How to Fix the Qantas International Business
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How about makng the most recognized advertisement and possibly one of the top ten ads Australians can be proud of ring true...
The singing choir - been to cities that no longer are operated by Qantas... With "the spirit of Australia" flown by kiwis...
How about linking all companies as a true group/airline conglomerate. Seniority and progression from Regional to lcc to mainline.
How about providing a service!! You earn money from your customers, which in turn makes a profit for your shareholders. You do not make a profit for your shareholders and with the left overs provide an inadequate service.
How about investing in well researched and long term innovative products and services instaed of making decisions based on the highest kpi return or fringe benefit to said person making the decision.
There are millions of examles of the above and why they needto be rectified and you only need to take a flight and talk to real customers and frequent flyers to realise...
I for one always look at Qantas first when flying anywhere. Its only when I jump online and find that not only do they not fly that route anymore, but they don't have any premium products at all through codeshare and I am "forced" to fly lcc.
Ask anyone on the street honest opinions about any airline and everyone is known as the following:
tiger - always late, often cancelled.
Jetstar - bad service, cramped, want a full service
Qantas - don't fly where I want to go and forced elsewhere
virgin - oh their alright... (alright wins as there is no other choice)
unless you fly syd-Mel and even then it's not a happy experience
The singing choir - been to cities that no longer are operated by Qantas... With "the spirit of Australia" flown by kiwis...
How about linking all companies as a true group/airline conglomerate. Seniority and progression from Regional to lcc to mainline.
How about providing a service!! You earn money from your customers, which in turn makes a profit for your shareholders. You do not make a profit for your shareholders and with the left overs provide an inadequate service.
How about investing in well researched and long term innovative products and services instaed of making decisions based on the highest kpi return or fringe benefit to said person making the decision.
There are millions of examles of the above and why they needto be rectified and you only need to take a flight and talk to real customers and frequent flyers to realise...
I for one always look at Qantas first when flying anywhere. Its only when I jump online and find that not only do they not fly that route anymore, but they don't have any premium products at all through codeshare and I am "forced" to fly lcc.
Ask anyone on the street honest opinions about any airline and everyone is known as the following:
tiger - always late, often cancelled.
Jetstar - bad service, cramped, want a full service
Qantas - don't fly where I want to go and forced elsewhere
virgin - oh their alright... (alright wins as there is no other choice)
unless you fly syd-Mel and even then it's not a happy experience
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Good idea for a thread, Steve.
Open and transparent accounting
All aspects of financial reporting between the various groups need to be completely seperate, not just where it suits management. That way we can identify exactly where efficiencies can be gained and which parts are indeed profitable. You can't fix the problem if you can't identify what it is.
Stop transferring work from mainline
Why is maintenance being sent o/s when we could utilise our own engineering. Why aren't 767 pilots who are being paid to do nothing used for the freighter flying? Stop the idiotic mindset that work is given to the lowest bidder, even if that bidder is an outside company and revenue leaves the group.
Aircraft allocations
Why are the first 787s being given to JQ Asia, who have been unprofitable, to be used on unproven new routes with low yield pax, when one of the major issues with mainline is the old aircraft it uses. To me, it seems patently obvious to use older aircraft for low yield, cost driven pax and use newer aircraft for the premium pax. Apparently the board doesn't agree.
Get rid of useless infrastructure and management
What does the PR department do apart from tell lies about the employees? Why do you need a whole department to think up the truth? How many different consulting groups do we need to advise us? What are the managers these consulting groups are advising actually doing?
Restore confidence
Staff ....
The only way management can ever expect to re-engage with the unions is to restore confidence that they are actually managing QF competently and that they are willing to act in good faith. Oh and stop lying to us, and stop lying to other people about us.
Passengers ....
Safety used to be a major strength of the brand. Because of poor management decisions we have seen a massive drop in confidence in the safety of the airline. As I've said elsewhere, our maintenance standards need to be a cut above everyone else because the media crucifies us whenever we have a tech issue, no matter how trivial.
The public ....
In recent times we have seen the Qantas brand name dragged through the mud due to the ill conceived strategies senior management have taken. The Jetconnect court case made them appear as though they were cooking the books, the Senate Inquiry made them appear evasive and misleading and the backflip over the Jetstar cadet basing made them appear as though they were avoiding Australian tax and employment laws. Qantas used to epitomise the meaning of excellence and integrity, now our management appear to the public to be a group of shady con men. How much damage have they done to Qantas?
Open and transparent accounting
All aspects of financial reporting between the various groups need to be completely seperate, not just where it suits management. That way we can identify exactly where efficiencies can be gained and which parts are indeed profitable. You can't fix the problem if you can't identify what it is.
Stop transferring work from mainline
Why is maintenance being sent o/s when we could utilise our own engineering. Why aren't 767 pilots who are being paid to do nothing used for the freighter flying? Stop the idiotic mindset that work is given to the lowest bidder, even if that bidder is an outside company and revenue leaves the group.
Aircraft allocations
Why are the first 787s being given to JQ Asia, who have been unprofitable, to be used on unproven new routes with low yield pax, when one of the major issues with mainline is the old aircraft it uses. To me, it seems patently obvious to use older aircraft for low yield, cost driven pax and use newer aircraft for the premium pax. Apparently the board doesn't agree.
Get rid of useless infrastructure and management
What does the PR department do apart from tell lies about the employees? Why do you need a whole department to think up the truth? How many different consulting groups do we need to advise us? What are the managers these consulting groups are advising actually doing?
Restore confidence
Staff ....
The only way management can ever expect to re-engage with the unions is to restore confidence that they are actually managing QF competently and that they are willing to act in good faith. Oh and stop lying to us, and stop lying to other people about us.
Passengers ....
Safety used to be a major strength of the brand. Because of poor management decisions we have seen a massive drop in confidence in the safety of the airline. As I've said elsewhere, our maintenance standards need to be a cut above everyone else because the media crucifies us whenever we have a tech issue, no matter how trivial.
The public ....
In recent times we have seen the Qantas brand name dragged through the mud due to the ill conceived strategies senior management have taken. The Jetconnect court case made them appear as though they were cooking the books, the Senate Inquiry made them appear evasive and misleading and the backflip over the Jetstar cadet basing made them appear as though they were avoiding Australian tax and employment laws. Qantas used to epitomise the meaning of excellence and integrity, now our management appear to the public to be a group of shady con men. How much damage have they done to Qantas?
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Out of curiousity, if QF went down the 777 route (we all wish), would they go 9 abreast economy seating ala BA, SQ, CX, or would they go the 10 abreast like EK, AF etc?
Out of curiousity, if QF went down the 777 route (we all wish), would they go 9 abreast economy seating ala BA, SQ, CX, or would they go the 10 abreast like EK, AF etc?
They'd be making so much money, their entire strategy of destroying Qantas because it's costs are too high would be unraveled.
The failure to buy 777s is irresponsible, destructive, negligent and incompetent.
Ter be sure, ter be sure
Don't worry though, Bruce will get 'em for Jetstar to compete with SIA
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What about Exec salaries. Is any man worth more than a million a year?
CEO $1m
CFO $750k
and so on.
I don't buy this garbage about offering the best Exec wages to attract the best Executives. Look what we have attracted in the last 10 years. I think there has to be some limit to this excess. If we started at the above levels from the top down I am certain $50m per annum could be saved and I'm sure the management of the airline could only improve.
CEO $1m
CFO $750k
and so on.
I don't buy this garbage about offering the best Exec wages to attract the best Executives. Look what we have attracted in the last 10 years. I think there has to be some limit to this excess. If we started at the above levels from the top down I am certain $50m per annum could be saved and I'm sure the management of the airline could only improve.
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Agreed. The pay of over $1M should be reserved for those digging minerals & bankers, the ones delivering Billions in profit to the shareholders, not short sighted money grubbers with no interest in the business they are running.
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Why is it, when the CEO or board have their wages challenged, they compare their potential income based on NY or London... Yet when it comes to pilot wages, they compare it to asian countries or india?
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Cos they think the employees are Roolly Stoopid...otherwise wouldn't they become managers? 
Or even get dangerously proactive with a program for experienced staff who want to be managers, where they can get company support (even if it's just study leave and access to company resources for projects) to study management 101 and then become managers who 1. have the business degree and 2. have the experience as well! Far more long term and practical than paying for all those blow ins who don't know one end of an aircraft from the other (apologies if Qantas already has this sort of thing? I've never heard it mentioned by anyone who works there...)
Many, many more than that. It's not just Qantas employees who are concerned about this stuff.
Have a manager that actually has experience in the field he is employed - not someone from another industry or someone fresh from a business degree...
I have no doubt that 35,000 people want Qantas to do well,
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How about advertising. Plain and simple. Just take a look at Virgin's advertising campaign. No wonder we are failing (although I think it is deliberate). All we have had lately is bad press.
Since the orange people have taken over the reigns, they have been shoving jet* down every Australian's throat, and have neglected advertising the premium product. What ever happened to the Aussie choir singing the company's anthem??? The only add I have seen lately is a few seconds long with a piece of fruit on it! Who was the Einstein that composed that one???
And how about listening to staff ideas. There is no conduit for idea's for this company. I can think of a few good ones, but won't be posting them on this thread.
Since the orange people have taken over the reigns, they have been shoving jet* down every Australian's throat, and have neglected advertising the premium product. What ever happened to the Aussie choir singing the company's anthem??? The only add I have seen lately is a few seconds long with a piece of fruit on it! Who was the Einstein that composed that one???
And how about listening to staff ideas. There is no conduit for idea's for this company. I can think of a few good ones, but won't be posting them on this thread.
Speaking of advertising. Thursdays Sydney Morning Herald for example. Page 3 or so, a 1/2 page ad for Jetstar. A few pages later, a FULL page ad for Jetstar, oh yeah and happy 7th birthday Jetstar!
Not a single Qantas ad in the whole paper!
Can't even remember the last time I saw a Qantas ad onTV?
Qantas does have a nice big billboard next to the airport, but by the time you get there, you have already bought your ticket - on a different airline!!!
Not a single Qantas ad in the whole paper!
Can't even remember the last time I saw a Qantas ad onTV?
Qantas does have a nice big billboard next to the airport, but by the time you get there, you have already bought your ticket - on a different airline!!!
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Was going to say resume advertising but someone has beat me to it! Qantas simply DON'T advertise anymore. This fact is a clear indication that senior management have absolutely no intention of allowing Qantas to succeed.
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Well this is just the sort of thread we need.... A chance for staff to show their real worth...
As for some think tank ideas for fixing this airline......
*We are paid X amount of dollars to work for 8 or 10 or 12 hours per day. We should be used for all of that time whether it be looking after Jetstar or any other other operator coming to this country.... there is a cash cow sitting there waiting to be exploited.
*Man all Qantas ports overseas with Qantas staff... also picking up customer contracts in those ports to justify/ cover the expense of having our own staff in low frequency ports. Seems to work for BA/CX/UA around the world.
*Stop feeding our customers to Jetstar... paint some A320,s in our colours and have them connect with our fights through SIN/BKK to service popular SE asian destinations. QF owns 49 percent of Jetstar asia, why are we pumping that airline??
*Build a heavy maint/ eng overhaul facility with grants from the government. This will provide job security and an influx of new recruits to the industry.
*Im not sure of the costs, but the 744 is not a bad aircraft ( running costs aside, and as a short term fleet issue) , but to please the punters a refresh of Y class with a bit more room and a good reliable IFE system will keep them coming back. This needs to be done quick till any fleet renewal options are looked at. Let them see and experience why they are paying extra to travel with Qantas!
*Employ inspirational leaders as managers.. people who are willing to look at any new opportunity with an open mind and embracing staff, not deriding them.
*Bonuses should not go to the managers... it should be distributed amongst all staff who contributed to the result, this would allow less wages claims at EBA time, and it would motivate staff to pull out all stops to achieve a positive result.
*A complete review of current route structures.... we have a very good Qantas GROUP network to asian ports, but its just hopeless from there with LHR/FRA as the only options. Lets take back our bread and butter from Jetstar and keep them out of europe.
**ADVERTISE!!! -- All i see is Jetstar, Emirates, SIA billboards and commercials. Start pushing the product here and abroard...
Open the airline up to the public.... so many people are fascinated with the airline industry, have more open days, aircraft inspections, sim visits, tarmac tours.. let people see what we all do and how we do it. At the moment it resembles a communist gulag... information censoring, lies, cooked books and mistrust.
These are off the top of my head and also based on what I hear from regular passengers... and I can say with out hesitation, most of the people who are forced on to jetstar are not happy about it.....
People are watching QF, they have always had a fascination with it as an iconic company.. and are wanting to support it.. but the management need to come up with something fresh, unique and AUSTRALIAN.
Anything we do to fix this airline will take a significant investment, but it will reap rewards. To do nothing will only end up in a disaster.
No one will win!
I know these are just ideas in these threads... but ideas are where genius starts.
As for some think tank ideas for fixing this airline......
*We are paid X amount of dollars to work for 8 or 10 or 12 hours per day. We should be used for all of that time whether it be looking after Jetstar or any other other operator coming to this country.... there is a cash cow sitting there waiting to be exploited.
*Man all Qantas ports overseas with Qantas staff... also picking up customer contracts in those ports to justify/ cover the expense of having our own staff in low frequency ports. Seems to work for BA/CX/UA around the world.
*Stop feeding our customers to Jetstar... paint some A320,s in our colours and have them connect with our fights through SIN/BKK to service popular SE asian destinations. QF owns 49 percent of Jetstar asia, why are we pumping that airline??
*Build a heavy maint/ eng overhaul facility with grants from the government. This will provide job security and an influx of new recruits to the industry.
*Im not sure of the costs, but the 744 is not a bad aircraft ( running costs aside, and as a short term fleet issue) , but to please the punters a refresh of Y class with a bit more room and a good reliable IFE system will keep them coming back. This needs to be done quick till any fleet renewal options are looked at. Let them see and experience why they are paying extra to travel with Qantas!
*Employ inspirational leaders as managers.. people who are willing to look at any new opportunity with an open mind and embracing staff, not deriding them.
*Bonuses should not go to the managers... it should be distributed amongst all staff who contributed to the result, this would allow less wages claims at EBA time, and it would motivate staff to pull out all stops to achieve a positive result.
*A complete review of current route structures.... we have a very good Qantas GROUP network to asian ports, but its just hopeless from there with LHR/FRA as the only options. Lets take back our bread and butter from Jetstar and keep them out of europe.
**ADVERTISE!!! -- All i see is Jetstar, Emirates, SIA billboards and commercials. Start pushing the product here and abroard...
Open the airline up to the public.... so many people are fascinated with the airline industry, have more open days, aircraft inspections, sim visits, tarmac tours.. let people see what we all do and how we do it. At the moment it resembles a communist gulag... information censoring, lies, cooked books and mistrust.
These are off the top of my head and also based on what I hear from regular passengers... and I can say with out hesitation, most of the people who are forced on to jetstar are not happy about it.....
People are watching QF, they have always had a fascination with it as an iconic company.. and are wanting to support it.. but the management need to come up with something fresh, unique and AUSTRALIAN.
Anything we do to fix this airline will take a significant investment, but it will reap rewards. To do nothing will only end up in a disaster.
No one will win!
I know these are just ideas in these threads... but ideas are where genius starts.
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Steve,
Great post.
With regard to what we call QANTAS, it should be a "PREMIUM" airline, not LEGACY.
In line with this, and contrary to some posters who suggest we need to focus on cutting costs and reducing fares, we should be giving reasons for customers to justify paying that little bit more... by offering a premium product.
QANTAS has been far too reactive... they need to be on the front foot; innovate and lead the pack. Offer modern aircraft, superior service, meal of choice in business and first.
This requires a visionary leader... something QANTAS don't have. They need to look for somebody who can lead and motivate the frontline staff and somebody who understands the concept of being an industry leader!
Great post.
With regard to what we call QANTAS, it should be a "PREMIUM" airline, not LEGACY.
In line with this, and contrary to some posters who suggest we need to focus on cutting costs and reducing fares, we should be giving reasons for customers to justify paying that little bit more... by offering a premium product.
QANTAS has been far too reactive... they need to be on the front foot; innovate and lead the pack. Offer modern aircraft, superior service, meal of choice in business and first.
This requires a visionary leader... something QANTAS don't have. They need to look for somebody who can lead and motivate the frontline staff and somebody who understands the concept of being an industry leader!
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*Im not sure of the costs, but the 744 is not a bad aircraft ( running costs aside, and as a short term fleet issue) , but to please the punters a refresh of Y class with a bit more room and a good reliable IFE system will keep them coming back.
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1.Proportion the advertising budget according to revenue contribution.
2.In XXX the domestic terminal is a sacred virgin. The labor excesses is just bull$hit yet management sit back and do nothing because some manager is getting a FAT BONUS due it domestic on time departure KPI. The lame less tarmac is coming Virgin use it so does Jetstuk we may as well embrace but still have enough rovers to keep on-time departure No1 in Australia. That's seems to be keeping our market share but the domestic need a rocket in there labor allocation. I see a 12 hour LAME with 3.5 allocated transits.....just bull$hit !! At the Int we are 70-80% allocated.
3. Customer contracts. PHUCKME Cancel redundancies and get rid of customer contracts = Dissolve revenues and keep costs. Any monkey with a desire of peanuts would surely work out out this decision is not that sharp. Which tosser in Sydney decided to get rid of the customers and keep the expenses. Use excess domestic labor and move them the international terminals to provide arms and legs for the customer contracts. There's plenty of INT boys with B777 and A340 approvals to act at licences while others provide arms and legs and yes you shiny ar$e sparkies may have to change a wheel now and then because SIA and MH don't use Rockwell so you won't have much to do.
That will do for now.
2.In XXX the domestic terminal is a sacred virgin. The labor excesses is just bull$hit yet management sit back and do nothing because some manager is getting a FAT BONUS due it domestic on time departure KPI. The lame less tarmac is coming Virgin use it so does Jetstuk we may as well embrace but still have enough rovers to keep on-time departure No1 in Australia. That's seems to be keeping our market share but the domestic need a rocket in there labor allocation. I see a 12 hour LAME with 3.5 allocated transits.....just bull$hit !! At the Int we are 70-80% allocated.
3. Customer contracts. PHUCKME Cancel redundancies and get rid of customer contracts = Dissolve revenues and keep costs. Any monkey with a desire of peanuts would surely work out out this decision is not that sharp. Which tosser in Sydney decided to get rid of the customers and keep the expenses. Use excess domestic labor and move them the international terminals to provide arms and legs for the customer contracts. There's plenty of INT boys with B777 and A340 approvals to act at licences while others provide arms and legs and yes you shiny ar$e sparkies may have to change a wheel now and then because SIA and MH don't use Rockwell so you won't have much to do.
That will do for now.
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from the lh cabin crew_
punters tired of tired old a/c....767, tv screens in the ceiling showing 1 program, each in different colours! .....747 ife so bad that pax would be happy to see anything on the screen!
pax are also ticked off being forced to fly jetstar.... to ool, bkk from mel etc. they are now choosing to fly thai and other (virgin) PREMIUM airlines.
flat beds in j/c, we are so far behind our competitors
from cc perspective_
we have so many managers but the only way to get a meeting with them is to waylay them at the coffee shop across the road and around the corner from QCC.
give us enough meals in premium and economy so that passengers get their choice from the menu.
handing out clause 11's (official warning) like confetti for trivial offences doesn't engender engagement. neither does 'summer school' for the csm and css' that management want to be rid of seem to be working, particularly when the shiny noses are running the courses.
my rant over.
must be hundreds of other issues i've not mentioned but time for a beer
punters tired of tired old a/c....767, tv screens in the ceiling showing 1 program, each in different colours! .....747 ife so bad that pax would be happy to see anything on the screen!
pax are also ticked off being forced to fly jetstar.... to ool, bkk from mel etc. they are now choosing to fly thai and other (virgin) PREMIUM airlines.
flat beds in j/c, we are so far behind our competitors
from cc perspective_
we have so many managers but the only way to get a meeting with them is to waylay them at the coffee shop across the road and around the corner from QCC.
give us enough meals in premium and economy so that passengers get their choice from the menu.
handing out clause 11's (official warning) like confetti for trivial offences doesn't engender engagement. neither does 'summer school' for the csm and css' that management want to be rid of seem to be working, particularly when the shiny noses are running the courses.
my rant over.
must be hundreds of other issues i've not mentioned but time for a beer
ALAEA Fed Sec = "Not Dead, just sleeping"
"Legacy" is something you have to look after but produces nothing and you cannot kill it off, so you let is die a natural death by starving it.
Hence "Legacy Aunt". Old person.
"Legacy" is something you have to look after but produces nothing and you cannot kill it off, so you let is die a natural death by starving it.
Hence "Legacy Aunt". Old person.