QF Capacity cuts due to Omicron

[MEL_Traveller]

My 'fair and reasonable' attitude has nothing to do with priority access to the QF contact centre.

QF, like other airlines, has a responsibility to balance the conflicting imperatives of safety and profitability. I think it is "fair and reasonable" that QF, or for that matter any other airline, reduce flight schedules during Omicron and holiday weeks to ensure they have enough staff to provide a safe and economic operation.

When qantas changes your flight you may think ‘fair enough’. I think ‘oh no, not again, how long and how difficult is it going to be to make things right this time’.

I think different levels of frustration do play a part. It’s hard to be sympathetic when the process of changing is either impossible on line, or very difficult by phone (hours in the queue and agents with little ability to assist when they do answer).

If QF had a competent system to make changes it would be no biggie, at least for me.

Qantas and other airlines begged for lockdowns to end and for border restrictions to be lifted. That was all they needed to get their business back up and running, they said.

They got what they wanted, but now the passenger is paying for them misreading the market and the prevailing conditions.

 

[AustraliaPoochie]

CNS - ADL QF main ops/main line this evening cancelled.
Not sure what happens to those on this route tonight, lucky its Sat and there is still the JQ and the QF flight for tomorrow.
Flexible flying QF says, as does VA, but not good if they cancel your only flight of the day!

 

[jase05]

CNS - ADL QF main ops/main line this evening cancelled.
Not sure what happens to those on this route tonight, lucky its Sat and there is still the JQ and the QF flight for tomorrow.
Flexible flying QF says, as does VA, but not good if they cancel your only flight of the day!

QF1963?
We were due to come back on that this coming Tuesday and it got canceled during the week.
They put us on CNS-BNE-ADL but with only a 30 minute connection in BNE so we changed it to CNS-SYD-ADL and got the A330 on CNS-SYD so much better option

 

[AustraliaPoochie]

Yes, thats the one Jase05.
Some do not like the 330, but I love it.
CNS - SYD is quite a longish flight, so its a good one to have the 330 with only 2 on the window sides.

 

[jakeseven7]

When qantas changes your flight you may think ‘fair enough’. I think ‘oh no, not again, how long and how difficult is it going to be to make things right this time’.

I think different levels of frustration do play a part. It’s hard to be sympathetic when the process of changing is either impossible on line, or very difficult by phone (hours in the queue and agents with little ability to assist when they do answer).

If QF had a competent system to make changes it would be no biggie, at least for me.

Qantas and other airlines begged for lockdowns to end and for border restrictions to be lifted. That was all they needed to get their business back up and running, they said.

They got what they wanted, but now the passenger is paying for them misreading the market and the prevailing conditions.

Oh the pandemic and recent spread is the airlines fault now that’s a new one, and we are as passengers on pay back mode…. I’m sure Jayne and Alan agree. I think your reasoning is a little emotionally stretched here

 

[jb747]

They got what they wanted, but now the passenger is paying for them misreading the market and the prevailing conditions.

When the decisions were made, I don't think the current variant of covid was on the plans. I'm not sure how you think they should have predicted it, but if you have a way of doing so, I'm sure the airlines, stock market, and zillions of others would be happy to pay for your expertise.

 

[serfty]

No. I do not believe so. The offers that went out with TP's for DSC's (I have about 8 lol) should still get them I should think. it would be pretty bad if they didn't.

Having said that I flew over a week ago on one and have not gotten DSC but well I am not going to panic just yet about that.. given it's QF
...

... or not at all!

...
I flew on a flight booked with 2xSC TP on first December - standard SC posted in flight, but no sign of the Double.

T&C's in email offer state 6 weeks; which is up. But I'm waiting for six weeks to be up for two more non DSC posting segments flown in the week before Christmas before I call.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

When the decisions were made, I don't think the current variant of covid was on the plans. I'm not sure how you think they should have predicted it, but if you have way of doing so, I'm sure the airlines, stock market, and zillions of others would be happy to pay for your expertise.

People were demanding the end to lockdowns and lifting of border restrictions very early in the pandemic. This was based on commercial grounds for big and small business.

I said at the time I didn't think those two things would guarantee of consumer confidence, or that consumer behaviour could be assumed. Since then we have had Delta, now Omicrom. Probably a couple more to come.

I don't know why Qantas has to make it so hard for consumers.

Another example is QF's recent announcement of a 30% reduction in capacity for the March quarter. I look and see my flights are still listed , but I wonder if this is because QF intends to fly them, or they simply haven't got around to updating their schedules yet? QF is not always timely in telling pax about flight or route cancellations.

A message on the website to say they have completed their capacity revisions - or not - would go a long way building trust.

 

[jakeseven7]

I said at the time I didn't think those two things would guarantee of consumer confidence, or that consumer behaviour could be assumed.

So what else is new? Consumer confidence ebbs and flows with almost infinite inputs that influence how people feel.

I personally suspect once the cases start coming down again and so many people have had it mildly/known many people who have had it mildly, there will be a bounce right back up… people are so reactionary these days.

 

[BD1959]

I'm sure the airlines would be happy to fly if the passengers were there. But fractional loads, caused by panicky politicians and constantly variable requirements, do not make for a stable operating environment.

I understand and agree, was just illuminating that it is not just "spooked travellers" as reported by the OP.

Regards,

BD

 

[BD1959]

I personally suspect once the cases start coming down again and so many people have had it mildly/known many people who have had it mildly, there will be a bounce right back up… people are so reactionary these days.

Even a mild infection can result in a positive PCR for months (or so I'm reading) and as the more infectious, milder variants run rampant then without governments and airlines adjusting the processes, more travellers will be caught in the trap of having to PCR test 24hrs prior to flight, test positive and need a GP recovery letter before they can travel. This will require greater agility in the booking systems and - I would suggest - greater cross fare-class leeway in allowing bookings for airlines to maintain loads and not lose more and more passengers for flights.

Imagine booking a D-Class fare and then testing positive for an infection from 2 months ago, scrambling to get a letter within the following 24/48hrs ... only to discover that the next available D seat is weeks away. Meanwhile intervening flights are cancelled due to "not enough passengers" ....

Regards,

BD

 

[RichardMEL]

CNS - ADL QF main ops/main line this evening cancelled.
Not sure what happens to those on this route tonight, lucky its Sat and there is still the JQ and the QF flight for tomorrow.
Flexible flying QF says, as does VA, but not good if they cancel your only flight of the day!

This is not a mainline operation. It is an E190 service operated by Alliance.

Not that it matters to the customer as it's a QF marketed flight, but for clarify since you mentioned "main ops/main line"

 

[Flyerpassion]

It must be so hard for them to forward plan - like all business' right now. I admit, as much as I love to travel, I'm not planning too far ahead given the volatility right now. It's short, last minute, domestic trips for me.

Post automatically merged: Jan 17, 2022

It must be so hard for them to forward plan - like all business' right now. I admit, as much as I love to travel, I'm not planning too far ahead given the volatility right now. It's short, last minute, domestic trips for me.

 

[jb747]

And how many people are put off by just one story of a disastrous trip? The current thread about Fiji is enough to deter all but the keenest of travelers. My guess it that it will take over a year of normality, before the majority become willing to travel again. I said ages back that I expected a burst of travelling when the gates opened, which would die back. The gates aren’t even really open yet, but that dieback is obvious enough.

So, a year from the start of normality. Which seems nowhere on the horizon.

 

[OATEK]

I must say I was a bit concerned when I got the message this morning that my QF1 flight early march had changed. I was thinking cancelled, flights consolidated etc.

Actually, it was a timing change, brought forward from 18:00 to 16:45, so landing at 5am in :LHR rather than 6:20. Phew!

 

[AIRwin]

Actually, it was a timing change, brought forward from 18:00 to 16:45, so landing at 5am in :LHR rather than 6:20. Phew!

It was a breeze through LHR the last time I arrived at that hour...

 

[drron]

Though they are making up some revenue with their pricing, When mrsdrron's flight BNE-LST for 28/1 was cancelled I did look at a possible MCY-MEL flight. In fact there is such a flight but Y priced at $1379. Tell em they're dreaming.

 

[sudoer]

No official cancellation yet but it looks like SYD-HND will be canned until late March, inventory has been zeroed.

 

[jrfsp]

I must say I was a bit concerned when I got the message this morning that my QF1 flight early march had changed. I was thinking cancelled, flights consolidated etc.

Actually, it was a timing change, brought forward from 18:00 to 16:45, so landing at 5am in :LHR rather than 6:20. Phew!

The timings seems a bit all over the place to LHR. The QF 9/10 have been given longer layovers in PER when that resumes. On QF9 its 3:45, much longer than it used to be.

On the return you can actually now transfer to a domestic connection QF 778 (A330) which would get back to Melbourne 10 minutes earlier and arriving as a domestic passenger which could potentially save an hour.

 

[sudoer]

No official cancellation yet but it looks like SYD-HND will be canned until late March, inventory has been zeroed.

Now officially cancelled.

Call centre was happy to move 2 x U seats to first available QF flight (27 Mar) which was showing J9 C9 D1 I0.