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

[MEL_Traveller]

How will this work for interlining luggage when connecting to/from OW flights from QF on a seperate PNR. I have previously booked reward flights for Mrs and MissM on JL or CX from either MEL or SYD and just paid for a cheap domestic QF flight from SA to MEL, Syd or whatever is needed.

As far as I understand, check-in desks will still be there, and staffed. So international connections and the like should be ok. (Should also resolve mrsterryn's question around extra seats.)

Per ITnews: Qantas doubles down on airport self-service channels

[Qantas] will instead introduce roaming teams to support “time sensitive flight management and exceptions”​

​

So if the changes are in response to 'customer feedback', I wonder what the question was? Perhaps something like 'would you prefer to have urgent changes managed by a specialist roaming team rather than have to return and queue at a service desk?' and 9 out of 10 passengers probably ticked 'yes please'.

 

[DC3]

How will this work for interlining luggage when connecting to/from OW flights from QF on a seperate PNR. I have previously booked reward flights for Mrs and MissM on JL or CX from either MEL or SYD and just paid for a cheap domestic QF flight from SA to MEL, Syd or whatever is needed.

Probably get into the Call Centre queue like the rest of us. And that will get them nowhere of course.

 

[flydoc]

As far as I understand, check-in desks will still be there, and staffed

That’s how I read it too

So if the changes are in response to 'customer feedback', I wonder what the question was? Perhaps something like 'would you prefer to have urgent changes managed by a specialist roaming team rather than have to return and queue at a service desk?' and 9 out of 10 passengers probably ticked 'yes please'.

So often it’s all in the framing of the question...

 

[DC3]

Check-in desks. Maybe next to be removed by “popular demand”.

 

[Matt_01]

Probably get into the Call Centre queue like the rest of us. And that will get them nowhere of course.

No, that just can/must/will not happen. I am a VIP and I know this as someone from the newly introduced QF VIP Team called be a few weeks back to let me know that they are here to help They must have missed the memo that this 'enhancement' was on the cards

 

[Ade]

I imagine the skeleton staff remaining on the ground will cop the additional workload

And my guess would be - given they're skeleton staff - they might get un-interested in delivering the customer service that is expected from a full service airline. This might get the airline into trouble of being rude/helpless with pax.

How good is customer service from QF is a whole different question - open to interpretations, view points, personal experiences, compared to which airliner etc and other criteria

 

[dylarr]

Sack 100 airport staff... end up recruiting 100 more call centre staff

This is nightmare material. Imagine there is a significant weather event hitting one of the eastern seaboard ports with massive knock on impacts... huge wait times and you get through to a MindPearl agent who QF won't have empowered to actually do anything meaningful (especially once the flight is under airport control and their ability to make changes is restricted in the system). Ugh.

 

[DC3]

... and you get through to a MindPearl agent who QF won't have empowered to actually do anything meaningful ....

Cape Town to the rescue.

 

[maroonone]

I virtually always use check in staff so their numbers would be up and someone around when Irrops happen. Lounge staff I also use for upgrades which haven’t come through but are available at airport. Worst irrops was a huge bun fight in Brisbane because of fog and QLink staff handled on first come first served. My flight ended up being 4 flights later - but that was two days later.

 

[ozbeachbabe]

There's a lot of confusion around the closure of service desks with people thinking it means the closure of checkin desks which it doesn't. The confusion is understandable because the sign about the checkin counters says 'Service Desk' however the closure is affecting the counter airside where staff travellers used to hover waiting to find out if they got on a flight and where people go to get rebooked when a flight gets cancelled when you'll see a massive line of people queued up. This is also referred to as the service desk - can't remember what the sign says but IIRC it says 'Customer Service.'

I find it hard to believe customers actually told QF they'd rather call or use the app or a browser than front up at a desk when they're at the airport.

Also disappointing that service desks will be removed from lounges too. Guessing this means last-minute flight or seat changes will be much harder?

While people might embrace technology to manage their bookings or do a mobile checkin they certainly don't want to manage their own disruptions nor should they be expected to IMHO when there are delays or cancellations - they want to deal with a real person. The inference that people would prefer to be left to their own devices in irrops is just bat cough crazy.

Will be interesting to hear what happens when someone from management on duty travel is personally affected and told in a disruption to manage it themselves on the app. They're the last people to use any kind of technology as they're usually spoon fed by their PA's who do everything for them checking them in or they get their boarding pass at the Service Desk or the boarding gate at the airport which I believe what is what happens with a full service carrier.

Never used the service desk to be honest myself of any airline at the airport so can't really comment on what they do....

Apparently the roving assistants at self check in can help with any weird issues as well, so seems to be more of a transfer of roles and heaping more responsibility on them. Hope they are trained up well.

They used to onload standby pax however staff now go to the departure gate and supervisors have been doing the onloading etc whilst there have been no service desks operating over the last few months. Service Desk staff used to do more hands on disruption management ie rebooking of flights & hotels however a lot of this has been centralised and managed from SYD even before covid took hold so there's been less
local input required with irrops.

I could see how management would think because service desk people don't have to do as much of the above they mustn't be doing anything other than answering general enquiries from people asking where (insert airline here) checkin is/where's Krispy Kreme/where's gate such & such however they need to be there when there's a major disruption to appreciate how much they are needed.

 

[Oneworldplus2]

Was flying out of CBR (on VA) late last year when a big storm rolled in from SA.

I had checked in online (no luggage, only a day trip for work) and recieved my BP via SMS earlier that day.

As the storm came in, l was moved to a few different flights (via SYD and MEL to beat the storm).

I was switched again & again and literally at the last minute, I was back on my original flight.

The flight had boarded and l was last one on because l had a hunch to login on VA's website (on mobile phone, via desktop option) and double check.

It was a cluster f _ _ k to say the least. This move will backfire on QF.

 

[kyle]

QF probably made the decision based on results from Red Planet surveys!

I know I've done surveys asking about contact preferences for banks as well. I myself prefer not to deal with humans, on the proviso that there is a good machine replacement.

 

[SeaWolf]

Not so long ago people in this forum (and others) raged at Alan Joyce as he shifted the focus to Jetstar and began cutting into the service offering at Qantas. Routes that Qantas had operated were transferred to Jetstar and many 'enhancements' were made to QFF. As Virgin Australia started to move into the full service space and to grab some corporate customers, that program halted.

What we're seeing now is that program being picked up out of the bottom drawer, dusted off and resumed. With Virgin Australia no longer a threat (if it ever really was) there's not any reason to fear customers (especially corporate customers) will leave if the service offering is cut. Even if some leisure customers do leave, there's a decent chance they'll end up on Jetstar anyway.

The customers will hate this transformation but they won't vote with their wallet so Alan Joyce has no reason to care. He wants the company to be profitable, not liked. Being liked is Virgin's thing. I think that most corporate customers (including those in this forum) will complain bitterly about the changes, then they'll grit their teeth, pull out the credit card and book a flight on Qantas anyway, "After all," they'll reason, "what choice is there really?"

 

[MEL_Traveller]

The customers will hate this transformation but they won't vote with their wallet so Alan Joyce has no reason to care. He wants the company to be profitable, not liked. Being liked is Virgin's thing. I think that most corporate customers (including those in this forum) will complain bitterly about the changes, then they'll grit their teeth, pull out the credit card and book a flight on Qantas anyway, "After all," they'll reason, "what choice is there really?"

status. Golden handcuffs

 

[flyingfan]

Nice to see you post again @ozbeachbabe, it's been a while - was hoping you'd contribute.

Will be interesting to hear what happens when someone from management on duty travel is personally affected and told in a disruption to manage it themselves on the app. They're the last people to use any kind of technology as they're usually spoon fed by their PA's who do everything for them checking them in or they get their boarding pass at the Service Desk or the boarding gate at the airport which I believe what is what happens with a full service carrier.

That might be the impetus for them to realise it's a horrible, self-damaging idea, the next time thunderstorms or single-runway ops throw out flights on a Friday afternoon.

What's next, a $20 'convenience fee' for printing a BP from the kiosk? 'In response to customer feedback, we're removing food from the lounges'? Wait I better not give them ideas.

 

[ozbeachbabe]

This is a picture of the Service Desk airside at ADL just opposite gate 23. I didn't get close enough to see if there were cobwebs on the computers due to lack of use in the last 6 months.

They may have been getting by without it while there's been limited flights but the real test will be once flights increase to pre-covid, dare I say 'normal' levels.

 

[Melburnian1]

This is nightmare material. Imagine there is a significant weather event hitting one of the eastern seaboard ports with massive knock on impacts... huge wait times and you get through to a MindPearl agent who QF won't have empowered to actually do anything meaningful (especially once the flight is under airport control and their ability to make changes is restricted in the system). Ugh.

One can actually see this QFd removal of staff as costing it money when there are storms or fog.

For instance, service desk personnel can fairly quickly 'move' passengers to the first flight that's going to depart, something a machine may not have been programmed to know.

I can foresee during disruptions how some flights will depart with empty seats yet there are many passengers waiting at the airport and trying to be placed on a flight. This is inefficient.

What happens if the storm is at say 2030 hours in Sydney on a Friday night, and some patrons don't have their new seats allocated in time? Do they spend an uncomfortable night at the airport?

The domestic airlines prior to COVID-19 had terrible punctuality on many days. This change adds a further problem to the mix.

It's an example of penny pinching that may cost pounds.

 

[VPS]

Does this mean there will not be anyone hovering around when your bag tag refuses to read and they have to stuff around for 5 minutes for you

 

[Seat0B]

I've always been the person who embraces new technology as and when it happens. But in this case, I can say for sure that whatever QF is planning to do re this is not going to end well. Or at least not for a few years, until majority of the pax are used to the idea of not having assisted by a human/service desk.

I have seen so many elderly pax who need all the assistance they can get when in an airport. If everything goes online then it will be difficult.

Personal experience, I have been unable to check in to a few flights because I used someone else's credit card to make the booking (actually my boss's CC) - I had to take this up with the service desk before I was allowed to check in and print BP.

Also, there have been instances where a human behind the desk was able to secure better seats or even better flight & connection options, which I don't think will be possible on a machine.

Also, if there are cancellations or say, storms etc, then everyone rushed to service desk for their next flights or hotel bookings. Doing all this over the phone or on a kiosk isn't going to work wonders.

And for partner flights - can;t check in online - so need a service desk to do this too

I think what could potentially work is a gradual phasing out of service desks in a fashion that is not going to impact the majority of pax

This! Exactly This!

Plus I sometimes have been unable to check in on various devices - I don't know why, it just says "check in not available, check in with agent at airport."

 

[Seat0B]

I just don't think that's true. I regularly travel with colleagues and have issues getting them a seat next to me due to the platinum seat hold unless I do it at a counter. I will be genuinely pissed off if the platinum seat hold is abandoned. If they're on a different ticket, a junior colleague can't select the seat next to me. I've also had the same experience as @aus_flyer changing seats based on Expert Flyer availability. The examples of kids and colleagues are both instances where airport service from an actual person is absolutely vital.

I'm also surprised by the comments where people say they don't use the service desks. I am 34 and use the app extensively. I still use service desks all the time. Examples are: (1) I regularly check for (and move to) earlier flights which were not offered on app or at the kiosk; (2) I often have to re-route on trips (e.g. cancelling out of a MEL-SYD return leg to go directly to BNE); (3) I reckon on at least half a dozen occasions I've had flights cancelled at the airport due to crosswinds and reduced runways, where I have been rebooked onto something the next day or 8 hours later but have been able to recover the trip because of assistance from lounge staff; (4) on a couple of occasions someone else has booked my flight for me and stuffed up my name, which I've had to fix at the airport; (5) I often check to see if there is a spare seat next to me and move seats if there is one elsewhere just before (or during) boarding after the seats are locked up in the app; (6) I've had success on a couple of occasions getting someone moved onto my flight to prevent the hassle of me having to wait for 30 minutes or an hour at the other end of the SYD-MEL pairing for a colleague to arrive.

If you're someone who travels regularly (ie you are a customer who actually contributes serious revenue to the airline) the service is invaluable. This change is utter lunacy. It's almost as though this move is targeted at people who handover fistfuls of cash to the airline. At the very least they should retain service desks in the Business Lounge.

This! Exactly This! Aligns very well with my experiences too, especially getting seating together with clients or colleagues on separate bookings, and when I have to change routing/cancel legs on the day. And totally agree this is one of the reasons I pay for J travel domestically.