Among Travel selling professionals, QF remains the easier and more predictable product to sell.
No fighting with websites, full GDS accdess and one can do most non regular actions such as special meals, wheelchair bookings, meet and assist and domestic seat allocation for premium passengers all on screen on the GDS.
The good people in Manila try hard but - nah! If the website or the web itself is dodgy, as happens then you have blown at least half an hour for no return on something that would take seconds on Sabre.
The culture is not there at Virgin yet either. the old heads in the upper realms of IT is what I refer to.
Case in point: I had 4 young ladies recently travel to Athens on their trip of a lifetime. First hurdle was getting out of Aus. DJ fare connecting EK. Fare under EK fare basis ex LST, EK 176 ticket issued. I used IATA accepted title of Miss as these were all lovely young things who didn't roll their own tampons and wished that title.
Some drone at DJ changed their titles after ticketing to Ms. this then disconnected the E tickets from the DJ system as the E tickets then conflicted with the Airline system. It should be mentioned that DJ uses Sabre, our host system as a base. They also have no right to alter the names after ticketing AT ALL!
On the outbound leg the girls were offloaded and LSTKTDJ couldn't react quickly enough to get them away. Another poor piece of work from someone I know who has enough years under his belt to call, but not to be.
They got away on the following flight and still made connection, but that was just the beginning.
Because of the title change, the EK system was now in conflict with Sabre as the E tickets and the actual PNR carried conflicting names due to the titles. Reissue under these conditions was rendered impossible.
Of course, all 4 changed their returns.
Thankfully after 37 years on Unisys and IPARS systems I have enough nouse to know what to do. Emirates didn't and nor did DJ - they couldn't even get the concept of the problem.
It was messy but fixed.
My point is that DJ wants to play legacy, but they have no legacy to call on.
QF isn't perfect, but their for of imperfect works far better for my clients and I will admit for me.
They may be just the thing for the spotty little Hermans at Blight Centre, but sorry - there aint no plastic Captain outside my office and there aint no pretend crew inside.
DJ - if you want to be one of the big boys, get up with the speed and lose the half arsed systems. Hire some old heads - ONSHORE.
That is the only way you will compete in the eyes of the senior parts of the Travel Industry.
Best all
EWL