Customers, those pesky little vermin.

February 21, 2012 Leave a comment

I was reading a tweet from Stephen Fry about a little problem he had with data on his mobile phone in New Zealand.  Telecom New Zealand were very fast to act on his problem and he acknowledged that be it in a very verbose 9 tweet essay.  The final tweet was the one that got me thinking:

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This is a classic conundrum that Qantas face on a regular basis.  Rosco , a colleague of mine who clocks more hours in the sky than me was waiting at Sydney Domestic in the Business Lounge for a connecting flight when the lounge staff asked if he could move.  The reason for this move, the Kardashians were in the lounge and wanted to sit together.  Now I do not for a second believe that the Kardashians are generous with there disposal income towards the coffers of Qantas.  Rosco moved but had you or I walked into the lounge with 3 other people and asked the staff the move other guest for our benefit, well the response would be curt, to the point and lead to disappointment only reserved for the lowest of low, Frequent Flyers.  It is that old mantra, Celebrity Good, Regular Bad, who needs a profit when you have celebrities like the Kardashians spruiking your brand!

Filed under Frequent Flyer, Travel Tagged with , , , , , , , , ,

Qantas Airbus A380 fleet checked for cracks

February 9, 2012 Leave a comment

Qantas will inspect its fleet of Airbus A380s for cracks on its wings following a European directive, but the engineers union says it should have happened months ago.

The airline will check all 12 of its superjumbo jets for structural damage on parts inside the wings following directions from the European Aviation Safety Agency EASA.  The agency last month issued an airworthiness directive calling for “a detailed visual inspection” of the 20 planes that have flown the most, but that has now been extended to the entire fleet of 68.  A Qantas spokeswoman said the airline would “comply fully with the EASA directives” and begin inspections in the next few weeks.  But Australian Licensed Aircraft Engineers Association ALAEA federal secretary Steve Purvinas said that while the inspections were necessary, they should have been made sooner.  Mr Purvinas said cracks were first discovered in the so-called “wing rib feet” — the metal brackets that connect the wings ribs to its skin — in several A380s in the global fleet months ago.”Weve been calling for these checks to take place for two months now,” Mr Purvinas said.  “It shouldnt have taken them two months to work out that these cracks are only going to get bigger, and the inspection should have been mandatory as its now been made.”

Senior aviation school lecturer at the University of NSW, Peter Marosszeky, said the checks were not cause for alarm, because the aircraft had only been flying internationally since 2007 and some were likely to have minor “teething problems”.Mr Marosszeky, also a former Qantas engineer, said the ordered checks on the aircraft were “an eminently sensible idea”.  He said cracks such as those discovered so far posed “no threat to safety”, and that routine checks meant it was “very unlikely” such cracks could worsen to the point of becoming dangerous.  However Mr Purvinas said the cracks were only first discovered by engineers carrying out repairs, and had not been picked up during routine checks.Qantas grounded one of its A380s on Sunday after 36 hairline cracks were discovered on its wings.  The plane was hit by severe turbulence last month on a flight from London to Singapore and seven people were injured.  Qantas said those cracks were “not related to the turbulence, or specific to Qantas”, but had been traced back to a manufacturing issue, and had no effect on flight safety.  It also said the type of cracking was different to cracking found on certain A380s in the global fleet.AAP

via Qantas Airbus A380 fleet checked for cracks.

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Generic Error @QantasAirways, Start Over…..

February 6, 2012 3 Comments

I do not seem to be able to get a break.  Since going Gold, the service has fallen off a cliff and to say it is a high cliff is an understatement.  Last week I lamented the leg room on the 737-800 fleet. If you are more than 190 cms you are in a whole world of trouble.  It would appear that the smaller 737-400 have more room.  To this problem, I ensure that I get exit rows and this is where the problem has been.  When I checked-in on line I had already booked a an exit row seat but due to a aircraft change,the seat was now a regular seat.  The exit rows were blocked out.  Check in and try and change my seat – Generic error, please call a help desk!

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The Qantas help people are all smiles and no action.  despite what the website said, the airport people have blocked out the exit rows and you will have to ask for a seat when you get to the airport.  Get to the airport, no exit row seats, “next time you should use the online seating on the website to select a seats you status level will give you access to the exit rows”.  Hang on or more appropriately, WTF!  Web site says no seats, 131313 say ask at the airport and airport staff say use the website.  These people have been taking classes from 5 year olds.

The next screen shot says it all.  If some one from Qantas can explain how this works, I have a numerous numbers of followers who would be interested in the explanation.

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The dilemma this week is do I change to a row that I think may have an exit row or do I make the assumption that Qantas actually have some control over the reservation system as the past two weeks have not been good examples of Qantas customer service in action.

On a lighter note and probably a little unfair!

For those of you who live in Melbourne, this one is for you: Spot the difference!

differance

Ah, and in the morning I have the delight of an inflight breakfast. Yum……

Filed under Frequent Flyer, Qantanomics, Travel Tagged with , , , ,

Qantas hit by Moody’s credit downgrade

February 1, 2012 Leave a comment

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High fuel prices, strong competition and a challenging operating environment have prompted Moody’s to downgrade Qantas Airways Ltd’s credit rating, bringing the airline just one notch away from losing its investment-grade rating, according to media reports.

Qantas is expected to cut back its capacity and launch a review of discretionary spending in an effort to address the factors that led to the downgrade, according to The Australian.  Moody’s cut Qantas’ long-term unsecured rating from Baa2 to Baa3 and its short-term rating from P-2 to P-3, and came after Air New Zealand warned of a difficult year to come.  Baa3 puts Qantas one notch above a non-investment grade rating, or junk status.  In a statement, Qantas said it remains in a strong funding position, citing its cash balance of more than $3 billion and strong cash flows, the reports said.

A Moody’s official said the airline’s credit rating has been under pressure for several years.  “The ratings downgrade reflects our view that Qantas’ operating challenges will continue to pressure its financial profile such that financial leverage is expected to remain above the level consistent with the previous Baa2 rating,” the official said, according to Fairfax Media.  Moody’s put Qantas on review for a potential downgrade in October.  The airline was last downgrade by Moody’s ― from Baa1 to Baa2 ― in February 2009.

Qantas remains one of only three airlines in the world to retain an investment-grade credit rating from Moody’s, alongside Air New Zealand and American airline Southwest.

via Qantas hit by Moody’s credit downgrade | News | Business Spectator.

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