Total beat up on QF by SMH

[cirqueboy]

This is complete and total B*&%#@)T from SMH.

Enjoy as you will.....

Will new Qantas surcharges drive more customers away?

 

[smithy]

I have never been a fan of that particular SMH journo....He constantly bashes the Qantas product...

 

[yohy?!]

arent all these surcharges just accounting trickery to enable costs to be moved around and treated differently? it really just boils down airfares being unsustainable at their current deflated levels and the airlines need to increase revenue to get back in the black.

 

[mannej]

Whilst it may be a total beat up, QF have not done much to stop the cynicism that is developing against each and every move it makes.

The media have taken a fair few swipes at QF for a while now (QF unsafe, QF moving jobs offshore etc), yet you do not see QF defending itself as much as it really should.

 

[RooFlyer]

So what is the beat up? I haven't gone through it fare by fare, ( ? 'fair' by 'fair'? ) but the story appears to be recounting reasonably accurately the recent history of QF surcharges and market share.

I'm not saying I like the surcharges, or airline journalism in general, but this story seems to be just telling it like it is and not 'bashing the product'.

Qantas has a habit of laying a few uppercuts on itself though.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

qantas wants public assistance. debt guarantees were mentioned. changes to the sale act. complaints about wages and unions.

if qantas wants my money (tax payer money) then anyone can analyse and take a swipe if they want

 

[flying_double]

I think it's fine, posing a pretty fair question about how consumers may or may not respond to an increase in prices.

Can a travel agent on here confirm whether the Q surcharge is commissionable or not? I assume that it isn't.

 

[here2go]

Agree this a beat up. But then Qantas are their own worst marketing enemy. Don't charge surcharges for weekends, or extra for DFW - give discounts for travelling midweek. This is a full service airline, not JQ. When will the board sack AJ?

 

[JohnK]

Surcharges are disappointing when one redeems points for awards. That may scare some people away.

As far as airfares go it does not really matter how the airfare is made up. I think Qantas is still competitively priced on sale airfares and in my opinion a better product in economy.