Qantas, Australia's new LCC?

[JohnK]

Nice post but for me Qantas wins by a mile.

I think Virgin is closer to a LCC than Qantas and the only reason I fly Virgin is occasionally they beat Qantas on price.

And yes I know Qantas is making a lot of mistakes recently but nothing a new CEO that likes a challenge is not able to fix. The current one is stale, has run out of ideas and thinks selling off the parts will keep the airline afloat. Yeah right....

 

[codash1099]

Nice post but for me Qantas wins by a mile.

I think Virgin is closer to a LCC than Qantas and the only reason I fly Virgin is occasionally they beat Qantas on price.

And yes I know Qantas is making a lot of mistakes recently but nothing a new CEO that likes a challenge is not able to fix. The current one is stale, has run out of ideas and thinks selling off the parts will keep the airline afloat. Yeah right....

Well put. They need the cash that selling the parts will generate but they also need profitability. If the bit they are selling is not profitable, it won't get them too much cash. If it is profitable, it obviously will have an effect on future profitability.

 

[Mattg]

I noticed you said that "Virgin's lounge seems classy by comparison." Did you go into the Qantas lounge? How did you get in if you were flying economy and have not flown Qantas before?

 

[ReLoad]

Sensationalist thread title with no substance.

If QF is a LCC then every other airline in the world is LCC.
Try Any airline domestically in Europe or The USA.

VA are doing a great job of improving away from LCC, but they still have LCC parts, QF on the other hand whilst in cost cutting mode haven't entered into LCC territory yet. (Not even close yet)

 

[nlagalle]

Check-In
I walk toward the ‘service’ counter at Melbourne and was told by the CSR at the line to use the self serve check in machines. I insisted that I wanted to use the counter check-in, but the CSR insisted back I should use the kiosks, the counter check-in is basically for special need customers. Fine, I walked over to the kiosk, check-in there was hassle free. I installed the baggage tags and used self serve bag drop too, bag drop CSR have been made obsolete! I must admit it was quick and easy, but I missed the customer service interaction, and I can’t stop the thought this smacks of cost cutting. No such reduction of service at the Virgin counters. Virgin feels like the premium deal here.
Virgin 1, Qantas 0

Sorry but I an't agree with you here. Although i don't often travel with checked bags, when I do the bag drop is an absolute breeze. I use the bag tags drink coasters for direct flights and print a tag for connecting ones (the coasters seem to not like connecting flights).

Also you only need to look around the check in at Qantas to see it's far less crowded than Virgin which is quite often a scrum waiting for people to check in. I don't think it is LCC by any means..

 

[TheEmu]

Really - you saw PB happen at TSV on VA? Thats very interesting as its one of the few places where VA PB often fails from my experience.

Right before my eyes - all very orderly.

 

[ckck]

I too prefer using the self serve checkin machines. Using the RFID option It takes only a few seconds and the only queue I have to contend with is security as 99.5% of the time I travel with carry-on only. At the lounge I always say hullo and ask the lounge angel how her day has been so far or have a quick chat about the weather, this gives me a little human interaction. Depending on the length of the security queue and the chance that I am selected for the "swab" test I can go from entering the airport to the lounge in 5 mins at Qantas.

The self serve checkin is a huge bonus for me, I only started to use it because Qantas staff encouraged me to use it (and showed me the ropes). Now that I have been using it for a few years I can't imagine not using it (only queue up to have bookings linked or for international flights with connections).

 

[legroom]

'As objective as possible'

Yeah, right

'Never flown Qantas before'

Immediate, superficial conclusion from a sample of one !

Even if everything was true, a sample of one will automatically negate all conclusions.

Bad personal impressions, maybe.

Draw a conclusion from a sample of one, not many would agree to that.

AFAIK, Ryan Air does not have a world-ranked F Lounge, nor does Virgin IIRC.

From a non-Virgin flyer !

 

[Barks]

'As objective as possible'

Yeah, right

'Never flown Qantas before'

Immediate, superficial conclusion from a sample of one !

Even if everything was true, a sample of one will automatically negate all conclusions.

Bad personal impressions, maybe.

Draw a conclusion from a sample of one, not many would agree to that.

AFAIK, Ryan Air does not have a world-ranked F Lounge, nor does Virgin IIRC.

From a non-Virgin flyer !

Agree 100%. I'd fly Qantas every time, even if the fares are more $$$ given my experiences with VA.

I think VA benefits from the typical Aussie attitude of 'supporting the underdog'.

 

[harvyk]

Wow. So you would rather line up at a usually understaffed check in line and wait, (and sometimes wait and wait and even in the priority line....whilst someone in front with 10 bags argues about weight restrictions etc etc) so you can interact with someone to do the same thing?

For those of us who check-in with equipment/baggage for work, QF's self serve check-in is far from cost cutting but more about efficiency to me the passenger (and no doubt the airlines check in processes) and it is a clear winner over VA.

Well actually, I'm one of those people who like to at least have the choice to line up to speak to an actual live person. I have no problems with self serve things been put in place, but I also like to every so often communicate with another person.
It's interesting because in another thread I posted up a poll asking if we're basically becoming isolated in our own little bubbles which people are agreeing with and yet at the same time people are saying "well I don't want human interaction".

 

[Quickstatus]

You got it. Re choice QF has more choices at checkin. However most checkin staff are really not interested in chitchat. The extent of human interaction at manual checkin = "final destination xx_ thanks. Is that all your luggage? Yes?. Here's your boarding pass. Is there any possibility of upgrade!. No!. Thanks". Not something I want to wait for.

 

[markis10]

You got it. Re choice QF has more choices at checkin. However most checkin staff are really not interested in chitchat. The extent of human interaction at manual checkin = "final destination xx_ thanks. Is that all your luggage? Yes?. Here's your boarding pass. Is there any possibility of upgrade!. No!. Thanks". Not something I want to wait for.

I find the check in staff up for a chat more so than the machines

 

[mannej]

You got it. Re choice QF has more choices at checkin. However most checkin staff are really not interested in chitchat. The extent of human interaction at manual checkin = "final destination xx_ thanks. Is that all your luggage? Yes?. Here's your boarding pass. Is there any possibility of upgrade!. No!. Thanks". Not something I want to wait for.

I just wonder if the dislike of the Check in process comes down to the perceived change in changes of an upgrade when using the kiosks?

 

[Quickstatus]

No chatting with machines is the norm now. Everyone is FB, twitter and AFF. matter of fact I'm chatting to machine now.!! Sounds like the beer ad

 

[harvyk]

You got it. Re choice QF has more choices at checkin. However most checkin staff are really not interested in chitchat. The extent of human interaction at manual checkin = "final destination xx_ thanks. Is that all your luggage? Yes?. Here's your boarding pass. Is there any possibility of upgrade!. No!. Thanks". Not something I want to wait for.

Sometimes yes, sometimes no. Whilst I don't go having a D&M with the person behind the counter, esp if it's busy. Just a little back and forwards is one of those nice touches which will become a selling point in a few years time. Just like AAMI used to have "be answered by a real person on the telephone" as a selling point a couple of years ago.

No chatting with machines is the norm now. Everyone is FB, twitter and AFF. matter of fact I'm chatting to machine now.!! Sounds like the beer ad

You can certainly try talking to the QC machines, but I do believe their answers are a little bit limited.

 

[Duffa]

Wow. So you would rather line up at a usually understaffed check in line and wait, (and sometimes wait and wait and even in the priority line....whilst someone in front with 10 bags argues about weight restrictions etc etc) so you can interact with someone to do the same thing?

For those of us who check-in with equipment/baggage for work, QF's self serve check-in is far from cost cutting but more about efficiency to me the passenger (and no doubt the airlines check in processes) and it is a clear winner over VA.

First Sydney domestic check-in in about 2 years.
Had my Qtags on with iPhone Boarding pass.
Didn't realise I could do it myself! Would have saved heaps of time, so agree that while this may save the company some money (given that QF is only slightly less unionised than the construction industry) Iprefer to save MY time.

 

[legroom]

I could see your points about the merits of having some (brief) human interaction.

But others queuing behind you may have different take on things.

A possible compromise is getting the BP / bag drop from the kiosk and then locate one of the roving QF person and say "Hi, am I doing the right thing today ???"

That way, less of a queue and you get your 3-5 seconds of human attention

More important - as a whole - to switch off phones going to cafe, restaurants really.

Buses, too !

That would fill us in a month's worth of "human interactions"

Sometimes yes, sometimes no. Whilst I don't go having a D&M with the person behind the counter, esp if it's busy. Just a little back and forwards is one of those nice touches which will become a selling point in a few years time. Just like AAMI used to have "be answered by a real person on the telephone" as a selling point a couple of years ago.



You can certainly try talking to the QC machines, but I do believe their answers are a little bit limited.

 

[harvyk]

I could see your points about the merits of having some (brief) human interaction.

But others queuing behind you may have different take on things.

Those queuing behind me won't care that I've decided to be nice friendly human being to the person behind the counter, whilst that person is typing on the computer completing the check-in / bag drop process. You're not asking for their life story, nor are you asking them to stop the check-in process so you can grab onto every bit of human interaction you can...

 

[samh004]

Interesting post, though my personal experience with checking a bag, in under a minute through the next gen machines suits me quite well. Likewise, have always received very good support on the phones or through emails with Qantas, however the same is true for VA when I was flying them... both with status notably.

I appreciate everyone has a different experience though, and mine is shaped by status.

 

[Quickstatus]

I have had superb service from 131313. Minimal wait. Dont have to speak to computer. Real Australian sounding customer service staff and none of that pretend voice accents. The agent always able to sort out query without passing you off to the next person. Best telephone service of all Australian companies except for my office..

So when i ring 131313 and the agent answers, I always say "thank you for taking my call". I never do it for other companies especially those which use voice recognition to ask you for details (which I think is to use up waiting time because when you get through you have to tell them the same info again)