Why are qantas still so ****?

[aJackTar]

I have flown over a dozen times this year, four of those have been with Virgin and I haven't had a single issue, all the others Qantas and I have had a problem every single bloody time. It absolutely blows my mind that after all the bashings they have had in the media they are still making no attempt to get better, as a matter of fact I think they are actually getting worse. I know what you are thinking why have I flown with them so many times if they are so bad, the answer is I let QBT book my flights for me, from now on I will book all my flights and they will all be on Virgin.

 

[JDW81]

I’ve attempted to fly twice this year, both times were an unmitigated disaster. Both times were with virgin. They cancelled my flights, refused to refund, took 6 hours to find my checked bags and then wanted to charge me the same price I paid for the tickets to reschedule.

I don’t think the current airline issues are exclusive to QANTAS. I think they cop more flack 'cause they are supposedly the premium carrier and they pay their CEO a packet (despite being as effective as the swans on grand final day).

JD

 

[Dasher]

And all the above with an exorbitant fare? I had an interstate meeting to attend a few weeks ago and over a week out from that meeting I tried to book a seat (down the back), the closest I could get to my schedule was going to set me back $1350 return,
Sydney Melbourne with Qantas and Virgin it was all of $20 lighter.
Not a fan of virtual meetings but on this occasion I just refused to be fleeced by that leprechaun or the so called “competition“.

 

[Dave70]

Flown once this year with virgin, never again.
Got a text at around 4 am that our 6.30 am flight out of Hobart had been delayed - by 12 hours.
Talking to them is a waste of breath and time The dont give a **** that you have two kids under 12 and the hotel is booting you out at 10 am.
Only option was to pay extra to get on another flight, with the kids scattered in whatever seats were available.
The person on the other end of the simply line couldn't understand why I wasn't comfortable with my 9 year old daughter potentially jammed between two strangers at the other end of the plane.

What stuck in my craw is that the whole **** show could have been resolved if they would have given me the exit row seat, but wouldn't release it without sluging me an extra $120. In the name of customer relations, thats exactly what I would do. Then they have unpaid positive advertising instead of people like me broadcasting to anybody who'll listen what a bunch of unreasonable stingy cnunts they are.

For what its worth, the Hobart airport was humming with similar stories of Qantas, and seeing the news with beleaguered families literally stuck in terminals overnight, we got off easy.

 

[JDW81]

My experience with Virgin "customer service" was much the same. When I spoke to them about the flight being cancelled, they didn't even know it had been canned and had no interest in helping me either try and rebook or refund. So much for my first holiday in 4 years.

Next time, we'll load up the car and do it like we did in the 1980s and drive somewhere.

JD

 

[yankinoz]

Yet Qantas still has their safety record intact.

Over the years I've seen service and attitudes toward customers decline on many once outstanding international carriers, such as Icelandair and KLM. In the US American Airlines is nearly in a war with the public.

Spokespersons for the airlines point to competition from budget carriers and to an increase in surly or challenging passengers. In the latter case cause and effect may be hard to separate.

 

[Dave70]

Yet Qantas still has their safety record intact.

A miss is as good as a mile, as they say..

'Didn't you check that engine wouldn't catastrophically fail !?"
"Nah..I thought you did.."

Hopefully the captain and first officer were wearing their brown undies that day.

 

[Coalminer]

Yet Qantas still has their safety record intact.

Over the years I've seen service and attitudes toward customers decline on many once outstanding international carriers, such as Icelandair and KLM. In the US American Airlines is nearly in a war with the public.

Spokespersons for the airlines point to competition from budget carriers and to an increase in surly or challenging passengers. In the latter case cause and effect may be hard to separate.

Yes , but only if you don't count the 70 that have died 1927 > 1951

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Qantas_fatal_accidents

 

[Sidney Harbour-Bridge]

Like all companies and governments nowadays, they spend more money telling us how good they are and less money giving good service, it's the way of the world I think

 

[pie man]

The decline of Qantas started when Alan Joyce took control. The man is a 2 legged flea. They will not improve unless he gets the boot.

 

[yankinoz]

Yes , but only if you don't count the 70 that have died 1927 > 1951

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Qantas_fatal_accidents

I'd question that source. It includes a plane shot down in the war, and domestic flights in PNG. But Qantas never flew domestic flights in PNG; affiliated carriers did. Horror stories from there take in extremely short, steep landing strips, poor access to maintenance, and occasional pilots under the inlluence.

One carrier there in the 70s and 80s was run by Calvinist missionaries and for its safety record earned the nickname Predestination Airlines.

But yes, fire Joyce.

 

[Coalminer]

I'd question that source. It includes a plane shot down in the war, and domestic flights in PNG. But Qantas never flew domestic flights in PNG; affiliated carriers did. Horror stories from there take in extremely short, steep landing strips, poor access to maintenance, and occasional pilots under the inlluence.

One carrier there in the 70s and 80s was run by Calvinist missionaries and for its safety record earned the nickname Predestination Airlines.

But yes, fire Joyce.

Thank link actually included 2 planes shot down during wartime (33 not included in the quoted 70)
The claim that Qantas has never had a fatality is still untrue as they only reference jet travel

 

[user 103516]

The decline of Qantas started when Alan Joyce took control. The man is a 2 legged flea. They will not improve unless he gets the boot.

Decline?? He took the share price from $1.60 to almost $7.00 before the covid turndown, so shareholders were happy, and the board was happy. The share price sagged to about $2.00 during covid, and it's back at mid $5's. Why would the board give him the boot?

The board, and CEO, are required by Corporations law to act in the best interests of SHAREHOLDERS. If that course also benefits the pax, then that's a bonus.

 

[user 103516]

Yet Qantas still has their safety record intact.

Over the years I've seen service and attitudes toward customers decline on many once outstanding international carriers, such as Icelandair and KLM. In the US American Airlines is nearly in a war with the public.

Spokespersons for the airlines point to competition from budget carriers and to an increase in surly or challenging passengers. In the latter case cause and effect may be hard to separate.

The number of 'difficult' pax has certainly increased. It was a rarity 30 years ago to have a troublesome passenger, but now it's commonplace, and the behaviour is a lot worse.

 

[Dave70]

The number of 'difficult' pax has certainly increased. It was a rarity 30 years ago to have a troublesome passenger, but now it's commonplace, and the behaviour is a lot worse.

Has the behaviour actually gotten worse, or the tolerance of 'difficult' passengers shifted?
Are we talking a few Karen - esque outbursts at the check in counter, ********* losing their phones between the seats or an unruly pisshead trying to smash Boonies record?

*Years ago on a flight from Sydney to Darwin on a fishing trip, a mate stowed a few Bundys in his carry on. Once we were up, up and away, he went to hand me one, and before we could even propose a toast, the hostie (male) was on us.

Sir, you'll have surrender that alcohol.
But you serve alcohol, whats the difference?
Sir, if you do not, the NT police will be escorting you off the plane when it lands in Darwin.
They didn't fcuk around. Neither do the NT coppers, apparently.

Since the boat was leaving for Melville island the next morning, with or without us, he wisely handed them over.
And we ordered two beers instead..
True story.

 

[user 103516]

Has the behaviour actually gotten worse, or the tolerance of 'difficult' passengers shifted?
Are we talking a few Karen - esque outbursts at the check in counter, ********* losing their phones between the seats or an unruly pisshead trying to smash Boonies record?

*Years ago on a flight from Sydney to Darwin on a fishing trip, a mate stowed a few Bundys in his carry on. Once we were up, up and away, he went to hand me one, and before we could even propose a toast, the hostie (male) was on us.

Sir, you'll have surrender that alcohol.
But you serve alcohol, whats the difference?
Sir, if you do not, the NT police will be escorting you off the plane when it lands in Darwin.
They didn't fcuk around. Neither do the NT coppers, apparently.

Since the boat was leaving for Melville island the next morning, with or without us, he wisely handed them over.
And we ordered two beers instead..
True story.

The number has certainly increased, and the behaviour become worse. 30+ years ago, an incident on an aircraft was all but unheard of. 20 years ago, they had become fairly common, and I saw some seriously bad behaviour. If an aircraft diverts to unload somebody, that is serious stuff, and unloading pax before takeoff is almost common.

The reason airlines don't permit pax to drink their own liquor is that it doesn't comply with their liquor licence, AND they can't monitor how much pax drink. Just like a bar, if the server believes that you've had enough, they can turn off the tap, anticipating problems.

Aircraft cabins are at about 8000 feet, not sea level pressure, so your brain is not receiving the same level of oxygen. A couple of drinks at that altitude is similar to half a dozen at sea level, and things can unwind very quickly at 40,000' when alcohol and low oxygen levels mix.

 

[Dave70]

The number has certainly increased, and the behaviour become worse. 30+ years ago, an incident on an aircraft was all but unheard of. 20 years ago, they had become fairly common, and I saw some seriously bad behaviour. If an aircraft diverts to unload somebody, that is serious stuff, and unloading pax before takeoff is almost common.

The reason airlines don't permit pax to drink their own liquor is that it doesn't comply with their liquor licence, AND they can't monitor how much pax drink. Just like a bar, if the server believes that you've had enough, they can turn off the tap, anticipating problems.

Aircraft cabins are at about 8000 feet, not sea level pressure, so your brain is not receiving the same level of oxygen. A couple of drinks at that altitude is similar to half a dozen at sea level, and things can unwind very quickly at 40,000' when alcohol and low oxygen levels mix.

Which is why I maintain it should be mandatory for flight crew to at least hold a blue belt in BJJ and be equipped with cattle prods and heavy duty cable ties.
Its just better for all concerned.
And better for the offender than possibly being stabbed by his fellow travelers with improvised airline cutlery shivs.

 

[user 103516]

Which is why I maintain it should be mandatory for flight crew to at least hold a blue belt in BJJ and be equipped with cattle prods and heavy duty cable ties.
Its just better for all concerned.
And better for the offender than possibly being stabbed by his fellow travelers with improvised airline cutlery shivs.

I agree with cabin crew being so equipped.

About 25 years ago, airlines changed the procedures on how a problem in the air was handled.

Prior to that, it was an escalating process. First the cabin manager had a word, then the copilot, then the Captain, cap on, went and read the riot act to the problem pax, but then a Captain was decked, and the aircraft had to be flown, single pilot, a handful in a high performance jet.

Now, and even before 9/11, the cockpit door is locked, the flight crew have no interaction with pax, and frankly that's how most prefer it.

 

[golfandbrew]

If this were about the two Keg companies wouldn't admin have shut it off by now?

 

[Ballaratguy]

Sorry but I can’t see how this thread is related to home brewing