Qantas and their SYD/MEL Centric First Class

[Mal]

Over Christmas I flew Qantas F SYD to SIN. I flew from BNE to SYD, then SYD to SIN. It was only an Award ticket, so I really didn't expect much (and to be honest, really didn't get much... except 80 hours of lost luggage and a decent flight over)

As per Qantas procedure, I received my phonecall the day before my flight. To paraphrase:

"I see you're flying BNE-SYD-SIN, Do you want a treatment at the F Lounge? BTW, SYD and MEL have great F facilities if you check in there, but you're not checking in there".

Of course if you connect from another city, you miss out on the following F benefits:

* F tags on your luggage (w@nky, I know, but they have their purpose and are a Platinum stated benefit regardless of class of travel)
* F boarding pass (similar to above)
* FastPass through Immigration (although, if you ask at the SYD Transfer desk, they might find a pass for you... it's unlikely to be offered directly).
* Escort through Immigration, Kerbside Check-in and pre-filled out departure cards.

I don't need hand holding when I fly, or ego stroking, but it does annoy me that Qantas treats other cities like dirt when you connect from them. How hard is it for them to have F tags in Brisbane, or have a supply of F boarding cards at the very least? How about a separate transfer to the International terminal like a lot of other airlines do?

 

[drron]

Mal we are definitely second class citizens.What I am now doing is to fly to SYD a day early.Slum it at the Ibis and so checkin in SYD.Shouldnt have to but thats life.

 

[Hawkeye]

I absolutely agree with these sentiments.

I must admit that I have managed to get F tags and boarding passes in the past, but with some searching required by the check-in agent. This was done without prompting, and their absence wouldn't have bothered me too much - although I do like the wood-grain appearance of the F boarding pass!

The lack of Fasttrack immigration, however, is a particular bugbear. A process whereby status / premium class passengers transiting through SYD / MEL receive passes at check-in at BNE domestic should not be hard to institute.

 

[Platy]

Yes, the product should be consistent as far as possible.

You should not leave customers who have paid huge amounts of cash for a F/J ticket floundering in long queues at immigration.

I have noticed on the last few visits through BNE INTL that the QP desk has FAILED to direct me to the F lounge on presentation of my WP card - since I know where the door is it doesn't really matter, but other WPs maybe missing out.

Consider too that Emirates will offer a courtesy free chaffeur service - at the Uk end my friend happily rides 4 hours from LHR to Leeds for free! At some ports the free ride is limited on distance.

Incidentally, I find BA F class check at LHR also very bad at putting on priority/first tags and have had to ask every time...

Product is also inconsistent if you fly BA flight numbr on a QF issued ticket...as mentioned on other posts, I was denied check in at the QF F desk and had to wait an hour for the BA F desk to open at SYD INTL when travelling F to LHR - so much for the OneWorld alliance and seamless service!!!

 

[GCD123]

I was denied check in at the QF F desk and had to wait an hour for the BA F desk to open at SYD INTL when travelling F to LHR - so much for the OneWorld alliance and seamless service!!![/quote]

That's because BA refuses to use QF ground handling in Sydney - they use a 3rd party supplier as it is cheaper.

 

[Dave Noble]

I was denied check in at the QF F desk and had to wait an hour for the BA F desk to open at SYD INTL when travelling F to LHR - so much for the OneWorld alliance and seamless service!!!

That's because BA refuses to use QF ground handling in Sydney - they use a 3rd party supplier as it is cheaper.[/QUOTE]

It is normal that check in is with the operating carrier rather than the marketed carrier; this is not a peculiarity of Sydney; whether BA is using QF staff, their own or another comapany's is irrelevent

Dave

 

[Mal]

Yes, the product should be consistent as far as possible.

You should not leave customers who have paid huge amounts of cash for a F/J ticket floundering in long queues at immigration.

Here's another comparison from my trip:

The staffer at BNE who checked me in didn't give me a departure card. I had to ask for one at the QP and then fill it out. If I checked in at Sydney, this would have been mostly filled out for me. I don't expect an exact same check-in experience in Brisbane as what I would've got if I checked in at Sydney, but I do expect that as a F pax that Qantas would at least get the basics right in Brisbane - or provide some kind of service recovery at the Transfer Desk to correct things. I enjoyed having to ask for a departure card, I also enjoyed having to prompt the Transfer desk for a Fastpass through immigration (and the staffer had to go hunting for it), followed by 10 mins wait for the bus and the bus scrum.

I think Qantas needs to work out what consistency is... then again, they've proven before that they don't care about premium passengers that don't originate in SYD or MEL.

 

[Dave Noble]

BNE does have the yellow luggage labels ( or at least used to ) however they are in the cupboard rather than easily sited on the desk so they do have to look for them

The colour of the BP to me is irrelevelent; will the BP provided do that which is needed? Even without the ego massage of the brown strip it will serve the purpose of permitting passage through security , access to the flounge and boarding of the aeroplane

On some of the other aspects, one could argue that those connecting in from BNE have had an additional benefit in the free business class connecting flight ( with stopover permitted) to Sydney ( given that the ex-BNE fare and the ex-SYD fares are the same )

My understanding was that the escort was available to connecting passengers if desired

These seem minor to me about QF F; I try to avoid QF F altogether and travel on CX when off to Eggland since I find the key aspect ( the onboard quality ) to be much lower than CX

Dave

 

[Platy]

That's because BA refuses to use QF ground handling in Sydney - they use a 3rd party supplier as it is cheaper.

Yes, Dave, you are right, in fact BA now use Menzies I believe. The points are:

1. Until recently they had a contract with a different supplier (QF ground handling?) and the QF check in desk staff used to swap a handful of logins for the differing check in computer systems with their BA check in counterparts - thus a former level of service (being able to check in at either desk) has been removed for the customer
2. QF have been telling people that they can check in for BA flights at QF desks
3. OneWorld is marketed as a seamless service

So as a result of outsourcing and a change of supplier (cheapest bidder?) somewhere along the line a basic service element was overlooked or consciously dropped (why would QF ground handling assist Menzies or vice versa given they are in competition, unless the client (BA) insists on that service level as part of service delivery/KPIs in the outsoruce contract)...

...the up shot is less service to the customer...

 

[Platy]

one could argue that those connecting in from BNE have had an additional benefit in the free business class connecting flight ( with stopover permitted) to Sydney ( given that the ex-BNE fare and the ex-SYD fares are the same )

Yes you could indeed argue that. You might also consider whether or not, as a passenger who has paid the advertised rate for a BNE ticket, whether advertised levels of service are being delivered ....on that score there will be differing opinions as personal perceptions inevitably apply...

 

[Platy]

I think Qantas needs to work out what consistency is... then again, they've proven before that they don't care about premium passengers that don't originate in SYD or MEL.

I totally agree. Maybe some of the inconsistencies at BNE are due to the woeful shortage of staff and recruitment of casuals.

Incidentally, I do think that a clearly colour coded J or F boarding pass has some (perhaps slight) intrinsic benefit - it makes it plain you are in the right queue in fast lanes (where they have them) and makes it easier for QP staff to identify class of travel.

Surely we are fooling ourselves if we believe that there isn't a w**k and ego factor when we travel in F or J?! And surely all the little bits and pieces (coloured BPs, fast lanes, welcome from CMS, etc, etc) are not just to make the experience more comfortable but also to make us FEEL more special from the ego out...

 

[Reggie]

Over Christmas I flew Qantas F SYD to SIN. I flew from BNE to SYD, then SYD to SIN. It was only an Award ticket, so I really didn't expect much (and to be honest, really didn't get much... except 80 hours of lost luggage and a decent flight over)

Mal, I understand your sentinments, but consider those living in PErth with no option of F at all, other tahn the considerable cost of lyinh PER-SYD/MEL return.

 

[Reggie]

The colour of the BP to me is irrelevelent; will the BP provided do that which is needed? Even without the ego massage of the brown strip it will serve the purpose of permitting passage through security , access to the flounge and boarding of the aeroplane
Dave

So the very first time you flew F you didn't want the nice F BP? I didn't get one in PER, but in SIN they took the old one off me and reissues me with an F one. I was going t keep it, but in the end threw it out.

JohnK is one person that does keep his boarding passes, and I believe for him and others it is important to have the right BP.

Nowadays, I am like you and dont really care, as I long as I get the right cabin.

 

[Commuter]

* FastPass through Immigration (although, if you ask at the SYD Transfer desk, they might find a pass for you... it's unlikely to be offered directly).

I checked in in CBR for SYD-LHR (J, not F though) and the check-in lady gave me one without my asking. Then I got to SYD transfer lounge and the lady there handed me another one as soon as she saw a J boarding pass...

On another note I was given an express immigration card for LHR and I didn't see an express lane immediately so I didn't use it.

I find inbound express lane thing more useful than outbound one though - jumping that long quarantine queue at the end of a long trip is far more handy for me than getting through the outbound immigration queue more quickly (not much of a queue in most cases anyway).

But I do sympathise about the MEL/SYD-centric situation. I wish BNE had a nice FLounge like MEL and SYD do, and F tag (which does seem to help the bags to be delivered more quickly, sometimes).

 

[JohnK]

I don't expect an exact same check-in experience in Brisbane as what I would've got if I checked in at Sydney, but I do expect that as a F pax that Qantas would at least get the basics right in Brisbane - or provide some kind of service recovery at the Transfer Desk to correct things.

Lack of training. No consistency. But it is not limited to Qantas only.

Recently flew BKK-SYD with BA in WT+. As a Oneworld Emerald I did not get any priority tags at BKK checkin. It does not really bother me and I only noticed it when I got back to SYD. If it is a published benefit then it should be carried out all the time.

Other than the poor service in the WT+ cabin they also did not bother handing out fasttrack immigration cards on this flight. No issue there as I bought duty free anyway and my fasttrack through quarantine was being selected for secondary screening....

 

[Dave Noble]

\
Recently flew BKK-SYD with BA in WT+. As a Oneworld Emerald I did not get any priority tags at BKK checkin. It does not really bother me and I only noticed it when I got back to SYD. If it is a published benefit then it should be carried out all the time.

It isn't a published benefit

Dave