747 Business service - a little bit too casual

[juddles]

......have had quite a number of nonchalant experiences on many of QF (pre flight, inflight & post flight) before, though also balanced with enjoyable flights of unexpected high standards of service.
To me it is truly as a 'lucky dip" with QF on the day......

I agree that they are not all great on every flight, but I have experienced this on every airline in the world.

I am still a Qantas lover, perhaps because the mediocre experiences are the same no matter what airline you travel on, but those truly great staff and amazing flights, have always been on Qantas.

 

[splashin]

I agree all flights are inconsistent. I've caught quite a few business class flight this year. 3 were excellent but it's always the bad experience you remember. There was one flight where I walked past the galley to ask if I could have another bottle of water and was told to go back to my seat and bring my bottle back for refill. Another where I was handed my dinner by the FA while he was talking and looking at another passenger in the opposite aisle. Actually, he was trying to score their number and spent the whole time chit chatting while I was trying to sleep and work. One other time, I was told only the cheese platter is available as the ice cream has melted with no apologies. I rarely get greeted by name even though I am a WP. This is all in the 6 months. But hey it's better than BA, Club Europe is a joke. I was escorted out of the gallery lounge after being told I was in the wrong lounge even though they said it was fine initially. I do find Qantas service seem more genuine than some other airline ... that is when they get it right. I also love the lounges.

 

[Flying mermaid]

I think it is very hard to judge based on one flight - sometimes everything just seems to go wrong. Also if you are the sort of person who likes BA service then Qantas probably won't feel quite right. My recent experience is in F rather than J, but we did 2 flights with BA and two with Qantas recently. BA were both New F and Qantas were 1 747 and one A 380. The BA service was superb - couldn't fault them on anything - they were very quick to anticipate my needs. Qantas while still good was less so. But I actually preferred the Qantas service to the BA because it just suited my personality more..... I also had some lovely chats with the staff and was even given a bottle of vintage Taittinger, to take home to ease the pain of returning home after 7 weeks away.

Food is very important to Mr FM and I and we found the food on Qantas was light years better than BA, to the point that Mr FM is refusing to travel on BA again.

I've has good service from BA in CW and CE and also some truly rude and arrogant service, so just luck of the draw sometimes. Have to say I wasn't sure what to expect from Qantas after a few years of not flying much internationally, but I thought they were every bit as good as I remembered and F in the 380 is superb, so don't let your J experience put you off trying it.

 

[lovestotravel]

Given staff on the 744 will be losing their jobs in the next 1-4 years, it's no wonder the service is bad!

 

[Alanslegal]

I think it is very hard to judge based on one flight - sometimes everything just seems to go wrong.

And its even harder to judge especially if its a person's very first long haul business class when a person's expectation is going to be sky-high after reading, seeing, hearing all the fabulous stories of premium travel.

 

[chrisb]

There was one flight where I walked past the galley to ask if I could have another bottle of water and was told to go back to my seat and bring my bottle back for refill.

Hey, I got that too, along with a smart comment about how they couldn't possibly carry more than one bottle per pax. (In J, yes you can)

After being snapped at I didn't bother continuing to find the J self serve area or lounge.

 

[medhead]

My mates can call me mate. But I was put out when I had it on a domestic flight once. I'm not sure why as 20 years ago a large percentage of my time involved being called mate. I had buddy last night as a lowly Y passenger - again not happy.

But then I also had an FA walk passed without offering coffee, offered to the opposite passenger back to me and kept walking. When they came back with the tea and I asked for coffee - "you should have got me before instead of ignoring me." WTF!

I have found the A380 crews to be good (and also jet connect crews). But I've had a finger of my baileys be removed without asking, which makes a joke of telling someone they shouldn't have ordered a drink they didn't finish.

So many little trivial things that add up to give a bad impression. I also think we see this situation because of a morass of low work esteem among the crew created by all the negative public comments from the top. This is not to say that nothing should be done, just that publicly airing the dirty laundry is extremely damaging to staff morale. The corrective actions need to be taken while also making staff feel supported.


Sent from the Throne

 

[The Rok]

Tie me kangaroo down MATE, tie me kangaroo down.....

 

[medhead]

Isn't it "sport"?


Sent from the Throne

 

[The Rok]

Isn't it "sport"?


Sent from the Throne

Why am I not surprised!!!

 

[QF029]

So what if the seat is bigger and better? (and it's not fabulous anyway). I was there to party

Well I'm the opposite and the seat / legroom is 80% of the benefit to me. I agree that 'mate' is not an appropriate way to greet a customer.

 

[haggiscat]

Hey, I got that too, along with a smart comment about how they couldn't possibly carry more than one bottle per pax. (In J, yes you can)

After being snapped at I didn't bother continuing to find the J self serve area or lounge.

Was also told this. Also don't expect to have to go hunting in the galley for staff in Business and watch as they refill my bottle. Very poor.

 

[haggiscat]

I have to say too that I am the most easily pleased of airline passengers. I don't care for IFE, fancy seats with massage functions, clever lighting, sky-interior luggage bins and windows, blah blah blah. I love the original config 747s with their shakes and rattles. I'm happy with my plastic headphones in my combi biz seat with dial-in radio Q.

HOWEVER, what I put a premium on (as in every other area) is SERVICE.

Service is the EASIEST and the CHEAPEST part of the airline product to get right.

If I am called Mr Haggis on boarding and at dinnertime, and given a nice big glass of Champagne that keeps being refilled when it's empty, and someone comes around from time to time and gives me a cheesy (even fake) smile, I'd sit on a wooden plank all the way to London and back for the price of a Biz ticket.

 

[Mgjdubs]

I'd sit on a wooden plank all the way to London and back for the price of a Biz ticket.

I don't know that I'd go that far, but I tend to agree; service is important. I certainly would be marginally p!ssed off if I had paid $10k+ for a J ticket and received such a standard of service, being that it is so easy to treat people with respect (not calling someone 'mate'). It's really basic.

The most unfortunate part is that a number of QF's customers probably ponder (I know I certainly do) whether or not they'll win the service lottery. Will I get a professional crew showing me courtesy and respect? Or will I get treated like I'm on a Jetstar/Tiger flight back from the Gold Coast after Schoolies week? I personally think its really unfortunate, given that there are those QF staff who are absolutely, faultlessly amazing in the manner towards passengers - I hate the notion of those wonderful crew members being associated with the other people at QF who are frankly a little too nonchalant for my liking.

 

[juddles]

......Service is the EASIEST and the CHEAPEST part of the airline product to get right...

Haggis, wasnt quite sure I liked your first post,but in this I totally agree.

As for use of the word ¨mate¨, despite it being nice and Australian, it shouldn´t be used by staff. Ever. Not in F, not in J, not in Y. Just banniing this word and using sir/madam costs nothing, yet totaly changes the perception of professionalism. Personally the only time I would use mate on a stranger is if I was having a go at them. IT is just not a word for service staff.

 

[cdinoz]

Have a chat and you may be surprised

Agreed.

I find engaging in lite chat when boarding in J (or Y+) with attendant during drinks service holds well for the remaining 12 hours on board. I have had some quite charming conversations with QF (and other) staff at 40,000 feet.

One even managed to get the Captain to get me a football result somewhere over the Pacific Ocean!

But to the OP, I have noted that the service on the A380 seems to be a step up from the 747. Coming back from HK in May - the service in J was not as good in the 744 as the outgoing trip in Y+ on the A380.

Coming back from LA a couple of weeks ago, the Airbus service in J was exquisite. It also helped again on boarding I chatted and joked with my attendant during boarding drinks. Following dinner service I was finishing my "sticky" wine, and asked for a Baileys.... I promptly fell asleep - and on being woken for breakfast some 10 hours later - the attendant when placing my breakfast tray down remarked "Mr D... assume you don't want that Baileys now.... you were fast asleep....".

The fact she remembered I had ordered the drink after those 10 hours was superb. And was said with quite some grace!

I have, however, never been referred to as "mate" - and would feel a little disconcerted if I was. That is too familiar. I have asked a couple of times to be referred to by my first name - as I'm not a huge fan of being called "Mr"

I have another 744 J trip to JFK in a couple of weeks, so will see how the crew go (and looking forward to the new 744 product also).

 

[Hvr]

...

HOWEVER, what I put a premium on (as in every other area) is SERVICE.

Service is the EASIEST and the CHEAPEST part of the airline product to get right.
...

Actually it is the hardest and most expensive part of the product to get right.

The hard product, plane, lounge etc are static and once properly installed are just a physical product to be maintained.

Service relies on people doing the right thing at the right time to the right person in the right circumstances. Lots of combinations to get exactly right all of the time. Get the timing wrong and what would be awesome service in another circumstance is considered poor service.

And another part of the whole equation is how the recipient sees the service. This board has many examples of what some people consider good service and what others decry as poor or inferior service. Yet the same product was delivered. Are both views wrong? Of course not. It is perception of the recipient. As an example, after the initial greeting I prefer to be called by my first name and when appropriate will advise the FA. Other passengers are rightly horrified at being referred to by their first name. Same situation, different reaction.

The service employer also has responsibilities to ensure that the provider (the actual person delivering the service) is themselves given good service and allowed to do their job. Do they have the right tools, both physical and training to deliver the required level of service? Are they treated properly? If the employer treats their staff like cough well it is easy to guess what the employee thinks about the business and regardless of how professional they are, it will almost invariably be seen by the customer.

Some food for thought.

 

[TonyHancock]

Just had the 747 and 380 experience.

The 747 J experience was on QF 6. I would describe the crew's performance as perfunctory. There were no personal greetings, and at no time was I addressed by my name. They were efficient without being engaging.

The 380 experience, QF10, was excellent. The CSM greeted pax by name as did the FA serving the part of the cabin I was in. The service was efficient, professional, and friendly. When QF gets it right they really do offer a good product. (I assume I was the only P1 in Emerald City because the CSM quietly offered me a drink before the meal and did not make the same offer to other pax)

 

[dajop]

. (I assume I was the only P1 in Emerald City because the CSM quietly offered me a drink before the meal and did not make the same offer to other pax)

So you have to be a P1 to get a drink before the meal ? It's been so long since flying QF I'd forgotten this. On SQ usually before takeoff they will take drink orders, and unless there is bad turbulence, I will have a Singapore Sling or Champagne in my hand within 20mins of takeoff.

 

[Sprucegoose]

Just had the 747 and 380 experience.

The 747 J experience was on QF 6. I would describe the crew's performance as perfunctory. There were no personal greetings, and at no time was I addressed by my name. They were efficient without being engaging.

The 380 experience, QF10, was excellent. The CSM greeted pax by name as did the FA serving the part of the cabin I was in. The service was efficient, professional, and friendly. When QF gets it right they really do offer a good product. (I assume I was the only P1 in Emerald City because the CSM quietly offered me a drink before the meal and did not make the same offer to other pax)

Your QF 6 experience may as well been on SQ........