QF2 Passengers Stranded in Dubai

[serfty]

I assume you are getting your information from a source inside QF (or you work for QF). How confident are you they are not being fed the QF company line currently being given to the media?

They would have needed to have been in DXB at the time to actually know what happened without the QF corporate spin.

See here: http://www.australianfrequentflyer....iscussion/ask-the-pilot-30478.html#post443307

The Ask The Pilot thread will give you the information you require on JB's background.

 

[Flying mermaid]

Seems like an overly aggressive response to me with some of the wording used.

that was my feeling too - lot of anger there. Quite possibly justified, but I thought it was PR101 that you never let it show.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

Whilst the logic of making any change to that affected the passengers from the second aircraft is questionable, I did find out the other day, that at the time the decision was made, that the aircraft that had been u/s was basically fixed, with the expected delay being 2 hours. The problem didn't rear its head again for a couple of hours.

So, there was never a decision to share 24 hour delays, but rather one to reduce the issue for the first group, with a minor delay for the second.

:idea: And if this simple, spin-free message had been delivered at the time it would have gone a long way to settling a PR disaster. (And not one mention of the word 'safety'.)

 

[Danger]

Seems like an overly aggressive response to me with some of the wording used.

that was my feeling too - lot of anger there. Quite possibly justified, but I thought it was PR101 that you never let it show.

I like the response.

I'm overseas at the moment and haven't seen the coverage in the media at home but if what's been written here is an indication then Wirth's response is justified. I agree it is on the aggressive side but I for one am so tired of big businesses giving the 'We're very sorry. We aim to do better' talking points. Get in there and say real stuff that addresses the issues; don't provide a template response.

Wirth may not have addressed all of the pertinent issues and that's a negative but from what I can gather it was a fairly significant PR fail (for example: Global Travel Media » Blog Archive » Flight Delays In Dubai – Qantas Needs To Lift Its Game!). From what was written, though, I'm not convinced that the end result wasn't impacted by the CEO's participation in it all.

 

[VHOEJ]

I question why the 'response' was sent more that a week after the event.........timing is questionable to say the least

 

[RooFlyer]

Seems like an overly aggressive response to me with some of the wording used.

Yes, very strangely worded and strangely timed. Most of it is concerned with defending the CEO (who I never thought got preferential treatment) rather than addressing the main issues, as far as I was concerned - poor communication with pax and why a second plane load of pax were forced to be delayed as well as the first. JB747's explanation seems totally reasonable but that circumstance doesn't explain why the second plane's pax were swapped out.

 

[Quickstatus]

but that circumstance doesn't explain why the second plane's pax were swapped out.

And does not explain why the swapping of one load of passengers for another was "spun" as normal airline practice, when it was not.

No social media decribes AJ mingling with passengers. Maybe this only occurred in the F lounge. I wonder if he ordered the cracking of some super premium wines?

 

[Flyerqf]

And does not explain why the swapping of one load of passengers for another was "spun" as normal airline practice, when it was not.

This is where they fell down. Someone made a bad decision. Whether it was to suit Alan Joyce or not, it was a bad decision to bump group 2 to get group 1 out faster. Regardless of 1 hr, 2 hr, 24 or 51 hr delay for group 2, it was a bad decision.

Why didn't they just own the error, admit it, apologise and move on? Saying it's normal practice when it is not, is a huge fail.

 

[straitman]

I question why the 'response' was sent more that a week after the event.........timing is questionable to say the least

This is where they fell down. Someone made a bad decision. Whether it was to suit Alan Joyce or not, it was a bad decision to bump group 2 to get group 1 out faster. Regardless of 1 hr, 2 hr, 24 or 51 hr delay for group 2, it was a bad decision.

Why didn't they just own the error, admit it, apologise and move on? Saying it's normal practice when it is not, is a huge fail.

A bad decision then taking a week to come out with a response, even if it is the correct one, is just crazy.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

This is where they fell down. Someone made a bad decision. Whether it was to suit Alan Joyce or not, it was a bad decision to bump group 2 to get group 1 out faster. Regardless of 1 hr, 2 hr, 24 or 51 hr delay for group 2, it was a bad decision.

Why didn't they just own the error, admit it, apologise and move on? Saying it's normal practice when it is not, is a huge fail.

I can understand the reasoning as explained by jb747, it would have meant just a couple hours delay for the second plane load. Good intentions and all that stuff.

I think the attempts to bring this back to 'safety' are a bit of a red herring. In order to have a safety issue you need to have a plane that can fly. This plane couldn't fly.

 

[Flyerqf]

I can understand the reasoning as explained by jb747, it would have meant just a couple hours delay for the second plane load.

Disagree. If it's only 2 hrs, why go to the effort of unloading and re-loading an A380 cargo (which at the time they told people on the ground would take an hour) when the delayed passengers were already delayed 24 hrs, what's another 2 hrs?
i wouldn't have thought the case was compelling enough to bring in an entirely new procedure (which the company would later describe as normal practice).

 

[MEL_Traveller]

Disagree. If it's only 2 hrs, why go to the effort of unloading and re-loading an A380 cargo (which at the time they told people on the ground would take an hour) when the delayed passengers were already delayed 24 hrs, what's another 2 hrs?
i wouldn't have thought the case was compelling enough to bring in an entirely new procedure (which the company would later describe as normal practice).

i can understand it... not necessarily that I *agree* with it. Someone probably figured that a two hour delay in Dubai might not necessarily be a bad thing... which I can sort of see for the dozens of qantas club/status members in economy... would have given everyone a chance to stretch their legs, have a shower, eat (etc) without being rushed (or missing out entirely).

it it was a gamble which didn't pay off.

 

[maroonone]

And it bemuses me that you would pull all the baggage off and reload baggage (and probably change out some freight as the weights would be different} for what was going to be a further perhaps 2 hour delay. "Fingers crossed" that it will be a two hour delay and it coming apart in many time/delivery organisations woudl lead to a "restructure" for some people. I still believe that P*** offf 400 people for 24, 26, 48 hours or whatever it ends up being rather than 800 or more (considering subsequent flight ops for the aircraft) just makes no sense.

 

[moa999]

Given A380 is containerised shifting some luggage isn't too difficult, and you would be loading new luggage anyway

 

[darraghk]

Interesting article from Joe Easton with some detail on the delay - Miranda Devine slams Qantas' Alan Joyce, snuggles with Virgin's John Borghetti | afr.com

 

[RooFlyer]

What a coughy and juvenile piece.

He did no such thing, of course, indeed declining a seat on the next Emirates flight to Australia and waiting 24 hours with 479 fellow QF2 passengers (all of whom were provided with hotel rooms). As they left, another load of passengers arriving from Heathrow was delayed, most of whom were moved to other flights on the next day. Just 80 of that second batch overnighted again in the Gulf – and all had volunteered to do so on the guarantee of an upgrade the following day.

Devine seems to have relied on another piece of (equally misguided) commentary from Brisbane PR consultant Margaret Lawson (she'll write and send your press release for $2495 + GST; this introductory offer does not include a set of steak knives) published by leading media trade outlet Mumbrella.

...

Lawson knows the airline industry all too well, boasting as a client an aviation powerhouse: Nauru Airlines!

Very cute phrasing ... "As they left, another load of passengers arriving from Heathrow was delayed ...." Wonder why?

 

[drron]

But,but,but.....Newscorp is the enemy.

 

[njba]

So I know nothing, but I can completely imagine a scenario where Ms Divine goes up to AJ at one of those dreary function these people go to and asking (demanding?) CL membership, and AJ (politely or not so politely) demurring, and thereafter Ms Divine developing utter hate for all things QF/AJ. Of course, such base speculations are beneath us all.

 

[Franky]

Seems to have a pay wall, but I think I get the gist..