Why doesn't Qantas offer Cheaper Standby Travel?

[Benny]

Why doesn't Qantas offer cheaper standby travel?

It makes sense, doesn't it? Aircraft leave all the time with empty seats, why not fill them up with standby pax at the last minute so that Qantas at least get some revenue for it?

I'm actually following on from the "Do Mystery Flights Still Exist?" thread.

The answer is simple... They don't because it costs too much! The management overhead of having potentially 100 people waiting for one seat on a Friday afternoon costs more than than the revenue they'd gain from it. Same works for Mystery Flights. The real story is that it simply costs too much to sell tickets, manage pax, both at the airport and getting them on the aircraft. Departures not on time cost Qantas MONEY! Can you imagine having to employee a staff member to look for pax who can't find the departure gate at the last minute? It all adds up.

Proof of this is the Staff Travel debacle. When I was an employee all I heard were friends and others telling me how lucky i was getting cheap(er) flights. The real story is that its pain in the cough... AND don't try it with a family. I've waited over 5 hours at Brisbane Airport only to be sent back (to a hotel for the night) because I couldn't get on the flight. The whole thing hotel and taxis etc cost be about $400, when I could have got a confirmed seat for $100.

Next time you're at the airport on a Friday night before a long weekend check out the crowd a the CityFlyer desk at SYD Airport. Chances are 90% of them are staff who won't get on board an aircraft, meanwhile you're charging for the late flight with a confirmed ticket. I know which one i'd rather be!

Cheers,
Benny

 

[thadocta]

"The answer is simple... They don't because it costs too much! The management overhead of having potentially 100 people waiting for one seat on a Friday afternoon costs more than than the revenue they'd gain from it. Same works for Mystery Flights. The real story is that it simply costs too much to sell tickets, manage pax, both at the airport and getting them on the aircraft."

Rubbish, as far as mystery flights went. SLC (Self Loading Cargo) knew the night before what their flight numbers and destinations were. This placed them in EXACTLY the same category as every other e-ticket customer out there who needs to check-in, find gates, etc., etc.

The REAL reason why stand-by fares were abandoned was because they encouraged your business travellers to not pay the full fares that Qantas wants them to travel, rather they were starting to just show up, pay the minimal stand-by fare and then sit around waiting for a seat to open up.

Trust me on this, I was working in res and then at SYD DOM when all of this was happening.

"Next time you're at the airport on a Friday night before a long weekend check out the crowd a the CityFlyer desk at SYD Airport."

No thanks, I will be consuming HP's in the QP.

Dave

 

[Benny]

thadocta,

That's a bit of an oversimplification... Trust me on this, I was working in Corporate Sales at the time.

Mystery flight destinations weren't ever guaranteed and certainly not changable.

A lot people were confused by why a Corporate traveller who's company spent $5M/year spent more on his ticket than a backpacker that bought their one-off ticket over the internet. The simple answer is that while the product appears to be similar they certainly aren't! The conditions that sit behind each ticket make and break yield management. It's an over simplification to say that QF wants business travellers to pay more for the same. They pay more so that Qantas doesn't have to handle the risk of the ticket.

Cheers,
Benny

 

[QF WP]

Why doesn't Qantas offer cheaper standby travel?

Frankly, I'm glad they don't and cause the debacle that is travel in the USA....no wonder they are commonly called "Third World" by some on these boards...

Proof of this is the Staff Travel debacle. When I was an employee all I heard were friends and others telling me how lucky i was getting cheap(er) flights. The real story is that its pain in the cough... AND don't try it with a family. I've waited over 5 hours at Brisbane Airport only to be sent back (to a hotel for the night) because I couldn't get on the flight. The whole thing hotel and taxis etc cost be about $400, when I could have got a confirmed seat for $100.

Now this is something you and I can finally agree on for a change, Benny. I used to travel on QEB then QEA fares (was married to a QF-staffer) and often was bumped (particularly on a Sun PM after a weekend away when loads were higher). I would have rather bought a ticket like the rest of the pax. Thankfully, I/we always had friends/family with which to stay.

I'm sure thadocta has some similar choice words to say about Staff Travel... :wink: :roll:

 

[Benny]

Lindsay,

The worst part is all the things that the public never see... The 2 hour wait (admittedly normally during company time) to buy the ticket at the staff travel ticket office and then the coughpy way the airport staff and cabin crew get "trained" (by culture rather than anything formal) to treat staff travellers.

A mate from BA and I often discuss the virtues of maintaining staff travel. If it wasn't for the strong union influence and years of "tradition" we both agree we'd get rid of it, in favour of real discounts off confirmed travel bought through the internet or normal qantas reservations.

Cheers
Benny

 

[thadocta]

thadocta,

That's a bit of an oversimplification... Trust me on this, I was working in Corporate Sales at the time.

Mystery flight destinations weren't ever guaranteed and certainly not changable.

Of course they were "guaranteed" - they guarantted to get you "somewhere" and back - it *might* have been Perth, it might have been Adealide, it might have been Dubbo, it might have been Wagga Wagga. But at least you went *somewhere*, and back in the same day, which is what you were paying for.

A lot people were confused by why a Corporate traveller who's company spent $5M/year spent more on his ticket than a backpacker that bought their one-off ticket over the internet. The simple answer is that while the product appears to be similar they certainly aren't! The conditions that sit behind each ticket make and break yield management. It's an over simplification to say that QF wants business travellers to pay more for the same. They pay more so that Qantas doesn't have to handle the risk of the ticket.

Actually, I think you are waffling here. From what I can decipher from the above, you are saying that those paying higher fares are self-insuring against changes to preferred flight times and so on.

So what?

Those paying more ALWAYS get more benefits.

You are waffling and saying nothing.

Dave

 

[rooman]

Last Minute Low Cost & Standbys on Qantas

Qantas, is not in the least bit interested in offering last minute standby fares, ever.....!, it wants the opposite, pay as far in advance as possible and you might get a cheaper ticket, but they have your money, you are locked in to a time and date, and you dont fly, tuff!, plus, in any event, they have too many non-revenue staffers and friends waiting to occupy empty seats, further with scheduling stuffups and overselling, they always have a stack of people who have been bumped waiting in the service counter lounges to get on.

Just look at any lounge where they have a shedule problem or a mechanical, very common to have huge back-ups.

I've flown as other airline staff on qantas, its not fun trying to get on as a standby, never any guarantee until the door is closed, then you might get yanked out of your seat. Ansett were great in there day, but not the flying mob...

Anyway, shareholder value and executive bonus are the is the only words qantas management wants to recognise, anything that removes a cent from the execs/sh.val aint a plus for them, so dont hold your breath for Q to ever think it will discount last minute seats or help any standby passenger out who has paid a minimal fare.

This airline isnt paranoid about its public profit image for nothing, and it is cannabalistic, rapacious and carnivorous against anything with the potential to upsets its apple cart, and that includes its own people.

roo