Qantas is now DeathStar 2
Firstly, I must say I am a frequent flyer of various airlines and only started using Qantas recently. I find their service worsening and with little care or effort to resolve it. Here is one such tale from last week.
The only thing worse than having to fly long haul, is going in economy class. The only thing worse than flying in economy class is flying it with Qantas. The only thing worse than that, is having rude staff on the airline (especially once you are in flight) lying, and fighting amongst themselves because of the screw ups they keep making. If it wasn’t so tragic it would be funny.
Flight QF94 is one I will remember for a while.
As a frequent flyer you learn a few little secrets. Check in early, get the seats you want, verify they are the seats you want, be nice, be friendly, be relaxed, don’t rush and verify your seats are correct.
However, when a plane starts falling apart (seats breaking right before takeoff), flight captain running off the plane in a panic right before takeoff, (apparently due to left lap top open in bar area with Qantas confidential info on it (including flight marshal info perhaps oops). Only to then find that nice lovely aisle seat you hoped to plant your size 14 feet (yes size 14) they have booked you into the wrong seat, between 2 of the world’s largest people (lucky me) it get’s sad fast.
Also because the business and first class were way under sold there were loads of empty seats there.
So they offer to let me speak to an Assistant Service Supervisor (ASS) we will call her Marie M.
Wow, now that’s service. Only to find out that the ASS was told by the (FA) flight attendant (to make my case for me I guess). That I had threatened to get off the plane (I assume before take-off), to only have the FA told by the ASS to tell me to decide now or get off the plane so my luggage could be removed, then told by the FA I would stay on board.
Oh, only I was not privy to any of those conversations. This resulted in a moody and sultry ASS telling me off, for a mistake they had made. All because I had asked for the seat given to me at check in..OOOOHHHH
At least we had great food on Qantas (NOT).
But all was ok Dan from customer service, I believe another ASS, called me a week later (after a formal complaint) to say sorry that’s just how it goes sometimes, he he. Thanks I fell better now.
So next time the airline screw up and treat you like poo, remember if you ask them why, you are likely to Marie or another ASS telling you off for asking.
My solution is much easier:
Memo To All Staff:
All flights on Qantas are now off limits !!. No expenses will be paid if this is not adhered to. It is ok to pay a bit more for another airline. Any problems let me know, I promise I won’t be an ASS.
Regards,
The Director
For more Qantas fun see:
Moodys sees tough time ahead for Qantas
Qantas service is missing in action
Tech Net TV - 
I know what you mean I had some real problems with them as well.
I know fly Virgin for local flights, and use anyone else for international flights. I haven’t had any problems yet
Bastards!
I hate Qantas.
Never ever again will I fly Qantas economy. Staff are the rudest in the air. I was however lucky enough to get 2 frequent flyer seats to London recently. I booked 12 months out, and requested 1st class and I did get them. Going to Heathrow we were on Qantas… great service, great staff, great food etc etc. Coming home on BA… awful 1st class staff, didn’t give a toss about us. But, BA economy or world traveller is far superior than Qantas. I actaully have paid to fly BA world traveller, great! Q
Have tried today to get 2 business class seats to Hawaii in February or March next year on Qantas… of course their answer… no way. I need to book 12 months ahead. They can stick their frequent flyer points as far as I am concerned… I am a platenium member and they can do nothing for me ever.
Qantas… go jump, I will find someone better and more accomadating that you to fly me where I want to go.
Interesting about the frequent flyer issue. Is that a known thing with booking 12 months ahead to get free upgrades? I never heard of that before. I tohught you got it or you didn’t?
I found recently when I traded in for a domestic flight to Sydney from Melbourne that the cost of taxes was over $100 for th free flight. But Virgin were offering special flights for $150. Not sure the value fo the points either.
I found BA leg of a UK 1st class trip recently back to Autralia (april) had such nicer staff than the Qantas staff going out. . Perhaps it depends on the staff.
I was a QF Gold FF member for 8 years, this year I was 45 status points off the required 600 to again qualify for Gold FF, I wrote to QF explaining that I now live in Singapore and did not make the required 600, only 555 to be exact, I also stated that I would be returning to Australia regularly in 2008, QF wrote back basically saying ‘TOUGH’.
I now fly exclusively Singapore Airlines and could not be happier. I have in the last 2 months made 4 return trips to SIN-MEL with SQ and its a dream, I also will not fly QF long haul again.
I couldn’t agree more. I am also a Qantas Club member and freqeunt flyer. I find it interesting that many of the complaints here are from frequent flyers. I would have thought that such people are those that an airline wants to keep – not piss off. My last nine hour overnight flight from Hong Kong to Melbourne on Qantas Economy was so bad it’s almost indescribable. The plane was ancient – and I reallly mean ancient. It was a domestic plane brought to HOng Kong; no pillows to be had (I stress, on an overnight flight); no self-choice movies – just the one screen from an ancient overhead projector and the worst movie imaginable which wouldn’t have suited anybody; and to really rub salt into the wounds they showed an advertisement for the A380 first thing – which is what we were supposed to be on. The only thing worse than my circumstance would have actually been to pay for business class- it was so totally crap I would have been livid if I paid for it. Finally, there were not enough toilets – a domestic plane isn’t designed for long haul overnight flights and people were queueing up in the corridot. Reading this Qantas? Couldn’t give a toss? Yep – that’s right – but I am meeting so many more poeple who will never travel Qantas again, and most of them are frequent flyers. Well done.
We are also frequent flyers and have flown around the world with Qantas many times but this will be the last.We dont mind the inflight service but dealing with the telephone staff is awful,everytime you call they are rude and want to misinformed.I hate Qantas!
I flew Singapore – London Qantas.. The ‘meals’ can only be described as coming out of a dog food can..Totally disgusting.. cabin crew totally useless and so far up themselves who or what do they think they are.. I fly Singapore and Malasia airlines at every opportunity and gladly pay any additional cost involved..The thing is though QANTAS is always the most expensive airline to fly with anyway.I proudly admit to encouraging every potential traveller I meet NEVER to use QANTAS..Ive cost QANTAS tens of thousands of dollars in lost passengers..Its how I repay them for what I had to put up with from them and I will cost them tens of thousands of dollars more in the future.. like the thousands who will read this email.. haha QANTAS I got you back you bastards..whos laughing now
I use to work for QF I know they dont care about passengers. but dont blame the staff as they are treated equally as bad by management- scottpecs@hotmail.com
updated- typical of why qantas and many (not all of their staff) are so crap.
‘Well my boss treats me like crap so I will treat my customers the same way’.
Folks like that need a good smack. I have worked for 2 of the largest companies in the world (120k and 110k) staff and millions of customers and smaller companies with thousands of customers, sometimes under horrendous circumstances. There is NEVER I mean NEVER an excuse to treat cusotmers poorly, (unless they deserve it). I have had good flights but never great service. From virgin always good service.
I’m a Platinum frequent flier, trying to book flights with my 325,000 points to the UK. I’ve been saving these points for years and have just been told there are NO frequent flyer seats on that route as they are saving them for ‘fare-paying passengers’.
I am so angry I can’t describe it. I have been wasting my time, many flights, credit card charges and even shopping habits on these bastards.
I will use these points somehow or other and I will NEVER fly Qantas again.