Customers and flight attendants are outraged, claiming that Qantas has gone from ‘best to worst’ in Australia, with the airline’s formerly world-class reputation now in ruins following a succession of post-Covid gaffes.
And, according to an expert, anyone looking for a return to the glory days of aviation will be disappointed as increased competition leads to widespread cost-cutting across the industry.
Fine dining was previously a standard component of Qantas flights in the 1950s and 1960s, with cocktails and onboard smoking becoming popular in the 1970s and 1980s.
The Spirit of Australia was regarded as a premium carrier in the 1990s and after the September 11 terrorist events in 2001, with fair charges for the services provided.
Professor Gui Lohmann of Griffith University, an expert in air transport and tourism management, told the Daily Mail Australia that the city’s great reputation may be faltering.
‘If you look at Qantas or any other airline right now, it’s going to be more difficult to keep the really high loyalty status they used to have because people are lot more cost conscious,’ Prof Lohmann said.
‘All they want to do is get from point A to point B.’
Three decades ago, 90-minute flights in Australia and the United States cost around $100. Passengers should expect to pay nearly the same now, despite inflation.
‘Technology allows us to carry more people, but the service will be different as a result,’ Prof Lohmann explained.
‘With so many competitors, what Qantas used to be is basically unsustainable from a financial standpoint.’
‘I still believe Qantas is an iconic Australian airline experience, and yes, it will take a lot to replace that, but the company is changing, and they are under a lot of pressure.’
Disgruntled employees recently disclosed what it’s like to work for the Flying Kangaroo to the Daily Mail Australia, leveling startling charges against the airline in the midst of a contentious legal battle that could result in a multi-million dollar payout.
In late 2020, the Transport Workers Union sued Qantas, claiming that the airline had illegally fired approximately 2,000 baggage handlers, cleaners, and ground personnel before outsourcing their employment to foreign-owned companies like Swissport.
Jaded consumers, even Frequent Flyer members, have expressed an interest in travelling with other airlines as a result of the trickle-down effect.
The TWU claims that Qantas’ problems begin at the top, citing Alan Joyce’s mismanagement of the airline during the pandemic and the resulting thousands of layoffs.
‘The head of the fish rots. The TWU National Secretary Michael Kaine told Daily Mail Australia that senior management’s short-term concentration on generating profits to see share price blips has ruined Qantas’ previously trusted service and left Australians upset.
‘Blaming passengers for delays over the Easter long weekend while refusing to reinstate the highly skilled personnel it wrongfully fired despite clear demand for experienced professionals in the industry demonstrates how out of touch Joyce’s management team has become.’
Mr Joyce claimed at the time that the long lines were caused by travellers who were not’match fit’ for travel and had forgotten to remove their laptops and aerosols from their carry-on bags at the security gate.
Despite the airline’s efforts to deflect criticism, Mr Joyce told 2GB radi on Friday that it was not acceptable and that the upcoming school vacation break would be far more pleasant.
Daily Mail Australia attempted to contact the CEO for more information but was informed he was ‘unavailable.’
Angry customers seeking to resume their travel arrangements following the outbreak have bombarded Qantas’ numerous social media accounts.
Eleanor Gordon-Smith, a Guardian columnist, and her family were detained in Dallas, Texas on Thursday after their trip back to Australia was abruptly canceled.
At 2 a.m., Ms Gordon-Smith claimed that 300 travellers were stranded in the American airport, with some being forced to stay in hotels and others sleeping on the floor.
‘At 2 a.m., Qantas cancelled QF8, stranding 300 people in an airport.’ It’s understandable. Then, because ‘we have no plan for hotels, keep your receipts,’ the people with cash took a $100 uber to the only hotel available.
The rest of the group slept on the floor. We were directed to check in at 9 a.m. ‘No Qantas employees showed up,’ she tweeted.
‘150 individuals, some with children, others with walker frames, who’d slept for four hours on a marble floor, were waiting for the airplane they’d been promised they’d be boarding in Dallas, and *not one ground staff member* showed up. There were no texts, phone calls, or Google updates.
“We’ve been attempting to call the Qantas team, they are not answering, we don’t know why,” the DFW (Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport) employees had to say.
‘THEN people’s Qantas applications start reporting that they were on the cancelled flight, resulting in no one having a “active booking.” The flight is no longer available on the internet.
Many long-time Qantas customers have taken to social media to vent their dissatisfaction with the airline, claiming it has strayed from its historically high standards, with one woman composing a stinging open letter to the’mean spirit of Australia.’
‘Perhaps, rather of spending money on flashy new advertising using Australian talent, you might perform the very minimum and answer the phone when your consumers need help?’ Dr. Sara Marzouk penned a letter.
‘Perhaps you could invest in creating jobs onshore by establishing call centers where the employees know exactly what they can and cannot do?
‘Stop blaming COVID for this. Poor customer service existed prior to the epidemic, but it was exacerbated by it. No other airline has behaved in this manner.
‘You have to improve.’
On Monday, another woman called Dee tweeted at Qantas, saying,
‘When did you decide to switch to a low-cost, low-service airline?’ ‘I’ve gone from best in class to worst in class,’ a woman called Dee wrote on the airline’s Twitter account.
‘The corporate virtue signaling is as hurtful as their inadequate service,’ wrote Herald Sun columnist Rita Panahi in response to the piece.
Others said that Qantas’ service had deteriorated to the point of being ‘awful,’ claiming that its offshore call centers had made handling their reservations a headache.
Everyone else is routed to offices in New Zealand, South Africa, the Philippines, and Malaysia. The airline operates a priority call center in Hobart for its top clients, with everyone else being referred to offices in New Zealand, South Africa, the Philippines, and Malaysia.
Customers have shared photos of long lines to talk with Qantas customer service representatives, with one man waiting more than six hours for an answer.
‘Absolutely despicable. The South African call center is performing admirably. I’ve been on the phone for about ten hours over the course of three days. ‘Inept and disrespectful,’ wrote a Twitter user named Jack.
‘Your website has not permitted me to make a booking for the past three days, and your contact center claims to be too busy to take up my calls for the past two days,’ said Shiva.
Anthony, a chiropractor, claimed he had been trying to contact the airline for days about a flight that had been rescheduled.
‘Would it be unreasonable to expect a response on any platform, including the phone?’ We’ve been attempting to contact you for weeks about a flight that was cancelled on us, but we haven’t received a response.
And when we do, your customer service representative has failed to remedy the problem! What an embarrassment!’