Qantas to shut airport service desks, force customers onto self-service

[ozbeachbabe]

Turns out I incorrectly linked my FF number to my booking into the kiosk so I kept swiping my card but it didn’t work so thankfully the people at the check in desk linked the correct one in.

How were you trying to check yourself in at the kiosk - booking reference or by name?

If entering your name it must be identical to how the name appears in your booking ie if your booking has a middle name and/or or initials they must be imcluded when you search.

Much easier to type in your 6 digit 'Qantas booking reference' which is the second option from the bottom at the kiosks.

 

[andyandy2005]

How were you trying to check yourself in at the kiosk - booking reference or by name?

If entering your name it must be identical to how the name appears in your booking ie if your booking has a middle name and/or or initials they must be imcluded when you search.

Much easier to type in your 6 digit 'Qantas booking reference' which is the second option from the bottom at the kiosks.

I just used my QFF card since if I was to use my name it would still require me to do added verification such as a booking reference, passport, or card. Maybe next time I should use Booking reference instead.

 

[Peasant]

I was very unimpressed by my ground experience in MEL and PER last week.

In MEL, there was no premium service desk whatsoever, with at least 50-70 people ahead of me in the regular queue. In PER, the Premium desk was open, thankfully, but again, 20 or so people in the queue ahead of me. Far from the consistently seamless experience of the past.

None of this would be necessary if my Q Tags decided to work properly...but for whatever reason they've stopped working in the last few months, always providing an error message that they cannot be linked to my booking. No one I've asked in the terminal knows why, so maybe someone here is more of a guru?

In positive news, priority boarding worked well on both sectors and while very basic, cabin crew in J have been working very hard indeed to do the best with the limited resources they have available to them at the moment.

 

[dylarr]

None of this would be necessary if my Q Tags decided to work properly...but for whatever reason they've stopped working in the last few months, always providing an error message that they cannot be linked to my booking.

Was it possible to pop over to one of the self serve kiosks to print some paper bag tags instead and forego the Q Tags? This is what I do when I get Q Tag errors rather than lining up to see an agent.

 

[jakeseven7]

I was very unimpressed by my ground experience in MEL and PER last week.

In MEL, there was no premium service desk whatsoever, with at least 50-70 people ahead of me in the regular queue. In PER, the Premium desk was open, thankfully, but again, 20 or so people in the queue ahead of me. Far from the consistently seamless experience of the past.

None of this would be necessary if my Q Tags decided to work properly...but for whatever reason they've stopped working in the last few months, always providing an error message that they cannot be linked to my booking. No one I've asked in the terminal knows why, so maybe someone here is more of a guru?

In positive news, priority boarding worked well on both sectors and while very basic, cabin crew in J have been working very hard indeed to do the best with the limited resources they have available to them at the moment.

Priority boarding has indeed being working very well on QF of late actually I agree.

 

[Seat0B]

Was it possible to pop over to one of the self serve kiosks to print some paper bag tags instead and forego the Q Tags? This is what I do when I get Q Tag errors rather than lining up to see an agent.

I've had the same issue with Q Tags and when I requested new ones (three times now), I have been advised it's not possible die to COVID , so just did as you suggested and printed paper tags. But it's annoying because it used to be so easy - check in on line, and then straight to the bag drop.

Perhaps I'll try again for some new tags.

 

[Peasant]

Was it possible to pop over to one of the self serve kiosks to print some paper bag tags instead and forego the Q Tags? This is what I do when I get Q Tag errors rather than lining up to see an agent.

Good point! And the answer is probably yes.

However...recently I've been travelling with 2-3 large cases. By the time I wait in the queue for a kiosk (often 4-5 deep), enter my card, navigate whatever is on-screen, print 3 bag tags, clumsily attach them to each bag, walk over to another queue for the bag drop (often 4-5 again), scan boarding pass, answer questions, deal with the inevitable failure to read the tags the first time....

Well you sort of get the idea. The last time I did that was still a frustrating and coughbersome 20 minute process from start to finish with a lot more effort than standing in the queue waiting for an agent who kindly does the whole shebang!

It used to be so easy and so reliable...

 

[ole nimeton]

None of this would be necessary if my Q Tags decided to work properly...but for whatever reason they've stopped working in the last few months, always providing an error message that they cannot be linked to my booking.

Same - the baggage scanner at CBR just won't recognise my tags so I've just taken them off completely and reverted back to printing paper bag tags.

 

[TheInsider]

However...recently I've been travelling with 2-3 large cases. By the time I wait in the queue for a kiosk (often 4-5 deep), enter my card, navigate whatever is on-screen, print 3 bag tags, clumsily attach them to each bag, walk over to another queue for the bag drop (often 4-5 again), scan boarding pass, answer questions, deal with the inevitable failure to read the tags the first time....

MEL has around 18 (from what I remember) bag drops and has at least 25-30 kiosks. MEL loads haven't been that high to have 4-5 deep on each machine...

Even the 50-70 in the queue seems a bit much for MEL, even pre-covid on a 10,000-15,000 passenger day, let alone the 4-6k they are currently doing now.

 

[Peasant]

MEL has around 18 (from what I remember) bag drops and has at least 25-30 kiosks. MEL loads haven't been that high to have 4-5 deep on each machine...

Even the 50-70 in the queue seems a bit much for MEL, even pre-covid on a 10,000-15,000 passenger day, let alone the 4-6k they are currently doing now.

Do you happen to be doing QF demand forecasting from your spreadsheet in Mascot?

 

[TheInsider]

Do you happen to be doing QF demand forecasting from your spreadsheet in Mascot?

Well the forward planning is located in Mascot for all airport staff network wide, and zero spreadsheets for planning and on the day activities.

 

[andyandy2005]

Good point! And the answer is probably yes.

However...recently I've been travelling with 2-3 large cases. By the time I wait in the queue for a kiosk (often 4-5 deep), enter my card, navigate whatever is on-screen, print 3 bag tags, clumsily attach them to each bag, walk over to another queue for the bag drop (often 4-5 again), scan boarding pass, answer questions, deal with the inevitable failure to read the tags the first time....

Well you sort of get the idea. The last time I did that was still a frustrating and coughbersome 20 minute process from start to finish with a lot more effort than standing in the queue waiting for an agent who kindly does the whole shebang!

It used to be so easy and so reliable...

Can‘t the team at the Premium Service Desk check in your checked baggage with the Q Bag Tag by scanning the barcode and importing your flight details from your BP? I don‘t know if that is a thing but it does seem suprising 9 years later, there are still having faults with them...

 

[ozbeachbabe]

Good point! And the answer is probably yes.

However...recently I've been travelling with 2-3 large cases. By the time I wait in the queue for a kiosk (often 4-5 deep), enter my card, navigate whatever is on-screen, print 3 bag tags, clumsily attach them to each bag, walk over to another queue for the bag drop (often 4-5 again), scan boarding pass, answer questions, deal with the inevitable failure to read the tags the first time....

Well you sort of get the idea. The last time I did that was still a frustrating and coughbersome 20 minute process from start to finish with a lot more effort than standing in the queue waiting for an agent who kindly does the whole shebang!

It used to be so easy and so reliable...

Same - the baggage scanner at CBR just won't recognise my tags so I've just taken them off completely and reverted back to printing paper bag tags.

If you want to test if the Qtag works (after first scanning boarding pass to identify the pax about to use it) just put the Qtag on the rubber belt by itself closest to glass panel end of the auto bag drop. If it scans okay then reattach it to the bag.

The antenna that scans the chip inside the Qtag is actually underneath the rubber belt closest to the glass panel. The scanners that are visible with the infrared rays only read the barcodes on the paper bagtags.

Sometimes if the suitcase is quite large it's difficult to scan the Qtag if it's some distance from the belt eg on the side handle of the suitcase or top handle of the suitcase if it's pointing towards the injector belt instead of towards the glass panel.

 

[Seat0B]

Same - the baggage scanner at CBR just won't recognise my tags so I've just taken them off completely and reverted back to printing paper bag tags.

Interesting - I live in CBR and most of my problems have been in CBR - I mean problems with Q Tags so maybe it's something to do with the scanners here.

 

[Peasant]

If you want to test if the Qtag works (after first scanning boarding pass to identify the pax about to use it) just put the Qtag on the rubber belt by itself closest to glass panel end of the auto bag drop. If it scans okay then reattach it to the bag.

The antenna that scans the chip inside the Qtag is actually underneath the rubber belt closest to the glass panel. The scanners that are visible with the infrared rays only read the barcodes on the paper bagtags.

Sometimes if the suitcase is quite large it's difficult to scan the Qtag if it's some distance from the belt eg on the side handle of the suitcase or top handle of the suitcase if it's pointing towards the injector belt instead of towards the glass panel.

Thanks for that, good to know and I'll give that a shot next time.

Interestingly enough, my original Q tags never had an issue...it's only after I changed my nice old grey metal Marc Newson ones to the new...evidently less expensive ones...that things started to go awry.

That said, I think the key point for me is that check-in areas seem to be severely under-resourced for premium pax during peak periods. Contrary to TheInsider's supposition, either having no premium desk (MEL) or only one counter open (PER) during Easter and the end of school holidays suggests their forecasting was a bit off.

 

[ozbeachbabe]

Interesting - I live in CBR and most of my problems have been in CBR - I mean problems with Q Tags so maybe it's something to do with the scanners here.

Might be time the antennas on the auto bag drops in CBR need a tweak.

 

[Cddc]

Are they still going to have roaming agents near the self service kiosks? I quite often fly both QF and VA on the same booking and on numerous occasions, myself and colleagues have not been able to check-in either using either the QF app or the kiosks despite entering the correct QF 6 digit code (not VA or travel agent code), name, frequent flyer # or scanning FF card. This despite having FF# attached to booking and flights showing up logged into the app. We have been told by different staff at separate times it is because we have legs on VA within the same booking. Never had a problem when it is a QF only booking.

 

[wandering_fred]

Mrs WF now travels with a walker (in addition to me).
Early flights in PER are interesting as at 0545 the premium counter is often not staffed.... And we really do want to confirm the arrangements at the gate and the "other end"
The perils of wandering
Fred

PS Do we like 0700 flights - No. But that flight (and only on Sat/Sun) is the ONLY direct flight.... At least award availability is normally OK....

 

[sudoer]

Are they still going to have roaming agents near the self service kiosks?

In my experience there is always at least one staff member helping with kiosk check in. The issue is when there's a backlog of people needing help and the staff member doesn't know who's first in line, while the travellers have no choice but to awkwardly hover until the staff are available.

Checking in on a mixed QF/VA PNR has not been an issue for me using the app previously but I don't think I've attempted using a kiosk. Are your flights same day, or different calendar dates?

 

[jakeseven7]

Are they still going to have roaming agents near the self service kiosks? I quite often fly both QF and VA on the same booking and on numerous occasions, myself and colleagues have not been able to check-in either using either the QF app or the kiosks despite entering the correct QF 6 digit code (not VA or travel agent code), name, frequent flyer # or scanning FF card. This despite having FF# attached to booking and flights showing up logged into the app. We have been told by different staff at separate times it is because we have legs on VA within the same booking. Never had a problem when it is a QF only booking.

Yup there are heaps of roaming staff around to help out, never had a problem anyway, but last week in MEL the printer ran out of paper to print a bag receipt when I bag dropped and took 3 seconds for them to look me up and print me one from the central kiosk.