The Men Who Killed Qantas

[Foreigner]

The Men Who Killed Qantas by Matthew Benns - Books - Random House Books Australia

Random House could get author to update his book once the dust settles.

 

[straitman]

The Men Who Killed Qantas by Matthew Benns - Books - Random House Books Australia

Random House could get author to update his book once the dust settles.

Interesting.

Thank you.

 

[markis10]

Might have to peruse a copy whilst enjoying a bowl of ear of Rudd soup.

 

[medhead]

I don't think you'd enjoy the book. I believe it was the basis of some of my comments here a few years ago. IIRC those comments were poo, pooed.

 

[RWJ777]

Might have to peruse a copy whilst enjoying a bowl of ear of Rudd soup.

Just so you can appreciate the full effect of your comment, I laughed out loud -- genuinely rather than the glib LOL retort -- so much so, people looked at me!

 

[Mattg]

I read this book when it came out a few years ago and found it very interesting. I learnt a lot about QF's history and I guess the commentary about how Qantas has been cost-cutting everywhere appealed to the cynic in me. The author reckoned that QF was dying several years ago, when QF30 had just happened and the biggest "incident" in their post-war history was the QF1 runway overrun in BKK.

So yes, the book most certainly needs updating, especially after last year's strike and QF32.

 

[ashleyn]

No no he's not dead, he's, he's restin'

 

[JohnK]

Can someone please post an AFF summary or is that not possible with copyright issues?

 

[Mattg]

No no he's not dead, he's, he's restin'

This reminds me of that line on The Simpsons where Lisa asks Marge if the skinned rabbits in the window of a Chinese restaurant were dead, and Marge replies "No of course not, they're just sleeping... inside out, and upside down."

I sincerely hope that the coma Qantas seems to be in is a recoverable one. Maybe the Emirates partnership will wake it up. Time will tell...

 

[Mattg]

Can someone please post an AFF summary or is that not possible with copyright issues?

I don't see the problem with a brief summary (Mods, feel free to remove this post if there are any copyright issues):

The book begins with a recount of the QF1 runway overrun incident in Bangkok. It basically puts the blame on QF's cost-cutting measure of landing on flaps 25 and not flaps 30.

It then goes into a bit of QF history and then in the second half of the book it talks about the creation of Jetstar, the Mile High Sandal with Lisa Robertson, QF30 explosion (featuring JB747), the QF72 drama over WA and bad press that followed.

The jist of the book is about how QF, through scandals, bad management and unfortunate incidents has been "killed off".

My favourite line in the book is one of the opening ones:
"Qantas never crashes" - Rain man
"He was wrong" - MacArthur Job, air crash investigator

 

[medhead]

The book begins with a recount of the QF1 runway overrun incident in Bangkok. It basically puts the blame on QF's cost-cutting measure of landing on flaps 25 and not flaps 30.

My recollection is the non-use of full brakes and/or full reverse as a cost cutting measure was blamed. In fact even more nunanced than that, use of full brakes or reverse thrust was SOP such than the pilot failed to use them when they should have in poor weather conditions.


Sent from the Throne

 

[AVC]

I thought it was the change-of-mind of the PIC who ordered a go around, then not, grabbed the throttles, missed one, which automatically disabled the autobrakes.

 

[markis10]

I thought it was the change-of-mind of the PIC who ordered a go around, then not, grabbed the throttles, missed one, which automatically disabled the autobrakes.

No, the cost saving measure was very much a big part according to the ATSB:

During the examination of the performance of the aircraft on the runway, it became evidentthat the flaps 25/idle reverse thrust landing procedure used by the crew (and which was the‘preferred’ company procedure) was not appropriate for operations on to water-affectedrunways.

 

[Major]

I read this book when it came out a few years ago and found it very interesting. I learnt a lot about QF's history and I guess the commentary about how Qantas has been cost-cutting everywhere appealed to the cynic in me. The author reckoned that QF was dying several years ago, when QF30 had just happened and the biggest "incident" in their post-war history was the QF1 runway overrun in BKK.

So yes, the book most certainly needs updating, especially after last year's strike and QF32.

To my way of thinking their biggest post war incident was the total write off of an aircraft

http://www.casa.gov.au/wcmswr/_assets/main/fsa/2000/jan/page49.pdf

 

[yohy?!]

just finished this book - it's a fascinating read, beyond the title I didn't find it trying to be too 'explosive' but rather giving factual accounts and analysis with focus on QF's trajectory since privatisation. The QF30, 32 and 72 incidents are all dealt with highlighting the strength of the crews ability to handle the situation but also showing the gaps from cost cutting that nearly became 'holes in the swiss cheese'.

The information around the aerotoxicity poisoning cases is particularly frightening - where members of the public may have been exposed to carcinogenic fumes from superheated oil leaks for months on end.

 

[Altair]

This reminds me of that line on The Simpsons where Lisa asks Marge if the skinned rabbits in the window of a Chinese restaurant were dead, and Marge replies "No of course not, they're just sleeping... inside out, and upside down."

I sincerely hope that the coma Qantas seems to be in is a recoverable one. Maybe the Emirates partnership will wake it up. Time will tell...

Hmmm first post in years.
I finished this book a week ago, last updated edition.
I found it very light and pushed a very apparent agenda.
Author was extremely critical of the Strong/Dixon years but they were the last a line of people that had cuased the demise of Qantas.
The author opinion of AJ may turn off people but a direct quote that people may find interesting of what he saw the current state of Qantas.

It could be said that if Qantas were an aeroplane rather than an airline, today it would be screaming towards earth in a steep dive with smoke pouring from at least two of the engines. The passengers, who look awfully like shareholders, with their strained white faces, would be hanging on for dear life and praying for a happy outcomes. The crew, Qantas staff one and all, would be buckling up their seatbelts for a bumpy ride and providing the professional expertise for which they have become known. The plane's owners, fat cats in suits and looking rather like Qantas board members, would have taken the only golden parachutes and bailed out, already calculating the insurance payout on the plane and its occupants when it finally crashed. (Naturally, they would not even think that it was their profit-seeking cost-cutting that caused the engines to fail in the first place.)
And that leaves the pilot battling at the controls, the only one who can pull off the miracle and help the plane survive its terrifying dive. Straining at the joystick, face set, he looks a lot like Alan Joyce.

The men who killed Qantas, M Benns. p 263.
His opinion was that AJ was the right choice by the Board to try to keep QF alive, JB has it easier going to DJ in transforming an airlien, but AJ was the right man to make the tough decisions as later evidenced by the lock out and EK deal I surmise.

 

[yohy?!]

Hmmm first post in years. I finished this book a week ago, last updated edition. I found it very light and pushed a very apparent agenda. Author was extremely critical of the Strong/Dixon years but they were the last a line of people that had cuased the demise of Qantas. The author opinion of AJ may turn off people but a direct quote that people may find interesting of what he saw the current state of Qantas. The men who killed Qantas, M Benns. p 263. His opinion was that AJ was the right choice by the Board to try to keep QF alive, JB has it easier going to DJ in transforming an airlien, but AJ was the right man to make the tough decisions as later evidenced by the lock out and EK deal I surmise.

You should take that in the context that it appears in the book it makes sense - ie at the time I believe of the failed APA deal, the massive payouts Jackson and Dixon would've got, obvious conflicts/cronyism etc

 

[Altair]

No I disagree. I would say the actions in the past couple of years would vindicate what the author sees in AJ. He is desperately trying to keep QF alive and willing to break history and make the "brave" decisions. I do give AJ some slack, except in one decision, IMO he should not have immediately ground the QF fleet, 2 days notice would have given everyone time to plan and minimised the disruption. Immediate grounding of the fleet shows his disregard for the customers and staff of QF.
Another point made in the book follows my own thinking, the success of JQ is giving QF time to sort out its own business. If JQ was not around drastic changes in QF would have occured or it would no longer be around at all.