I need to extend my stay in the US for a couple more weeks so I called Qantas from work today.
"What's the fare basis printed on your ticket, sir?" "Umm, I don't have my ticket with me at the moment, can you look it up?" "No, it's only on the ticket, sir".
Why is an important piece of information like the fare basis for the ticket only on the printed ticket and not in some Qantas computer?
I recall this isn't the first time that Qantas telepone sales have had no idea what the conditions of my ticket were.
Which reminds me: a couple of years ago I was travelling domestically in the US and they wouldn't let me on the plane because no ticket had been issued for me. "But here's my reservation confirmation", I said and pointed out that I even had a seat allocation. "Yes, you have a reservation on this flight, sir, but not a ticket". Silly me! What was I thinking?
UPDATE (2004-09-03): I now have to physically send my ticket to Arizona so Qantas can physically send me back a new one.