AFR's Joe Aston goes BAM!

[yachty]

Writer in the financial press, the AFR (Australian Financial Review). His articles have been frequently quoted on AFF. You won't see the AFR in Qantas lounges, as they got taken out when Aston started his series of articles on Qantas and Alan Joyce. I mean, how petty and puerile is that? The airline targeting business travellers bans the only business-specific newspaper in the country because a writer is critical. .

‘Corporate cancel culture’: News Corp boss slams Qantas ban on AFR

Use this for the paywall: 12ft – Hop any paywall

I'm certainly no AJ fan but Aston's articles feel like axe-grinding now.

I'm part of the business traveller market you describe and can't help but sigh in agony when I open the AFR to see another rant with the same rehashed points over and over. And there's so much to actually complain about! I know it's a gossip-y column but one can still wish for some creativity lol.

 

[VeniVidiVici]

He'll keep doing it until something cracks.

Have a look at what happened with Alex Malley (CPA), Aston was just as puerile in his attack but was 100% right in calling Malley out. I feel the same way with Qantas, don't agree with Aston's methods or language but I'm glad someone is calling it out while plenty of other journalists ignore it. Can't risk the Ed's CL membership.

He's abrasive, that's his schtick.

 

[cove]

I read the AFR 6 days a week.The board of directors of Qantas have gone for profits over the reputation of the business which has been really trashed. I would be quite upset to get a long haul flight with either a non functioning seat or no entertainment system.
This week my SIL had her flight to get to the Matildas game cancelled and was lucky to get there in time. There was no entertainment system working on the replacement flight.
Delays and cancellations together with sky high pricing must be annoying more than a few flyers.

 

[justinbrett]

I read the AFR 6 days a week.The board of directors of Qantas have gone for profits over the reputation of the business which has been really trashed. I would be quite upset to get a long haul flight with either a non functioning seat or no entertainment system.
This week my SIL had her flight to get to the Matildas game cancelled and was lucky to get there in time. There was no entertainment system working on the replacement flight.
Delays and cancellations together with sky high pricing must be annoying more than a few flyers.

I don't think IFE/Seat failures are specific to QF

As for delays and cancellations, QF is outperforming VA in cancellations and pretty much square with VA for OTP. https://www.bitre.gov.au/sites/default/files/documents/BITRE_OTP_Report_June_2023.pdf

I think as you say there is a reputational issue caused from "the bad times" and people assuming that is still the case, they have some work to do improving that.

 

[cove]

SIL has a business class redemption but Qantas is now using a plane with no business class to go SYD-PER.

 

[Princess Fiona]

SIL has a business class redemption but Qantas is now using a plane with no business class to go SYD-PER.

Are you sure ?
Or is that J is full due to an aircraft change?
They only use B737, A330 and B789 on that route. All have J class

 

[SYD]

SIL has a business class redemption but Qantas is now using a plane with no business class to go SYD-PER.

I recently had a J CR PER-SYD with an equipment swap A330 to B737 a day out. The system still had me and SYD+1 in K window seats . That took a few calls to fix…

 

[Peasant]

I don't think IFE/Seat failures are specific to QF

As for delays and cancellations, QF is outperforming VA in cancellations and pretty much square with VA for OTP. https://www.bitre.gov.au/sites/default/files/documents/BITRE_OTP_Report_June_2023.pdf

I think as you say there is a reputational issue caused from "the bad times" and people assuming that is still the case, they have some work to do improving that.

While the domestic operation may have improved from the lows of last year, international is very much still a story of bad times.

I don’t know another major full-service airline that has so many 5+ hour delays on major routes departing from their home hub. Think QF1, QF9, QF25. And the rest.

As for the multi-month seat and refrigeration issues across several aircraft, again, I cannot think of another airline that I travel with that has so many issues. Certainly not SQ, QR, EK, CX or JL. Or even BA.

You’re right about the hit to the reputation, but again, I would suggest that perception and experience is little better than it was despite Qantas proudly proclaiming it’s back to its best. If, as Joe says, this is a reflection of Australia at the moment, we have lots to do.

 

[cove]

SIL has very low status so it looks like she has been picked for a downgrade out of business class. She is booked to get home to Perth from the soccer final.Looks like the business class area of the plane is more than full.
My son has told me that Virgin is running some of their planes with no business class at all out of Adelaide.
I thought that Qantas must have started to follow up on this idea.

 

[justinbrett]

I don’t know another major full-service airline that has so many 5+ hour delays on major routes departing from their home hub. Think QF1, QF9, QF25. And the rest.

Where are you getting the stats there have been so many 5+ hour delays? Or is it anecdotal?

 

[jase05]

SIL has very low status so it looks like she has been picked for a downgrade out of business class. She is booked to get home to Perth from the soccer final.Looks like the business class area of the plane is more than full.
My son has told me that Virgin is running some of their planes with no business class at all out of Adelaide.
I thought that Qantas must have started to follow up on this idea.

Yes VA are running Y only aircraft between ADL and PER but QF don’t.
As mentioned above it sounds like they may have swapped out the larger aircraft for a 737 with far fewer business seats

 

[Peasant]

Where are you getting the stats there have been so many 5+ hour delays? Or is it anecdotal?

I will be honest - this was an anecdotal hunch when I posted, but nothing is good without data, so I’ve pulled some stats on a few Qantas flights from flightstats.com

Here’s what I found:

It’s aggregate % of on-time departures for each flight followed by their classification of an excessive delay.

QF1: 71% with 19% excessive delays

QF2: 51% with 16% excessive delays

QF3. 68% with 16% excessive delays

QF4: 82% with 13% excessive delays

QF5: 60% with 28% excessive delays

QF6: 32% with 28% excessive delays

QF7: 68% with 13% excessive delays

QF8: 58% with 7% excessive delays

QF9: 45% with 27% excessive delays

QF10: 53% with 14% excessive delays

QF11: 20% with 44% excessive delays

QF12: 29% with 38% excessive delays

QF17: 33% with 33% excessive delays

QF19: 46% with 34% excessive delays

QF20: 63% with 20% excessive delays

QF21: 46% with 19% excessive delays

QF22: 73% with 12% excessive delays

QF23: 33% with 25% excessive delays

QF24: 50% with 21% excessive delays

QF25: 48% with 31% excessive delays

Qf27: 32% with 29% excessive delays

QF28: 59% with 16% excessive delays

QF29: 60% with 23% excessive delays

QF30: 57% with 25% excessive delays

QF35: 27% with 31% excessive delays

QF36: 67% with 17% excessive delays

QF39: 12% with 42% excessive delays

QF40: 62% with 19% excessive delays

QF41: 71% with 13% excessive delays

QF42: 82% with 13% excessive delays

QF63: 33% with 40% excessive delays

QF64: 53% with 21% excessive delays

QF67: 41% with 33% excessive delays

QF68: 63% with 15% excessive delays

QF69: 19% with 56% excessive delays

QF70: 33% with 41% excessive delays

QF75: 81% with 11% excessive delays

QF76: 84% with 0% excessive delays

QF81: 38% with 23% excessive delays

QF82: 72% with 13% excessive delays

QF93: 59% with 20% excessive delays

QF94: 69% with 22% excessive delays

QF103: 48% with 20% excessive delays

QF104: 14% with 55% excessive delays

QF127: 44% with 21% excessive delays

QF128: 77% with 12% excessive delays

QF145: 35% with 16% excessive delays

QF147: 55% with 20% excessive delays

QF149: 23% with 15% excessive delays

Against any global peer, it’s pretty ugly.

 

[jase05]

QF69: 19% with 56% excessive delays

That is just ridiculous.
Wonder what the reasons are and if it exclusive to QF at that port or not as that is really poor

 

[dajop]

That is just ridiculous.
Wonder what the reasons are and if it exclusive to QF at that port or not as that is really poor

A good comparison is probably AI309, which also does MEL-DEL albeit 90 mins earlier it has 61% on time, 26% excessive delays. Even if you pick flights arriving in DEL around the same time as QF69 from other ports none get close to either metric.

 

[HSB44]

He'll keep doing it until something cracks.

Have a look at what happened with Alex Malley (CPA), Aston was just as puerile in his attack but was 100% right in calling Malley out. I feel the same way with Qantas, don't agree with Aston's methods or language but I'm glad someone is calling it out while plenty of other journalists ignore it. Can't risk the Ed's CL membership.

He's abrasive, that's his schtick.

This.
He picks his battles and he doesn't let go.
Doesn't care who he offends or how professional he sounds - which is why he can border on hysterical with his vitriol sometimes. But he isn't timid in picking his battles.

I suspect his ego feels slighted by the fact that Joyce has been seemingly able to ride off into the sunset before Joe Aston the giant killer could 'take him down' .

 

[justinbrett]

This.
He picks his battles and he doesn't let go.
Doesn't care who he offends or how professional he sounds - which is why he can border on hysterical with his vitriol sometimes. But he isn't timid in picking his battles.

I suspect his ego feels slighted by the fact that Joyce has been seemingly able to ride off into the sunset before Joe Aston the giant killer could 'take him down' .

His recent battle is with the government, not QF. He won’t win that one.

 

[cove]

SIL ended up on an international A330 in business class getting home from Sydney after the soccer final yesterday.

 

[austgap]

Ironically sat next to Aston on a VA J flight from ADL-SYD recently. The crew welcomed him back as a VIP which was awkward as he had no idea what she was talking about and he still got his lunch order placed after me as a VA plat

 

[tdimdad]

I will be honest - this was an anecdotal hunch when I posted, but nothing is good without data, so I’ve pulled some stats on a few Qantas flights from flightstats.com

You'd need to compare them against other carriers on like routes at similar times from the same ports. If they are equally delayed, then we are likely to have systemic issue at those ports at those times. Though, having seen how many other carriers handle their departures, I wouldn't be surprised if this was a QF-specific issue in the close peer group (e.g. all carriers flying AU-US or AU-SG) - and if it is, it's a fair go to point that out.

 

[stm1sydney]

There is no getting away from the fact that the Qantas product is poor and way behind its former international peers, weak covid excuses notwithstanding, while its fares remain amongst the highest if not the highest.

And if one requires even more reasons to not give Qantas one's hard-earned, then AJ getting up the nose of half the population with his pet political forays (spending shareholders' money) might get you over the line. And that's before you consider their blatant and active opposition to more choice being introduced for Australian consumers as per the QR application.