Time to give up on Qantas

[busissi]

DXB undoubtedly most convenient for connecting with UK and European cities. Quick turnover with Emirates, staff always courteous and helpful.

 

[Skyring]

Not trying to dispute what you are saying, Skyring but.......
1. These days there are more Qantas wide-body pilots at Emirates than at Qantas. So does that professionalism depart the pilot once they fly elsewhere; I think not.
2. There are plenty of airlines which have not had fatalities. Even if an airline did have fatalities in its history. it would seem to be stretching a long bow to suggest that airlines like Cathay, British Airways, Thai, Singapore, Qatar, Delta, Air New Zealand, South African, Etihad and Air Canada are unsafe.
3. But I agree with your general thrust that safety is the biggy.

1. Safety and professionalism is more than the pilot. It's the systems, the procedures, the culture. JB747 recently noted that he doesn't bother to check who he'll be flying with. If they show up on a Qantas flight deck, they are more than qualified to fly the aircraft. Doesn't matter who the pilot is. The system doesn't put second-rate pilots there.
2. I don't know if Emirates have had a fatal crash. But they don't have a record going back decades. I'm not suggesting that other airlines are dangerous carriers, far from it, but Qantas has a better record. Far better.
3. Thanks.

 

[Skyring]

DXB undoubtedly most convenient for connecting with UK and European cities. Quick turnover with Emirates, staff always courteous and helpful.

So long as the connections are there, then it makes a lot of sense to fly to DXB and then transfer, rather than going to Heathrow and backtracking to (say) Rome or Vienna.

EK impresses me with its European network. You're not going to get anything like that from out of SIN or HKG.

For transfers, I've got no problems with DXB. For a stopover or destination, I'd very much prefer HKG or SIN. Dubai strikes me as lacking in substance.

 

[browski]

1. Safety and professionalism is more than the pilot. It's the systems, the procedures, the culture. JB747 recently noted that he doesn't bother to check who he'll be flying with. If they show up on a Qantas flight deck, they are more than qualified to fly the aircraft. Doesn't matter who the pilot is. The system doesn't put second-rate pilots there.
2. I don't know if Emirates have had a fatal crash. But they don't have a record going back decades. I'm not suggesting that other airlines are dangerous carriers, far from it, but Qantas has a better record. Far better.
3. Thanks.

JB747 would almost certainly agree that Emirates have better (qualified) pilots than Qantas (mainly because the bar is so much higher to be an Emirate pilot than anywhere else). Let's ask him on his thread?
Qantas only have a few flights per day compared to the big players like BA, Delta and EK; so Qantas sort of work of a small sample with regards to safety. Their marketing of their perceived safety is certainly first class.

 

[Skyring]

JB747 would almost certainly agree that Emirates have better (qualified) pilots than Qantas (mainly because the bar is so much higher to be an Emirate pilot than anywhere else). Let's ask him on his thread?
Qantas only have a few flights per day compared to the big players like BA, Delta and EK; so Qantas sort of work of a small sample with regards to safety. Their marketing of their perceived safety is certainly first class.

It's not just the pilots. It's also the system. You could put the best pilot in the world at the controls of a poorly maintained aircraft and have a significant safety problem. Likewise if that excellent pilot is overworked and fatigued.

 

[busissi]

Are you seriously suggesting that Qantas is the only airline to service its planes correctly and to conform to strict flying times for pilots? Come on!

 

[Skyring]

Are you seriously suggesting that Qantas is the only airline to service its planes correctly and to conform to strict flying times for pilots? Come on!

Uh, no. That's an extraordinary claim.

The point being made is that safety goes beyond the pilot. I'm sure you agree.

 

[drron]

.............if your end point is Dubai, that makes sense. If your end point is Paris (or Casablanca)?.....

If I am going to CDG I would be on an Avianca F award with TG or a SQ F award.DXB would not get a look in.Been once.Never have to see the place again.

 

[maninblack]

Emirates almost wrote off a full plane on take off at MEL a few years. Pilot error I believe. It can happen to the best! Not saying emirates is best of course, QF pretty damn good in that regard as are all the ex QF pilots working for other airlines!

 

[BD1959]

Emirates almost wrote off a full plane on take off at MEL a few years. Pilot error I believe. It can happen to the best! Not saying emirates is best of course, QF pretty damn good in that regard as are all the ex QF pilots working for other airlines!

You got that wrong, maninblack, those EK pilots were playing bar-skittles with the landing lights - the aircraft was never in danger.

Regards,

BD

 

[sydstar]

Emirates almost wrote off a full plane on take off at MEL a few years. Pilot error I believe. It can happen to the best! Not saying emirates is best of course, QF pretty damn good in that regard as are all the ex QF pilots working for other airlines!

And along with the likes of SQ, who with their chequered history always come up shining, while MH becomes a scapegoat! I think the responses to the likes of QF30/78/32 from the flight deck encapsulate the overall pilot culture at QF. I don't know if its the ex-military training that led to these responses, but I've always seen QF pilots to be among, if not the best in the world. The only other airline I'd put into the same boat would be CX (see CX780)

And of course for QF, part of the credit for this needs to go to the sim instructors and engineers as well

 

[MEL_Traveller]

And along with the likes of SQ, who with their chequered history always come up shining, while MH becomes a scapegoat! I think the responses to the likes of QF30/78/32 from the flight deck encapsulate the overall pilot culture at QF. I don't know if its the ex-military training that led to these responses, but I've always seen QF pilots to be among, if not the best in the world. The only other airline I'd put into the same boat would be CX (see CX780)

Also consider however QF1.

yes it is good to be on a Qantas aircraft, but I would put many of the major legacy carriers into the same boat as QF pilots. BA, for example, and mainline from the big USA carriers.

 

[browski]

If I am going to CDG I would be on an Avianca F award with TG or a SQ F award.DBX would not get a look in.Been once.Never have to see the place again.

If you keep referring to it as DBX you'll definitely never have to see that place again.
You know such is Emirates route map, you can fly BNE SIN DXB CDG on the one ticket and stop at both.....
...or SYD BKK DXB CDG
...or MEL SIN DXB CDG
...or MEL KUL DXB CDG

 

[Pushka]

As an Adelaidean my preferred hub is Dubai. I don't plan on stopping again during Summer/Ramadan but I much prefer it to Singapore. I hate the 6-7 hour overnighter whereas with Emirates I can get a few hours sleep. Connections to Europe with Emirates are fabulous. I'm flying SQ next year and have a dreadful 15 hour stopover in Singapore. I don't want to visit Singapore (again) so will book a hotel nearby with a pool/shuttle. Crowne Plaza I think.

The only time I see myself flying international with Q is maybe the USA.

 

[drron]

If you keep referring to it as DBX you'll definitely never have to see that place again.
You know such is Emirates route map, you can fly BNE SIN DXB CDG on the one ticket and stop at both.....
...or SYD BKK DXB CDG
...or MEL SIN DXB CDG
...or MEL KUL DXB CDG

Corrected.
I still never want to go to DXB again.
And I like stopping over not connecting.
Even KUL I would prefer to DXB.And no I wouldn't stopover in KUL and then fly to DXB.

 

[timster]

DXB is without doubt the Olympic Champion of travel hubs. It gives Australians one-stop access to more cities in every corner of the planet. Singapore is a great airport, but as a transit hub, DXB is where the big boys hang out.

And DXB wouldn't win a bronze medal in the school sports as a transit stop. Maybe something for "tries too hard but mostly gets it totally wrong".

I haven't flown to/from Europe without transit stops (in SE Asia) for 20 years.

 

[katiebell]

One of the best and longest-running threads on this forum is that of "Ask the Pilot", where JB747 patiently gives detailed answers to all manner of questions. What shines through is the professionalism, the dedication to safety and the care taken to get passengers safely from A to B.

To my mind, that trumps everything else. There's not another airline with the same record. That's not a matter of luck. It doesn't happen by itself, neither. That's careful planning and hard work, and we don't see a real lot of that going on when we park our bums in a seat.

The comfiest, best equipped seat on the airways is not much good at getting you safely home by itself. Nor the meals, cabin crew and lounges.

.

Whilst Qantas has a good safety record they have had an increased number of problems in recent years (? offshoring maintenance). They are not the only airline with 7/7 star rating in airline ratings.com. Many other airlines flying here have the same rating and some, such as Cathay employ a lot of Australian, British and North American pilots with good training and afety attitudes. Icertainly look at safety before making any booking but this is not keeping me exclusively on QF

 

[katiebell]

For those of us getting a bit older then a stopover to break up the flight time is desirable.DXB is absolutely last in my preferred stopover points.SIN,BKK, or NRT are my stops now.

Not only that but 14+ hours to get there is too long to sit like a sardine in Y

 

[lovestotravel]

I wouldn't go to Dubai as I can't eat pork

 

[katiebell]

And DXB wouldn't win a bronze medal in the school sports as a transit stop. Maybe something for "tries too hard but mostly gets it totally wrong".

I'm not even sure they are trying: Flounge reception staff more often rudethan not, not enough showers (& then they often smell bad), no cold water in the handbasin for cleaning teeth, no priority boarding from Flounge, all the seats are on walkways so no quiet areas to sit, no windows to look out over the apron and those impossible lifts from the loung to the gate. Add to that useless transit security screening...

I would much rather, and do, transfer at LHR