ABC 4 Corners on Qantas - Monday 5 September

[CMA222]

At least the ABC is prepared to take the topic on. The commercial channels are too concerned that the advertising revenue and contra deals they get will be reduced or eliminated in retaliation. Of course, QF would never do that, they would blame it on the channels not being "match fit" in handling interactions with the airline !

As I mentioned up thread (post #3) .... QF have ways to make their displeasure known. It would be interesting to know if the "media workers" are from a commercial channel. I doubt they are on-air people as if so, they are in a position to say something about their flights being changed or disrupted, so probably less likely to be affected.

 

[Vic]

It was mostly a joke, but there are media members / reporters that work on more than 1 show.

sorry, yes, I did get a bit too serious.
there would a be delicious irony if it was 4 Corners...

 

[BD1959]

Why does the pax have to take personal responsibility when in the case in question that airline has taken no responsibility?
Once Qantas got interested by the media asking them, the bag was found in a few days. The value of the contents is NOT an issue here. It's about the airline exercising even a small fraction of customer service. In this case, as reported, there was zero customer service.

Blaming the passenger is not appropriate when the airline has done nothing to help, and they're only interested in doing something when the story might be put onto National TV.
I don't accept victim blaming to defend the inaction by Qantas.

My words were: They are paid a service fee to handle your bag - with some LCCs obviously explicitly - and should deliver on that. (my emphasis).

I'm saying its a dual responsibility thing. Of course the airline has a responsibility to do all in its powers to ensure your bag makes it to the end destination. in the vast majority of times that would be the same time as the passenger. However, cases have always gone missing, there are times when baggage is you can either accept that - and plan for it - or you can mitigate. As I stated, I would never, ever pack valuable, irreplaceable items in checked baggage, the alternative is that I gamble that the airline(s) will get my bags to my destination 100% without fail. That's a gamble I - personally - am not prepared to ever take.

Current situation is an absolute extreme of BAU.

Regards,

BD

 

[AustraliaPoochie]

Lost baggage is one thing, items left on the plane is another. I left a kindle and a pair of glasses on the plane in July at Sydney. I realised when I went to get on my next flight through to Adelaide, walked down to the gate we arrived at and was told to cough off and talk to baggage services basically (a bit nicer wording but they didn't want to help). I did ask if they could call them but was told I would need to ring them myself. By that time I had to get on my next plane so called when I landed, voicemail is all you get with these people now and no call back just a message on the voice mail saying if we find your stuff we might call you. I haven't been through the Sydney qantas terminal since and the couple of time via Virgin I haven't had the time to run over and check, but I doubt they have any sort of system at all.

I would have thought cleaners / cabin crew check seat pockets between each leg for cleaning sake, and even if they didn't someone could have told me what the next flight was that plane took so I could call that airport.

Another problem with outsourcing baggage services, they don't care about Qantas' client because that isn't their client.

Might also be that the next pax on that plane might have taken your item, who knows.
I was on a VA/QF flight once, and someone had left a used coffee paperish cup aganist the seat, between it and the window, pushed down, out of view.
So, even if the cleaners do a whole plane job clean at nights, by then, who knows where your item is.
I would return it if I saw it, or pass to the operating carrier's ground staff, then after that, who knows where items go.
Some people have no scruples, and will steal or take others stuff.

 

[N860CR]

If they didn't get rid of AJ when he used heavy handed tactics like shutting down the airline when pilots went on strike, why on earth would anyone think that he would be held accountable for delayed flights?

Good example of controlled narrative (and it was a long time ago so the truth has no doubt been forgotten). Qantas pilots did not go on strike. They wore red ties as part of protected industrial action. From memory (and I could be wrong), the pilots actually got more than what they wanted - Qantas just wanted the optics of the shutdown.

 

[jpp42]

I didn't want to start a new thread for this, so posting here since the Four Corners report had a segment with an aircraft cleaner/fleet presentation.
This photo is circulating social media showing the current state of Qantas cleanliness standards, taken around 8:30am, so it's not like it's the end of the day after 10 cycles. More info:

https://www.reddit.com/r/sydney/comments/xdku32

 

[Princess Fiona]

I didn't want to start a new thread for this, so posting here since the Four Corners report had a segment with an aircraft cleaner/fleet presentation.
This photo is circulating social media showing the current state of Qantas cleanliness standards, taken around 8:30am, so it's not like it's the end of the day after 10 cycles. More info:

https://www.reddit.com/r/sydney/comments/xdku32

That’s about as a clean as any public transport I’ve been on here.
If you take your phone and zoom in on any bit of the flooring on any other random aircraft of whatever airline it will look the same.

Hardly newsworthy, probs ok for Reddit standards

 

[whughes3]

Rather scathung editorial in the "Age" today...

Qantas is a good business, but should it be a public service?

Tales of woe shared by customers of Australia’s dominant airline group, Qantas, in recent months have surely given anyone still itching for an overseas holiday pause for thought.

www.theage.com.au

 

[Princess Fiona]

Fairly robust defense of QF and CEO from the Board Chairman today in the AFR
Opinion Richard Goyder
May be paywalled but can be viewed with the usual channels

 

[Pete98765432]

Fairly robust defense of QF and CEO from the Board Chairman today in the AFR
Opinion Richard Goyder
May be paywalled but can be viewed with the usual channels

Also at:
PUTTING SOME CONTEXT AROUND THE NATIONAL CARRIER’S RECENT HISTORY

 

[dylarr]

Fairly robust defense of QF and CEO from the Board Chairman today in the AFR
Opinion Richard Goyder
May be paywalled but can be viewed with the usual channels

The original was actually posted on Qantas Newsroom as an "op-ed":

https://www.qantasnewsroom.com.au/media-releases/qantas-op-ed-putting-some-context-around-the-national-carriers-recent-history/

edit: beaten by Pete!

 

[dylarr]

Rather scathung editorial in the "Age" today...

Qantas is a good business, but should it be a public service?

Tales of woe shared by customers of Australia’s dominant airline group, Qantas, in recent months have surely given anyone still itching for an overseas holiday pause for thought.

www.theage.com.au

This is quite a good piece. I agree with a lot of the points in the editorial, in particular highlighting the consumer protections in the EU and calling for something similar here.

 

[TheRealTMA]

Fairly robust defense of QF and CEO from the Board Chairman today in the AFR
Opinion Richard Goyder
May be paywalled but can be viewed with the usual channels

Shock! Who would have thought!

Don’t see the Board taking any responsibility as usual with Boards.

 

[RooFlyer]

Fairly robust defense of QF and CEO from the Board Chairman today in the AFR
Opinion Richard Goyder
May be paywalled but can be viewed with the usual channels

A 'good' piece by Goyder, as you'd expect (I worked with him briefly). But what it doesn't address, along with the like plea "we are only as bad as all the other airlines", is that that Qantas remains so expensive. They still charge a premium fare for an experience in line with JetStar. He says fuel prices have risen - well, I don't know about Qantas' hedging program (it used to be good), but possibly the fuel impost is the same for most airlines. NOT the reason for the high relative fares!!

His comment on the buyback mentions the capital injection during covid and says its OK for the shareholder should get some of that back. What about the taxpayer??

The more they defend the indefensible, the sillier they look (including Goyder)

 

[CMA222]

Shock! Who would have thought!

Don’t see the Board taking any responsibility as usual with Boards.

The more they defend the indefensible, the sillier they look (including Goyder)

It's always a sign that they have lost touch with reality when they try to defend (sell) the indefensible rather than deal with the reality. The PR spin guys are earning their money.

 

[serfty]

Hardly newsworthy, probs ok for Reddit standards

Agree, in over 2000 RPT Flights I have lost count of the times I have seen similar.

 

[serfty]

This is quite a good piece. I agree with a lot of the points in the editorial, in particular highlighting the consumer protections in the EU and calling for something similar here.

None of it mentions the often general appalling treatment and/or destruction of bookings for those experiencing schedule changes.

 

[kangarooflyer88]

A 'good' piece by Goyder, as you'd expect (I worked with him briefly). But what it doesn't address, along with the like plea "we are only as bad as all the other airlines", is that that Qantas remains so expensive. They still charge a premium fare for an experience in line with JetStar. He says fuel prices have risen - well, I don't know about Qantas' hedging program (it used to be good), but possibly the fuel impost is the same for most airlines. NOT the reason for the high relative fares!!

I'm not noticing much in terms of high fares on QF, albeit most of my bookings were made earlier in the year. The real question is whether consumers will accept these prices in the long-run? Sure short term consumers will pay whatever it costs given we were jailed at home for the past 2 years. But if your next trip to Perth from Sydney costs similar as a trip to Paris, which would you choose?

In terms of the excuse that we've been shutdown for 2 years... well who decided to do all of that? Many airlines around the world kept operating in spite of the pandemic, and are doing relatively well operationally. Also, and I am not an airline operations expert but any means, but I suspect Qantas has had weeks perhaps even months of advanced notice that they would operating flights chock-a-block based on something called bookings. Hence, they should have been planning for this. Indeed, when Uncle Alan was whining last year about the borders being closed he mentioned he hinted that Qantas was getting ready to get everything started and that fares will continue to be low to incentivize people to fly.

His comment on the buyback mentions the capital injection during covid and says its OK for the shareholder should get some of that back. What about the taxpayer??

Technically it's the government's money. What QF needs to have are reserves so that when they hit these bumpy patches like recessions or pandemics they don't have to run to the commonwealth cap in hand asking for a hand out. And while they're at it maybe they could spend a couple bucks on improving the customer experience? Perhaps offering PDB on domestic J flights and adding an extra olive to my salad? Just sayin'!

-RooFlyer88

 

[downgraded]

Laggage handler dropping/throwing luggage 2-3 feet onto the luggage cart.

And? That's not a cause for comment, let alone complaint in my book. It's luggage and it needs to be reasonably packed. If it can't survive that it couldn't cope with falling over.

 

[JohnK]

And? That's not a cause for comment, let alone complaint in my book. It's luggage and it needs to be reasonably packed. If it can't survive that it couldn't cope with falling over.

This is how luggage is damaged. This is how golf clubs are damaged.

Surely that's not an acceptable practice?