Alan Joyce, the CEO of Qantas, apologised to all of the airline’s passengers after receiving harsh criticism for flight delays, lost luggage, and a host of other problems.
Qantas facing operational challenges
As the national carrier works to resume its best practises following COVID, Qantas said Sunday (21 August) that it is reaching out to millions of its customers to formally apologise for recent operational challenges and thank them for their patience.
In addition to dealing with high levels of sick leave (caused by the flu, COVID, and isolation requirements) as well as a labour shortage across the industry, the airline is implementing a number of initiatives to improve mishandled bags and on-time performance.
In order to improve the travel experience, Qantas has hired 1,500 new employees since April, with more to follow. It has also changed flight schedules and spent $15 million on new technology at important airports.
While it was great to see people back on-board after spending so much time on the ground, the return to flying hasn’t always gone smoothly, Qantas Group CEO Alan Joyce acknowledged in a video message and email sent to frequent flyers on Monday.
Statement from Qantas CEO
“Over the past few months, too many of you have had flights delayed, flights cancelled and bags misplaced. There are good reasons why, but when it comes to what you expect from Qantas, it’s not good enough”
Joyce said
“On behalf of the national carrier, I want to apologise and assure you that we’re working hard to get back to our best. We’re already seeing a sustained improvement in baggage handling and on-time performance, and while factors out of our control like weather can have an impact on our schedule, we expect things to keep improving each week. As well as saying sorry, we also want to say thank you. We’re investing in a range of initiatives including status extensions for Frequent Flyers Silver and above, thousands of Qantas Points and lounge passes. All our Frequent Flyers in Australia and New Zealand will be offered $50 towards a return Qantas flight, which equates to many millions in discounts.”
Furthers commitments
Additionally, Qantas will extend its commitment to provide up to 50% more Classic Reward seat availability through June 30, 2023, with the first round of additional seats becoming available on international and domestic flights at 12 p.m. on Monday. Qantas Points are used to reserve reward seats.
In October of last year, Qantas first made a commitment to increase Classic Reward seats. Since then, more than 80 billion Qantas Points have been redeemed by frequent flyers, with one in every eleven passengers flown on Qantas using a reward seat.
Also read:
US DOT criticises airline delays as “unacceptable” and plans airline scorecard | EXCLUSIVE
Join our telegram group for latest Aviation Updates:-
Stay tuned…