Once upon a time (August, 2000 to be exact), a new airline was launched in Australia to challenge the two long standing carriers: Ansett and Qantas. That airline was Virgin Blue. The name was chosen in a competition playing on the Australian custom of calling a redhead Blue or Bluey. I flew Virgin Blue 12 times around Australia and rated them 4.4 out of 5. They initially used a low cost Southwest/Easyjet model with some quirky Australianisms and the Virgin feel. In 2003 Virgin Blue started Pacific Blue, a New Zealand based subsidiary which provided services between…
Qantas
Tag Archives for Qantas.
Qantas Social Media Backlash
If Qantas, the Australian airline had any doubt as to how the Australian public feel about the once iconic brand, then their latest Social Media campaign has shown them the truth. It all started innocently. This week Qantas began a new social media campaign called “Qantas Luxury”. From my view it seems to be an attempt to to win back the hearts and minds of Australians concerned about Qantas. The airline has been battered by four issues in the last year particularly: a series of incidents which have suggested to some that the airline appears…
Fry Tweets Qantas A380 Failure
British actor and Tweetaholic Stephen Fry was en route from Sydney to London today aboard a Qantas A380 operating as QF 31. Four hours out from Singapore, the plane was diverted to Dubai due to engine problems. Bizarrely one year to the day since a Qantas A380 Rolls Royce Trent 900 engine shredded in what could have been a disaster for that airliner. Fry kept us entertained with a blow by blow account of today’s situation which a Qantas spokesperson said was not connected to last year’s issue (Oh yeah? how d they know?): 82 stephenfry: Taking…
More on Qantas: Reaction to the Grounding
Roy Morgan has released results, from their regular phone poll survey of public opinion in Australia. Som key feedback from the Australian public suggets that respondents were: more inclined to blame management (56%) than the unions (42%) for the shutdown overall disapproving of the shutdown with 61% against it and 35% approving wanting federal government sooner (64%) -with 32% disagreeing This suggests that the Qantas Board and Management have a long row to hoe to get Australians to support their move and new directions.
Qantas is Back
21 days of compulsory negotiations between unions and company to follow. I will be interested in the outcomes! What the unions want: Transport Workers Union: 5 per cent pay rise per year, with an additional 1 per cent in superannuation (pension payments) protected against a rise in CPI. The Australian and International Pilots Association: 2.5 per cent pay increase, each year, for three years Australian Licensed Aircraft Engineers Association : 5.33 per cent pay rise to cover wages plus additional allowances, every year, for three years. This, however, is not what the real issue is about. Qantas announced recently the…
Qantas and the Unions- Desperate Dejavu?
My friend Leanne has been planning her Italian holiday for 18 months. She was flying out tomorrow with Qantas. Not anymore. In a move thats bizarre, risky and inexplicable, Qantas chief executive Alan Joyce told a news conference in Sydney, Saturday: “We have decided to ground the Qantas international and domestic fleets immediately,” Joyce said. How often does an airline shut down all of its operations? 108 planes grounded. Those in the air landed at their destinations. The rest are not going anywhere. On Monday the entire staff will be stood down without pay. There are seventeen…
Tuesday Trip Report: Royal Brunei
Long been curious to try Royal Brunei. Due to a quirk in my schedule, I got the chance to last week. Even though it involved two stopovers, their flight got me out of London and into Melbourne at a time that fitted my schedule. My first Royal Brunei sector was actually the 787th flight of my life. I had hoped for a flight on the 787 but the timing didn’t work. (For those who have been following, I flew my 737th on a Southwest 737, 747th in a Qantas B747, then United for 757, Qantas for 767…
Qantas-Anyone worried?
As a Qantas very frequent flyer, I am watching Qantas in disputes with three unions. There is the classic “blame the management” by the unions and the classic “blame the unions” by Qantas spokespeople. For passengers, there’s inconvenience of cancelled flights. For the tourist industry, theres a fear of loss of passengers at this crucial time. For Qantas there is presumably the economic impact of revenue losses. I am interested that Virgin Australia is adding capacity to cope and advertising special fares. Since their conversion from discount to full service carrier, they have apparently snared 13 per cent of the Australian…
Emirates: No Match
Its like being turned down by someone you most like! Ever had that experience? I just asked Emirates, my favourite airline, for a “status match” with Qantas where I hold Gold Frequent Flyer Status. One of the difficulties of being “high status” with one airline is that it does “lock you in”. Gold Status comes with express check in, lounge access, bonus frequent flyer points and higher luggage allowances. I have Blue Status (the basic level with Emirates) because I frankly haven’t flown them enough. They don’t fly on most of the routes, I have…
Perfection 777th flight on an NZ B777
After 43 years of flying I flew on my 777th flight. In a previous Blog post, I was trying to decide whether to fly my 777th on an Air New Zealand or V Australia 777. I appreciated the advice from friends to try Air NZ’s new 777-300 and was glad I did. I have recently blogged about V’s superb business class product on the 777-300. This Air NZ flight gave me lots of opportunity for comparison. For those who haven’t been following: I flew #737 on a Southwest B737, #747 on a Qantas B747, #757 with United and #767…
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