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

[muppet]

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.

You lost me at "getting seating together with clients or colleagues".... I get cross when work books me on the same PNR and I do get seating next to clients or colleagues. Oh the humanity

 

[Seat0B]

You lost me at "getting seating together with clients or colleagues".... I get cross when work books me on the same PNR and I do get seating next to clients or colleagues. Oh the humanity

Yes I don’t always want to do this, but sometimes I do!

 

[AustraliaPoochie]

Hey, imagine Muppet, if the clients were CL members, would they get you into the "special zone" (?) when these zones or lounges reopen.

 

[jakeseven7]

Yes I don’t always want to do this, but sometimes I do!

It’s against our company policy to have people travelling on same PNR thank GOD!

A couple of times they’ve slipped up and done it and I’ve taken great pleasure about jumping online and moving myself as far away from my work colleagues as possible

Not that I don’t like them! Just so I have a little break from them, chance to do my own work and stuff for a but.

 

[flyingfan]

It’s against our company policy to have people travelling on same PNR thank GOD!

Is that for costing reasons or something? Happy to share a drink with colleagues in the lounge but once on board, unless it’s someone I’m very chummy with I prefer the distance so I don’t fee obliged to keep talking to them.

Back on topic I think this move will lead to increased frustration taken out on the remaining airport and call staff.

 

[jakeseven7]

Is that for costing reasons or something? Happy to share a drink with colleagues in the lounge but once on board, unless it’s someone I’m very chummy with I prefer the distance so I don’t fee obliged to keep talking to them.

Costing and also ownership on itineraries - a majority of our trips are changed and moved around and having multiple people on a PNR is too messy.

If I like the person (probably like you one or two I’m close with) I can just link the bookings in the background and shuffle seats... but 99% of the time prefer own space flying.

 

[Seat0B]

Ah you see as a self employed consultant, sometimes I want to sit with clients to continue conversations that I might not otherwise get the chance to pursue. Maybe they are trying to avoid sitting near me , but sometimes they actually ask. I follow the principle of give a bit of free advice, without pressure, and very often that leads to business. So they often want to sit near me because they are getting advice on a problem etc. I know this because they ask if they can switch seats to sit near me. They are often random clients that I meet in the lounge, when I am travelling for (not with) some other client or for some other reason. I have even introduced clients to each other that way, and those clients have gone on to have useful relationships with each other.

 

[muppet]

Hey, imagine Muppet, if the clients were CL members, would they get you into the "special zone" (?) when these zones or lounges reopen.

I'm not that easily impressed pooch. That being said, I have certainly guested colleagues into the lounge and would join them in the CL if offered ... but the plane is a different story. Air pods in ..... nap time.

 

[ozbeachbabe]

You lost me at "getting seating together with clients or colleagues".... I get cross when work books me on the same PNR and I do get seating next to clients or colleagues. Oh the humanity

If you're on the same pnr as someone you don't want to sit next to you can always ask airport staff to de-link you in Altea. This doesn't doesn't mean your pnr in reservations will be split or divided as you still remain on the same booking. Being de-linked just gives the appearance in the checkin system that you are two solo travellers so if one name is retrieved in Altea or on a kiosk the other name won't appear as a travelling companion.

Being linked could have benefits if the other person has a higher ff status than you so you'd allocate yourself the best seat you could at the time of booking riding on their coattails ensuring it wasn't next to them, then ask to be delinked at the airport just in case some helpful person says "oh you're travelling with so and so, I'll seat you together."

ISTR there was tv commercial for either QF or VA that showed people moving their seats on the app when the guy using the app gets a confused look from what must've been a colleague he didn't want to sit next to & he responds with a shrug of the shoulders & a 'I don't know what happened there' kind of expression.

 

[jb747]

Off the topic, I know, but I just hate the term “customers”. The same with Virgin’s “guests”. Passengers. Whatever happened to passengers.

Coles has customers, and my house has guests.

 

[jakeseven7]

Off the topic, I know, but I just hate the term “customers”. The same with Virgin’s “guests”. Passengers. Whatever happened to passengers.

Coles has customers, and my house has guests.

Actually Coles doesn’t have customers hahah you’ve been out of the corporate tent for too long now!! Lost your corporate accent

 

[Mark1966]

Yep, this stinks.

Been flying out of Sydney on a Friday afternoon when the thunderstorms are rolling in one two many times to think that the app and call centre will be able to handle the issues!

Have emailed QF on Friday when told of this by (very upset) lounge staff - no response of course...

 

[agentgerko]

It is patently clear that Mr Joyce is going to use the pandemic as an excuse to do all the costcutting he's been trying to do for years. Already it's very noticeable how many QF flights have been replaced by JQ flights, with their lower paid staff and crew. I think he knows that Virgin will emerge as less of a competitor so that means QF, as the remaining premium carrier, will be able to lower its services without fear of losing customers to the competition.

 

[JohnMcC]

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

Qantas will permanently close its service and sales desks at all airports and lounges, leaving passengers to deal with cancellations and last-minute booking changes at kiosks, online or through a call centre.

www.theage.com.au

You know how long this will last in the business and first lounges? Until the first American reports back to AA, Japanese person reports back to JAL and first HK citizen reports back to Cathay. Australians might be complacent, Europeans might suck it up but to people used to real service in real lounges this will be beyond shocking. Then QF passengers overseas might suddenly find lounge privileges "restricted" and ever so quietly customer service staff will return to the lounges. Just watch

 

[Mark1966]

... I think he knows that Virgin will emerge as less of a competitor so that means QF, as the remaining premium carrier, will be able to lower its services without fear of losing customers to the competition.

... until at some point we determine that there is little to be gained by the 'status' we have with QF and merely go for the cheapest seat as they are all offering an equivalent service.

As I indicated in my email to QF - their staff are their competitive advantage

 

[kookaburra75]

Passengers. Whatever happened to passengers.

They're now referred to as 'Self Loading Cargo'

 

[knightfall88]

Can't wait for the headlines next week "Qantas co-pilots now required to do food and drink service in between take-off and landing"

 

[sinbadss]

AJ has finally reached his objective of turning Qantas into Ryanair. I was told point blank by an Australian call centre operator (yes, I finally got one) that Qantas does not use any offshore call centres. Add gaslighting to the range of 'services'

 

[BNEFlyer]

Off the topic, I know, but I just hate the term “customers”. The same with Virgin’s “guests”. Passengers. Whatever happened to passengers.

Coles has customers, and my house has guests.

Airlines have all three really. Customers as any service provider does, guests in lounges and passengers on board planes. I think they just want to make it sound a bit less clinical?

 

[Carrots]

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.

From the recent pictures I've seen from behind those walls, the offices back there are just as dusty and vacant sadly.



I'd be curious to know where the survey data came from... did they survey those "customers", "guests" or "self loading cargo" during July this year on QFi flights?