AA Customer Feedback
This from the crikey.com website :
"10. WELCOME TO BYO AIRLINES
Our jetsetting Townsville subscriber Peter Caughley gives the thumbs down to the Qantas no-frills operation Australian Airlines:
"Hi Guys,
Just got back from Asia on Australia's newest cut-price international carrier, Australian Airlines - or as I prefer it, Asian Airlines.
Since Singapore Air and Qantas pulled out of the backdoor-to-Singapore route via Cairns, I thought I'd give the new guys a go. Stupid Idea. First off they are not cut price, at least not to Australians. $A1500+ odd to Singapore is hardly an economy flight, albeit high season. But my mate flew same dates Bangkok ex Brisbane on another airline for $A1300.
OK, so cut price it is. You get that impression fairly quickly after being herded into 5 year old Qantas domestic hangers where the lights don't work, the seats are near collapse and the movie is in Chinese with Japanese sub-titles.
Fine, now ask for a drink. Vodka perhaps, or gin maybe? Not to be - the only spirits they carry are Whisky or Bourbon. Why you ask?
'Oh, that's because this is an Asian Airline and Asians don't drink white spirits.' ( Don't know their research on this one, as my Chinese mate in Singo goes through thirty G&Ts in a morning session).
Queried further on this the instant reply is '...well this is a cut-price operation. Operating at 30% less than Qantas. ( A somewhat obvious observation !)'
Now I don't think that $1500+ odd is so cut price that you can't get a real drink - even Domestic Cardboard Box Qantas will give you a Vodka Tonic, for a price.
They did say that I could have a beer. But as every Mexican knows, us Queenslanders can't drink beer that hasn't been quality assured XXXX and would choke on any of those strange Southern brews.
Well, try the wine? Don't. Even Pizza Hut wouldn't dare serve these as their house brands.
Food? Well not quite A la Qantas Cardboard Box, but as the guy across
the aisle said, 'They must get their meals supplied by Madame Wong's Geylang Hawker Market Airline Catering Division.' (But to keep Qantas Frequent Flyers feeling at home they serve your coffee in cardboard pop-corn cups.)
All up, how to rate the whole new enterprise? Well first, to be fair,
The nice purser who they sent to try and placate me on the way up said: 'We have only been in the air for a very short time and we have a few
teething problems. There will be vodka on the return flight.' ( Not true, I
brought my own. BYO Airlines ?)
All in all - they may get some Euro-trash Backpackers in at first but
Even they expect a modicum of service. My prediction? This airline will
not be flying in six months.
Must say though there was a nice touch announcement on landing in
Singapore, 'Thank you for flying ANSETT... I'm sorry, I mean Australian Airlines'. "
The only thing low cost about this outfit are the pilot & f/a wages.