QANTAS: Bribes to customers to restore reputation

According to the SMH, Qantas will formally apologise for its chaotic customer performance, offer AU$50 fare discounts, lounge invitations, and improve reward seat availability for its frequent flyers.

This announcement comes the same week Qantas is due to announce its quarterly results – on Thursday.

Since the begining of 2022 we have seen delays, cancellations, and vast queues at the airports, not to mention passengers’ luggage being delayed or lost, and a complete lack of premium international classic flight redemptions which I wrote about last week.

Reparations for Frequent Flyers

In a bid to calm the opinions of their most frequent flyers, Qantas has announced the following:

• Status extension: 12 months for Silver and above
• Flight discount offer: $50 off flight promo code for Australian and New Zealand-based Frequent Flyer members to redeem on a return Qantas flight
• Classic Reward availability extension: Extension of commitment of up to 50 % more reward seat availability on Qantas International, trans-Tasman and domestic routes until 30 June 2023 released progressively from 12 noon Monday 22 August, 2022.
• Qantas Lounge invitations: Additional guests invitation for members for a visit with them to a Qantas Lounge. Gold members, get an invitation to a Qantas Domestic Business Lounge. Silver members get an invitation to the Qantas Club or international Business Lounge
• Qantas Points: A gift of Qantas Points for Platinum and Platinum One members.

2PAXfly Takeout

This is another timely reminder to wear your seatbelt when seated. Holding you close to your seat will protect you from the sort of injuries sustained on this flight, when unsecured passengers flew to the ceiling of the aircraft, and then came crashing down once the ‘drop’ ceased.

The hope will be that this is an anomaly – a ‘freak accident’ in casual parlance. If it is a systemic error either mechanical or electronic, then this is a larger concern for the airlines that fly Boeing Dreamliner 787 aircraft. Let’s hope it isn’t. If it is, it will pile on the woes to Boeing’s existing stack.

It will be good to hear the detail of this, once the emails to frequent flyers are rolled out.

They sure needed to do something to regain the trust of their customers, and retain their loyalty.

Qantas has been beset by all sorts of problems essentially because they failed to sufficiently foresee the rebound in travel once lockdowns ended and vaccinations were in place. And this despite their strong lobbying of government for things to return to normal as soon as possible. It turns our, they just weren’t ready.

However much the twitterverse wants to kick Qantas in the guts over this – they are not alone. Nearly every airline has been beset by the same, or similar problems.

However, that is small consolation to frequent flyers, or passengers in general. I doubt a few points, lounge passes and 50 bucks will undoo all the damage.