Once upon a time Australia had an international airline we could be proud of and it was called Qantas.
Then Qantas took that reputation and thoroughly savaged it through cost-cutting and total disregard for its passengers.
That sounds like a fairytale, but it has actually happened with Qantas plunging from one of the top-five airlines in the world, down to 17th in the World Airlines Awards. And there doesn’t seem to be a handsome young prince to save it.
This will be of absolutely no surprise to many people who have flown, or not flown, Qantas of late. Especially for those who had flight credits for the pandemic. Those credits proved almost worthless due to the amount of onerous conditions applied to them. I certainly didn’t even bother trying to get a refund for my regional flight.
And I know one friend who had his overseas flight cancelled, and when he tried to get a refund or a new flight, Qantas charged his credit card for a new flight every time he contacted them to sort it out. Eventually he had an over-the-limit credit card and very little sanity.
Customer service seems to be a dirty word for the airline. There is a new CEO, but she will have to work hard to reverse the airline’s tarnished image.
Do you fly with Qantas? What has been your experience?