred to different flight.
"We are reaching out to the family to provide support and will provide reimbursement for their accommodation," a spokeswoman said.
