Athletes forced to fly costly Qantas

[Hvr]

She said sportspeople risked arriving at the Olympics cramped, tired or injured because they were not allowed to shop around for the best airfares at the lowest price.





"It's one thing for Sussan Ley to lecture the sports, she needs to turn her attention to the AOC and the sponsor airline," Keneally said.


She said a Qantas business class fare to the London Olympics cost about $12,000, whereas a different airline was offering the same service for $5000, and sports were not allowed to go for the cheaper option

Read more: Rio 2016: Kristina Keneally slams Australian Olympic Committee for athlete flight rules
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Not a fair headline but it does show the cost of moving athletes around the world for their various events and training requirements.

 

[opusman]

And they have to go business class... why?

 

[anat0l]

And they have to go business class... why?

Most athletes are tall, they need to maintain all their muscles in great shape, they need to hit the ground running with training etc.... I don't know, help me out here.

Also, where's that airline that has $5000 r/t J fares (no mention of buying points, please)...

 

[andye]

Most athletes are tall, they need to maintain all their muscles in great shape, they need to hit the ground running with training etc.... I don't know, help me out here.

Also, where's that airline that has $5000 r/t J fares (no mention of buying points, please)...

Can't remember what they were like in mid-2012 but Vietnam, Asiana, Finnair and the Chinese are not far off

 

[mannej]

BI possibly may have been another with ~$5k J fares from AU to LHR around 2012 (I am trying to remember when they pulled the majority of their AU routes though).

 

[Kolo]

Can't remember what they were like in mid-2012 but Vietnam, Asiana, Finnair and the Chinese are not far off

Yep, the Chinese airlines. Issue is that connection times are not great.

 

[trentusjuventus]

Most athletes are tall, they need to maintain all their muscles in great shape, they need to hit the ground running with training etc.... I don't know, help me out here.

Also, where's that airline that has $5000 r/t J fares (no mention of buying points, please)...

Yeah I reckon if they are at the peak of their training, the last thing they need is to lose a day or two because they didn't sleep well on the flight. I've also wondered if for some of the more well known athletes it's a security thing as well (or at least to stop them from being bothered for photos/autographs/discussions). If the socceroos get ferried around on a private charter to the world cup, why should our olympians sit in economy?

 

[casanovawa]

Because there are about 20 of them compared to 300+ in Australia's Olympic team??

 

[MEL_Traveller]

i wonder what the push is to fly Qantas? And whether any australian airline would do?

Is this a case of 'safety' (in which case Virgin would do), or is this a case of using taxpayer money to support 'Australian' companies (in which case Virgin would do as well).

 

[TomVexille]

i wonder what the push is to fly Qantas? And whether any australian airline would do?

Is this a case of 'safety' (in which case Virgin would do), or is this a case of using taxpayer money to support 'Australian' companies (in which case Virgin would do as well).

Likely a contractual agreement. Like UA and the US Olympic team.

 

[juddles]

What nonsense in reporting.

The AOC has an agreement with the official sponsor, Qantas, for fixed rate economy fares. If an athlete wants to travel otherwise, they can sort it out themselves. That is the totality of the agreement and IMHO it is fair.

What is this drivel about athletes arriving "injured" etc if forced to travel in economy???? A professional athlete is far less likely to suffer such a flight than a normal person. There is nothing hard about managing the trip without hurting one's self.

 

[Milefest]

If you're so fragile that you're going to get injured on an economy flight, you're probably not an elite athlete anyway. I know plenty of tall athletic people that are fine after a long economy flight (me included).

 

[MEL_Traveller]

Likely a contractual agreement. Like UA and the US Olympic team.

Yes - but most US government or US government sponsored travel has to be on US companies. The major difference is that US airlines are competitive and that leads to competitive fares. We have a single Aussie carrier who can charge what they want.

QF's current sale fares are $1299 to Santiago, $1449 to New York and $1749 to London. Where/how does $2100 fit into that picture?

As a taxpayer, funding this, I want value for money. I don't mind business class - now that male and female athletes are to be treated equally - but i want it to be the best value business class, not a form of state subsidy to a particular airline.

More than happy to be proven wrong if the figures show other than a state subsidy.

 

[TomVexille]

Yes - but most US government or US government sponsored travel has to be on US companies. The major difference is that US airlines are competitive and that leads to competitive fares. We have a single Aussie carrier who can charge what they want.

QF's current sale fares are $1299 to Santiago, $1449 to New York and $1749 to London. Where/how does $2100 fit into that picture?

As a taxpayer, funding this, I want value for money. I don't mind business class - now that male and female athletes are to be treated equally - but i want it to be the best value business class, not a form of state subsidy to a particular airline.

More than happy to be proven wrong if the figures show other than a state subsidy.

US government travel sounds very different to the USOC deal with UA for them to be the exclusive carrier for USOC teams. Those teams don't fly any other US carrier. Obviously the AOC have an exclusive deal with QF. Is that right or the best value. Probably not. But it does sound like an exclusive deal.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

US government travel sounds very different to the USOC deal with UA for them to be the exclusive carrier for USOC teams. Those teams don't fly any other US carrier. Obviously the AOC have an exclusive deal with QF. Is that right or the best value. Probably not. But it does sound like an exclusive deal.

My point was that UA would likely have been one of several US based carriers that would have competed for the opportunity to be 'exclusive' airline. I'm assuming this would have given the best value for money outcome.

Maybe Vermin bid for the Aussie Olympic team as well?

 

[anat0l]

US government travel sounds very different to the USOC deal with UA for them to be the exclusive carrier for USOC teams. Those teams don't fly any other US carrier. Obviously the AOC have an exclusive deal with QF. Is that right or the best value. Probably not. But it does sound like an exclusive deal.

I would have thought have some sort of negotiation with the AOC, if it isn't for special fares, then it would be inventory. Although if the special fares are $12k then something is wrong or someone is fudging up something to support their own agenda.

I suspect QF vs VA is a national prestige thing. Be it as it may that VA may or may not be the better carrier of the two, people still recognise QF has the national airline. VS has continually tried to usurp the same title from BA in the same way; I doubt it has been successful, even if it is very arguable that VS offers the better product and service. Maybe if VA elbows in or proposes a much larger and/or competitive sponsorship package compared to QF, they may just wrest away the Olympic contract in the same way they won over the AFL one.

Also, didn't a QF 747 get chartered for the Olympic team during the previous Olympics (which was a national embarrassment for Australia)? That's no small effort - I'd like to see VA charter on a 777 or even 332. If the AOC paid QF entirely for that charter I'd be gosh darned - that's probably a good waste of taxpayer funds.

 

[CaptJCool]

Bad luck I say. Qantas get to ferry the Olympic team there and back.
Im sure with 60 business class seats 460 athletes into 60 don't go.
i do know on the way home, the medal winners get the upgrades so they can be first off the jet in the hangar to the waiting media.
I imagine the chef d Mission sits in the last row of economy right down the back right ? Sarcasm....

as as for individual sports the ministers announcement was directed to soccer and cricket traditional men's only sports whose national women's teams are treated like some relic of 1916 housemaid servants. 2nd class citizens Wage rates and travel class.

The other 10 sports ABC contacted send their athletes in the same travel class regardless of gender.

 

[basso]

There were demands for geneder equality four years ago when the men flew business and the women flew premium economy. Good idea, but someone has to pay for it....

 

[MEL_Traveller]

There were demands for geneder equality four years ago when the men flew business and the women flew premium economy. Good idea, but someone has to pay for it....

There is an alternative - the men could downgrade! Or some other system where men/women faly premium/business 50% of the time each. No increased cost but much fairer.

 

[TheRealTMA]

While I absolutely agree that gender should not determine the status of the travel, the AOC ( or whomever) pays a grant of some $2100 I believe for travel to the event, at taxpayers' expense. If they don't want to accept the handouts then pay your own way. They're just sportspeople after all, <redacted>