Why we want Qantas Pilots in the coughpit - SMH opinion article

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markis10

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Interesting article, I like this quote in particular:

Over years of flying with the ''spirit of Australia'' I have grown used to pilots proudly embracing their airline. But this indicated to me that at Qantas, what used to be Us has clearly become Them.

Read more: Why we want Qantas pilots in the coughpit
 
I quite like the article, I think it articulates how a very large majority of QF's customers feel. It ain't the airline, it's the people who make it good.

My favourite quote has to be
Qantas chief Alan Joyce, who's about as popular as a mid-air hijacker with some of his flyers

and the absolute truism has to be
had I been a passenger on QF32 when it was saved over Indonesia by the extraordinary skills of Qantas pilots, I'd say they earn every cent.
 
There’s no one I’d rather have at the controls than a Qantas pilot.’’*

This is an article From Sunday Age I hope its ok to re post this if not please remove it, I think it reflects a lot of what we all feel

The national carrier needs to be careful in its pay battle with staff, writes Bruce Guthrie.*

AS QANTAS and its pilots prepare to fly into some unprecedented industrial turbulence, the airline’s high-profile ambassador, John Travolta (pictured below), has landed with a thud. Anyone who has flown with the national carrier in the past few months has had to endure Travolta’s rather hokey introduction to the air safety video.*


MOD SNIP - full articles cannot be republished as per the guidelines owing to copyright issues!
 
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Re: There’s no one I’d rather have at the controls than a Qantas pilot.’’*

...I think it reflects a lot of what we all feel...
Please do not include me, in your "we", and I am sure there are many other divergent and different views on here, when compared to the quoted opinion piece.

I am not xenophobic, and am completely happy for Qantas to "off-shore" any or all long-haul pilot bases, so long as competent new staff are hired AND route network, service levels & ticket prices become competitive.
 
Not only is the disparity between Qantas fares and those of its competitors getting bigger, the airline's customer service is lamentable.

How many times have we either posted the same observation or read it here and elsewhere? Lamentable is just one word I could use.

In the days of highly restricted competition it was much easier for the Flying Kangaroo to make a buck on international routes.


And after all these years QF still thinks it has the unquestionable right to gouge the flying public on overseas routes. 19% of o/s traffic is the result and they wonder why. AJ may have deep pockets but the rest of us don't necessarily have them.

I'm not interested in Qantas becoming another Jetstar.

Neither am I so I am voting with my credit card and bum firmly in place on the seats of other o/s airlines and really enjoying the difference. There are times when I wonder if I'm flying QF or JQ due to lack of service, cramped seats, no follow up from customer service, and the lists goes on. FAs seem to be continually facing industrial action due to the intransigence of the fat cats in QF management.

They only want a relatively paltry 2.5 per cent pay increase.


More than reasonable I would have thought.


The announcements are a sad comment on the deterioration in the relationship between Qantas and its most valuable asset - its people.

This may explain part of the above. Or does the QF board consider its most value asset itself?

They only want a relatively paltry 2.5 per cent pay increase.


More than reasonable I would have thought.

This may explain part of the above.

It explains most of the above for me as a passenger sampling the joys of a variety of different airlines. And loving it.

After the four fuel fine hikes in a month and the subsequent significant lowering of price of oil, I object to those fuel fines not being abolished.
 
This may explain part of the above. Or does the QF board consider its most value asset itself?


I doubt the QF board considers it's most valuable asset it's people. Remember that HR dept's have been telling companies for years that people can always be replaced... (Just the name HR - "Human Resources" indicates that people are replaceable like any other asset).

QF's most valuable asset is it's brand (brand being public perception of the company, it's not the colour of the paint slapped on aircraft and a few posters thrown up over airports like some graphic designers will tell you). Unfortuantly for the board the QF brand is (off the top of my head)

- Qantas is the worlds safest airline and has never crashed (Rain Man said it was so)
- You will have an Australian Pilot at the controls who are the best in the world (John Travolta told us so)
- The plane will be maintained in Australia (Aussie LAMES are the best in the world)
- QF is not low cost, you will be given all the trimmings such as a meal (and probably won't be charged for being a little bit over on your checked baggage)
- QF will give you Australian Hospitality, (which is the best in the world \ we at least understand it)

Is this list an accurate reflection of what QF is in the real world? Not necessarily, but in the minds of the customer it is, and that's what's important in defining a brand.
The problem is if the QF board plays around with these things too much, what QF is to the customer will change, and that will only end badly for QF.
 
Re: There’s no one I’d rather have at the controls than a Qantas pilot.’’*

Please do not include me, in your "we", and I am sure there are many other divergent and different views on here, when compared to the quoted opinion piece.

I am not xenophobic, and am completely happy for Qantas to "off-shore" any or all long-haul pilot bases, so long as competent new staff are hired AND route network, service levels & ticket prices become competitive.

+1

For me it is not about nationality it is about quality.
 
QANTAS is not my favourite international airline. Travelling ex Brisbane there are usually more comfortable alternatives, with better service, at a lower cost than QANTAS, and I often choose those. However if not the first QANTAS is always my second choice, primarily because I know there is going to be an experienced Australian pilot sitting up the front. Remove this lure and I'm sure I'll be looking at the cost much more closely before selecting QANTAS as an option.
 
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