[Anonymous]

[VintageKrug]

Their new ad campaign out now; what do you think….

https://www.qantasyou.com/#home

[Binman62]

One word….Poor.

Australian centric – focused on domestic audience and then using a A380.

Sorry but QF is a airline in terminal decline. They are in disarray with many senior staff defecting to other carriers.

Sad to see a once great carrier in such a state. But wholly self inflicted through appalling bullying management at the top and throughout the organisation.

[TominScotland]

Binman62 – having a bad hair (or bald patch) day? You seem to have a downer on most subjects.

Not sure what your grumpy problem is with this ad – I think it makes a good point. Of course a theme such as this is domestic focused but what is wrong with that? Why not show off your flagship if you’ve got an A380, which no UK airline has at present.

[FlyingChinaman]

The new QF ad truely reflects the spirits of Australia! But you have to like things Australian to appreciate it .

Qantas domestic product is amongst the three best western airlines domestic services in the world. British Airways European service has a lot to learn from them!

[LuganoPirate]

Nice to see you back FlyingChinaman.

I like the ad. It’s perhaps not the most exciting or even sentimental but seeing that A380 is just great. I hope QF can now put their problems behind them and rebuild into the great airline they once were?

[VintageKrug]

Sadly, I think that will never happen.

If it wasn’t for the booming Australian economy, I doubt Qantas would still be in business.

Like bmi, it’s only a matter of time, probably starting with the sale of the international business and a refocus onto domestic flights, where they’ll be crushed by Virgin Australia.

[FlyingChinaman]

LuganoPirate: Been very busy lately.

I really enjoy travelling on Qantas domestic flights and also their domestic lounges are very nice.

VK may be right in predicting that Qantas will meet stiffer competition from Virgin Australia and must try harder to defend the throne on the domestic market.

I sincerely hope not and safe from demise for as long as China is buying minerals from Australia.

[Binman62]

TominScotland…..
My views are supported by many both in and outside the industry. Notwithstanding they would be still be my view.

As VK notes, if it were not for the domestic operation, which I would acknowledge as being very good, they would already be out of business.

The ad is poor as it focuses on the domestic market which is not going to save them. Indeed most QF campaigns are Australian centric with the “I still call Australia home” campaign being a great example.

They may be well made but they are poorly targeted.

The staff can be excellent but they have been very badly led by the present CEO and the management planned grounding which left thousands stranded across the globe was a catastrophic mistake from which they have yet to recover.

I have personal experience of some of their senior managers both in the UK and overseas and it is not pleasant. The staff, faced with such individuals would be very badly served.

I also understand that the most senior member of staff in the UK ( the 2nd in 2 years) has defected from them while posted to the UK. To this add most of the senior team at Virgin Australia and you can see that a domestic focus may pre long life but it will not save them.

There is more of course from the mixed on board products across fleets, the removal of First, the giveaway of routes to Jetstar and the much trumpeted Asian off shoot hat as filed to materilise.

Thy code share with Air France almost ignoring the Oneworld alliance and the JSA. The complete mess that has been made of the LHR -BKK OZ route is entirely due to QF

They have a proud heritage and an enviable safety record but rather than build on these the current CEO has systematically dismantled the carrier.

Shame really

[rferguson]

I like the ad.

I think ‘the spirit of australians’ can be taken in two different ways.

One way obviously appealing to australians and pulling at the heart strings of their national carrier. And the second, to non-australians as they will fly and be hosted onboard by ‘the spirit of australians’.

I’ve flown QF quite a lot, domestically and internationally and I think in all classes their service is pretty damn good. Especially compared to ten years ago. Crew seem on the whole to be pretty friendly and efficient. A lot of their aircraft are relatively new and those that aren’t are receiving a cabin re-fresh bringing the cabins in line with the A380 product. The product on board is very good in all classes both domestically and internationally, especially when compared to the likes of BA. Their Premium Economy product is exceptional, Business is very good and First (on the A380 anyway) is fantastic. Even economy class passengers still receive nice touches that most other non-asian /middle eastern airlines have abandoned: printed menus, cheese and biscuits, a hot chocolate and camonmille tea service. I like flying with them.

I have to say, having also flown Virgin Australia I really would rate them second to Qantas domestically. They are still somewhere in between a loco and a full service carrier. They still charge for checking in a bag, for food on board, for any drink other than tea, coffee or water. And this is on anything from a 1 hour flight on the east coast trunk routes to a near five hour flight across the country from Sydney to Perth. I’d choose QF over their product any day of the week.

I think the biggest problem for Qantas International is three-fold.

Firstly: They have the wrong fleet. I cannot for a minute understand why ten years ago they did not place an order for 777’s. It would be the perfect fit for so many of their routes and would provide the range to reach any of their current destinations non-stop. In addition to the A380’s, 747’s and 330’s it would have been a perfect fit and capacity could have been juggled much better on a lot of routes. For example, QF’s Santiago or Dallas routes….the only options they have is to operate a gas guzzling 747 or an A380 on the route. These are the only two aircraft types that have the range. Yet a 777 would have been ideal for those routes. More efficient and cost effective than the jumbo and easier to fill than an A380.

Secondly: The fact that they have very little onward feed via their home hubs. Their hubs act pretty much as an originator and terminator for their flights, with the exception of domestic transfers. Airlines in asia, the middle east and to a good degree europe don’t have this problem. For example I operated a Toronto – London flight the other day. We had in total 107 passengers transferring via LHR to BA’s indian destinations alone. Not to mention another 80-odd transferring onto other cities.

And finally: The competition Qantas faces. Some of the best airlines in the world in terms of service. SQ is a huge competitor. CX. And of course the middle eastern goliaths. While the mid east carriers are also a threat to the likes of BA, most of the other competition we have are the mediocre US carriers and other european airlines.

Not to mention the strength of the aussie dollar, the high wages and cost of living in australia etc etc. the poor reputation for reliability due to the industrial strife….

I really do wish them well though, I think they are a great airline.

[LuganoPirate]

Good points and analysis rferguson and Binman.

Just another blow to QF is Austria’s clean air act.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-18669376

If only applied domestically, then should not harm QF as other airlines will be in the same position, though I suppose it may be the straw that becomes too much for some and who don’t fly as a result.

If applied on International routes then it could further hurt Qantas as an extra cost is applied to them that may not apply to their foreign competitors?

[rferguson]

I don’t think Austria’s clean air tax would affect QF too much Lugano.

Hehehe

[TominScotland]

I don’t know, rferguson. Did you not read about the planned new direct QF service between Broome and Saltzburg to capitalise on the growing Mozart-loving mining community in Western Australia?

[LuganoPirate]

OK guys, ho ho, jokes on me. Bl***y iPad self correct again! Should have said “Australia’s” clean air act, but I guess you figured that out already!

[CXDiamond]

I think this looks like a good campaign, it’s forward thinking and fresh. Compare that to another one which was run by an airline closer to home which made much of the fact that there had been many past achievments but offered nothing for the future at all and this is a winner.

[Author]

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