I have been a Qantas FF since 1994, before have flown with them when they were Trans Australian (gee I've dated myself), when FF did not exist.
In looking back I can recall massive changes Qantas has undergone. Once they were the Australian people's airline and showed they were keen to keep their pax's happy, although in those days the airfare was pretty horrific, they were friendly, fair and decent in their business procedures, nowadays it is a sad picture. But then again, its not just Qantas, the world itself has become a sad picture of decline, greed, power and lust for money.
Gripes:
1. I have family living some distance away from me and often, inconveniently, have to get a quick airfare to either BNE, PER, TYO and LHR. You know how much that costs.....yikes, so what do I do, I look for another fare on another carrier that is cheaper. This is one area that QF needs to look at and not be so greedy just because it is not an advance fare. Even my points don't help much. The amount of points I have is more to lose, than the cheapest fare. I may as well save that for an international fare later. How many Qantas FF are affected by this daily? A QFF should be cared for like a hen its chickens.
2. Food on the domestic legs at varying times of the day is not what I call worth eating. I don't fancy those big fat Byron Bay cookies, nor do I fancy the strange "toasted sandwich that looked like a quiche with caramelised onion"..I guess Neil Perry does not look at the economy side of the domestic airline sector kitchens.
Some years ago, actually 1973, Lufthansa had a stand with food packs in it, which you picked up as you boarded on a domestic flight. (it had orange juice, sandwich and cheese snacks). This sounds like a good idea for this day and age and easy to implement for the domestic flights. But I know a lot of people would not even like the idea.
3. If you are a member of another One World Carrier, the points between should show up on their system too. Saves the hassles when the points are'nt registered on your flight details that you have to keep all the paperwork and write to them or try to get it updated.
4. I have hotel membership with Accor, Rydges, Priority etc, but because I am conscious of cost and running a business, I don't pick the highest priced roomrate, therefore, no points are awarded towards the QFF program. Not a good way to keep one's loyalty to Qantas (or any carrier) because of this. All partnerships should attract points. I paid for Accor accommodation night 40 or more times last year and no points were valid as they were under the allowable to attract such for QFF.(Add that amount up over the year). Its all about money.
5. The charges for: insurance, exit seat row, carbon offset, fuel surcharge are really just a money grabbing exercise and should not be part of an ethical and decent business' policy. But that is the way the world is going, just an excuse to make money (no different to the Banks).
6. Having to do a fair amount of international travel I have had enough of the airports, the check ins, the queues, customs, barriers to get through etc...I particulary detest those who have caused all these problems for decent air travellers, I dislike Australian customs who treat you as an alien. I would cite Narita, and Singapore as excellent examples of user friendly airports. You would think Qantas would have a say in this as the first impression for a visitor is the Qantas (or whatever airline) check-in.
7. What I do like..... I must say that, to me, Qantas is an"impression" airline. It has a look of class, style and status. To me, this holds a much better picture with its airline staff and their expertise compared to Virgin and Jetstar. Compare the uniforms, then look at the staff. Sure Qantas has some older "hosties" compared to the dolly-birds on Virgin and Jetstar, but to me, it all comes down to service and experience. Its the experience that Qantas has above all other airlines and I have flown with a lot of carriers. In any event that can happen where one is tested as to experience and skill, I would rather be on Qantas than any other carrier on earth.
Thats my bit for what you can extract from it.
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