No more QF chauffeur drive to LAX and DFW

[GoldenWinger]

Well I guess that answers the question of when JFK will get the QF chauffer drive...also very unlikely to JNB and SCL now as well. So much for being "harmonised" with Emirates partner..

Here it is from QF:

Chauffeur Drive update
Effective 1 July 2014, Qantas' complimentary Chauffeur Drive service will no longer be available for eligible First and Business customers travelling on Qantas operated international flights to/from Los Angeles and Dallas/Fort Worth.
Chauffeur Drive on services to the US has had relatively low take-up. Our strategy is centred on rebalancing parts of our service offering to invest in the areas most valued by our customers. There's no change the Chauffeur Drive service in Dubai and London, which has seen much stronger take-up.
Qantas will continue to offer the Chauffeur Drive service for eligible customers travelling between Australia and New Zealand to/from Dubai and London Heathrow (QF1 / QF2 / QF9 and QF10) and eligible codeshare services operated by Emirates.
Qantas will honour all existing Chauffeur Drive bookings made on/before 9 June 2014 for customers who are travelling on Qantas operated international flights to/from Los Angeles and Dallas/Fort Worth until 30 June 2014.

 

[Ben174]

Re: No more QF chauffer drive to LAX and DFW

What an absolute joke! If it had low uptake, whats the problem, can't have been costing them too much? And its not like they run their owns cars so had a high running cost, just a simple contractor pay per trip. I guess this is what happens with little to no competition on routes, pretty disappointing, all be it i only ever got picked up for probably half the chauffeur bookings i made.

 

[Ewing]

Re: No more QF chauffer drive to LAX and DFW

Yet another enhancement.

At this rate I'll be surprised if I even get First on my upcoming flights to and from LAX.

 

[UP4014]

Re: No more QF chauffer drive to LAX and DFW

If it had a low uptake you'd think they'd let it keep going considering what % of a first class ticket it might be.

What does "rebalancing" mean in this context.....what a crock.

QF seems to really struggle to do two things at once, they always have to can something before doing something else. eg in lounges, removing Crown and replacing it with Boags, why not simply do both.


Matt

 

[Timba-Jet]

Re: No more QF chauffer drive to LAX and DFW

Agree. The official reason does not add up.
Low take-up, then how about doing something to increase the take-up.
Maybe offer to select PE customers to fill up capacity....

Having said that, this was (is) a rare genuine enhancement, so credit to QF, but they just can't seem to execute things smoothly in the long run.

 

[Cruiser Elite]

Re: No more QF chauffer drive to LAX and DFW

Chauffeur Drive update
Effective 1 July 2014, Qantas' complimentary Chauffeur Drive service will no longer be available for eligible First and Business customers travelling on Qantas operated international flights to/from Los Angeles and Dallas/Fort Worth.
Chauffeur Drive on services to the US has had relatively low take-up.

This sounds all a bit Irish to me - what's that? The dude running Qantas is Irish - oh sorry - my bad!

 

[amaroo]

Re: No more QF chauffer drive to LAX and DFW

IME the low take up is exactly what they wanted to achieve. The communication regarding bookings/confirmations/number of cars/type of car is non-existent......I've never received a call prior to departing. The whole thing has been a disappointing joke to the point where I couldn't be bothered being jerked around and just sorted my own arrangements.

CD is something that was shoved down their throat by EK and they've treated it like that.

 

[casanovawa]

Re: No more QF chauffer drive to LAX and DFW

How many 'toes' do you think QF have left after all the repeated shots in the foot???

Can we also add 're-balancing' to the QF create your own language/Lexicon of bullsh!te???

Of course if its not being used and you're not running your own fleet it should be costing you little unless you loused up the terms in the negotiation...

Was talking to the driver on the way home from an EK flight booked as a QF award a few weeks back and he admitted that QF pay the company less than EK for delivering the same service and they still can't make the thing work it seems...

 

[RooFlyer]

Re: No more QF chauffer drive to LAX and DFW

What, no 'heads up' from our very own Red Roo about these exciting, simpler, fairer enhancements to the program?

 

[RooFlyer]

Re: No more QF chauffer drive to LAX and DFW

<snip>
"Qantas will honour all existing Chauffeur Drive bookings made on/before 9 June 2014 for customers who are travelling on Qantas operated international flights to/from Los Angeles and Dallas/Fort Worth until 30 June 2014."

to which they silently add ...

...and after that you can shove it up your backside. We don't give a rat's behind if you have booked the service for pick up after 30 June 2014; you can walk for all we care.

 

[SeatBackForward]

Re: No more QF chauffer drive to LAX and DFW

Couldn't they simply find Orange & Silver livery limos?

 

[defurax]

Re: No more QF chauffer drive to LAX and DFW

Maybe the re-balancing will involve replacing chauffeured cars with helicopter transfer

 

[GalaxyNexus]

Re: No more QF chauffer drive to LAX and DFW

Rebalancing meaning "our product is too much better than the competitor, so let's scale back to just be on par with other airlines and hope people still fly with us".

CD is actually one of the features I like when flying Qantas to the LOTFAP. I really hate mucking around with taxis, trains, etc. when I don't have to. And Uber/Lyft don't really work when arriving in LAX either.

 

[casanovawa]

Re: No more QF chauffer drive to LAX and DFW

Off the top of the head i can't think of anything they are better at than the range of competitors (that never had a jet crash thing only resonates so much), and most barely at the same level...

That's even before living in Perth and obviously having been given over to the competitors...

 

[Brisbane Flyer]

Re: No more QF chauffer drive to LAX and DFW

CD in LA has a range of only 45 or 50 miles. I was around Santa Barbara, after booking online, I got a call from the local contractor saying we were too far away for the free service. Used CD on arrival into Brissy, worked well, but only had to go 10kms!

 

[Kangol]

Re: No more QF chauffer drive to LAX and DFW

I miss out by one day

 

[Ansett]

Re: No more QF chauffer drive to LAX and DFW

This is absolute stupidity if it wasn't costing them much then why bother canning it???? Are things really that bad at QF they need to cut costs on what are over priced and under whelming services already.

Note to self BURN all points quickly before QF DIES !!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Flying mermaid]

Re: No more QF chauffer drive to LAX and DFW

Oh dear! Is there ever any good news?

 

[Dmac6345]

Re: No more QF chauffer drive to LAX and DFW

I am furious with this decision !!
How can QF only offer this until the end of July. Any booking made whilst CD was on offer should be honored. You cannot offer a service, take someone's money and then just spit it back in the customers face.
So mad with you now QF- You're the reason you won't be flying in 2015!

 

[Flying Fox]

Re: No more QF chauffer drive to LAX and DFW

I think that this is a terrible decision. The CD was a real point of difference with the QF product that is an expensive product when compared to other airlines. IMHO, the CD helped justify the price difference.

Very disappointing esp if very few people used it, it should have cost QF almost nothing!