Hey buddy. I was just coming to the comment section to let you know that it was a factor that I missed in this video. But thanks for already taking and making a note of it. Glad that it was just the temperamental issue and not that you have put your subs to the grave 😅 and again, thanks for the brutally honest content here. I really hope that Qantas takes heed of it, although I'm gonna be a pessimist this time because i highly doubt they will especially by the way they handled the situation even after your trip.
If it’s any consolation to you, recently my wife and I flew Qantas, Hobart-Sydney-Bangkok (return). Horrendous stuff, the domestic flights were on the dirtiest, smelliest planes I’ve ever been on and the international one was a shitshow. I also had a rude Qantas agent, honestly, I hope the flies circling around the biatch lay maggots in her festering date hole. Aweful experience. I scored them 3/100. I gave them 3 points because 3 of the 4 flights landed normally. The first flight of the 4 was BASHED INTO the tarmac so hard I can still feel it. I congratulated the Captain on his first landing on the way out 😂 QANTAS = The dogs BOLLOX! L
Two minor points - unsurprisingly, Jetstar economy interstate seating is just as bad. The seat backs do not recline at all. For comparison, IMHO worse was traveling by Continental US internal flights. They did not have a business class. So while I was traveling business class to the USA via Qantas, once I was in the USA, the local flights were a different airline, and I was in economy. Like you, I try to be early for any flight. With Continental, this was "rewarded" by me being placed into the rearmost row of an MD-80... with the port engine air intake right beside me. If any airlines wants passengers to check in early, then they have to find a far, far better way to treat us when we do the right thing. In this respect I also mention that on a different flight, still Continental, I arrived before the preceding flight checked in (my luggage was put on board it!). In Australia, I had had this experience and been offered the earlier flight if there were seats available. Not with Continental. So, much as I am pretty fed up with the cramped seating common now, that US airline was the worst I have experienced. On balance with Qantas though; I have had many great *international* experiences, starting in the '70s. The stand-out was my last flight back from working in the USA. As I was paying for it, I was flying economy. The internal flight to LA was delayed by weather, and I had to hurry with my hand luggage to get to the Qantas counter. I was _just_ fast enough, and I suspect I was looking rather harried by then. As I was starting the check-in a second staff member closed the flight. The very nice person who checked me in told me to go straight to the front of the queue for the security check, and get to the lounge as quickly as possible as departure was approaching. Furthermore, she walked down to the lounge to make sure that I not only got through, but had made the flight. THAT woman was the best, most caring, airline staff member I have ever met.
The executives of Qantas, lead by Alan Joyce, converted the airline's goodwill to massive executive bonuses. The metrics used to calculate these bonuses favoured the executives, not the airline, shareholders or the loyal customs. Absolutely scandalous and as an Aussie this has been a huge shame.
@@tfft Actually Qantas is quite profitable and we have seen the back end of A. Joys. Also the board just took back 9mil of the payout. The new CEO will rebuild the airline .
Many years ago I worked for Qantas and was proud to do so. Since the steady decline under Joyce’s term, I am now ashamed and saddened. We Australians are being held to ransom by this dreadful airline. The new CEO has promised much improved management. I have witnessed no evidence of this so far. I sincerely apologise to you Kevin. Thank you for your honest and accurate appraisal.
Appreciate that, they certianly have a long road ahead of them but at this point, I'm just wondering if they even have incentive to actually change... if they don't, it's not like they're going to lose market share... and frankly, I think Project Sunrise is just going to compound all of this. I'm scare to even think about the fares they're going to charge on a flight to NY or London.
Qantas - "We're not happy until you aren't" I don't even think it can be fixed at this point. Once employees start acting like that they generally can't be turned around.
I've flown with QANTAS a number of times both domestically and overseas. The last flight was a couple of months from Brisbane to Melbourne. It may be my imagination, but the economy seats on the 737 seem even more cramped than before. I've tried to contact QANTAS on several issues in the past and received no response. QANTAS is now probably my least preferred airline.
@@tfft Can we get another airline up to replace them, is the issue? They run these airlines like a criminal cartel/cabal. The tactics to stop the success of any other airline here in Australia, must be like a Hollywood movie.
An old joke about Qantas: A man saw a gorgeous flight attendant sitting alone reading the paper in an international airport. He couldn’t quite pin down the exact airline, but he wanted to show off as a man of the world. He tried by saying Air France’s old motto. ‘Making the sky the best place on earth!’ The stewardess gave him the side eye but otherwise ignored him. Undeterred, he tried Singapore Airlines’. ‘A great way to fly!’ Again, he is received with icy silence. He decides to go for one last gambit with American Airlines. ‘Something special in the air?’ The stewardess, fuming by this point, slammed down her paper, turned right to him and yelled ‘What the £¥%# do you want?!’ ‘Ah ha!’ the man cried in realisation. ‘Qantas!’
Some Qantas Staff followed Alan Joyce 's arrogant attitude "you need to fly ,we (Qantas) do not need you to fly because the Australian Government will bail us(Qantas) out if we ran into trouble". Forget about Qantas
Oh wow! I’m an FA at QantasLink (subsidiary airline) and it’s appalling hearing the attitude some of these FAs at mainline have. On the aircraft I work on the toilet is in the galley and usually I’m telling people to stop apologising for coming into the galley to use the toilet. I’m sorry to hear about your experience, it’s definitely not nice being spoken to like that. I promise you not all of us are crabby and rude 😂😂
Yeah, I'd agree about the crew. I have another video coming up from ADL-DRW on QantasLink, and the video in my opinion is even 'worse' than this one, but at no fault of the crew on board, they were a breath of fresh air compared to this flight.
As an American flying on BA points you were doomed from the start. There are hourly and sometimes half hourly flights in peak between Bne and Syd so to not be offered an alternate business class flight is pitiful. You proved that the ghost of Alan Joyce that decimated the Spirit of Australia is still strong within Qantas. Good to know he just had A$9 mil cut from his retirement package.
Agreed! I made the swap a couple of years ago and haven't looked back. VA are definitely not perfect, but they still run rings around Qantas and I use them (as well as SQ) for both my business and leisure travel.
As an Australian I am thrilled and smiling from ear to ear - in a gallows humour sort of a way. We are falling fast and hard in a multiplicity of ways. Thanks for bearing witness to our decline in real time 😅
It not just in the air. On the Ground post Covid we have become so entitled and self obsessed bunch of people in this country . There are very few places left providing service anymore.
This is what happens when the airline is a monopoly like quantity is for Australia. They simply do not care and this video should be sent to the executives at! I fly all over the world and will not consider trying Qantas.
Kevin, as someone who also suffered abusive treatment during an involuntary downgrade (at the hands of another airline - side eye towards you United), you have my complete empathy. I particularly appreciate that you reserved your ire for the staff involved and not your fellow passengers.
Yeah I mean... what would I have to complain about my fellow pax for? lol Even the person who was sitting in my seat, I have no idea if she even knows the circumstances.
I was a Qantas Frequent Flyer with paid lounge membership and I got kicked off a flight without notice and put on the next one 3 hours later. Absolute dogshit service.
the days of the old Australian Airlines the way we do the things we do is missing.money spent on unnecessary choirs amongst other things with the I still call Australia home.
I'm Australian, I travel a lot, and I have one ironclad rule, 'Never QANTAS'. I have learned that this is an airline you fly only for patriotic reasons. Since the leprechaun left it has not improved, I have reached the decision of 'Play safe, never QANTAS'
Fortunately I do not have to travel much inside Australia, but if the choice was QANTAS then I would catch the bus. I have had the QANTAS experience and never again
As an Australian and a Brisbanite, I feel I need to apologise first. The service you received was just terrible but sadly, unsurprising. The problem with QF is that the frequent flyer base is so rusted on nothing will change and QF know it. It is a classic example of Stockholm Syndrome. Customers (QF would call you a 'passenger') have had plenty of opportunity and reasons to walk away from QF in the last 12-18 months but they haven't and until they do and it impacts QF's bottom line, nothing will change no matter how much they say they are improving things. QF just roll out their marketing department, play a few lines of "I Still Call Australia Home", attach themselves to what they perceive as the populist social issue of the day and hope everything just goes away. It's nuts! I refuse to travel QF, domestically or internationally - there are so many better options available. Hope the rest of the 🦘Route improves!
I'm an ex QF call center employee. QF is all about quantity and not quality of the call. Staff are under pressure to end the call within 8 mins or they have 1on1 with team lead. Staff are poorly trained paid minimum wage I can go on n on about it. Coming to point about your refund. Because ticket was issued on BA stock BA has to process the downgrade refund. Qf phone agent should have sent the screen shot from her reservation system confirming the downgrade to BA and it would have been sorted out then n there. But no cares about "doing the right thing" by the paying customer hence why I left the company.
My generation of Australians grew up with a sense of pride as QANTAS was a cultural icon…how long or will they ever get past the Alan Joyce legacy. I recently flew with JAL as I wouldn’t fly QANTAS…what a revelation of how excellent service can be provided in today’s aviation industry…take note QANTAS.
Oh for sure- I'd say a solid 70% of major carriers out there are better than QF long haul these days... and QF probably charges more than all of them! lol
@@tfft Qantas use to be so good. Now they are crap. You should try getting off a BC Emirates from Europe, onto a Qantas flight from Singapore to Perth in BC. Truly disgusting. 3 hours to do dinner service. Or should i say slop. As for refund, im still trying to get my BC refund from Japan when covid hit and they left us stranded. Had to buy new flights to get home.
i was in Aus last year and the people were audibly upset about the decline of Qantas.. Guess it was an institutio, something they were really proud of, and the sudden drop off has been jarring.
Oh dear, Kevin don't do that to yourself again, no airline or airline staff will ever top the BS this company. As an Australian I avoid them as I would an infectious disease. There's nothing so bad to compare them.with they set the standard for shit in every possible way
I stopped flying Qantas 12 Years ago for the same reasons & many other reasons in your video. As an Australian I’m embarrassed they call themselves the National carrier. I’ve been flying Virgin in Australia & can never fault them, they’re a Great Airline & always Great, Happy and Professional Crew, always. Love your channel, Mate, always look forward to your next episode. 💙✈️😎☀️
I live in Sydney and gave up on Qantas years ago. It's like Jetstar bought Qantas with Qantas' money and proceeded to denigrate Qantas down to Jetstar's substandard service and anti customer attitudes.
As an Australian I apologise that you had to fly Qantas. Sydney to Tokyo as an example: Qantas use domestic-spec A330's (that's what they seen to me) which are old, have zero legroom, builky IFE screen which is 10cm from your face when the person in front reclines combined with the staff which vary from good to atrocious. Little wonder that JAL & ANA with their modern 777/787s, great food, fantastic legroom and always pleasant staff always get the business of myself and many others.
A friend of mine flies to Japan twice a year, for decades he swore by Qantas, now he just swears at them and flies JAL - what an utter disgrace they have brought upon Australia
My father worked at Qantas for 35 years and I worked there for 20 years I stopped flying on QF when Joyce started, now fly Emirates or ANA long haul at normal rates
As a Qantas employee. I am sorry for what you went through. This is not what many of us working here are like. It frustrates us when we hear these examples of peoples experiences.
It's always hard to keep things consistent when you're a large company, but after my experiences, I feel like the company needs to hit the reset button. I got the feeling from this and my next Qantas flight that most of the incompetence and rudeness I experienced wasn't necessarially becuase they were bad staff, but rather becuase they are so sick and tired of being at the crap end of the stick. So, they are in this aggressive defense mode by default. Peel that layer back and then possibly, things can change.
@tfft I agree. The new leadership have said exactly the phrase you mentioned. "Reset" we need to reset and go back to basics and rebuild the customer experience.
Im sorry, I don't want to offend you or upset you. Maybe you are one of a very few Qantas staff who take pride in their work. I flew Qantas every week for six years for work. I had so many bad experiences from rude staff and airline practices that were Qantas focused and not customer focused. I still feel nauseated when I fly with Qantas because of my past experiences. It's like PTSD.
Sad to see Qantas's decline. I'd write to complain about how you were spoken to by both gate agent and cabin crew to put it on record with QF if nothing else. My family lived in Singapore in the early 80s and we usually flew QF home to the UK every year on part of the kangaroo route on their 747 100/200 - MEL-SYD-SIN-BAH-LHR in those days. I remember flying them out of the old Paya Lebar airport at first! They were cheaper than SQ apparently but back then QF was still a very good airline. I remember flying them out of Changi on Christmas Eve the year it opened. Somewhere over India, the captain announced that Santa (the Purser) had landed his sleigh on top of the plane just so he could come on board with his elves (cabin crew) to give gifts to the kids onboard - and through the cabin they trouped in full costume. I was 14 by then so not a believer but my two younger brothers were and bought the whole thing - a truly magical experience for them.
I put in a complaint to Qantas. They didn't reply to my complaint even after me sending a follow up. Then a few months later I got an email asking about how my complaint was managed. I replied back saying I was not contacted at all so my complaint was not managed. So then they didn't reply to my feedback email about the initial complaint not being replied to and managed 😂. What is the point.
Join the club, we booked two business class seats nearly twelve months earlier for a flight from perth to sydney. We arrived at perth airport nice and early to enjoy the lounge. At check in we were told the aircraft had been downgraded and we could take a economy seat, the lady said don't worry you will get your points reinstated, to this my partner said to her, have you ever tried to get through to qantas. That's your problem she said! Keep up the good work, love your content.
That's rough. One thing I did learn on my next screwed up flight out of Adelaide, if you ever need to contact Qantas, select the option that you have a flight in the next four hours. The check in agents at ADL basically said to call right away using that option, if I waited until after the flight, I'd be on hold for hours. They were correct on both fronts lol
@@tfft i was told that once you take that downgraded seat, the matter is settled and you will never get the points back...so yes that is the right idea, call immediately to sort it before flight boards if you can. I am surprised this vlogger did not get a text or email about the situation.
I had the worst experience on qantas in October 2023 flying Los Angeles to Sydney - returning home after 5 weeks in the USA. will never fly them again after air stewardesses had me in tears and move seats because of my height.
We can all shout and scream about Alan Joyce, but we really need to hold the Qantas Board responsible. Richard Goyder (Chair) and his team enabled, supported and remunerated Joyce. Goyder's pay for sitting on the Qantas Board (alongside other board roles) was $AU658,000 last year. That's an astonishing amount of money for such a dismal, weak and embarrassing performance. And maybe if his fellow Qantas director, Todd Sampson, spent less time making questionable ABC TV shows wearing frat boy T-shirts, he might have actually made a worthwhile contribution for his $AU278,000 in director fees. I hope this video finds its way into the Qantas Boardroom and sparks a little soul searching.
Yo quick PSA. As one of the ground handlers at Menzies in Brisbane, we serve qantas as the baggage handlers and ground crew. The domestic part of Menzies is running of a skeleton crew and mostly new people. Your bag is really likely to either get lost or damaged.
How can they be allowed to operate without experienced supervision if this is a known fact? Screwing up is one thing, but this has to be malicious negligence...
The same experience for me 10 years ago down graded ,rude and dismissive staff attitude and after writing a complaint the incident according to Qantas never happened. Since this happened I have never flown Qantas again,sold my shares in the airline and cancelled my frequent flyer program and credited cards associated with the airline.
This level of incompetence seen at Qantas is exactly why I fly Air New Zealand when hopping the ditch. Compared to the tired and cramped 737s, Air New Zealand’s fleet of A320/21neo aircraft are a breath of fresh air. So much more spacious and comfortable. Thanks for this video, Kevin. I hope you know that you are doing the flying public a service calling out airlines like Qantas for their shitty service.
As much as I am sad this has happened to you and knowing that you hardly ever complain (unlike other reviewers) I am glad you shared your experience here. QF has been a shadow of its former self for a long time now - its story is similar to that of BA or LH ..but QF marketing is still very successful in painting a rosy picture. Sadly, this is the current state of QF and even more sadly there is hardly competition…
Hi Kevin, As an Australian I can only sincerely apologise for this terrible service, there is no sense of pride or customer service anymore. I despise this airline and will only fly Virgin. I would rather hitchhike interstate than fly Qantas. Thank you for your honest review.
As an Australian of Irish descent, it's a particular regret to me that the once national icon has been turned into a national embarrassment, which happened on the watch of a certain Irishman, who was paid out tens of millions of dollars when he eventually left. I wonder if one of those staff you encountered was the same one I met a few years ago. The word "snarl" certainly brings back memories, she had it down pat. I've never flown Qantas since. It doesn't surprise anybody that Qantas has dropped in the annual Airline ratings to a position lower than I can remember happening in my lifetime, and I'm in my 70's.
As a pax who first began flying QF in 1980, I can only confirm what everyone else is saying: it all went downhill when Alan Joyce took charge. He damaged the brand beyond repair; to the extent that QF is my airline of last resort for both domestic and international. My advice to visitors: fly Virgin Australia for your domestic flights, and fly any other airline for your international journeys to and from Australia. I can't stop you from flying Qantas, but be prepared to pay premium prices for a mediocre experience in the air and on the ground.
After Joyce (aka the Poison Leprechaun) was hired, Qantas started its decline. The Trolley Dollies, the food, the cost . . . EVERYTHING has gotten worse, except executive bonuses.
All too common at Qantas. Forced downgrade. Frequent flyer points/ redemption means nothing to them. Was downgraded twice for my flight from Perth to Sydney and THEN Sydney back to Perth. Staff are trained to lie and lie, always pushing responsibility to other department, contact centre putting the blame to airport staff, airport staff pushing it back to contact centre.
Thank you... finally found someone who agrees with my views on Qantas. I detest them. Spent a few trips in the sardine can 737s travelling from BNE to PER. Hate the things with a passion. Cramped dated and claustrophobic. "Business" class on a 737 is just premium economy and pretty crap at that! I hated the flight to and from Perth on sardine cans I brought forward my retirement by two years. I used to complain on every flight that they need A330s but as usual no A330s are on this service. I'm over travelling with Qantas. And don't get me started with the scam arrangement they have with Emirates. You won't get a refund... you will be lucky to get a $10 food voucher!!! 😂 Problem is Australia is a country that does not understand customer service. They just don't get how to make people feel welcome. It's a culture thing... or acute lack of actually! 😮
My international trips I fly with Virgin Australia, Garuda & Fiji Airways. I will never fly Qantas or Jetstar. And with Qantas being so expensive in comparison, it goes to show, you don't always get what you pay for.
@@tfft Yes, but Fiji airlines is run by Fijians, not snooty Australians, and Fiji has majority of the shares. This makes the world of difference when it comes to service.
Just got back to Australia from 6 weeks travelling around in the US and didn't fare much better over there. Received generally atrocious service (both at the gate & onboard) on the majority of the domestic flights I took (United, Delta) with the same rude, indifferent and unhelpful attitude (particularly on United) in both economy and business that TFFT experienced here with Qantas (and in particular with the older "senior" staff who appeared jaded, fed-up and simply angry with the world).
Wait until my next Qantas video when they did actually bump me but lied and said my flight was cancelled lol. If nothing else, it's definitely proof that my identity isn't out there haha.
Being employed at Qantas is basically a job for life. And don't they know it. You *ARE* an inconvenience to them, they just want a cushy job with excellent pay.
Not anymore since Joyce… most staff are contractors with some salaried staff only…. i think all ground staff are contractors but flight attendants are a mix of contract staff (lower wages and conditions) and a few salaried staff.
What used (I don't fly them anymore) give stark contrast is that because of our location, Qantas serves the same routes as many Asian airlines. So you can go from say SIA, Cathay Pacific, Thai....to QF in a matter of an hour when you transfer. And QF is a fck'ng shock when you feel the difference. Especially the service, or lack thereof.
@@dm-vw4tk You are totally correct, I googled it. Contractors working through one of the 17 labour hire companies can earn as little as $24/HR. It's disgusting. Qantas staff earn an equivalent of $58/HR.
A friend of mine is a Qantas Flight Attendant. I was giving this person some examples of terrible experiences with Qantas flight attendants. I was told that Qantas flight attendants are not there to "serve" passengers but to get the passengers to their destination safely. Any service provided is through their individual goodwill. Now thinking back to all the experiences I have had with Qantas flight staff, it would seem that this is the general thinking of Qantas flight attendants. Are they taught this during their training???? I WONDER
Coming from someone who worked in the service industry for 20 years, I can't tell you how much I despise this line. It's been rampant in the US for around 10 years now. Yes, you're there to keep everyone safe- and you're also there to be welcoming and serve food. We can do two things at once.
as a aussie my choice for international is Singapore airlines , flew qantas once 19 years ago first and last time from ground staff to stewards they believe all customers are below them.
Qantas need to up their game majorly. Start by getting rid half of the crabby lounge attendants, gate staff and cabin crew. Perhaps they could be repurposed pumping a gas at BP. Basically only book Qantas if you really have to.
For 21 yrs we travelled Mid East airlines. When our visa came through for Aus in 2022, we decided to travel Qantas to Aus just after the borders opened - was supposed to be our celebration flight. It was the first and the last time ever on Qantas! Awful service. Awful attitudes. Awful food. Rude, obnoxious staff. 😒 Never again.
I travelled on a Qantas Empire Airways aeroplane from Melbourne to Brisbane in April. As I haven't been up in the air for years, I found the whole process befuddling as soon as I got to the aerodrome. There was a girl in the Qantas terminal who was probably looking out for confused old farts like me and she kindly took me over to the desk where they sorted me out with a boarding ticket. They were all absolutely lovely. The two air hostesses were nearly as old as I am - a change from my earlier days up in aeroplanes and went about their business quite efficiently. The seat wasn't all that comfortable, a bit like being in a sardine tin - but the journey only took two hours. Perhaps if you act bewildered, the staff will take pity on you and be more helpful?
Last month flew Sydney to Perth return, and decided to "treat" myself with a "premium" Qantas flight rather than a "lesser" Virgin or Jetstar flight. I have never been more cramped and restricted in a airline seat, both knees both hips and small of back in firm contact with their respective surfaces for the entire 5 hour flight. I'm a normally proportioned 6'1" 185cm adult male. My colleage was seated in a middle seat directly behind me, and he's a few inches taller and had his knees around his chin for the whole flight. To make it worse, even though I had reserved a window seat (19F) and had checked in online getting an electronic boarding pass for 19F, my seat was changed without notice to a middle seat on the morning of the flight. I will never again fly Qantas domestically.
55/100 score, that sounds like a pass. Looking at what happened... I feel like the grading on this one should definitely have resulted in an absolute fail?
Hi Kevin, absolutely agree that staff makes or breaks any airline. The ground staff are not even the airline employees. From my own experience - flying with Qantas internationally quite a bit - the crews are amazing. I haven't had a domestic flight with Q for many years, purely because of their insane prices, but internationally- I am always happy. Coming back from travels and stepping on board of Qantas and hearing the familiar banter always feels like home..
I know you might not see this. But you do have the option to make a complaint to the competition commission. As you have the right, as a consumer. To get the product that you paid for. Qantas has already been in trouble with them for bs shenanigans like this. So you might want to have a chat with them. As they really take a very dim view of this type of behaviour from a company.
@@tfft Go for where it hurts - their pockets. That means putting out videos that show QF's true situation in full glory to warn others off against flying with them. And if they later offer you "service recovery" to take some heat off them because they realise you have a big enough audience, make sure you continue to keep these videos up.
I have been a Qantas Club member for 20 consecutive years. In the first 15 year I was treated poorly once. The last 5 years though have been very ordinary. The Club staff are always great, but check in, especially the “do it all yourself” areas, where this seldom works is very frustrating. They charge the most for flights and do the least for it. I struggle to justify the extra price on most routes, whereas for 15 years I would never have strayed from Qantas. It generally no better treatment than a public bus.
all rude staff should be fired immediately, it shows that they dont respect their jobs and their customers and are there just for the money. Out they must go!
I'd say properly trained first. I get the feeling (especially considering all of the rude staff I dealt with were younger) they simply don't know how they're supposed to be acting and just default to aggressive defensiveness.
Remember that Qantas staff member that came under fire for wearing a free Palestine badge or those baggage handlers who recorded a tik tok of throwing luggage around like a bunch of toys.
@kaleidoscopeon all rude passengers should be restricted immediately, it shows that they dont respect their crew and are there just for the sake of it. Out they must go! Thank you for the comment template!
Your experiences with Qantas are entirely consistent with every interaction I have ever had with them. I assume the attitude of the staff to customers is a reflection of the manner in which staff are treated by Qantas management.
Sorry to hear about your experience. I have encountered prickly Qantas gate agents (albeit rarely) but in my experience the onboard crew have almost always been very good. Professional and very friendly. And that’s across dozens if not hundreds of Qantas flights over the years (Virgin crew have been equally good). I flew on a points upgrade to Sydney on Friday night and the cabin manager was excellent… showed genuine interest in every passenger and very attentive, ensuring our glasses were kept topped up. The only really negative experience I’ve had onboard was being told off by QantasLink crew for filming because they thought I was filming their safety demonstration but thankfully that was a one off many years ago. Obviously there were issues during the pandemic (which are well documented) but I think they’ve gone a long way to addressing those. Of course, their prices are still high but that’s a different topic.
I'd say that the topics are one in the same. I'm sure there are positive experiences to be had, but every complaint related to Qantas stems from the lack of competition. If you're the only major option, there's no need to try to be better (or cheaper).
I am planning my 3rd trip overseas and never even considered flying Qantas, after your video I don’t think I need to explain why. I go Singapore airlines every time. Qantas has got enough of my hard earned money from the Australian govt.
The one and only time I have flown Qantas in the last 20 years was a flight someone else organised and paid for. I have criss-crossed Australia and the globe multiple times without ever darkening the doors of a flying kangaroo, and I feel that I am much better off for it.
It doesn’t surprise me that you had such a crappy experience with Qantas “ The Spirit Of Disappointment “ . We recently flew on a Qantas 737 flight from Christchurch New Zealand and did the online checkin rather than cope with a cue and since we were only travelling with carry on it made more sense . Boarding was strange as we had purchased business class seats but it was just one big pile on with no priority boarding for business class then we noticed that both our seats had faults , mine had a broken seat back ( it moved freely back and forth by about 5 inches ) and my wife’s seat had her footrest jammed in the half open position . We didn’t mention this to the crew until exiting the aircraft because we knew they would shove us into a economy class seat and knowing how extremely difficult Qantas would be to get a refund for the difference we just put up with it . Then comes the food , being an early morning flight breakfast was served but despite being in the second row they ran out of one breakfast option already . Sadly this was the last flight we will ever take with Qantas due to continuous problems with them flight after flight , we now actively fly other airlines and avoid Qantas at all costs .
By far, one of the most horrendous airlines in the world. I have flown business class multiple times, specifically on their A330's & their service is deplorable. They literally epitomes that generic Australian, karren, grumpy lack of hospitality feeling you get from some of the locals we have here.
I have to agree with you QANTAS basically sums up Australian hospitality and Australian people. For such a beautiful country they really are grumpy and rude and incredibly arrogant. Actually Kiwis laugh at them for how lazy they work and why we come here to take their jobs
I had a business class trans pacific where, soon after takeoff, I asked for a particular meal, and instead of saying 'sorry, we're out of that one, do you have a 2nd choice', the male flight attendant aggressively said 'none of that, get something else'
I flew Qantas once back from Sydney to Dallas. Awful food, crew were barely there, and we experienced the hardest landing that I ever experienced after at least 3k flights. I worked for airline, now retired, and that crew member would have been written up by the captain for that landing. I do not understand how many airline bloggers/vloggers rave about Qantas!
Greeting from down under (Australia) Welcome to Qantas (Quick and nasty terrible air service) Unfortunately, the previous QF CEO has totally destroyed our previously much loved national carrier! Severe cost cutting everywhere, and outsourcing, it's now an embarrassment. My husband and I travel often to New Zealand, we always fly Air New Zealand, much much better than QF (and we're Aussies!) BTW, enjoy your vlogs and keep up the great work!
So spot on! I flew with the dead marsupial 25 years ago ( I am an Australian), and I swore to myself I wouldn't do it ever again. The attitude of the staff is beyond repair. Thank you for sharing this informative video.
That downgrade was a horrible experience! And if they can just bump a confirmed seat because somebody else had cash says very little about the stability of their loyalty program.
Kevin .. as a Melburnian please accept my apologies .. both for the pathetic performance of Qantas .. and the incredibly embarrassing state of our dated and dilapidated airports 😢
Qantas once was a great airline until Alan Joyce and the current board came along , If Qantas had it's way it will have one pilot flying with vending machines in the cabin for passengers to purchase drinks and snacks with no cabin crew it's all about profits. Another great video Kevin I'm surprised you scored them 55/100 more like 20/100.
This is why I always book points flights with the airline that is operating the route, however the way you were spoken to at the gate and in the air is within Qantas control
The Qantas domestic network is the old TAA/Australian routes, swallowed up by Qantas in the 90s. I flew with TAA in the early 70s as an air hostess - a wonderful and profitable airline. Management cared about the staff and passengers. And in those days Those days sadly are gone. (I must say I had a lovely trip Sydney to Singapore last year in PE on a 380. Cabin crew were lovely. I don’t fly Qantas often.)
I have really been waiting for this vid and i really love your thorough history synopsis. I must say the review didnt disappoint (sorry for your experience). Do airlines ever reachout to you after your video airs? Keep up the great work and looking forward to part two!
Had to sit back and think about that. I think it's just the 1 (Gulf Air) that reached out to me after a bad video. If and when an airline or hotel do reach out to me, I put exactly what they said/did in a pinned comment on that video.
Yep - I completely believe your experience. Over the last 5 years that airline has been destroyed as far as Im concerned. Six months ago I started flying Virgin and its great. Actual service. I do feel sorry for the great Qantas employees who have witnessed their organisation deteriorate so much. For international flights its Singapore Airlines for me.
I was fully pregnant when I flew with Qantas. I wasn’t able to get to the gate fast enough for them, and rather than assist me they made me run down stairs while I had to manage an onboard bag. Not my fault they changed the boarding gate. Singapore, Cathay and Continental airlines scurried me around on a ‘golf buggy’ and they carried my onboard bag.
That QANTAS attitude has been like that for years, my cousin used to be long haul for nearly 30yrs, but he worked in Business and First for the last half of his career. I am in Thailand right now, flew Jetstar and the Thai crew were lovely. If we had more choice in Australia I would never fly them again. I flew to London last year on Vietnam Airlines in economy and the crews and ground staff were great, the food was great too.
I am from Australia, I am constantly disappointed by Qantas and I am sorry you had to deal with this type of attitude. Unfortunately Qantas has what we refer to as "Dinosaur" staff members who have been there so long they no longer care about anything. Unfortunately this causes extremely poor customer service and service which is not expected. I really hope that they listen to this review and perhaps learn from their mistakes. Probably not though. It's been like this for many years lol.
@@tfft Yeah, it's sad, I was hoping with the departure of the old CEO Qantas would return to it's former glory but I don't know if it ever will without a staff and customer service refresh.
My Father was a Qantas 747 captain and retired in 1990, he died 4 years ago. Wherever he went in Australia working for Qantas was seen as an absolute prestige job no matter what position you had it was an employer of choice. It brings me to tears to witness the appalling depth the airline has sunk to.
The glory years. My husband was there from 1985-2020.Took the redundancy but saw the decline and only hung in there to get his 35 years up. The company is a shell of its former self.
Wow…what a horrible performance by Qantas….from first to last impression, shame on them! So interesting comparing flying in former times to modern times, mind boggling really! I now also finally know what Qantas actually stands for 😅 Thank you for this eye opening review! 🙏🏼
Flew Qantas associate airline Alliance last week in business Brisbane to Cairns. Completely unimpressed even versus what the business product was like 10 years ago. Food options in the business lounge were average, hard product on the E190 was tired, a lot of business class seats broken, no entertainment, food options running out (so was given a salmon salad for dinner which was very unimpressive), customer service attitude poor including adding we “expect” you to listen to the safety video (what, are we children now?). Sadly we just lost the Rex jet operation which was a much friendlier ride and are left to only one competitor for QF (Virgin still recovering from being screwed by governments during Covid, screwed by governments that chose to close borders and attack the airline operations). Aus mainline air industry probably in its worst place ever right now.
As an Aussie I've very much enjoyed the last two videos, Kevin! As for my own experience with Qantas, in 2016 on a Business class flight from Sydney to Johannesburg we were surprised to find after walking away from the check-in desk that we had been handed Economy boarding passes. Upon raising it we were told by an exceedingly rude agent that we'd been downgraded and we either flew Economy or not at all. No compensation was ever provided and when I have raised this online others have said they've experienced the same, so you and I are certainly not alone! During COVID I flew with QF out of necessity rather than choice but now things are back to normal I'm happy to be back with Virgin, who along with their international partners have received the vast majority of my business since that incident in 2016. You are right that an alliance partnership for VA would be ideal and I hope they will pursue it some day, but for the time being Virgin's patchwork network of alliances with SQ, UA, QR, EY, NH and others coupled with my VA Platinum status has been enough to make international travel far more pleasant. Looking forward to the rest of the Kangaroo Route videos!
I'm an American who lives in a regional area of AUS. At our local airport, Qantas and REX are the only options, and since I usually have to fly connections to other places I usually fly Qantas. I've built quite a big FF relationship with them. That said, if I had a choice, I would definitely use something else. I haven't experienced too many major negatives with them yet (lost flights, downgrades, or lost bags), but the thing I have definitely noticed is that the staff attitudes have largely gotten worse as the prices have gotten higher. At the same time, there has been a massive decrease in the quality of the experience. The food, especially on international flights, has gotten worse. The planes are filthy half the time. The entertainment systems often fail. The seats are not well-maintained. Things are often broken. I know the old story that airlines are banks that fly planes as a side hustle, but Qantas has taken this to the next level by offering things like housing loans and insurance policies. It's really bizarre to me that an airline, whose job should be to transport people safely and comfortably, is in such a wide range of businesses when it seems as if they can't do their primary job well.
I had to fly them every week for six years and had so many bad experiences I know how you feel. You left out the bit about all the contract workers. When Qantas was great airline they employed all their staff. Now almost everyone is a contractor. Look a the Alliance deal. Alliance lease the E190 aircraft from a leasing company. Alliance then wet lease plane to Qantas and paint QANTAS on the outside of plane and they put the Alliance flight attendants in Qantas uniforms. So it's pretend Qantas. Accore Hotels manage the Airport lounges, Swiss manage the baggage operations, the list goes on...........
It's probably just them getting around local laws that don't allow them to monetize other more 'logical' parts of the business. For example, how at one point Starbucks was one of the US's largest "banks" for the amount they had on deposit on their Starbucks Cards- or how American Airlines values their FF program with a higher market cap than the actual airline.
Subtitles are temperamental today and won't publish to this video. Will try at it again tomorrow.
Hey buddy. I was just coming to the comment section to let you know that it was a factor that I missed in this video. But thanks for already taking and making a note of it. Glad that it was just the temperamental issue and not that you have put your subs to the grave 😅
and again, thanks for the brutally honest content here. I really hope that Qantas takes heed of it, although I'm gonna be a pessimist this time because i highly doubt they will especially by the way they handled the situation even after your trip.
If it’s any consolation to you, recently my wife and I flew Qantas, Hobart-Sydney-Bangkok (return). Horrendous stuff, the domestic flights were on the dirtiest, smelliest planes I’ve ever been on and the international one was a shitshow.
I also had a rude Qantas agent, honestly, I hope the flies circling around the biatch lay maggots in her festering date hole. Aweful experience.
I scored them 3/100. I gave them 3 points because 3 of the 4 flights landed normally. The first flight of the 4 was BASHED INTO the tarmac so hard I can still feel it. I congratulated the Captain on his first landing on the way out 😂
QANTAS = The dogs BOLLOX! L
Two minor points - unsurprisingly, Jetstar economy interstate seating is just as bad. The seat backs do not recline at all.
For comparison, IMHO worse was traveling by Continental US internal flights. They did not have a business class. So while I was traveling business class to the USA via Qantas, once I was in the USA, the local flights were a different airline, and I was in economy.
Like you, I try to be early for any flight. With Continental, this was "rewarded" by me being placed into the rearmost row of an MD-80... with the port engine air intake right beside me.
If any airlines wants passengers to check in early, then they have to find a far, far better way to treat us when we do the right thing. In this respect I also mention that on a different flight, still Continental, I arrived before the preceding flight checked in (my luggage was put on board it!). In Australia, I had had this experience and been offered the earlier flight if there were seats available.
Not with Continental. So, much as I am pretty fed up with the cramped seating common now, that US airline was the worst I have experienced.
On balance with Qantas though; I have had many great *international* experiences, starting in the '70s. The stand-out was my last flight back from working in the USA. As I was paying for it, I was flying economy. The internal flight to LA was delayed by weather, and I had to hurry with my hand luggage to get to the Qantas counter. I was _just_ fast enough, and I suspect I was looking rather harried by then. As I was starting the check-in a second staff member closed the flight. The very nice person who checked me in told me to go straight to the front of the queue for the security check, and get to the lounge as quickly as possible as departure was approaching. Furthermore, she walked down to the lounge to make sure that I not only got through, but had made the flight. THAT woman was the best, most caring, airline staff member I have ever met.
The executives of Qantas, lead by Alan Joyce, converted the airline's goodwill to massive executive bonuses. The metrics used to calculate these bonuses favoured the executives, not the airline, shareholders or the loyal customs. Absolutely scandalous and as an Aussie this has been a huge shame.
Sounds like they implemented an American style executive compensation without an American sized profit tbh.
@@tfftprecisely
@@tfft Actually Qantas is quite profitable and we have seen the back end of A. Joys. Also the board just took back 9mil of the payout. The new CEO will rebuild the airline .
Led
@@zorbakaput8537they have a long way to go
Many years ago I worked for Qantas and was proud to do so. Since the steady decline under Joyce’s term, I am now ashamed and saddened. We Australians are being held to ransom by this dreadful airline. The new CEO has promised much improved management. I have witnessed no evidence of this so far. I sincerely apologise to you Kevin. Thank you for your honest and accurate appraisal.
Appreciate that, they certianly have a long road ahead of them but at this point, I'm just wondering if they even have incentive to actually change... if they don't, it's not like they're going to lose market share... and frankly, I think Project Sunrise is just going to compound all of this. I'm scare to even think about the fares they're going to charge on a flight to NY or London.
It's still the same clownshow, needs a massive cleanout
Qantas - "We're not happy until you aren't" I don't even think it can be fixed at this point. Once employees start acting like that they generally can't be turned around.
I should make a thread just for Aussies to create new slogans for them haha
I call it the “shit of Australia”
I've flown with QANTAS a number of times both domestically and overseas. The last flight was a couple of months from Brisbane to Melbourne. It may be my imagination, but the economy seats on the 737 seem even more cramped than before. I've tried to contact QANTAS on several issues in the past and received no response. QANTAS is now probably my least preferred airline.
Maybe we just need to change how we pronounce Qantas to be more in line with what they are.
@@tfft Can we get another airline up to replace them, is the issue? They run these airlines like a criminal cartel/cabal. The tactics to stop the success of any other airline here in Australia, must be like a Hollywood movie.
An old joke about Qantas: A man saw a gorgeous flight attendant sitting alone reading the paper in an international airport.
He couldn’t quite pin down the exact airline, but he wanted to show off as a man of the world. He tried by saying Air France’s old motto. ‘Making the sky the best place on earth!’ The stewardess gave him the side eye but otherwise ignored him. Undeterred, he tried Singapore Airlines’. ‘A great way to fly!’ Again, he is received with icy silence. He decides to go for one last gambit with American Airlines. ‘Something special in the air?’
The stewardess, fuming by this point, slammed down her paper, turned right to him and yelled ‘What the £¥%# do you want?!’
‘Ah ha!’ the man cried in realisation. ‘Qantas!’
😂😂😂😂
American Airlines doesn't deserve to be in this joke 🤣
😂 Hahaha laughed loud enough to scare my dogs
@@tfft ...and if this were the plane you'd better get out of my galley!
Sums up Qantas
Sh#t staff mostly
Some Qantas Staff followed Alan Joyce 's arrogant attitude "you need to fly ,we (Qantas) do not need you to fly because the Australian Government will bail us(Qantas) out if we ran into trouble". Forget about Qantas
Sounds about right.
This is the best promotion for Virgin Austalia there could ever be!
Wait until my next Qantas video lol
Oh wow! I’m an FA at QantasLink (subsidiary airline) and it’s appalling hearing the attitude some of these FAs at mainline have. On the aircraft I work on the toilet is in the galley and usually I’m telling people to stop apologising for coming into the galley to use the toilet. I’m sorry to hear about your experience, it’s definitely not nice being spoken to like that. I promise you not all of us are crabby and rude 😂😂
Yeah, I'd agree about the crew. I have another video coming up from ADL-DRW on QantasLink, and the video in my opinion is even 'worse' than this one, but at no fault of the crew on board, they were a breath of fresh air compared to this flight.
Absolutely do not blame the staff, they got royally boned by Joyce and his executive mates as well
I must admit that Qantaslink are much nicer
Or Qantas like FA bashing up other ones . Management at qantas link are shit
I have flown internationally with Qantas many times, and never had anything but positive experiences.
As an American flying on BA points you were doomed from the start.
There are hourly and sometimes half hourly flights in peak between Bne and Syd so to not be offered an alternate business class flight is pitiful.
You proved that the ghost of Alan Joyce that decimated the Spirit of Australia is still strong within Qantas.
Good to know he just had A$9 mil cut from his retirement package.
That's an encouraging opening line lol
Yeah I was wondering the same thing, would it have killed them to give him a BC seat on the next sector?
Qantas, the airline you fly when you have absolutely run out of all other options....lol....😜
This
Exactly
yup except in between major Australian cities… you are forced to the Qantas-only option especially for connecting flights with short transit time😂
Your experience is another reason why I proudly fly Virgin Australia with my hard earned cash
Sounds like a wise choice.
i agree. they atleast try hard and their status program is a bit easier to maintain (their new 737 business class seats are a bit of a downgrade tbh)
Agreed! I made the swap a couple of years ago and haven't looked back. VA are definitely not perfect, but they still run rings around Qantas and I use them (as well as SQ) for both my business and leisure travel.
As an Australian I am thrilled and smiling from ear to ear - in a gallows humour sort of a way. We are falling fast and hard in a multiplicity of ways. Thanks for bearing witness to our decline in real time 😅
It not just in the air. On the Ground post Covid we have become so entitled and self obsessed bunch of people in this country . There are very few places left providing service anymore.
So happy you're happy haha
@@ninascherini4410 agreed, I was glad to get out
This is what happens when the airline is a monopoly like quantity is for Australia. They simply do not care and this video should be sent to the executives at! I fly all over the world and will not consider trying Qantas.
Key point being, they don't care lol. Doubt this (or any) video would change that.
If you are here, most of us don’t have a choice.
Kevin, as someone who also suffered abusive treatment during an involuntary downgrade (at the hands of another airline - side eye towards you United), you have my complete empathy. I particularly appreciate that you reserved your ire for the staff involved and not your fellow passengers.
Yeah I mean... what would I have to complain about my fellow pax for? lol Even the person who was sitting in my seat, I have no idea if she even knows the circumstances.
I was a Qantas Frequent Flyer with paid lounge membership and I got kicked off a flight without notice and put on the next one 3 hours later. Absolute dogshit service.
As an Australian I would avoid Qantas unless there was no alternative
Sounds about right
Exactly
I avoid it myself. The service is absolutely horrific.
the days of the old Australian Airlines the way we do the things we do is missing.money spent on unnecessary choirs amongst other things with the I still call Australia home.
Greyhound Bus is nice
I'm Australian, I travel a lot, and I have one ironclad rule, 'Never QANTAS'. I have learned that this is an airline you fly only for patriotic reasons. Since the leprechaun left it has not improved, I have reached the decision of 'Play safe, never QANTAS'
I'm the same although I fly Jetstar often
Hows rex or bonza working for u?
Fortunately I do not have to travel much inside Australia, but if the choice was QANTAS then I would catch the bus. I have had the QANTAS experience and never again
Thanks for sharing ✈️
As an Australian and a Brisbanite, I feel I need to apologise first. The service you received was just terrible but sadly, unsurprising. The problem with QF is that the frequent flyer base is so rusted on nothing will change and QF know it. It is a classic example of Stockholm Syndrome. Customers (QF would call you a 'passenger') have had plenty of opportunity and reasons to walk away from QF in the last 12-18 months but they haven't and until they do and it impacts QF's bottom line, nothing will change no matter how much they say they are improving things. QF just roll out their marketing department, play a few lines of "I Still Call Australia Home", attach themselves to what they perceive as the populist social issue of the day and hope everything just goes away. It's nuts! I refuse to travel QF, domestically or internationally - there are so many better options available. Hope the rest of the 🦘Route improves!
Totally agree with Stockholm Syndrome and have said exactly that in reply to a few comments.
I'm an ex QF call center employee. QF is all about quantity and not quality of the call. Staff are under pressure to end the call within 8 mins or they have 1on1 with team lead. Staff are poorly trained paid minimum wage I can go on n on about it. Coming to point about your refund. Because ticket was issued on BA stock BA has to process the downgrade refund. Qf phone agent should have sent the screen shot from her reservation system confirming the downgrade to BA and it would have been sorted out then n there. But no cares about "doing the right thing" by the paying customer hence why I left the company.
Good on you for not contributing to it. Hope you're doing well.
My generation of Australians grew up with a sense of pride as QANTAS was a cultural icon…how long or will they ever get past the Alan Joyce legacy.
I recently flew with JAL as I wouldn’t fly QANTAS…what a revelation of how excellent service can be provided in today’s aviation industry…take note QANTAS.
Oh for sure- I'd say a solid 70% of major carriers out there are better than QF long haul these days... and QF probably charges more than all of them! lol
@@james7149 I assume that back that you’re referring to is when Qantas was actually owned by the Federal Government
Back when Qantas was one of the best airlines in the world, those were the days.
I switched from qantas to Singapore airlines years ago. Never looked back.
@@tfft Qantas use to be so good. Now they are crap. You should try getting off a BC Emirates from Europe, onto a Qantas flight from Singapore to Perth in BC. Truly disgusting. 3 hours to do dinner service. Or should i say slop.
As for refund, im still trying to get my BC refund from Japan when covid hit and they left us stranded. Had to buy new flights to get home.
i was in Aus last year and the people were audibly upset about the decline of Qantas.. Guess it was an institutio, something they were really proud of, and the sudden drop off has been jarring.
Yeah, their pride in QF was on par with Singapore's pride in SQ- things have fallen quite a bit.
Correct Australians were once proud of Qantas now after poor service and poor treatment we can’t stand this company.
Whispering "foreshadowing" was funny 😂😂
Glad someone was listening haha
@@tfft It detected by the auto-captions btw 😂
@@Mayleneism UA-cam automatic captioning, disappointing us when needed and ruining surprises when not, since 2013.
Qantas used to be the first airline I would book to fly on and now it’s the last. So sad how it’s been trashed and ruined over the past 10 years.
Thanks for sharing ✈️
Oh dear, Kevin don't do that to yourself again, no airline or airline staff will ever top the BS this company. As an Australian I avoid them as I would an infectious disease. There's nothing so bad to compare them.with they set the standard for shit in every possible way
Yeah, I'm learning this lol
In hysterics reading your comments. I'm laughing to the point of tears!!!!!!!🤣
Your critique should be the Qantas motto haha!
Qantas never fails to disappoint 😂Some things never change
Thanks for watching 🩴
I stopped flying Qantas 12 Years ago for the same reasons & many other reasons in your video. As an Australian I’m embarrassed they call themselves the National carrier. I’ve been flying Virgin in Australia & can never fault them, they’re a Great Airline & always Great, Happy and Professional Crew, always. Love your channel, Mate, always look forward to your next episode. 💙✈️😎☀️
Thanks for sharing ✈️
I live in Sydney and gave up on Qantas years ago. It's like Jetstar bought Qantas with Qantas' money and proceeded to denigrate Qantas down to Jetstar's substandard service and anti customer attitudes.
Thanks for sharing ✈️
Qantas: You pay for Qantas but actually it's just Jetstar in a raincoat with better lounges
As an Australian I apologise that you had to fly Qantas. Sydney to Tokyo as an example: Qantas use domestic-spec A330's (that's what they seen to me) which are old, have zero legroom, builky IFE screen which is 10cm from your face when the person in front reclines combined with the staff which vary from good to atrocious. Little wonder that JAL & ANA with their modern 777/787s, great food, fantastic legroom and always pleasant staff always get the business of myself and many others.
Thanks for sharing ✈️
A friend of mine flies to Japan twice a year, for decades he swore by Qantas, now he just swears at them and flies JAL - what an utter disgrace they have brought upon Australia
JAL is reported as way better than Qantas by many
My father worked at Qantas for 35 years and I worked there for 20 years I stopped flying on QF when Joyce started, now fly Emirates or ANA long haul at normal rates
Thanks for watching 🩴
As a Qantas employee. I am sorry for what you went through. This is not what many of us working here are like. It frustrates us when we hear these examples of peoples experiences.
It's always hard to keep things consistent when you're a large company, but after my experiences, I feel like the company needs to hit the reset button. I got the feeling from this and my next Qantas flight that most of the incompetence and rudeness I experienced wasn't necessarially becuase they were bad staff, but rather becuase they are so sick and tired of being at the crap end of the stick. So, they are in this aggressive defense mode by default. Peel that layer back and then possibly, things can change.
@tfft I agree. The new leadership have said exactly the phrase you mentioned. "Reset" we need to reset and go back to basics and rebuild the customer experience.
As a QFF, the good news is that things have been slowly improving over the last 12 months, including staff attitudes.
@jay-em So Glad to hear this.
Im sorry, I don't want to offend you or upset you. Maybe you are one of a very few Qantas staff who take pride in their work. I flew Qantas every week for six years for work. I had so many bad experiences from rude staff and airline practices that were Qantas focused and not customer focused. I still feel nauseated when I fly with Qantas because of my past experiences. It's like PTSD.
Sad to see Qantas's decline. I'd write to complain about how you were spoken to by both gate agent and cabin crew to put it on record with QF if nothing else. My family lived in Singapore in the early 80s and we usually flew QF home to the UK every year on part of the kangaroo route on their 747 100/200 - MEL-SYD-SIN-BAH-LHR in those days. I remember flying them out of the old Paya Lebar airport at first! They were cheaper than SQ apparently but back then QF was still a very good airline. I remember flying them out of Changi on Christmas Eve the year it opened. Somewhere over India, the captain announced that Santa (the Purser) had landed his sleigh on top of the plane just so he could come on board with his elves (cabin crew) to give gifts to the kids onboard - and through the cabin they trouped in full costume. I was 14 by then so not a believer but my two younger brothers were and bought the whole thing - a truly magical experience for them.
Ah I was just putting together my SQ video today, Paya Lebar and all lol
I put in a complaint to Qantas. They didn't reply to my complaint even after me sending a follow up. Then a few months later I got an email asking about how my complaint was managed. I replied back saying I was not contacted at all so my complaint was not managed. So then they didn't reply to my feedback email about the initial complaint not being replied to and managed 😂. What is the point.
Join the club, we booked two business class seats nearly twelve months earlier for a flight from perth to sydney. We arrived at perth airport nice and early to enjoy the lounge. At check in we were told the aircraft had been downgraded and we could take a economy seat, the lady said don't worry you will get your points reinstated, to this my partner said to her, have you ever tried to get through to qantas. That's your problem she said! Keep up the good work, love your content.
That's rough. One thing I did learn on my next screwed up flight out of Adelaide, if you ever need to contact Qantas, select the option that you have a flight in the next four hours. The check in agents at ADL basically said to call right away using that option, if I waited until after the flight, I'd be on hold for hours. They were correct on both fronts lol
@@tfft i was told that once you take that downgraded seat, the matter is settled and you will never get the points back...so yes that is the right idea, call immediately to sort it before flight boards if you can. I am surprised this vlogger did not get a text or email about the situation.
I just ask them if they know the ACCC phone number by any chance
@@karmatraining ACCC is a joke - useless and works for the companies.
As an Aussie I will not use qantas any more. Really bad service. Really rude and arrogant staff.
Thanks for sharing ✈️
I had the worst experience on qantas in October 2023 flying Los Angeles to Sydney - returning home after 5 weeks in the USA. will never fly them again after air stewardesses had me in tears and move seats because of my height.
Thanks for sharing ✈️
You gotta be pissed by how appalling Qantas has become. Downgrading seating class without any kinds of refund is unpalatable and reprehensible.
Thanks for watching 🩴
We can all shout and scream about Alan Joyce, but we really need to hold the Qantas Board responsible. Richard Goyder (Chair) and his team enabled, supported and remunerated Joyce. Goyder's pay for sitting on the Qantas Board (alongside other board roles) was $AU658,000 last year. That's an astonishing amount of money for such a dismal, weak and embarrassing performance. And maybe if his fellow Qantas director, Todd Sampson, spent less time making questionable ABC TV shows wearing frat boy T-shirts, he might have actually made a worthwhile contribution for his $AU278,000 in director fees. I hope this video finds its way into the Qantas Boardroom and sparks a little soul searching.
Wow ! Well said !!!! Bunch of criminals
Sounds about right.
The only thing that Board searches is for the bottom line on their share statements
You've just confirmed why nobody I know will fly Qantas these days if they have a choice.
Appreciate that!
You sir have just been “Joyced”. Welcome to the club 😅
Thankssss
Yo quick PSA. As one of the ground handlers at Menzies in Brisbane, we serve qantas as the baggage handlers and ground crew. The domestic part of Menzies is running of a skeleton crew and mostly new people. Your bag is really likely to either get lost or damaged.
Glad I don't check bags lol
Yep they lost my bag
How can they be allowed to operate without experienced supervision if this is a known fact? Screwing up is one thing, but this has to be malicious negligence...
The same experience for me 10 years ago down graded ,rude and dismissive staff attitude and after writing a complaint the incident according to Qantas never happened.
Since this happened I have never flown Qantas again,sold my shares in the airline and cancelled my frequent flyer program and credited cards associated with the airline.
Thanks for sharing ✈️
This level of incompetence seen at Qantas is exactly why I fly Air New Zealand when hopping the ditch.
Compared to the tired and cramped 737s, Air New Zealand’s fleet of A320/21neo aircraft are a breath of fresh air. So much more spacious and comfortable.
Thanks for this video, Kevin. I hope you know that you are doing the flying public a service calling out airlines like Qantas for their shitty service.
Agreed, even the super slim line seats NZ uses are more comfortable.
As much as I am sad this has happened to you and knowing that you hardly ever complain (unlike other reviewers) I am glad you shared your experience here. QF has been a shadow of its former self for a long time now - its story is similar to that of BA or LH ..but QF marketing is still very successful in painting a rosy picture. Sadly, this is the current state of QF and even more sadly there is hardly competition…
The difference being people have hated BA and LH for a long time haha. QF's hatred is a much more modern phenomenon!
I always tell friends, if you wanna feel like used gum on someone's heel, fly Qantas. The feeling of being treated like crud is unmistakable.
I'd just change that to "week old" used gum on someone's heel 😂
Hi Kevin, As an Australian I can only sincerely apologise for this terrible service, there is no sense of pride or customer service anymore. I despise this airline and will only fly Virgin. I would rather hitchhike interstate than fly Qantas. Thank you for your honest review.
No worries!
As an Australian of Irish descent, it's a particular regret to me that the once national icon has been turned into a national embarrassment, which happened on the watch of a certain Irishman, who was paid out tens of millions of dollars when he eventually left. I wonder if one of those staff you encountered was the same one I met a few years ago. The word "snarl" certainly brings back memories, she had it down pat. I've never flown Qantas since. It doesn't surprise anybody that Qantas has dropped in the annual Airline ratings to a position lower than I can remember happening in my lifetime, and I'm in my 70's.
Thanks for sharing ✈️
As a pax who first began flying QF in 1980, I can only confirm what everyone else is saying: it all went downhill when Alan Joyce took charge. He damaged the brand beyond repair; to the extent that QF is my airline of last resort for both domestic and international. My advice to visitors: fly Virgin Australia for your domestic flights, and fly any other airline for your international journeys to and from Australia. I can't stop you from flying Qantas, but be prepared to pay premium prices for a mediocre experience in the air and on the ground.
Thanks for sharing ✈️
This is like giving a regular festival pass to a VIP customer. Insane!
Sounds about right lol
After Joyce (aka the Poison Leprechaun) was hired, Qantas started its decline. The Trolley Dollies, the food, the cost . . . EVERYTHING has gotten worse, except executive bonuses.
Thanks for watching 🩴
FYI: Northern Territory. Singular. The sandwich press is quite versatile and makes toasties. You're correct, It is not a toaster.
Thanks for that! I seem to have been upgrading them lol
All too common at Qantas. Forced downgrade. Frequent flyer points/ redemption means nothing to them. Was downgraded twice for my flight from Perth to Sydney and THEN Sydney back to Perth.
Staff are trained to lie and lie, always pushing responsibility to other department, contact centre putting the blame to airport staff, airport staff pushing it back to contact centre.
Thanks for sharing ✈️
Thank you... finally found someone who agrees with my views on Qantas.
I detest them.
Spent a few trips in the sardine can 737s travelling from BNE to PER. Hate the things with a passion. Cramped dated and claustrophobic.
"Business" class on a 737 is just premium economy and pretty crap at that! I hated the flight to and from Perth on sardine cans I brought forward my retirement by two years.
I used to complain on every flight that they need A330s but as usual no A330s are on this service.
I'm over travelling with Qantas.
And don't get me started with the scam arrangement they have with Emirates.
You won't get a refund... you will be lucky to get a $10 food voucher!!! 😂
Problem is Australia is a country that does not understand customer service. They just don't get how to make people feel welcome. It's a culture thing... or acute lack of actually! 😮
There are 1400 people who agree with you in these comments too lol
Ah yes, QANTAS the gift that keeps on giving, remorse & regret.
lol
My international trips I fly with Virgin Australia, Garuda & Fiji Airways. I will never fly Qantas or Jetstar. And with Qantas being so expensive in comparison, it goes to show, you don't always get what you pay for.
Ironic since QF is part owner of Fiji Airways, but I agree they're a great airline.
@@tfft Yes, but Fiji airlines is run by Fijians, not snooty Australians, and Fiji has majority of the shares. This makes the world of difference when it comes to service.
Just got back to Australia from 6 weeks travelling around in the US and didn't fare much better over there. Received generally atrocious service (both at the gate & onboard) on the majority of the domestic flights I took (United, Delta) with the same rude, indifferent and unhelpful attitude (particularly on United) in both economy and business that TFFT experienced here with Qantas (and in particular with the older "senior" staff who appeared jaded, fed-up and simply angry with the world).
Thanks for sharing ✈️
LOL, when the guy they bumped, turns out to be a UA-camr with 120,000 subscribers and a wide audience platform😂
Wait until my next Qantas video when they did actually bump me but lied and said my flight was cancelled lol. If nothing else, it's definitely proof that my identity isn't out there haha.
Being employed at Qantas is basically a job for life. And don't they know it. You *ARE* an inconvenience to them, they just want a cushy job with excellent pay.
Not anymore since Joyce… most staff are contractors with some salaried staff only…. i think all ground staff are contractors but flight attendants are a mix of contract staff (lower wages and conditions) and a few salaried staff.
What used (I don't fly them anymore) give stark contrast is that because of our location, Qantas serves the same routes as many Asian airlines. So you can go from say SIA, Cathay Pacific, Thai....to QF in a matter of an hour when you transfer. And QF is a fck'ng shock when you feel the difference. Especially the service, or lack thereof.
@@dm-vw4tk You are totally correct, I googled it. Contractors working through one of the 17 labour hire companies can earn as little as $24/HR. It's disgusting. Qantas staff earn an equivalent of $58/HR.
$24/hour for which job though, crew?
@@tfft Cabin crew.
A friend of mine is a Qantas Flight Attendant. I was giving this person some examples of terrible experiences with Qantas flight attendants. I was told that Qantas flight attendants are not there to "serve" passengers but to get the passengers to their destination safely. Any service provided is through their individual goodwill. Now thinking back to all the experiences I have had with Qantas flight staff, it would seem that this is the general thinking of Qantas flight attendants. Are they taught this during their training???? I WONDER
Coming from someone who worked in the service industry for 20 years, I can't tell you how much I despise this line. It's been rampant in the US for around 10 years now. Yes, you're there to keep everyone safe- and you're also there to be welcoming and serve food. We can do two things at once.
Most Aussies only fly Qantas because they HAVE to, not because they WANT to 😢
Sounds about right.
as a aussie my choice for international is Singapore airlines , flew qantas once 19 years ago first and last time from ground staff to stewards they believe all customers are below them.
Thanks for sharing ✈️
Qantas need to up their game majorly. Start by getting rid half of the crabby lounge attendants, gate staff and cabin crew. Perhaps they could be repurposed pumping a gas at BP. Basically only book Qantas if you really have to.
Thanks for watching 🩴
For 21 yrs we travelled Mid East airlines. When our visa came through for Aus in 2022, we decided to travel Qantas to Aus just after the borders opened - was supposed to be our celebration flight. It was the first and the last time ever on Qantas! Awful service. Awful attitudes. Awful food. Rude, obnoxious staff. 😒 Never again.
Thanks for watching 🩴
I travelled on a Qantas Empire Airways aeroplane from Melbourne to Brisbane in April. As I haven't been up in the air for years, I found the whole process befuddling as soon as I got to the aerodrome. There was a girl in the Qantas terminal who was probably looking out for confused old farts like me and she kindly took me over to the desk where they sorted me out with a boarding ticket. They were all absolutely lovely. The two air hostesses were nearly as old as I am - a change from my earlier days up in aeroplanes and went about their business quite efficiently. The seat wasn't all that comfortable, a bit like being in a sardine tin - but the journey only took two hours. Perhaps if you act bewildered, the staff will take pity on you and be more helpful?
Thanks for sharing ✈️
Last month flew Sydney to Perth return, and decided to "treat" myself with a "premium" Qantas flight rather than a "lesser" Virgin or Jetstar flight. I have never been more cramped and restricted in a airline seat, both knees both hips and small of back in firm contact with their respective surfaces for the entire 5 hour flight. I'm a normally proportioned 6'1" 185cm adult male. My colleage was seated in a middle seat directly behind me, and he's a few inches taller and had his knees around his chin for the whole flight.
To make it worse, even though I had reserved a window seat (19F) and had checked in online getting an electronic boarding pass for 19F, my seat was changed without notice to a middle seat on the morning of the flight.
I will never again fly Qantas domestically.
It has always surprised me how Qantas gets away with such awful legroom considering y'all are a tall lot.
55/100 score, that sounds like a pass. Looking at what happened... I feel like the grading on this one should definitely have resulted in an absolute fail?
Don't worry, anything under 60 for me is failing haha.
Hi Kevin, absolutely agree that staff makes or breaks any airline. The ground staff are not even the airline employees.
From my own experience - flying with Qantas internationally quite a bit - the crews are amazing. I haven't had a domestic flight with Q for many years, purely because of their insane prices, but internationally- I am always happy. Coming back from travels and stepping on board of Qantas and hearing the familiar banter always feels like home..
Ironic, when I get on an American carrier and hear my own accent abroad, a part of me screams “noooo let me stay!!” Haha
I know you might not see this. But you do have the option to make a complaint to the competition commission. As you have the right, as a consumer. To get the product that you paid for.
Qantas has already been in trouble with them for bs shenanigans like this. So you might want to have a chat with them. As they really take a very dim view of this type of behaviour from a company.
Yah, I talked about all that trouble in my next Qantas video (bc I also lost money in that one haha).Thanks though!
@@tfft in all honesty. Take a look into your options, 1st thing on our Monday morning (as an Aussie)
@@tfft Go for where it hurts - their pockets. That means putting out videos that show QF's true situation in full glory to warn others off against flying with them. And if they later offer you "service recovery" to take some heat off them because they realise you have a big enough audience, make sure you continue to keep these videos up.
I have been a Qantas Club member for 20 consecutive years. In the first 15 year I was treated poorly once. The last 5 years though have been very ordinary. The Club staff are always great, but check in, especially the “do it all yourself” areas, where this seldom works is very frustrating. They charge the most for flights and do the least for it. I struggle to justify the extra price on most routes, whereas for 15 years I would never have strayed from Qantas. It generally no better treatment than a public bus.
Thanks for sharing ✈️
all rude staff should be fired immediately, it shows that they dont respect their jobs and their customers and are there just for the money. Out they must go!
I'd say properly trained first. I get the feeling (especially considering all of the rude staff I dealt with were younger) they simply don't know how they're supposed to be acting and just default to aggressive defensiveness.
Remember that Qantas staff member that came under fire for wearing a free Palestine badge or those baggage handlers who recorded a tik tok of throwing luggage around like a bunch of toys.
@kaleidoscopeon all rude passengers should be restricted immediately, it shows that they dont respect their crew and are there just for the sake of it. Out they must go!
Thank you for the comment template!
Stop trolling @@mangoszki4531
@@tfftUmm this is the younger generation though. No idea how to handle real life situations in my experience
Your experiences with Qantas are entirely consistent with every interaction I have ever had with them. I assume the attitude of the staff to customers is a reflection of the manner in which staff are treated by Qantas management.
Thanks for sharing ✈️
You'd be right.
Totally agree with all you said. Normally I’ll try to avoid Qantas at any cost but in Australia sometimes it’s only choice, unfortunately
Seems to be their speciality lol
Sorry to hear about your experience. I have encountered prickly Qantas gate agents (albeit rarely) but in my experience the onboard crew have almost always been very good. Professional and very friendly. And that’s across dozens if not hundreds of Qantas flights over the years (Virgin crew have been equally good). I flew on a points upgrade to Sydney on Friday night and the cabin manager was excellent… showed genuine interest in every passenger and very attentive, ensuring our glasses were kept topped up. The only really negative experience I’ve had onboard was being told off by QantasLink crew for filming because they thought I was filming their safety demonstration but thankfully that was a one off many years ago. Obviously there were issues during the pandemic (which are well documented) but I think they’ve gone a long way to addressing those. Of course, their prices are still high but that’s a different topic.
I'd say that the topics are one in the same. I'm sure there are positive experiences to be had, but every complaint related to Qantas stems from the lack of competition. If you're the only major option, there's no need to try to be better (or cheaper).
Really great content as always Kevin. We truly need more objective reviews with ornery yet hilarious undertones
Got another zinger coming from Adelaide lol
I am planning my 3rd trip overseas and never even considered flying Qantas, after your video I don’t think I need to explain why. I go Singapore airlines every time. Qantas has got enough of my hard earned money from the Australian govt.
Thanks for watching 🩴
Halfway through this video and can say with confidence, your experience is standard QANTAS these days unfortunately.
Seems that way!
@tfft I pray that one day things will return to how they used to be, but I fear it will be too late by then.
The one and only time I have flown Qantas in the last 20 years was a flight someone else organised and paid for. I have criss-crossed Australia and the globe multiple times without ever darkening the doors of a flying kangaroo, and I feel that I am much better off for it.
Thanks for sharing ✈️
Amazing video as always! I’ve been waiting for this one forever😂
If three months is forever than what is four months? 😂
@@tfftto infinity and beyond
It doesn’t surprise me that you had such a crappy experience with Qantas “ The Spirit Of Disappointment “ .
We recently flew on a Qantas 737 flight from Christchurch New Zealand and did the online checkin rather than cope with a cue and since we were only travelling with carry on it made more sense .
Boarding was strange as we had purchased business class seats but it was just one big pile on with no priority boarding for business class then we noticed that both our seats had faults , mine had a broken seat back ( it moved freely back and forth by about 5 inches ) and my wife’s seat had her footrest jammed in the half open position .
We didn’t mention this to the crew until exiting the aircraft because we knew they would shove us into a economy class seat and knowing how extremely difficult Qantas would be to get a refund for the difference we just put up with it .
Then comes the food , being an early morning flight breakfast was served but despite being in the second row they ran out of one breakfast option already .
Sadly this was the last flight we will ever take with Qantas due to continuous problems with them flight after flight , we now actively fly other airlines and avoid Qantas at all costs .
Thanks for sharing ✈️
By far, one of the most horrendous airlines in the world. I have flown business class multiple times, specifically on their A330's & their service is deplorable.
They literally epitomes that generic Australian, karren, grumpy lack of hospitality feeling you get from some of the locals we have here.
Sounds about right.
I have to agree with you QANTAS basically sums up Australian hospitality and Australian people. For such a beautiful country they really are grumpy and rude and incredibly arrogant. Actually Kiwis laugh at them for how lazy they work and why we come here to take their jobs
I had a business class trans pacific where, soon after takeoff, I asked for a particular meal, and instead of saying 'sorry, we're out of that one, do you have a 2nd choice', the male flight attendant aggressively said 'none of that, get something else'
I flew Qantas once back from Sydney to Dallas. Awful food, crew were barely there, and we experienced the hardest landing that I ever experienced after at least 3k flights. I worked for airline, now retired, and that crew member would have been written up by the captain for that landing. I do not understand how many airline bloggers/vloggers rave about Qantas!
Luck of the draw, I suppose.
Greeting from down under (Australia) Welcome to Qantas (Quick and nasty terrible air service) Unfortunately, the previous QF CEO has totally destroyed our previously much loved national carrier! Severe cost cutting everywhere, and outsourcing, it's now an embarrassment. My husband and I travel often to New Zealand, we always fly Air New Zealand, much much better than QF (and we're Aussies!) BTW, enjoy your vlogs and keep up the great work!
Thanks very much 🙏🏻
So spot on! I flew with the dead marsupial 25 years ago ( I am an Australian), and I swore to myself I wouldn't do it ever again. The attitude of the staff is beyond repair. Thank you for sharing this informative video.
Thanks for sharing ✈️
That downgrade was a horrible experience! And if they can just bump a confirmed seat because somebody else had cash says very little about the stability of their loyalty program.
Agreed!
Actually it says a lot about it
Kevin .. as a Melburnian please accept my apologies .. both for the pathetic performance of Qantas .. and the incredibly embarrassing state of our dated and dilapidated airports 😢
Trust me, I've seen much much worse lol
Qantas once was a great airline until Alan Joyce and the current board came along , If Qantas had it's way it will have one pilot flying with vending machines in the cabin for passengers to purchase drinks and snacks with no cabin crew it's all about profits. Another great video Kevin I'm surprised you scored them 55/100 more like 20/100.
Thanks very much 🙏🏻
This is why I always book points flights with the airline that is operating the route, however the way you were spoken to at the gate and in the air is within Qantas control
Thanks for sharing ✈️
That thumbnail title! 👍😂
Was quite proud of it myself 😂
The Qantas domestic network is the old TAA/Australian routes, swallowed up by Qantas in the 90s.
I flew with TAA in the early 70s as an air hostess - a wonderful and profitable airline. Management cared about the staff and passengers. And in those days
Those days sadly are gone.
(I must say I had a lovely trip Sydney to Singapore last year in PE on a 380. Cabin crew were lovely. I don’t fly Qantas often.)
Thanks for sharing ✈️
I have really been waiting for this vid and i really love your thorough history synopsis. I must say the review didnt disappoint (sorry for your experience). Do airlines ever reachout to you after your video airs? Keep up the great work and looking forward to part two!
Had to sit back and think about that. I think it's just the 1 (Gulf Air) that reached out to me after a bad video. If and when an airline or hotel do reach out to me, I put exactly what they said/did in a pinned comment on that video.
Yep - I completely believe your experience. Over the last 5 years that airline has been destroyed as far as Im concerned. Six months ago I started flying Virgin and its great. Actual service. I do feel sorry for the great Qantas employees who have witnessed their organisation deteriorate so much. For international flights its Singapore Airlines for me.
Thanks for sharing ✈️
Whoooooooooo, I was waiting for this one! Watching now
Enjoy! (from 12 hours in the future)
I was fully pregnant when I flew with Qantas. I wasn’t able to get to the gate fast enough for them, and rather than assist me they made me run down stairs while I had to manage an onboard bag. Not my fault they changed the boarding gate. Singapore, Cathay and Continental airlines scurried me around on a ‘golf buggy’ and they carried my onboard bag.
Ah I have fond memories of Continental, being my hometown airline as a kid.
Yikes 😬, what a horrible experience. QANTAS is to Australia as Air Canada is to, Canada 😅.
Exactamundo!
That QANTAS attitude has been like that for years, my cousin used to be long haul for nearly 30yrs, but he worked in Business and First for the last half of his career. I am in Thailand right now, flew Jetstar and the Thai crew were lovely. If we had more choice in Australia I would never fly them again. I flew to London last year on Vietnam Airlines in economy and the crews and ground staff were great, the food was great too.
Yupp, it's hard to beat the value/service equation in SE Asia.
I am from Australia, I am constantly disappointed by Qantas and I am sorry you had to deal with this type of attitude. Unfortunately Qantas has what we refer to as "Dinosaur" staff members who have been there so long they no longer care about anything. Unfortunately this causes extremely poor customer service and service which is not expected. I really hope that they listen to this review and perhaps learn from their mistakes. Probably not though. It's been like this for many years lol.
Yeah, I'd bet on the probably not bit lol
@@tfft Yeah, it's sad, I was hoping with the departure of the old CEO Qantas would return to it's former glory but I don't know if it ever will without a staff and customer service refresh.
My Father was a Qantas 747 captain and retired in 1990, he died 4 years ago. Wherever he went in Australia working for Qantas was seen as an absolute prestige job no matter what position you had it was an employer of choice. It brings me to tears to witness the appalling depth the airline has sunk to.
The glory years. My husband was there from 1985-2020.Took the redundancy but saw the decline and only hung in there to get his 35 years up. The company is a shell of its former self.
Sad to see indeed.
Wow…what a horrible performance by Qantas….from first to last impression, shame on them! So interesting comparing flying in former times to modern times, mind boggling really! I now also finally know what Qantas actually stands for 😅 Thank you for this eye opening review! 🙏🏼
Yeah they definitly weren't trying to impress. Good to know my cover hasn't been broken 😂
Flew Qantas associate airline Alliance last week in business Brisbane to Cairns. Completely unimpressed even versus what the business product was like 10 years ago. Food options in the business lounge were average, hard product on the E190 was tired, a lot of business class seats broken, no entertainment, food options running out (so was given a salmon salad for dinner which was very unimpressive), customer service attitude poor including adding we “expect” you to listen to the safety video (what, are we children now?).
Sadly we just lost the Rex jet operation which was a much friendlier ride and are left to only one competitor for QF (Virgin still recovering from being screwed by governments during Covid, screwed by governments that chose to close borders and attack the airline operations).
Aus mainline air industry probably in its worst place ever right now.
Thanks for sharing ✈️
Such a disgraceful way to be treated.
Agreed!
As an Aussie I've very much enjoyed the last two videos, Kevin!
As for my own experience with Qantas, in 2016 on a Business class flight from Sydney to Johannesburg we were surprised to find after walking away from the check-in desk that we had been handed Economy boarding passes. Upon raising it we were told by an exceedingly rude agent that we'd been downgraded and we either flew Economy or not at all. No compensation was ever provided and when I have raised this online others have said they've experienced the same, so you and I are certainly not alone!
During COVID I flew with QF out of necessity rather than choice but now things are back to normal I'm happy to be back with Virgin, who along with their international partners have received the vast majority of my business since that incident in 2016. You are right that an alliance partnership for VA would be ideal and I hope they will pursue it some day, but for the time being Virgin's patchwork network of alliances with SQ, UA, QR, EY, NH and others coupled with my VA Platinum status has been enough to make international travel far more pleasant.
Looking forward to the rest of the Kangaroo Route videos!
Thanks for sharing ✈️
Nice video. None of that surprises me at all. I have long said Virgin Australia wants people to fly with them. Qantas just expects them to.
Hits the nail on the head!
I'm an American who lives in a regional area of AUS. At our local airport, Qantas and REX are the only options, and since I usually have to fly connections to other places I usually fly Qantas. I've built quite a big FF relationship with them.
That said, if I had a choice, I would definitely use something else. I haven't experienced too many major negatives with them yet (lost flights, downgrades, or lost bags), but the thing I have definitely noticed is that the staff attitudes have largely gotten worse as the prices have gotten higher. At the same time, there has been a massive decrease in the quality of the experience. The food, especially on international flights, has gotten worse. The planes are filthy half the time. The entertainment systems often fail. The seats are not well-maintained. Things are often broken.
I know the old story that airlines are banks that fly planes as a side hustle, but Qantas has taken this to the next level by offering things like housing loans and insurance policies. It's really bizarre to me that an airline, whose job should be to transport people safely and comfortably, is in such a wide range of businesses when it seems as if they can't do their primary job well.
I had to fly them every week for six years and had so many bad experiences I know how you feel. You left out the bit about all the contract workers. When Qantas was great airline they employed all their staff. Now almost everyone is a contractor. Look a the Alliance deal. Alliance lease the E190 aircraft from a leasing company. Alliance then wet lease plane to Qantas and paint QANTAS on the outside of plane and they put the Alliance flight attendants in Qantas uniforms. So it's pretend Qantas. Accore Hotels manage the Airport lounges, Swiss manage the baggage operations, the list goes on...........
It's probably just them getting around local laws that don't allow them to monetize other more 'logical' parts of the business. For example, how at one point Starbucks was one of the US's largest "banks" for the amount they had on deposit on their Starbucks Cards- or how American Airlines values their FF program with a higher market cap than the actual airline.