Qantas saves the day

[balance]

What the? I've just had a flash of the twilight zone where Teresa lives.

Since when is "QF, JQ and the rest" regarded as the Salvation Army?

A reminder, FNQ and the rest of Nth Aust for that matter, is cyclone prone. These people CHOOSE to live there. They CHOOSE to vacation there. Now, by your logic Teresa, QF, JQ "and the rest (whom I notice you fail to designate who the sh1t the rest actually are - dont they rate a mention?) are suddenly REQUIRED to be a charity organisation? UN-FRICKING-BELIEVABLE.

You seriously believe that everything should be given to you on a platter? No payment required?

You commie left wing hypocritical fool. Go vote for Julia and Bob Brown, you halfwit.

[balance]

Oh, and from the Qantas website:

On Tuesday 1 February, Qantas provided six additional flights from Cairns to Brisbane to assist with evacuation efforts. Extra capacity was also provided out of Townsville.

Fare waiver options are available for Qantas customers holding bookings for flights to and from airports in the affected regions. These are listed on the Major Disruptions section of qantas.com and will be reviewed regularly.

Qantas is working closely with the Queensland Government and will provide as much as assistance as possible to affected communities over the coming days. During the recent flooding in Queensland,

Qantas increased capacity for regional areas and uplifted emergency services personnel and emergency freight, as well as offering considerable fundraising assistance.

Bite me, TG, you bigoted fool.

[ampclamp]

Good on them.Good PR.
Better than another engine blowing!

[C441]

...and here I am just quietly thinking "who's going to pay for the infrastructure rebuild in FNQ. That'd be me probably...and you...and you. Time to cast off some of that NBN spending Julia. We cant afford it."

Thread drift?...someone mentioned Julia a moment ago
If she can afford 40+ bill for the NBN she can afford a few jumbos to Cairo and back from FRA.

Bugger. Just woke up and its not a dream....

[Sunstar320]

"The Government" is paying for these Egypt flights, not Qantas!

[balance]

Gillard isn't, the Government is. And if you bothered to read the post more carefully, you would see that Qantas is on carrying these passengers for free from LHR or FRA.

RTFP.

Edit: Sunstar original post alleged that Gillard was paying....

[Minimbah]

Qantas Charter

I minds the time when there was a weekly Qantas charter from Sydney to Saigon. I can remember seeing that Read & White 707 on the tarmac at Ton Son Nhut after 12 months in SVN and being very happy they were there. Yes, it was a defence charter, but it was not unknown for Ton Son Nhut to be mortared or rocketed and the crews all new that.

If you are sitting at the airport in Cairo with a mad crowd behind you, the best thing you are ever going to see is a White Rat on the tail of the aircraft. It's not only about the money people, it's about Qantas being the national flag carrier and showing the flag. Old fashioned sentiments nowadays, I know, but that's my tuppence worth!

[teresa green]

I am so glad that QF did not have your attitude Balance, after Cyclone Tracy. Australians are going to die tonight, you tosser. Some, if they had the money could now be in BNE. Alas 600 bucks could not be met. Give me a reason that the Australians in Cairo, are more important than the people of FNQ. Oh, by the way, the Gold Coast will not be affected.

[C441]

Gillard is paying for these Egypt flights, not Qantas!

Sunstar. you miss my point.

How is it that we can 'spend' $40B+ on a network that will be superfluous before it's finished, introduce a tax to cover possible loss of face if the deficit blows out another year, and yet some here suggest that Qantas, a private company, should provide, at no cost to the Government, free flights in and out of Cairo and Cairns?

For what its worth TG, I understand all available aircraft were used (including the one available as a result of cancelling an A330 HKG service to provide additional CNS capacity) and they left CNS/TSV full. Even at no cost, no-one was left behind to die - as you suggest.

[4Greens]

Minimbah,

Did some of those charters to Nam. They were certainly appreciated. We used to carry extra beer for the trip home. It soon ran out!

Cheers 4Greens

[balance]

I am so glad that QF did not have your attitude Balance, after Cyclone Tracy.

NEWS FLASH: they were a Government owned entity in 1974. That effectively, is the same as the Government CHARTERING A 747 to fly to Cairo really, isn't it?

I'm glad they dont have your attitude NOW, because if they did, they would be broke, and there would be no QF. But maybe you'd like that? Maybe thats your aim, eh? Jeez, is that your hidden agenda? Do you just plain not like Qantas, and will you take any opportunity to knock em? Don't bother answering, I'll answer for you: YES.

Australians are going to die tonight, you tosser. Some, if they had the money could now be in BNE. Alas 600 bucks could not be met.

Maybe so, "you tosser". But I will guarantee you one thing, "you tosser". IT IS NOT QANTAS' FAULT IN ANY WAY SHAPE OR FORM.

How your distorted logic seems to blame Qantas for someone choosing not to go to a safe evacuation centre, and rather staying in their tin shanty instead, and grumbling about Qantas' high airfares, is just WAAAAAY beyond me.

It is a bizzare, stupid distortion of the truth to imply that Qantas, or any other airline for that matter, is somehow responsible for someone dying tonight in the face of this storm.

Your doing so, frankly disgusts me. It is tantamount to Bob Brown stating that the Brisbane floods were directly attributable to Australias coal miners. It is just stupid, ill-reasoned political posturing, in your case because you have a barrow to push against Qantas.

Give me a reason that the Australians in Cairo, are more important than the people of FNQ.

Riiiight. And who on earth said that they were? Oh yeah, that bitter twisted old fool that goes by the handle Teresa did. I certainly didn't. And reviewing this thread, no-one else did, either. So why the hell imply that they did?

Oh, by the way, the Gold Coast will not be affected.

Thanks for the news update.

Teresa, I'm wondering if it is age or alcohol that is affecting your judgement of this. If it is neither, then that is seriously concerning, because then you have only bitterness to blame.

Suggesting, as you have, that Qantas might be in some way responsible for the loss of lives tonight is an ignorant, baseless and disgusting allegation.

You are the one who should be ashamed. Not QF, JQ (I can't believe I just defended them!), VB or any other airline you might care to mention.

You seem to be one of those people who sit around, blaming others for your lot in life. When something bad happens, guess what? It is someone else's fault?

Take your bitter, twisted and bigoted claims and shove 'em fair where the sun don't shine.

[adsyj]

That is an EPIC spray Balance.

Don't know if it is fully justified or necessary but crikey you gave it some.

TG seems to be pretty good bloke and useful contributor, but I guess it is a tough old school in here at times.

[balance]

Sorry to make you read that adsyj...

I just get very, very bored with ignorance, and TG's attitude today was exactly that.

Again, apologies to all (except TG)!

[teresa green]

Sigh, I can only imagine you, Balance, are a ernest young S/O. Full of good deeds and love of QF. Let a old fella with slides of four stripes for 30 years, and 25 thousand hours let you in on a few secrets. QF does not give a sh%t about you. You are a ID nbr, thats all you will ever be. I have seen Skippers of 30 years finish their last flight and all they got was a letter asking for their ID. You could not possibly be a F/O or a Skipper they worked it out a long time ago what they were worth. No I am not bitter, (only about 89) I have learnt to accept what is handed out to you. You have not answered my question. Why is the flight free from Cairo, where no one has died, and is not free from CNS/TSV where the chances of people dying tonight is very real. And why is it ok with you.

[DEFCON4]

While The Dogs Bark

Qantas mainline is on a downward spiral.Even evacuating Australians out of a country that is imploding cant do it for them.
The worlds best engineering shed shut down
An aging fleet which requires more maintenance
Poor fleet mix
Disengaged staff
An indifferent management who have their noses in the trough
To top it off a sharply falling share price
The emotional connection that Qantas once had with the travelling masses no longer exists.
19% of all Australian Aviation traffic and falling
So who is happy with Qantas ?
Bit like asking who is happy with the NSW state labor government
They have a lot of similarities

[teresa green]

Oh dear, Balance I have just read your blog on another forum. I doubt if you are even a pilot. Are you Joyce's nephew, the one in charge of rubber bands? I thought so.

[balance]

Sigh, I can only imagine you, Balance, are a ernest young S/O. Full of good deeds and love of QF.

You could not possibly be a F/O or a Skipper they worked it out a long time ago what they were worth.

Partially wrong. I am not an S/O. I'm not a Captain, either, but my flying hours and experience aren't far short of yours. I haven't been passed over for Captain either. I have made different choices. You are right, - I am earnest. I do appreciate my company. Mostly, they have looked after me admirably in my career. I appreciate the actions of my superiors in Flt Ops. Maybe not senior management, but hey, I still have a career which is enviable, and I'm happy with that.

I don't appreciate ignorant fools though, and when someone runs down the company I work for on the basis of bigotry and ignorance, well, lets just say you can expect a spray. If the critisism is valid, well, I'll hold my tongue.

QF does not give a sh%t about you. You are a ID nbr, thats all you will ever be.

Sometimes, yes, sometimes no. But that has absolutely NO relevance to this discussion.

No I am not bitter, (only about 89)

Well, thats in the eye of the beholder. In this thread thus far, IMHO, you have come across as very bitter.

Why is the flight free from Cairo, where no one has died, and is not free from CNS/TSV where the chances of people dying tonight is very real. And why is it ok with you.

The flight from Cairo isn't free. The Government has chartered the aircraft. And the Government didn't charter any aircraft to evacuate people from Cairns. Why? Don't know. Ask Anna and Julia. Presumably they will screw you around with a non response (aka Yes Minister).

Is it OK with me that the Government didn't charter aircraft for evacuations from Cairns and Townsville? Well, to a certain extent, yes it is. There is a chance of people dying in Cairo. That is just a nutty part of the world. There is a chance of people dying in NQ tonight. A shocking possibility. So what do we do, evacuate all of them? There is surely too many. Lots wont leave. Where do we find all the aircraft? Who pays? Who do we choose? How much time do we have? Where will the cyclone go? So many questions, most unanswerable.

The question you ask is impossible. In the end, I feel it likely that the Government has chosen the sensible option. These people have chosen to be in that part of the world, knowing that it is cyclone prone. They make their choices, and Qantas was not a consideration in that choice.

TG, the thing that has REALLY got my back up was the insinuation that Qantas has done something wrong here. That their actions may cost lives. WRONG! In almost every case where a national emergency exists, Qantas ARE there! Yes, Qantas do some stuff which is strange at the least, but this is one area that I will not accept critisism of this company, because it is simply wrong. I've seen it time and time again, first hand.

My question to you is this: Why do you expect that Qantas should be a charity organisation? Why do you single out Qantas? Why not Virgin? Why not Areoflot? What on earth is your problem with Qantas?

And I just read your last post, TG. I really dont care what you think I am. I know that you are behaving in a disgusting, putrid, ignorant manner in regard to this discussion. Your allegations are indefensible. Your last post really confirms it. Hang your head in shame you old fool.

It is a true mark of a man that he cant maintain an argument without resorting to personal attacks without rational basis. Doesnt say much about you, it really doesnt.

[teresa green]

Get a life son. OUT of QF.

[Plazbot]

You ****en people disgust me

[balance]

The arrogance of that last post is sad. I truly feel sorry for you, old man.

And I note that you didnt answer my questions. Too hard to take a bit of a look at yourself after all these years of ignorance and bitterness, I guess.