Glen Davis writes: I have been a frequent flyer member for over 30 years. I have flown twice a year SYD-LAX return for 10 years.
Qantas used to be my first choice of carrier. But Qantas charged me double for my first flight after COVID. Then I found I had paid triple because the government used my money to subsidise Qantas and (former CEO Alan) Joyce and entrench the inflated market share.
Qantas made no response to my complaint so I sacked them in 2022 and told them why.
My practice has become ABQ. Anyone But Qantas. New CEO Hudson must have caught something other than the top job from Joyce. Her first change was to fiddle with the frequent flyer scheme to the detriment of both staff and customers. At a time when dramatic improvement was required in service, value and culture, her next move was to hoard slots at Sydney Airport.
I would not fly Qantas until huge changes are made in Qantas culture.
Wendy Cooper writes: I live in the Albury/Wodonga region, and Qantas has a fairly good hold on flights in and out of our city. In 2023 I had three trips away, and Qantas intervened in them all.
The first flight cancellation occurred on our trip to the Byron Bay Bluesfest, and our flight from Sydney to Gold Coast was cancelled with only two hours’ notice. There were no seats left on any of the remaining flights for that day, so we ended up booking to an alternative destination at an additional cost of $1,500, trying to adjust all of our other arrangements for that day. Interestingly, our friends flew Rex and managed to get there on time. Qantas offered us a $200 refund and has not paid that to date.
The second time was organising my elderly parents from Merimbula to Albury via Sydney, with mobility assistance requested. The four-hour layover in Sydney ended up being seven hours, while Qantas left my parents to their own devices in Sydney Airport. Their six-hour trip turned into a very exhausting nightmare.
The last flight, I decided to fly to Sydney to assist my parents with the four-hour layover, and organised an additional pass for the Qantas Club — we could wait in comfort for the flight to Albury! Not so. With less than two hours’ notice, Qantas cancelled my flight, booking me in for the same flight the following day. Not sure what it was going to do with my return flight from Sydney to Albury that afternoon (obviously I couldn’t get on this flight because Qantas hadn’t managed to get me to Sydney in the first place!)
After a monumental argument with the “help desk”, they absolutely refused to allow my parents to wait in the Qantas Club, as my parents were not members and they couldn’t get admittance without a member. Oh, if only…
The last trip I took to Perth, I drove to Melbourne as I did not trust Qantas to get me out of Albury, on time or at all!
My husband had three international flights with Qantas last year, but they’re another story.
Neil Ewart writes: Where is the little liar [Alan Joyce]? Why hasn’t the ACCC forced him to return to Australia to face an inquiry into his conduct that brought our national icon into disrepute internationally and domestically? Also to front the shareholders and explain how he thought it was acceptable to happily pocket millions in bonuses?
Bonuses are usually paid to employees for their performance enhancing a company’s image, not for bringing their employer to the verge of destruction.
