Qantas apologises to frequent flyers with status extensions, lounge passes, points & more reward seats

[RAM]

Those pesky footnotes...

"Oh well, there is the PR promise of: “$270m investments in the customer experience — 50% more Classic Flight Reward seats on international, Trans-Tasman and domestic routes3”


That little “3” takes you to the footnote explaining it’s really “up to 50%” – meaning no particular number at all."

There’s just no accounting for why Qantas is crying poor

The headlines say Qantas has recorded a loss of $1.9 billion. Yet it has launched a $400 million share buyback and holds $3.3 billion in cash. Go figure

thenewdaily.com.au

I wonder if the '1 in 11 seats was a rewards redemption' also has a footnote attached?

 

[Catweazle]

Lowly Bronze unfortunately. Silver and above only. You actually need to have achieved some basic status at least.

I'm just a bronze now and got the $50 voucher. Feels nice, hic!

 

[MEL_Traveller]

I'm just a bronze now and got the $50 voucher. Feels nice, hic!

I looked at using my voucher. Qantas want $298 for a return midweek SYD-MEL (off peak flights and a saturday night away). After voucher $248. Rex wants $178, pick of flights, including peak times (and times someone can actually pick me up at the airport without having to take time off work!)

 

[jakeseven7]

I looked at using my voucher. Qantas want $298 for a return midweek SYD-MEL (off peak flights and a saturday night away). After voucher $248. Rex wants $178, pick of flights, including peak times (and times someone can actually pick me up at the airport without having to take time off work!)

Point being? Both airlines target a different customer.

 

[RooFlyer]

Point being? Both airlines target a different customer.

What does that mean? That there are certain potential passengers Qantas doesn't want to even try to attract ... and the same for REX? Is Qantas' commercial strategy to be like a Gucci store? Discourage the riff-raff from even entering?

The point was, and its been made many times before, is that the T&Cs of the $50 voucher is that you have to spend your own extra money, on expensive Qantas flights to realise the value. Why save $50 by using the Qantas voucher, when you can save more than $50 in relative terms by flying REX and a better choice of flights.

What Qantas has done is a common commercial strategy - "we'll give you something that looks like cash, but you have to spend with us to 'save'". Also a common commercial strategy to put prices up just as you give the 'discount'. No need to pretend otherwise. One of my investment funds has made a dive into QAN sometime in July, so now I say, gouge away, Alan , I'll rarely be spending money on you and haven't chased the voucher .

 

[Anna]

a saturday night away

I'm old enough too to remember when that was a thing when booking an airfare Several decades ago, under the Two Airlines Agreement between TAA and Ansett

 

[jakeseven7]

What does that mean? That there are certain potential passengers Qantas doesn't want to even try to attract ... and the same for REX?

Yes, it’s really not anymore complicated than that….Each airline targets a slightly different market.

QF group has QF and JQ for this reason, VA and Rex sit a little above JQ.

There is something for everyone to suit their requirements / preferences and budgets.

 

[Melburnian1]

The Joe Aston 'Rear Window' long piece re Alan Joyce in 'The Australian Financial Review' is well worth reading.

Very accurate, and shows insight no other journalist anywhere seems to have been capable of. A brilliant piece of journalism.

Well worth your time to read, as he points out how the '$50' was an impost as Joyce is raising fares, and how the announcement of this (meant to assuage passengers' anger) caused the website to run into difficulty. Oh, the irony.

Also says that Joyce's complaint in 'The Weekend Australian' that he was attacked for 'visiting his 82 year old mother in Dublin' was a straw man argument, because no one did this and in any case Joyce had to return early given QF was in chaos.

There's lots else, so buy the newspaper. Aston concludes by essentially saying Joyce ought finish up as CEO.

 

[Infrequent]

Joe Aston is often on the money, and doesn't pull the punches.

Over on the ABC, one of their best remaining journalists is Ian Verrender

This piece has nothing new, but its a nice summary for the average reader.

 

[docjames]

View attachment 289834

“Improving digital usage experience with more enhancements to come”

 

[RooFlyer]

Yes, it’s really not anymore complicated than that….Each airline targets a slightly different market.

QF group has QF and JQ for this reason, VA and Rex sit a little above JQ.

There is something for everyone to suit their requirements / preferences and budgets.

Ah. The new Qantas slogan: " Fly Qantas if you want to spend more than you need to." (" And we may get your bags and meal on the same flight")

 

[jakeseven7]

Ah. The new Qantas slogan: " Fly Qantas if you want to spend more than you need to." )

Sounds like for you that is your situation - and that is ok.

‘Spend more than you need to’ is reflective your specific circumstances and is not reflective of everyone, clearly.

Luckily you have JQ, Rex (on some routes) and VA2 to try and utilise to fit your circumstances instead.

 

[RooFlyer]

Sounds like for you that is your situation - and that is ok.

‘Spend more than you need to’ is reflective your specific circumstances and is not reflective of everyone, clearly.

Luckily you have JQ, Rex (on some routes) and VA2 to try and utilise to fit your circumstances instead.

Well, maybe. I reckon "spending more than you need to" is a qualification that applies to everyone. Whether you can afford it, or whether you care is where it applies to the individual I reckon.

And don't worry, Virgin and their partners are coming into my life more and more - and it's not about price .

 

[Captain Halliday]

Virgin and their partners are coming into my life more and more - and it's not about price .

OT: Time for a change of screen name / handle?

 

[cbourl]

I'm just a bronze now and got the $50 voucher. Feels nice, hic!

Yup especially since thay massively hike ALL of their airfares up ALL also referring to Accor status upgrade flop

 

[cbourl]

Sounds like for you that is your situation - and that is ok.

‘Spend more than you need to’ is reflective your specific circumstances and is not reflective of everyone, clearly.

Luckily you have JQ, Rex (on some routes) and VA2 to try and utilise to fit your circumstances instead.

Yet JQ is QANTAS owned , so it is not a comparison, rather being a subset of tragic Qantas...
Are we that misled?

 

[jakeseven7]

Yet JQ is QANTAS owned , so it is not a comparison, rather being a subset of tragic Qantas...
Are we that misled?

Not really, it’s pretty obvious that JQ is used to target a different customer than QF.

 

[jakeseven7]

Well, maybe. I reckon "spending more than you need to" is a qualification that applies to everyone. Whether you can afford it, or whether you care is where it applies to the individual I reckon.

And don't worry, Virgin and their partners are coming into my life more and more - and it's not about price .

I’m not worried at all

But it’s not about all about affordability it’s about choice based your specific needs/wants, personal financial situation of course is one input but you can’t put a blanket generalisation across any of the offerings we have available to choose from, for anyone.

Ultimately every single person is different and you’ve arrived at your decision based on your very personal circumstances as will everyone else.

 

[RooFlyer]

I’m not worried at all

But it’s not about all about affordability it’s about choice based your specific needs/wants, personal financial situation of course is one input but you can’t put a blanket generalisation across any of the offerings we have available to choose from, for anyone.

Ultimately every single person is different and you’ve arrived at your decision based on your very personal circumstances as will everyone else.

We can certainly agree on that . Qantas treats it's customers with contempt with awful call centres, the baggage, catering and IT issues we all know about etc etc and keep charging more for the priveledge,and yet some STILL will book and fly with them regardless and won't even look at alternatives .

A few years ago you couldn't find a more rusted on customer than this 'RooFlyer', but 'Alan' had applied the WD40 . And I still have Plat status to use on AA, QR and ( shudder) BA for about year and a half . Good on yer, 'Alan'. Win!

 

[jakeseven7]

We can certainly agree on that . Qantas treats it's customers with contempt with awful call centres, the baggage, catering and IT issues we all know about etc etc and keep charging more for the priveledge,and yet some STILL will book and fly with them regardless and won't even look at alternatives .

A few years ago you couldn't find a more rusted on customer than this 'RooFlyer', but 'Alan' had applied the WD40 . And I still have Plat status to use on AA, QR and ( shudder) BA for about year and a half . Good on yer, 'Alan'. Win!

Again that’s your opinion and experience many have not experienced that and/or have had similar issues with JQ, VA2 and Rexy.