The pointless pathetic penny pinching that pushes away customers thread

[medhead]

Quizzed the bar staff here in the Sydney J lounge. They have been instructed to use smaller glasses for the tap beer. I just asked for 2 beers instead. Which worked well as 2 of my last 4 glasses have been dirty. Cost cutting the washing up as well it seems.

 

[Limewood]

Not looking forward to our food in a box tomorrow CNS/SYD have to fill up on the small morsels in the Q Lounge or have lunch at 11.30 before leaving the pad.

 

[Happy Trails]

time for a jailbreak on the drinks fridge methinks!

Something like that happened on a Ryanair flight recently.

Delayed Ryanair passengers loot drinks trolley and steal cigarettes in 'barbaric' revolt


Delayed Ryanair passengers loot drinks trolley and steal cigarettes in 'barbaric' revolt - Weird News - News - The Independent

 

[Steelo]

I am guessing it will consist of 70% potato (salad!!!!!) and 3 slices of a chicken roll. And it will be marketed as light and healthy. But of course you will get free water.

 

[themanfromoz]

Onboard Dining

Experience a premium meal or refreshment pack on all QantasLink flights, with catering menus rotated every 4 to 6 weeks to ensure a fresh menu at all times.
Beer and wine is offered complimentary after 4pm on all QantasLink flights, although in Western Australia these options are only available for purchase after midday.
QantasLink also provides special meal options on Boeing 717 aircraft and a vegetarian special meal option on QantasLink Dash 8 aircraft.

Have recently done some QantasLink and Qantas domestic flights.
I find QantasLink far superior:
- friendlier cabin crew
- more leg room (comparing Dash-8 and 737 though)
- refreshment packs FAR superior to Qantas rubbish food
- wine service is great after a long day
If QantasLink can provide this level of service while can't Qantas?

 

[cambriamarsh]

But that can lead to revenue down and so on

 

[jetlagger]

There are soo many new, untapped and high margin ways airlines could generate more revenue that don't impact the customer base in any negative way.

They say that when you're not using your own product on a daily basis you fail to see how the design could be improved.
When you're working for an airline you're not exactly using the product in a way most consumers would either... and feedback/marketing/focus groups are totally bogus and rarely produce anything meaningful. So you can almost forgive managers for not understanding their customers.

I think Qantas biggest problem is human capital.
Too many people with oldschool mentality trying things that may have worked 10 or 15 years ago but now just deepen their self inflicted problems.

"Let's cost cut out way to profitability" - said no successful CEO ever.

Time for new blood and a fresh set of eyes to solve their problems.

So very true...
Long term complacency & limited adaptation in such a changing aviation environment is accelerating Qantas demise.. discounting & penny pinching evidently displays signs of desperation.

 

[OzEire]

Regarding the OP's point of requesting to be advanced to an earlier flight on a 'cheap & inflexible' ticket, there are a few sides of this to consider.

Firstly, QF price tickets according to their inclusions (no surprise to most here) ie. seat, leg room, meal and *flexibility*, even the number of SCs and points earned. The theory is that if you want to be *guaranteed* these inclusions then fork out for the higher price ticket.

However, as the OP points out, QF could win loyalty by instructing staff to exercise discretion over these micro decisions - and for status flyers this more flexibility should be a factor. Sure, the discounted sale Red e-deal saver fare has TnC's up the kazoo disallowing this and that, but what is the harm letting our OP take the earlier flight?

Well, if he had been advanced to the earlier flight our AFF member would not be seething here on the forum nor plotting ways to make sure next time he flys his first destination will *not* be Qantas.com. But perhaps the QF logic (I think flawed) is that in theory our OP would instead blame his decision to book a cheap fare for his predicament and vow that 'in future' he will book the fully flexible fare bucket resulting in a bonanza of extra revenue on that and future tickets. But as we can see, this is not how things panned out.

Another factor is to consider is that the flight OP wanted to take will probably leave with the seat empty anyway, particularly if the flight is imminent. The seat that would now have been left empty on the later flight if OP was advanced comes into play. Our friend Johnny Come Lately business traveller with a company credit card who would dearly love to buy "any seat you have" on the aircraft, "I don't care how much it costs, I HAVE to be there for my very important meeting". But, what a shame, our OP - lubricated from his extra time in the QP - is now neatly ensconced in his uber cheap seat.... oh well, perhaps Johnny goes over to VA.

Sure, it won't happen every time, but to my reckoning, advancing the loyal frequent flyer is just common business sense.

 

[swilk]

Penny pinching will get Qantas nowhere.

I had a bad experience of penny pinching in the Perth Lounge Jan 2nd.

Eldest daughter was returning to CBR flying J on Jan 2nd this year. I knew that the rules said that she could only bring in 1 guest but as a WP1, a wife who is Gold and the fact that the two of us were flying J PER/MEL/AUK the next day I thought they might let us all in. In the good old days of anytime access this would have been a no brainer.

The lounge lady scanned my daughters BP and took and scanned my WP1 card so she knew we were flying the next day.

"Sorry Sir only one of you can come in as a guest of your daughter. We are very busy today"

Needless to say none of us used the lounge, instead enjoying a far better cup of coffee in the general terminal. I found out the next day when chatting to a lovely lounge attendant (different one obviously) that in their wisdom Qantas had decided to only open the upper part of the lounge and left the bottom floor closed - no wonder they were busy.

Now before I hear the howls of "Well you knew the rules" - yes I did, but what a great bit of PR for Qantas to let another family member in especially as that person was WP1. Funny thing is , if her flight had been a little later, wife and I would have been able to check in online and both be in possession of J boarding passes. Between us we could have then taken in 7 persons.

I never understood the decision to do away with anytime access - who is going to drive to the airport , pay the parking fee to have a couple of free beers . I would only use it once or twice a year to see a family member off .

Opportunity missed Qantas! Guess I am feeling totally underwhelmed re WP1 perks.

 

[redslert]

Sure, it won't happen every time, but to my reckoning, advancing the loyal frequent flyer is just common business sense.

Sadly this relates to old way thinking when there wasn't any competition and people were forced to fly QF.

 

[Austman]

Today's effort: refusal to move me to an earlier flight on a non-flexible fare.

Question: When did they start to allow it? I've been WP for about 6 years and have been knocked back, in the lounge, many times. So many times that I stopped bothering asking from about 3 years ago. I didn't know they allowed it!

 

[Pleb Status]

Penny pinching will get Qantas nowhere.

I had a bad experience of penny pinching in the Perth Lounge Jan 2nd.

Eldest daughter was returning to CBR flying J on Jan 2nd this year. I knew that the rules said that she could only bring in 1 guest but as a WP1, a wife who is Gold and the fact that the two of us were flying J PER/MEL/AUK the next day I thought they might let us all in. In the good old days of anytime access this would have been a no brainer.

The lounge lady scanned my daughters BP and took and scanned my WP1 card so she knew we were flying the next day.

"Sorry Sir only one of you can come in as a guest of your daughter. We are very busy today"

Needless to say none of us used the lounge, instead enjoying a far better cup of coffee in the general terminal. I found out the next day when chatting to a lovely lounge attendant (different one obviously) that in their wisdom Qantas had decided to only open the upper part of the lounge and left the bottom floor closed - no wonder they were busy.

Now before I hear the howls of "Well you knew the rules" - yes I did, but what a great bit of PR for Qantas to let another family member in especially as that person was WP1. Funny thing is , if her flight had been a little later, wife and I would have been able to check in online and both be in possession of J boarding passes. Between us we could have then taken in 7 persons.

I never understood the decision to do away with anytime access - who is going to drive to the airport , pay the parking fee to have a couple of free beers . I would only use it once or twice a year to see a family member off .

Opportunity missed Qantas! Guess I am feeling totally underwhelmed re WP1 perks.

I very rarely get my P1 card scanned at the PER (or BNE) QP, so you were pretty unlucky.

Also, I have never been able to get a non flexible flight changed for free. So if you have, you have been lucky.

 

[maninblack]

A couple of years ago I saw the reality of this meaness in action. It confirmed my concerns about where QF was heading.
I was flying back from HKG with a friend who was a WP. I was in J. He was in Y but he had requested a points upgrade.
He didn't get the upgrade.
In the QF lounge he requested an upgrade again with points but sorry no upgrades from the lounge rule.
So we board, he has an exit row in Y. I go upstairs, B744.
Hello from CSM, "Hi my name is 'insert name' I am your CSM and if there is anything I can do to make your flight more comfortable please ask me now because you will never see me again."
After take off the normal disinterested tired looking Qantas staff action is happening and I get up for a walk. At least 4 empty seats upstairs in J and a few downstairs too. Empty seats in PE as well. Hmm.
I go visit my friend. His video monitor isn't working, they are trying to re-boot.
Come back an hour later and they have moved him to PE because they couldn't get his IFE working. He says the FA's acted like they were doing him the worlds biggest favour and he had won tattslotto.
Good grief, they could have had his points and a happy customer in the first place but instead had an annoyed WP who thought the whole experience was pathetic.

 

[Clivem]

A couple of years ago I saw the reality of this meaness in action. It confirmed my concerns about where QF was heading..........Good grief, they could have had his points and a happy customer in the first place but instead had an annoyed WP who thought the whole experience was pathetic.

Its getting harder for them to see the wood for all those dam trees in the way .............

 

[Aussie_flyer]

Asp yesterday had usual 12 noon time written on fridge

 

[Mollycram]

Not looking forward to our food in a box tomorrow CNS/SYD have to fill up on the small morsels in the Q Lounge or have lunch at 11.30 before leaving the pad.

i experienced that joy yesterday....an incredibly tasteless chicken quinoa salad. The day before we got a pack of corn chips with salsa on a Bne Tsv flight that was around dinner time...very disappointing!

 

[marki]

I have said this before that the penny pinching has reached the Qantas bike box purchase going up 22%. Just a small thing but counts

 

[Newk]

I guess the annoying bit is they've trained me to expect such service by offering it in the past but have now just cut it off. Certainly can't complain about the refusal, more about the service.

Yep, a couple of times as a WP I've asked for an earlier flight on a non flexible fare and been successful. Everyone's a winner...I am happy, QF fills an empty seat and opens another on a later flight etc etc.
My last request was met with a "what are you thinking?" stare.

It's ok, and I entirely understand your point

 

[nlagalle]

Question: When did they start to allow it? I've been WP for about 6 years and have been knocked back, in the lounge, many times. So many times that I stopped bothering asking from about 3 years ago. I didn't know they allowed it!

Haven't tried this year, but last year nearly everytime at SYD i was asked if i wanted an earlier flight. I will have to check this out on my future SYD trips and see if i get offered or try for an earlier flight..

 

[Falcs]

"I want the benefits of a flexible ticket without paying for it"
"I want anytime access/additional guests even though it's not a status benefit"
"I want a points upgrade rather than paying for the class I want"

I completely understand the goodwill Qantas can earn by showing some flexibility, but it shouldn't become an entitlement culture rather than something people are grateful for as going over and above. What happens when people stop bothering with flexible tickets because they know they'll get moved, or they start flying DJ with a few drinks to start within the QP, or they book Y on flights they know are going to be empty up front and hence guaranteed an upgrade?