Qantas rushes Australians home

[Wirraway]

AAP

Qantas rushes Australians home
September 9, 2004 - 9:09PM

Qantas has called in bigger aircraft to help bring Australians home from Indonesia in the wake of the deadly bomb blast outside the Australian embassy in Jakarta.

Qantas chief executive Geoff Dixon said flights to Indonesia would continue to operate as normal.

But the airline had increased capacity on its return flights.

"Qantas had increased capacity on its return Sydney-Jakarta service tomorrow, replacing a 767-300 aircraft with a 747-400 aircraft to provide an additional 130 seats in case of increased demand," Mr Dixon said in a statement.

"We will monitor the situation and we have the flexibility to add more capacity if it is required."

The airline would refund fares and waive penalty fees for customers wanting to cancel or change their travel plans to or from Jakarta, he said.

Travellers concerned about security in Indonesia should contact the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) on 02 6261 3305 or 1300 555135 (local call cost within Australia).

A suspected suicide bomber killed at least eight people and injured more than 100 in the massive bomb blast outside the embassy.

No Australians were injured but the bomb left a three-metre deep crater in the road, destroyed cars and seriously damaged the heavily-fortified embassy building.

© 2004 AAP

============================================

[schweinhund]

As usual, notice it is Qantas doing this? Where is VB helping out? Where was VB after the Bali bombing? How much assistance did VB give after Ansett collapsed?

I'll give you the answer; they were nowhere to be seen, and they offered zero help. This company (I'm not referring to the people here, but the company) has no connection to Australia or Australians. They are there simply to take your money off you.

[air-hag]

Notice how McDonalds isn't lifting a finger to help? No free burgers for the people or anything. This company (I'm not referring to the people here, but the company) has no connection to Australia or Australians. They are there simply to take your money off you.

[Obiwan]

As usual, notice it is Qantas doing this? Where is VB helping out? Where was VB after the Bali bombing? How much assistance did VB give after Ansett collapsed?

I wasn't aware VB flew to Indonesia. Perhaps someone who flies the big jets could help - but surely its not that easy for an airline to just rock up at an airport it doesn't service to help?

Besides - QANTAS aren't giving free flights or anything. Its just business as usual with a bigger aircraft to meet the demand. They've also offered refunds if you've changed your mind about a holiday in Jakarta. Considering the circumstances they'd have been crazy not to.

[spinout]

I would like to know what Dick Smith is doing about this….:oh:

[Buster Hyman]

Now, I'm not a card carrying member of "The Friends of DJ Society", but I can't see how they could do much without traffic rights to CGK. Perhaps they could offer an aircraft or two to the Govt. if required, but I think evacuating Indonesia of all Australians is a bit alarmist. If we have this kind of knee jerk reaction to every "incident" of this magnitude, then we will become a very insular society.

QF are taking precautions that their PAX may want to return early & will accommodate that request. Credit to them, but I don't think there should be any onus upon DJ to do the same, especially when there are none of their PAX involved.

As for AN's collapse, I think you'll find DJ did accommodate some AN PAX, perhaps not as well as QF, but they did something.

[Uncommon Sense]

Beat Up.

Demand = Supply. More $$$ for GOD.

VB bashing becasue they don't fly there - yet.

[Romeo Tango Alpha]

Scheisshund,
Once again, you have demonstrated your absolute and utter ignorance. The more you open your gob, the more I am convinced that you are not, and have not been aircrew.

The BIG "I hate Virgin" sign pinned to your back really must be a pain. You are the most bitter and twisted individual! Get over it!

[jedda]

schweinhund,Please keep up the vitriol against VB.I print your posts and hand them to my friends as one more reason why they should fly VB.With a warped mind like yours in a cockpit,why travel with anyone but VB in case you are crew.
I bet you didn't play well as a child !(sorry,as a younger child)

[Dehavillanddriver]

Schweinhund,

After Ansett collapsed Virgin made seats available to displaced passengers that same way that QF did.

They offered the jump seat to displaced AN staff for free.

The difference is/was that Virgin was about 30% of its current size and already operating at in excess of 80% load factors.

It didn't take much to soak up the remaining seats - and without extra aircraft or crews immediately available they could not add extra capacity over night.

QANTAS, to its credit, responded very well and juggled capacity into the domestic market almost immediately.

Yet again you show your ignorance

[200psi]

I would hate to see Busters definition of "a deliberate murderous attack" if this is just an incident.

[Howard Hughes]

200psi, try taking Buster's cold beverage of choice and you just might find out!!

Cheers, HH.

:ok:

PS: I have also noticed, that the regional that I work for have also FAILED to increase capacity to Jakarta, DAMN IT, a bit of a junket in asia would have been great!!

[Buster Hyman]

Main Entry: in·ci·dent
Pronunciation: 'in(t)-s&-d&nt, -"dent
Function: noun
Etymology: Middle English, from Middle French, from Medieval Latin incident-, incidens, from Latin, present participle of incidere to fall into, from in- + cadere to fall -- more at CHANCE
1 : something dependent on or subordinate to something else of greater or principal importance
2 a : an occurrence of an action or situation that is a separate unit of experience : HAPPENING b : an accompanying minor occurrence or condition : CONCOMITANT
3 : an action likely to lead to grave consequences especially in diplomatic matters <a serious border incident>
synonym see OCCURRENCE

Main Entry: at·tack
Pronunciation: &-'tak
Function: verb
Etymology: Middle French attaquer, from (assumed) Old Italian estaccare to attach, from stacca stake, of Germanic origin; akin to Old English staca
transitive senses
1 : to set upon or work against forcefully
2 : to assail with unfriendly or bitter words
3 : to begin to affect or to act on injuriously
4 : to set to work on
5 : to threaten (a piece in chess) with immediate capture

[curfew2]

Last night on the news with Jim Waley, who I admit is a seasoned and respected newsreader, his report on the bombing in Jakarta had this little snippet in it:

"...[reference to the bomb blast], and no foreigners were killed, thank God"!

Am i perhaps being a little too sensitive? The report seemed to convey a subtext that over 100 'locals' either killed or injured were not as significant as a foreigner.


This type of journalism is rife throughout the U.S. An example of which was when the U.S bombed a suspected safe house in Iraq a few months ago.

Australian media reported it as a bombing of a suspected safehouse. X number of people killed including a small child. Locals say no-one in the house was connected with the war.

U.S media reported the bombing of a safehouse. No mention of anything else, since no American soldiers were killed!

Now im not saying the Jim Waley meant to come across like he did, but I think we have to be mindful that just because war, death, destruction is not in our back yard, it doesnt make it any less significant to our sensitivities.

CF2

p.s not trying to be political, but just interested to see if anyone else noticed that part of the report.

[200psi]

Walked into that one I guess :ouch:

[Buster Hyman]

200psi. I certainly didn't mean to diminish the events as they were, but I didn't want to go into details, lest the thread turn to the "incident" itself. My use of the quotation marks means you can think of me standing there with two fingers from each hand in the vicinity of my head going up & down twice....does that help?:ok: :confused: ;)

[compressor stall]

CF2,

Yes I noticed and was equally disgusted by Jim Waley's comment.

Completely and utterly ignoring those who died protecting our bit of land.

I was watching ch9 news under sufferance (an SBS fan myself) and that has reaffirmed in me why I don't watch it!

CS

[Uncommon Sense]

The saddest thing is if their promo line is actually true:

More Australians get their news from CH9 than any other source

God help us (or KP as we call him now)