I can't argue with any of you about operational problems at Qantas, from a 1st hand point of view, I can tell you that under-resourcing is the problem. As an example, Qantas has a fuel conservation department that continually issues pointless paper directives designed to save a kilo here and there whilst aircraft routinely wait several minutes for a bay (burning in the order of 1,000kg of fuel per hour) because there is no engineer to accept the aircraft onto the bay.
To say the share price is down because of this is silly, however, as the whole sharemarket is down around 15% from November highs.
Cost-cutting is rampant while senior managers stuff their pockets with "bonuses", whilst other employees have to fight tooth and nail just to have their wages keep pace with inflation.
In all ports, particularly Perth and Brisbane, groundstaff are mostly casuals and are stretched to the limit. The "solution" is to cut even more staff.
There is no responsibility taken at a higher level for delays. Sure there are pencil dick delay codes for this, that and the other - but nothing is done - bonuses are paid for fiddling statistics. Most passengers are surprisingly understanding if you merely explain "what" is happening, "what" is being done to rectify the problem and roughly "when" you will get them to their destination. Maintenance defects and adverse weather are a fact of life, but most passengers are surprisingly understanding given a plain english explanation of the reason and it takes only a little thought and a minute of delivery.
I, personally, am sick of explaining to passengers that we are late because there:
1. Is no-one to load the bags or cargo on the aircraft because they are attending another aircraft.
2. There is no-one to extend the aerobridge and let passengers off the aircraft because they are attending another gate.
3. There is no-one to bring a wheelchair down to the aircraft to assist a disabled passenger because they are "busy elsewhere".
4. We have just spent 20 minutes waiting for a loadsheet because of a software upgrade.
5. We are still waiting for passengers because, even though they arrived in plenty of time, there were not enough check-in staff to check their bags in.
plenty more if you have time.
An announcement at the gate 5 mins before an aircraft is due to depart when there is no aircraft at the gate that, "boarding will be delayed because of the late arrival of the inbound aircraft" is NOT an acceptable explanation. Anyone with eyes is able to see that.
It is actually quite embarassing.
I could go on and on and on and on..., but I have a life.
Message to Dixon, Borghetti etc - PERCEPTION IS REALITY.