juddles
Suspended
- Joined
- Aug 2, 2011
- Posts
- 5,283
- Qantas
- Platinum 1
Hi all,
I have posted this in the general discussion area rather than in the specific Qantas area as I think the basics apply to everywhere.
Recently Qantas announced some "huge" changes to their frequent flyer system. This created the inevitable storm of debate in such a forum as us here in AFF. People who hated the changes, people who saw them as OK, the myriad suggestions of what would be better, and the inevitable predictions of gloom and how this airline was out of touch and would die.
Earlier this year I attended a Qantas event. As a P1 I sometimes get invited to such things. I had a brief chat there with Miss Wirth, the head of QF Loyalty. During the chat I asked her about the loss of "Red Roo" - the Qantas rep that used to get involved in this forum. She said that there was no need as we were a "self-moderating" forum. Since that chat I have pondered this concept.
I have a belief that we armchair warriors who often "know what is best" severely underestimate the professionalism that big companies such as QF (and even Virgin) actually have. I am really starting to recognize that they run absolute rings around us. Take for example this last announcement by QF. We had so many opinions on it. We knew and identified so many flaws. We had a fest of debating these. But now, soon after, we have, as a group, moved on. It is now a week since anyone posted in the main thread about it.
We are avid flyers, "experts" in all this, passionate. But even we peter out with our complaints after just a few weeks. Maybe we as AFF are not actually ignored by QF, but rather the opposite - we actually fortify their position that they can do whatever and it will ride out any storm?
If you ignore the emotion in any specific thread, I think here we mirror the greater reality. Every week or so yet another person comes out with a straw that broke their particular camel's back - so they are now ditching their airline and moving to the other. So a loyal QF FF spits the dummy and moves to Virgin. And just as often, a Virgin supporter has had enough and threatens to give all their custom to QF. When you look at the bigger, the whole picture, this is all good for the airlines.
I feel that there are sufficient members here to have an impact, yet we do not. Maybe we should not. I enjoy the debate just as it is. But let's see it for what it is.
I have posted this in the general discussion area rather than in the specific Qantas area as I think the basics apply to everywhere.
Recently Qantas announced some "huge" changes to their frequent flyer system. This created the inevitable storm of debate in such a forum as us here in AFF. People who hated the changes, people who saw them as OK, the myriad suggestions of what would be better, and the inevitable predictions of gloom and how this airline was out of touch and would die.
Earlier this year I attended a Qantas event. As a P1 I sometimes get invited to such things. I had a brief chat there with Miss Wirth, the head of QF Loyalty. During the chat I asked her about the loss of "Red Roo" - the Qantas rep that used to get involved in this forum. She said that there was no need as we were a "self-moderating" forum. Since that chat I have pondered this concept.
I have a belief that we armchair warriors who often "know what is best" severely underestimate the professionalism that big companies such as QF (and even Virgin) actually have. I am really starting to recognize that they run absolute rings around us. Take for example this last announcement by QF. We had so many opinions on it. We knew and identified so many flaws. We had a fest of debating these. But now, soon after, we have, as a group, moved on. It is now a week since anyone posted in the main thread about it.
We are avid flyers, "experts" in all this, passionate. But even we peter out with our complaints after just a few weeks. Maybe we as AFF are not actually ignored by QF, but rather the opposite - we actually fortify their position that they can do whatever and it will ride out any storm?
If you ignore the emotion in any specific thread, I think here we mirror the greater reality. Every week or so yet another person comes out with a straw that broke their particular camel's back - so they are now ditching their airline and moving to the other. So a loyal QF FF spits the dummy and moves to Virgin. And just as often, a Virgin supporter has had enough and threatens to give all their custom to QF. When you look at the bigger, the whole picture, this is all good for the airlines.
I feel that there are sufficient members here to have an impact, yet we do not. Maybe we should not. I enjoy the debate just as it is. But let's see it for what it is.