AUGUST 24th - QANTAS

[QFdude]

No, QF A380!!

[DrPepz]

ASEAN Open Skies? That's only for capital cities. It was meant to kick in 2 years ago, and now it's apparently kicking in in 2015. And even then, will it? Isn't ASEAN all about that skit they put up at the end of the meeting?

Which interesting city pairs do you have for ASEAN open skies?

Singapore-all the ASEAN capitals perhaps. Dozens of flights SIN-KUL, MNL, CGK, BKK, SGN (but that's not the capital!)

But what other route pairs necessitate a full service premium carrier?

Manila-Bangkok: PR 2x TG 2x 5J 1x daily
Manila-Jakarta: 4x weekly by PR. No other airline flies it
Manila-KUL: PR doesn't even fly it. MH 2x daily

Jakarta-KUL: Dozens of flights

Jakarta-BKK: GA 2x, TG 2x, Indon Air Asia: 1x

Jakarta-Hanoi: Not served

KUL-Hanoi: MH 1x, AK 1x VN 1x

What other routes within the ASEAN capital cities would be of much interest? If you take away SIN and BKK, the other capital cities can barely sustain a daily service. 3K is already serving all ASEAN capitals ex SIN except Laos. Even Rangoon is served by Jetstar Asia in cooperation with Myanmar Airways!

Oh isn't East Timor in ASEAN now. Any takers for Dili-Hanoi? or Rangoon-Jakarta? Silk Air already flies SIN-Dili.

In ASEAN you have Singapore and Burma and every country in between. Every country is culturally, politically and economically different from each other. Most ASEAN countries view each other with suspicion and try to outdo each other. Malaysia regularly has spats with Indonesia and Singapore. Singapore has spats with nearly every country due to small dick syndrome, and the fact it is richer than everyone else. That's why Singapore welcomes Australia into all the ASEAN meets because the rest of South East ASia hates Singapore and Australia, so both countries stick together because of common enemies. And so on.

[ALLTHEWAYSTRAIGHT]

Hmmmm------perhaps QF is learning from the Chinese and all is not what it seems!

[TIMA9X]

ABC News and 7.30 report 16-08-2011

For those who missed it, I thought the 7.30 report was very good, AJ got a few hard questions out of nowhere. What is interesting was the views from the public interviewed at KSA.

[tong]

Not a regular poster but from a pax side of view. I recently booked a trip to Europe for the family. I went to two different Flight centre offices and were basically told the same thing "Last resort would be to fly Qantas" said with a fair degree of disdain. You would think that Qantas would be trying to fix something like that if they were keen on attracting international passengers because it's obviously what FC staff have been prepped to say.

[Team America]

And don't worry, I am sure there will plenty of Aussie pilots willing to go and work for nothing with the "new" QF

[The The]

Notice the rapid blinking in the 7.30 report interview.

"Blink rate tends to increase when people are thinking more or are feeling stressed. This can be an indication of lying as the liar has to keep thinking about what they are saying."

[mcgrath50]

The man is delusional, congratulating himself? Saying the voxpops agree with him when they are clearly very angry at him? Union leaders talking down the brand, since when was Alan a union leader?

[Condition 1]

ALLTHEWAYSTRAIGHT. What you say could be true if indeed the facts were all the way straight. If ALAEA Fed Sec's 60 odd questions would be answered truthfully we'll soon see that constructive accounting as to subsidization of J* by QF is rampant. And the lies as to which branch of the so-called Qantas Group is actually rotten would be spelled out.

Qantas International is not hemorrhaging money, it is being bled deliberately by bloodsucking vermin to push their own parasitic barrows.

Let's forensically investigate the books and then we'll see which trees need shaking. I think you'll find it's your Management mates who'll fall hardest and fastest.

[fishers.ghost]

Ben Sandilands Take

Plane Talking

The fightback must begin today.

[Captain Peacock]

ALLTHEWAYSTRAIGHT what do you do in the industry if you don't mind me asking? Wouldn't happen to be in Q Management?

Sounds to me like an ex Chief Pilot and an ex AIPA pres. That you Chris? Enjoying Tiger?

[Worrals in the wilds]

It appears this press conference revealed nothing much new other than demonstrate that the Qantas media department don't have a clue in delivering a short concise message

That's because they're all busy signing up to PPRuNe to sing praises to the heavenly Joyce. All these new faces...

Pundit, interesting. That sounds very similar to the Lie By Omission concept . Of course any attempt to deceive is a lie, whatever the method used.

The full page 'we're still Orstrayian' ads in the big papers were a particularly making touch. 'We will always be proud that the vast majority of our operations are based in Australia', could probably be completed as; 'because we have to comply with that pesky Qantas Sale Act.

[fdr]

while it may be fun to vent at AJ & Co, at the end of the day, they have both the will and the authority to carry out their "design".

Those affected within the company, or having any affection for the brand have simple choices to proceed with.

1. If AJ's accounting is misleading, then show it. There would be adequate evidence within the organisation to show this if it was the case. If so, produce it to the ACCC.

2. Use the "gift" of the low share price and buy control of the company. The current principle shareholders are hardly impressed with the company performance, and are unlikely to resist. Currently,t hats about 45K each on average to secure your own future, for a majority share, excluding the shares you already own....

3. Depart. Go somewhere else where you may be currently needed. Don't expect much better behaviour by any other management teams though, AJ while being singularly unprepossessing, is characteristic of the malaise within management in this industry.

4. Accept AJ's mumblings as being honest opinions as to the best outcome for QF... . No seriously, there may be truth to that, that the international fleet is a drain, that jetstar can teach SQ, CX, EK how to run businesses... that passengers will be overjoyed to be thrown peanuts (after payment: cash/cheque/visa...) from happily marginalised staff... he may be right. The earth may also be flat. If so, relax and enjoy the ride; the advancing light is the end of the tunnel... honest.

QF needs to change, no question. Management has a duty to tell the truth and not mislead investors and workers.

[22k]

Can i just ask how NOT spending any capital in the international business will help it? I just dont see how setting up a new J* operation, cutting europe routes and setting up another carrier is supposed to help Long Haul? Am i the only one who doesnt get it? How the f&*k is that supposed to help?

[adsyj]

The only way of saving Qantas as we know it, is for the shareholders to start questioning the board and management.

A brave and smart fund manager saved us once before, hopefully one of the big guys can do it again. Maybe the next step from our unions is to to take allegations of "strange accounting" direct to the big shareholders.

Unfortuanetley we the workforce are just not heard not matter how hard we shout.

Best wishes to all my Qantas family, stay strong.

[peuce]

Can i just ask how NOT spending any capital in the international business will help it? I just dont see how setting up a new J* operation, cutting europe routes and setting up another carrier is supposed to help Long Haul? Am i the only one who doesnt get it? How the f&*k is that supposed to help?

No, you aren't the only one.

• Reduce flights to London
• Give away customers to other airlines
• Set up a low cost airline in Japan
• Setup a new(presumably short haul) airline in Singapore?
• Get rid of a few aircraft
• Cancel orders for other aircraft
• Buy a truck load of short haul aircraft for low cost subsidiary

That will surely improve QF Longhaul

I think they're working on the principle that ... if we can get long haul down to no flights, then we'll save a mozza

[Swimbetweentheflags]

Can just picture JB sitting in his office right now with a smile on his face watching AJ imploding Qantas from within.
Senate inquiry was right when they labelled him the irish b..b maker

[Keg]

The points I'm going to try and make today.

Thanks for attending today and fronting the pilot group although I should point out that you’re paid to be here, unlike most of the guys and girls in the audience who are here on a day off, and your positions are relatively safe and possibilities of demotion are remote, again, unlike most of the guys and girls in the audience.

At the Senate inquiry, both Bruce Buchanan and Alan Joyce indicated that J* upheld all the safety requirements of Qantas and yet J* was shown to be inadequate WRT their medical training for F/As, their fatigue management for both flight and cabin crew and to be keen to be employing F/Os with 200 hours- something the Qantas Chief Pilot indicated quite visibly a while back that QF would never do. Bruce and Alan were either dissembling, mistaken or lying- none of which is a good thing for a manager or inspires confidence from those of us who do the job.

In recent PR spin by Qantas we’ve had reports of a 26% pay rise, a $200K pay rise, spas, facials, free flights to London, etc. At best these are a significant distortion of reality although in some cases they are outright lies. On the qantasanswers web site we’ve seen the line that ‘all Qantas operated international flights are operated by Qantas pilots’ which is a deliberate distortion to not mention the ‘jetconnect’ operated flights.

We’ve seen the pilot group labeled as rogues, kamikazes, living on another planet which is apparently called cloud cuckoo land.

So what we see here is a pattern of dissembling, distortion, being economical with the truth and indeed, outright lies. The end result of this is a pathological distrust of ANYTHING that comes from the mouths of my management.

We’ve also seen reports of Qantas diminishing international share even though the 9% J* international has was mostly gifted from us. Recent reports indicated that J* international still wasn’t profitable but yet we never hear anything about it not returning it’s cost of capital and that’s with all the ‘support’ that we provide them.

I have no problem with the setting up of an Asian carrier, I can see the advantages of being in that market place although I think the Asians will see us coming and eat us alive. However I fail to see how decreasing Qantas international’s footprint in the market place is going to lead to increased market share. More likely we’re going to continue to bleed market share- significantly- as people go and fly somewhere else where they don’t have to change off a Qantas flight to a BA one or can go one stop to destination via EK, Qatari, Etihad, etc.

So given QF’s obvious history of distorting the truth, how does this announcement increase QF’s market share and why should we believe anything you tell us in response.

[mcgrath50]

Can't wait to see the response Keg, but somehow I doubt you will ever get one!

[ohallen]

I think that the questions raised are now the hub of the matter.

These are the lies, spin, deceptions that have emanated from this lot up until now, why should anyone believe anything that they are now saying.

The critical issues are:
1. They are starving the product deliberately.
2. They may yet be proven to have misstated the position re financial performance (re ALAEA questions).
3. They are giving away rights on significant QF routes.
4. They present NO plan that presents any strategy except the growth and expansion of Jstar.
5. They are clearly intending to inflict pain on Domestic arm by removal of aircraft so how long will it take them to do the same they are now doing to International.
6. They have provided no information on critical aspects eg 787 so what else are they witholding?

There is no vision beyond orange and at best tokenism to the rest.