Joyce ‘retires’ early 👍
You can fool some of the punters some of the time but not all the punters all the time.
QANTAS FREQUENT FLYERS SAY POINTS ‘USELESS JUNK’
Robyn IronsidePublic submissions to the Senate inquiry into bilateral air rights have revealed widespread fury about the Qantas frequent flyer program and the devaluation of its points.
Despite Qantas’s denial that its points are worth less now than pre-Covid, more than half of the 134 submissions to the inquiry claimed the frequent flyer scheme had deteriorated into not much more than a scam.
Of the 99 submissions specifically related to Qantas, 78 complained frequent flyer points were hard to use in the way in which members wanted and were in fact becoming worthless.
“Utterly useless”, “a complete gouge”, “junk points” and “a big scam” were among the terms used to describe the frequent flyer scheme, which turned a $451m profit in the 2023 financial year.
Many of the submissions highlighted the effort frequent flyer members gave to accumulating points in the hope of taking their “dream trip” only to discover they were well short.
Submission 52 explained how the customers had built up a points balance of 737,930 through “years of loyalty to Qantas”.
“These points have been accumulated with great care, and we had envisioned using them to explore various destinations around the world as a way to reward ourselves for years of hard work and dedication,” said the de-identified submission.
“Unfortunately, it has come to our attention that the value of our frequent flyer points has been diminishing due to changes in the program, such as increased redemption rates, limited availability of reward flights, and additional fees and charges.”
Another complained that their son had gifted them “millions of points” yet they were still unable to book the flights they wanted to visit him in Johannesburg.
“What is the use of having all of these frequent flyer points if you can’t use them?” submission 49 asked.
Another calculated that based on the fares being charged and the number of frequent flyer points required, each point was worth about a sixth of a cent.
A couple who took a business class trip to Scotland in 2017 for 430,000 frequent flyer points plus charges were dismayed to learned the same trip booked for 2024 would require all of their 650,000 points plus an additional $16,500. Bali flights that could be booked for about 40,000 points pre-2020 now “cost” 167,000 points.
Qantas said the huge discrepancy between the points required for international business class flights now compared to pre-Covid was explained as “confusion” on the customers’ part.
The Senate committee is due to deliver its final report on Monday but it could be delayed to allow evidence from former Qantas CEO Alan Joyce and Transport Minister Catherine King. Both have been asked to front the committee, with Mr Joyce threatened with jail if he fails to do so.
QANTAS FREQUENT FLYERS SAY POINTS ‘USELESS JUNK’
Robyn IronsidePublic submissions to the Senate inquiry into bilateral air rights have revealed widespread fury about the Qantas frequent flyer program and the devaluation of its points.
Despite Qantas’s denial that its points are worth less now than pre-Covid, more than half of the 134 submissions to the inquiry claimed the frequent flyer scheme had deteriorated into not much more than a scam.
Of the 99 submissions specifically related to Qantas, 78 complained frequent flyer points were hard to use in the way in which members wanted and were in fact becoming worthless.
“Utterly useless”, “a complete gouge”, “junk points” and “a big scam” were among the terms used to describe the frequent flyer scheme, which turned a $451m profit in the 2023 financial year.
Many of the submissions highlighted the effort frequent flyer members gave to accumulating points in the hope of taking their “dream trip” only to discover they were well short.
Submission 52 explained how the customers had built up a points balance of 737,930 through “years of loyalty to Qantas”.
“These points have been accumulated with great care, and we had envisioned using them to explore various destinations around the world as a way to reward ourselves for years of hard work and dedication,” said the de-identified submission.
“Unfortunately, it has come to our attention that the value of our frequent flyer points has been diminishing due to changes in the program, such as increased redemption rates, limited availability of reward flights, and additional fees and charges.”
Another complained that their son had gifted them “millions of points” yet they were still unable to book the flights they wanted to visit him in Johannesburg.
“What is the use of having all of these frequent flyer points if you can’t use them?” submission 49 asked.
Another calculated that based on the fares being charged and the number of frequent flyer points required, each point was worth about a sixth of a cent.
A couple who took a business class trip to Scotland in 2017 for 430,000 frequent flyer points plus charges were dismayed to learned the same trip booked for 2024 would require all of their 650,000 points plus an additional $16,500. Bali flights that could be booked for about 40,000 points pre-2020 now “cost” 167,000 points.
Qantas said the huge discrepancy between the points required for international business class flights now compared to pre-Covid was explained as “confusion” on the customers’ part.
The Senate committee is due to deliver its final report on Monday but it could be delayed to allow evidence from former Qantas CEO Alan Joyce and Transport Minister Catherine King. Both have been asked to front the committee, with Mr Joyce threatened with jail if he fails to do so.
publication of Harbison’s tome, Alan Joyce and Qantas: the Transformation of an Australian Icon
Qantas said the huge discrepancy between the points required for international business class flights now compared to pre-Covid was explained as “confusion” on the customers’ part.
"If they're lucky," he added.
Last edited by Traffic_Is_Er_Was; 4th Oct 2023 at 01:33.
If the book is rewritten to show the actual facts as put by Alston, at least they won't have to change the title.
A Qantas spokesman explained this "confusion" by stating that Qantas could not possibly be held accountable for the customer's beliefs that Frequent Flyer points were worth anything at all. "They're like a second hand car...has no one ever heard of depreciation? Those Frequent Flyer points were only worth any money when we sold them to gullible corporations in the first place. If they're stupid enough to give them away to customers, why should we have to buy them back for the same price we sold them to somebody else for in the first place? I mean, what idiot thought we'd put them in a comfy chair to Rome just because they took out a credit card they can't afford with a bank, or paid their electricity bill on time? Sheesh, it's not hard. They're worth whatever we decide they're worth when we wake up that morning. It's not like they're actual money or anything. If customers don't like the price we're offering, they're free to sell them somewhere else. They might pick up a few bucks for them on Gumtree or Facebook."
"If they're lucky," he added.
A Qantas spokesman explained this "confusion" by stating that Qantas could not possibly be held accountable for the customer's beliefs that Frequent Flyer points were worth anything at all. "They're like a second hand car...has no one ever heard of depreciation? Those Frequent Flyer points were only worth any money when we sold them to gullible corporations in the first place. If they're stupid enough to give them away to customers, why should we have to buy them back for the same price we sold them to somebody else for in the first place? I mean, what idiot thought we'd put them in a comfy chair to Rome just because they took out a credit card they can't afford with a bank, or paid their electricity bill on time? Sheesh, it's not hard. They're worth whatever we decide they're worth when we wake up that morning. It's not like they're actual money or anything. If customers don't like the price we're offering, they're free to sell them somewhere else. They might pick up a few bucks for them on Gumtree or Facebook."
"If they're lucky," he added.
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It’s always the customers’ fault. They should count themselves lucky that Qantas condescended to taking their money in the first place.
Perhaps when Joe Aston finishes reading the Peter Harbison 'fan fiction' he could track down Lucinda Holdforth.
In light of everything that we have heard and read in recent times, her book would be a great read.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...ded-fleet.html
In light of everything that we have heard and read in recent times, her book would be a great read.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...ded-fleet.html
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I'd be surprised if he hasn't but is hamstrung by the deal between Joyce and Holdforth as are AIPA and many other 'interested' parties.
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Just another (very) delayed arrival
————-
Qantas IT blunder leaves corpses in coffins on the tarmac
By Amelia McGuire and Patrick Hatch
KEY POINTS
- Qantas Freight’s IT system outage has affected roughly 25 per cent of the nation’s inbound airfreight.
- Importers of perishable goods such as food and pharmaceuticals have been left waiting up to 10 days.
- An industry body says members are failing to meet contractual delivery deadlines due to the outage.
Cargo operations were sent into disarray after Qantas attempted to switch on a “new, fully integrated cloud-based” management system on September 24, which “did not go as planned”, according to a letter sent to freight customers.
Qantas cargo at Melbourne Airport on Wednesday. CREDIT: JOE ARMAOThe airline’s freight customers said the meltdown has cost them hundreds of thousands of dollars over the past 10 days. Qantas workers have been forced to process shipments manually, causing backlogs of domestic and international deliveries at Sydney, Brisbane and Melbourne airports.
Cargo customers said they have had to wait for up to a week to collect goods needed by their clients the day after landing in Australia, with unrefrigerated fresh produce and pharmaceuticals ruined.
A Qantas spokesperson said the IT issues had been resolved on Tuesday and the domestic backlog had been cleared, but that international deliveries continue to be affected.
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“We are working around the clock to make sure all outstanding items get where they need to go as quickly as possible,” the spokesperson said. Urgent medical supplies and human remains had been prioritised, they said.The situation is particularly bad at Melbourne Airport. One freight forwarder, who was not authorised to speak publicly, said more than 300 units of cargo have piled high at Terminal 1 for the past 10 days. The freight forwarder said Qantas had not communicated with any of its customers, choosing instead to post “vague” website updates.
“We’ve had staff there for days on end without any answer from the airline. A lot of people in our industry do not speak very good English, and we received no heads-up from the company about the update despite having tens of thousands of dollars worth in orders ahead of Christmas,” she said.
“They managed to find KISS’ band gear, so they could play at the AFL grand final. Meanwhile, there are coffins on the tarmac.”
Qantas is one of only three major container terminal operators in Australia that handle the movement of air freight through airports, meaning the system outage has affected roughly 25 per cent of the nation’s inbound airfreight.
Australian Horticultural Exporters and Importers Association chairman Joe Saina said the situation was “a monumental stuff-up by Qantas Freight”. “You’re spending significant money to airfreight stock over, and if you can’t get the stuff sold it goes off,” he said.Saina said importers could generally collect perishable goods like fruit and flowers from the airport within three hours of arriving in Australia. But over the past week, they have had to wait closer to eight hours or until the next day, by which time some produce had spoiled.
“In all three markets on the east coast, I’m aware of [importers] suffering losses as a result of these delays for fresh produce and flowers,” he said. “It’s right across the spectrum from live animals – pets usually – through to fresh foods and produce and other things like pharmaceuticals.”
Joe Carbone, owner of the freight forwarding company Apollo Global Logistics, said it had taken up to a week to receive cargo from Qantas after it arrived in the country, when usually it was available for collection within 24 hours.
“It’s been an absolute disaster,” he said. “Freight has been arriving into the airport and our drivers are going to the terminals to pick up the cargo and being turned away because the cargo can’t be located.”
“We’re talking about a substantial amount of cargo and the more cargo that gets piled up the more inefficient this becomes because the problem just compounds.”
Carbone said most airfreight he handled was for fashion companies who had tight deadlines to deliver goods to
“All airfreight is planned for just-in-time delivery and such delays are not accounted for, hence the cost of importers paying high airfreight costs.”
Freight & Trade Alliance director Paul Zalai said the industry body’s members were failing to meet contractual delivery deadlines with retailers and other customers because of Qantas’ “hopelessly flawed” attempts to process such large cargo volumes manually.
“While the full impact is to be assessed, preliminary feedback from members suggest the delays to date have cost industry hundreds of thousands of dollars,” Zalai said.
Pets appeared to have been affected by the outage too, with AFL star Nathan Broad and his TV personality wife Tayla saying on social media that Qantas left their French bulldog at Melbourne Airport for nine hours last week after a trip from Perth.
Qantas has an airfreight partnership with Australia Post. Asked if its deliveries were affected, a spokesperson for Australia Post said it “understands the delays are largely resolved”.
Last edited by V-Jet; 4th Oct 2023 at 19:19.
It will be a long slog back to $6.20 if they ever get there. Luckily I cashed in at that price.
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Amateurs! Alan Joyce (AC) sold them at $6.74!
Last edited by Lead Balloon; 4th Oct 2023 at 23:34. Reason: To correct the spelling of Alan Joyce (AC)'s first name.
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Such a pedant, Mick! 2,500,000 x 0.0079 = only $19,750. Chicken feed for Alan Joyce (AC).
Insider trading sends Rivkin inside
May 30, 2003 — 10.00amNo mobile phone, no worry beads, no cigars - stockbroker Rene Rivkin stands to lose his trademark possessions during his weekends in jail.
The millionaire Sydney stockbroker will turn up at the Silverwater Correctional Centre on Friday next week for his first taste of nine months of weekend detention.
NSW Supreme Court judge Anthony Whealy imposed the sentence yesterday, also fining Rivkin $30,000 following his conviction for insider trading. The court heard he bought 50,000 Qantas shares hours after hearing of a potential merger between Qantas and Impulse Airlines from then Impulse executive chairman Gerry McGowan. Rivkin make a $346 profit on the deal.
"It cannot be regarded as a trivial offence or one which, because of the modest size of the profit, can simply be swept under the carpet," Justice Whealy said.
"It must be said that throughout his trial the offender displayed an attitude of contemptuous arrogance for the processes which had brought him to trial.
"Mr Rivkin has sought to trivialise these proceedings from the time they were first instituted. In doing so he mocks every investor who expects fair dealing and proper disclosure in share market transactions."Rivkin looked shocked at the sentence. His wife of 31 years, Gayle, burst into tears, wailing: "How could they do this?"
Rivkin comforted his teenage daughter and four grown sons but soon was joking with his legal team and friends after the sentencing. He is expected to appeal, but said little as he left court, to tape an interview with the ABC's Andrew Denton, expected to go to air next Monday.
And just to clock up a few more frequent pedant points, no parentheses for Order of Australia post-nominals when used with the recipients name.
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Right back atcha: There's a possessive apostrophe in "recipient's" in that context...