[jamesduk]

On my final night in Sydney, Australia my friend and I were both mugged in the streets of Kings Cross. Both of us were physically assaulted and had possessions of ours stolen from us.

As a result of the mugging I had to spend several hours in Kings Cross Police Station making a statement about the assault and consequently couldn't get to the airport on time for my Qantas flight to Christchurch, New Zealand as part of my OneWorld round-the-world ticket.

Qantas refused to transfer me to the next available flight on the following day for free and instead demanded nearly 150 australian dollars (almost 150 US dollars). They advised I may as well book a flight with their partner budget carrier JetStar for a flight that left the same day which cost 200 dollars.

After complaining to Qantas about the unsympathetic handling of my difficult circumstances where I was a victim of a crime in Australia they refuse to do anything for me, insisting it is not their problem.

For a national carrier I expected some degree of understanding and hope that bringing this to this forum will shame the company into doing what is right and apologising.

James D, UK