The Shrinking Kangaroo

[bertair]

Now that I am recently retired and not flying so much these days, I have found time to clean out some of my old suitcases, briefcases etc.
Opening an old brief case that has seen better days, I am finding old boarding passes, tickets (yes, the old tear out kind) in flight mags and timetables.
I flew almost 99% QF everywhere I went, for work and on holidays.
One QF timetable in booklet form from March 2001, makes for interesting reading (if a time table could be interesting I suppose).
Anyway, the point is, it looks like the Qantas Kangaroo flew to 150 destinations around the world back then, either branded on its own or on the likes of Qantas Link, Sunstate, etc.
Now sadly, Qantas would only be flying to a fraction of those destinations, with more to be dropped in the near future.
This timetable had a message from Qantas CEO of the time, Geoff Dixon whose smiling face in the photo adorning the book, announced non stop services between Sydney and Johannesburg, plus a code share with South African Airways.
Further he announced new codeshare arrangements with China Eastern Airlines, Alaska Airlines, increased Qantas services to LA from Melbourne and Sydney.
Services between Coffs Harbour and Brisbane were introduced by Sunstate, with increased flights between the Eastern Seaboard Capitals on Qantas tin.
Larger and more comfortable aircraft were on order.
It certainly looked a rosy future for Qantas back under Geoff Dixon in those days.
Flying Qantas in the early 2000s was one of the best experiences you could have and made long distance work travel well worthwhile, thanks to quiet lounges, impeccable Business Class service with a First Class attitude.
Where has it gone so wrong ???

 

[dasheighty]

There is a book titled "The men who killed QANTAS" by Matthew Benns. Very interesting reading.

 

[Orca]

There is a book titled "The men who killed QANTAS" by Matthew Benns. Very interesting reading.

Agreed, top read.

 

[espiritu360]

Holy cough.. talking/reading orca!! do go on..

Agreed, top read.

 

[Mattg]

Totally agree that it is sad to see Qantas flying to so fewer places, especially overseas. But on occasions where they still do fly to where I need to go, I still find the service top-notch.


If you want someone to blame for all the route cuts, you might as well blame the board and AJ - everyone else does!

 

[dajop]

One QF timetable in booklet form from March 2001, makes for interesting reading (if a time table could be interesting I suppose). ...

Anyway, the point is, it looks like the Qantas Kangaroo flew to 150 destinations around the world back then, either branded on its own or on the likes of Qantas Link, Sunstate,
Flying Qantas in the early 2000s was one of the best experiences you could have and made long distance work travel well worthwhile, thanks to quiet lounges, impeccable Business Class service with a First Class attitude....

Where has it gone so wrong ???

I think you'll find that the 150 destinations included codeshares, I don't think QF branded planes (ie including QF link etc) have ever flown to 150 destinations. From memory the international destinations it stopped flying to from that time include FRA, CDG, FCO, TPE, KIX, NGO, DPS, YVR, YYZ, SFO, EZE, and Harare. But added ZQN, DFW, DXB and SCL. Domestically, I know they eliminated MCY and NAA but WA used to be an Ansett stronghold, so QF added destinations there after they collapsed.

It's easy to look at that period with rose coloured glasses, but remember that J class long haul was on looped IFE and dreamtime seats, which were cradle seats, more difficult to sleep on, and once reclined people in window seats were almost trapped there, then came sky bed (which were great at the time, but now much derided) and now fully flat sky beds. So maybe service isn't as good (although I think it has always been hit and miss), but the seats and IFE are much much better.

As for what went wrong, I think competition ... Firstly QF enjoyed a near monopoly on the domestic corporate market (with spillover effect internationally) for quite a few years after the AN collapse, it enjoyed a cosy duopoly on the extremely profitable trans pacific market up until 2007 when VA and DL joined, and in the northerly/westerly direction competitors with lower cost structures from the Middle East, China and SE Asia have at least doubled their services, if not more. So life has not been easy for QF, particularly in the last 6-7 years.

 

[moa999]

Reality is the aviation world has changed.
An F seat from the 80s is barely better than today's PE.

I suspect most airlines apart from the UAE airlines fly to less destinations.
Years ago you could run routes with one flight per week, now unless you can get the traffic to do daily or double/triple/quadruple daily you leave it to someone who can
A function of there being more airlines, more planes, longer flying airplanes and a more demanding customer who wants a a schedule that suits them rather than the other way around.

I suspect QF has increased its total ASK as planes got bigger, but has certainly lost market share.
Part is down to new airlines - particularly in SE Asia and ME
Part of this is down to its function at the end of the line - losing share to Asian and ME hubs
Part is down to higher costs - meaning it can't compete on some routes
Part is down to management incompetence and union leadership failing to see the whole picture

 

[Troppo]

The rot set in with Dixon/Jackson (let's flog it off to our mates, so we can make a nice little profit....), and it got worse with the current Chairman/CEO - a hard right ideologue and a refugee from an LCC.

Isn't it lovely to see the nice new uniforms! Gee, that will make me fly QANTAS.....

How much did they cost, again?

 

[markis10]

I suspect most airlines apart from the UAE airlines fly to less destinations.

Most airlines are actually expanding, look at Garuda, Philippines, Air Asia, Lion Air, Turkish, Brussels, Kenya, Air India, Hawaiian, China Southern and China Eastern to name but a few.

Its somewhat ironic that one of the newer additions to the QF fleet, VH-EBQ , is named Wolgan Valley.

 

[moa999]

And apart from Hawaiian look at the cost base and GDP growth in each of the countries that support the airlines listed above.

 

[zainman]

Most airlines are actually expanding, look at Garuda, Philippines, Air Asia, Lion Air, Turkish, Brussels, Kenya, Air India, Hawaiian, China Southern and China Eastern to name but a few.

Its somewhat ironic that one of the newer additions to the QF fleet, VH-EBQ , is named Wolgan Valley.

Can we use Skywards or QFF points to redeem stays for the resort?

 

[markis10]

Can we use Skywards or QFF points to redeem stays for the resort?

You can use Skywards points, someone recently reported here it was a good use.

http://www.australianfrequentflyer....-expiring-points-cant-55344-2.html#post992659

 

[mushez]

I see it as the market has shifted that frequent fliers are becoming a minority which is increasing on a annual basis.

The majority of people are traveling on average once a year (or less) and select the cheapest option. QF has wrongly seen itself as a premium product demanding of a higher price and most just don't care to be informed and don't see the value.

So QF rolled out J* as their answer, which maintains some of the market share they were losing, but not the silver bullet Joyce etal thought it would be.

The core issue always has been people always want to fly full service over LCC's, but they will select the option they see the most value in and people grew to see little value in QF over the growing options they have, and over time these other options to them have delivered a greater value for a lower price.

Personally I only started flying frequently & my first international flight 5 years ago. In my time I have gone with EK by preference as I find the service more often than not is better than most, ICE kicks the pants off everyone else, consistent hard product that I know what I am going to have, but they are my personal reasons and experiences.

It wasn't until about 3 years ago that I had my first EK flight, having flown NZ, SQ, QF, CX, & BI many times before my first EK, and that was simply as EK restricted their Tasman fares to 30 day stays, and I need 120. When they opened them up to 360 days about 3 years ago, I tried because it was the cheapest and love what is delivered over anyone else.

Maybe the guys at the wheel have thought what they have done is the best they could with the higher labour costs at QF or any other reasons they give, but it doesn't take away the issue that people are choosing other options in an increasingly fashion as they see greater value over QF.

QF need to understand they don't have a product that demands a premium and they do need to compete on a daily basis with all the other carrier options, to continue on the path they have been on for some time will only lose more market share and move it towards being a small boutique carrier if it survives.