A lot of miles to cover this week. Seven flights to three countries with four airlines.

First Melbourne to Auckland, NZ via Sydney with Qantas.
Then onto the USA via Melbourne with Virgin Australia. Am trying out their Premium Economy product -a year later. Be interesting to see what has changed. Any Virgin Australia 777 flyers have any recommendation as to the better Premium Economy seats?
I get to fly my first Spirit flight in the USA which I will report back on. I chose Spirit deliberately so I could see what they are like. Wish me luck for that flight! Spirit are supposed to be a little like Ryanair (who I hate flying with). I am fascinated to see.

I have flown 842 times. In that time, one child has kept me irritated for an entire flight. As he bounced up and down the seats with his oblivious mother staring at her video screen, an exasperated fellow passenger asked if she had brought anything for her child to do. She looked up and shrugged her shoulders, saying “No” and went back to watching  her screen. A few babies have disturbed my takeoffs and landings but not enough for me to want children removed from my aeroplane. Most I have met on board have been well behaved or in awe or both. On the other hand, adult passengers that talk loudly on night flights, recline their seats, pack the luggage racks badly, keep the light on on night flights, abuse the flight attendants, dirty the lavatories, or step on my feet when walking across the emergency exits, annoy me more. Besides, for the first 15 flights of my life,  I was a child under 12.

So I was very interested in Malaysian Airline’s announcement  last Wednesday that children and infants under the age of 12 will be banned from the upper decks of their new Airbus A380 as well as the plane’s First Class.

The announcement overshadowed almost every other detail of the new Airbus services. The first plane due for delivery in June will start flying Kuala Lumpur daily into London in July. The second one will double the London capacity. KL- Sydney will follow from 25 September, 2012 as flights MH123/122 replacing the Boeing 747-400 aircraft currently serving the route. This means four airlines will be flying A380s into Sydney  and four into London (Emirates, Qantas, Singapore currently operate the plane at those two airports).

The Malaysian A380  has a brand new livery of blue and metal colours (pictured). No decision has been made as to whether the colours will be rolled out to the whole fleet. I really like the livery. The colour represents a new era as they join One World and fight to keep their five star Skytrax rating which is “under review”. (If Skytrax downgrades them, then that means with the loss of Kingfisher’s status, there will be five carrying the 5 star moniker compared with seven last year).

Malaysian’s Airbus A380 will have 494 seats compared with:

• Korean: 407  (my report here)
• Qantas: 450 (not reviewed)
• Singapore: 409/471 (not reviewed)
• Emirates: 489/517 (Three airlines A380s compared)
• China Southern: 506 (not flown yet)
• Air France: 516/538 (Reviewed January, 2012)
• Lufthansa: 526 (Review posted October last year)

There was talk of having four classes with a seat count of 503. Instead, Malaysian has dropped premium Economy and  increased the business cabin on the upper deck.  Seven of the seats are reserved for crew giving the plane 487 seats. 420 of these seats are economy, Business and First Class. On the lower deck are 350 Economy seats and the  eight kid free First class seats. The child proofed upper deck will have 66 Business and 70 economy seats.

First-class pitch will be 85 inches. The seats will flatten out to a full 87-inches. In flight entertainment screens are  23-inch. Business class: 74-inch pitch and full flat bed seats each measuring 72 inches in length  with individual 17-inch IFE screens. Economy-class seats will have a 32 inch pitch and an 18 inch seat width with 10.6-inch individual screens. Every seat on board will have a USB port.  AC electrical outlets Ports will be installed at every Business and First seat and shared with every two seats in Economy.

Now for the child ban. Malaysian have instructed travel agents that their booking system will not allow passengers under 12 in First class, or the upper deck. This is hot on the heels of a 2010 US survey identified that nearly 60% of travellers want airlines to create a family-only section on flights. This was a consequence of a confidential settlement between Qantas and a 67-year-old American passenger who sued the airline after a 3-year-old screamed on her flight. Further,  most  survey respondents said they wished to sit as far away from young children as possible. Those who support banning kids, point out that the chance of a small child or baby being disruptive is far greater than that of any other traveller. Those against point out that children likely to fly Business are usually behaved. plus it means all parents seeking to fly Malaysian will have to fly Economy.

So is this policy Wacky or Wise.? What do you think?

I am not a complete fan of Qantas survival strategy outlined by CEO Joyce in 2011. The strategy involved the following key elements:

1. Paring back Qantas International to key points such as Hong Kong, Bangkok, Los Angeles, Santiago and Dallas, handing passengers over to One World partners at those points
2. Creating a Premium airline in Asia in conjunction with an Asian partner called  RedQ, RedQ Executive Flyer, OneAsia or RedSky, all names Qantas trademarked in Jun-2011  This carrer would operate an initial fleet of eight A320s, growing to 11 in the medium-term, focused on service to key medium-haul Asian destinations like China and India as well as to Australia.
3. Growing Jetstar in Asia

Mr Joyce said in Aug-2011: ”As a nation we used to fly over or via Asia, on our way to Europe. Now we fly to Asia, both for business and relaxation. And as Asian economies grow, the future will be about travel both to and within Asia,”

Strategy one has started with Qantas pulling out of services to London from both Hong-Kong and Bangkok.  The Auckland-Los Angeles services will go in April this year. The airline also added Santiago and dropped Buenos Aries. This means Qantas International is now very light on. Compared to Qatar, Etihad and Emirates, Qantas is starting to look very shabby. Acknowledging the subsidies and favourite tax treatments of some of these airlines, they all offer what is perceived to be very good service on very new aircraft to a very large range of destinations. Despite Mr Joyce’s rhetoric, Qantas International does not fly to key cities in Asia such as Bangalore, Beijing, Delhi, kuala Lumpar, Kyoto, Seoul and Tapei and the carrier will soon drop Mumbai.

As for strategy two, Qantas CEO Alan Joyce emphatically said there were ‘no plans’ or discussions with China Eastern concerning a jointly owned premium carrier (RedQ is one possible name). This strategy has failed to  get traction in Singapore or Malaysia.   Singapore was ruled out after active lobbying from national carrier Singapore Airlines and problems getting landing rights for China. Malaysia became more of interest when Malaysia Airlines announced its intention to join One World.  It also announced an equity swap with Air Asia. However, Malaysian have already planned  their own premium airline named “Sapphire” and Malaysian lost $780million last year.  Qantas pulled the pin on March 12. Next steps anyone? The question on everyone’s lips is: “What is Plan C for Red Q?” One wonders if it is completely dead?

Strategy three  is full throttle, with this week’s decision to form Jetstar Hong Kong with China Eastern Airlines.This move aims to tap into both the Hong Kong and Chinese markets. Jetstar says that budget airlines account for under five per cent of the  Chinese market.  Hong Kong, however, has not been kind to low cost carriers with Oasis Air shutting down in 2008 and Viva Macau Airlines collapsing in 2010.  Qantas and China Eastern are  contributing just $US198 million in start up capital is needed  from both Qantas and China Eastern. With three A320s in 2012 moving to 18 by 2015 this gives  Qantas  rapid passenger growth for a very low cost.

So Qantas Strategy? Two thirds on track?

This is the fourth time I have flown British Airways on this sector- and my last. BA will cease flying this route from this Friday March 3rd.  Qantas will terminate its Bangkok to London services on March 26th and its planes will turn around in Bangkok. Instead both airlines will “swap” passengers at Bangkok. The same thing is happening with their Hong Kong flights. Both airlines will maintain their services via Singapore (the “Kangaroo Route”). This shorter “hop” will be where all through Australia-London passengers will be fed. Passengers going via Hong K and Bangkok will be choosing to stop. I have some disquiet about how these reductions in service will help “sell” Qantas as a carrier which I have blogged about previously.

Competitors on the non stop Bangkok to Sydney sector are now Thai and Emirates. Air Asia, Malaysian, Singapore all offer one stop service.

This was the 22nd British Airways flight in my life.  I also flew their predecessors BEA and BOAC a lot. I have flown them in total enough miles to go around the world four times.

Booking: 10 out of 10

The British Airways website is very clear and very easy to use, It loads quickly. Booking and paying is a breeze.  Entering my frequent flyer number, and choosing my seat was simple. I chose an exit row aisle seat. Love it!

Check In: 10 out of 10

I checked in online and was really disappointed to find that I had lost my emergency exit seat. Worse I now had a middle seat almost at the back of the plane. I looked for seats near the front of the cabin and could not see anything that a 185cm 6’1 frequent flyer would find comfortable so row 51 it was.

On arrival at Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport, I made my way to the clearly signposted British Airways Gold/Business Check in counter where a very friendly check in attendant greeted me.  I mentioned politely to her how disappointed I was to have been relegated from exit row to back. She said “Let me have a look. Well sir, the plane is very full. We have moved you to  another class of srevice. You are in row 18.” In other words, the magic words: “you have an upgrade”. Row 18 on this 747 is in British Airways call “Club World” *Business Class) . Thank you BA!

Lounge: 8 out of 10

Bangkok Airport’s British Airways/ Qantas Business lounge is airy, pleasant and comfortable. The showers were very nice. Food included little mini lamingtons  which made this Australian  very happy.  The lounge could not be faulted.  

Boarding: 8 out of 10

Finding a gate at Bangkok airport always seems a challenge for me. I have been there so many times and I still manage to lose Boarding gates! So I arrived a little stressed at the gate. After that, Boarding was pretty smooth but on the plane itself, the pace felt very frantic. It was a clearly a fully laden flight and passengers and crew seemed to be everywhere. I was glad to be offered a welcome drink! I asked for Sparkling wine but was told I could have champagne instead. (When I last flew Business with Air New Zealand, I asked for a champagne but was told on the ground they could only serve me Sparkling Wine!).

Unlike Business Class on Air New Zealand, Virgin and Qantas, no cabin crew member welcomed passengers on board individually. Crew on these carriers show passengers the ins and outs of the cabin. Not sure if BA don’t do it or if the heavy passenger load precluded it.

On Board: 8 out of 10

The 747 felt old. The interior fittings in Club World (Business) looked dated. My seat was great, however. There were a total of 52 seats in the Club World cabins, all 180-degree fully flat sleeper seats. The window seats all face the rear, as do the E & F seats. The seat has a 20″ width and 73″ pitch. On Qantas 747 on the same route you get 21.5″ and 60″ . Thai gives you 20″ and 55″ on their 747.

I chatted to my seat neighbour, before we raised the privacy screens. He was not convinced about flying backwards.

I initially found the BA service a little out of character. I could not place my finger on what i found jarring about the crew attitude. They won me over when I asked for a sparkling water, however. The cabin attendant leaned forward and said “we don’t have any.  It looks like they drank us out of it from London. It was a very full flight.” He said “I have looked“  Ten minutes later, he was back with a bottle from First Class. Very nice!

Safety: 10 out of 10

I feel I have seen the BA safety video many times now. Is it memorable or dated? Crew took safety briefing and checks carefully. 

Meals: 9 out of 10

Following my doctor’s noting my iron levels are low, I chose steak or my main course, Again, there was the slight jarring of service. Bizarrely, my flight attendant could nt recommend  a wine to accompany it. and even when prompted did not know the difference between the wines on this trolley. The steak with a  nice French red was perfect.

I found out later that British Airways have snacks available for club world passengers including sandwiches, smoothies and chocolates for access through the flight.  They didn’t mention it and I regret I didn’t check it out.

Entertainment: 8 out of 10

British Airways has  ”HighLife Entertainment’s Audio and Video On Demand (AVOD)”. In ClubWorld the flat TV screen is  26cm (10.4 inches). It rotates out in front of you and allowed lots of room to adjust it. noise canceling headphones are, of course, provided.  The 100 movies and TV programmes included lots of Downton Abbey, an excellent Mockmentray about Monty Python’s Life of Brian but one episode only of Mike and Molly, one of Modern family, one of Big Bang and one of Parks and Recreation! There were also 50 music CDs and audio books and 20 games which I didn’t play.

The Verdict:

My rating: 91% (5 out of 5)

Positives:   Meals, Lounge, Check in, Seat

Negatives:  Boarding, lack of Personal welcome

Would I fly them again?  Yes, especially if you upgrade me again- but alas it won’t  be on British Airways on this sector for a while

My last Trip Report: February 14: Malev – Rome (ROM to Budapest (BUD) Boeing 737

In response to an 83 per cent fall in its first-half net profit to $A42 million to December 31 and as a part of a half a billion dollar cost cutting measure. Qantas is pulling out of two more routes in May and cutting 500 jobs in catering, engineering and heavy maintenance. The sectors being lost are:

• Auckland, New Zealand (AKL) to Los Angeles, USA (LAX) QF25 and 26
• Singapore (SIN) to Mumbai (India) (BOM) QF 50 and 51

These cuts are in addition to the previously announced withdrawals in March from the Hong Kong-London and Bangkok-London routes.

The Singapore to Mumbai cancellation is not a total surprise. This route has had a checkered history over the last decade. Qantas planes used to fly non stop to Bombay.Then the Singapore stopover was added.

Then the flight went back to non-stop.

In 2009, the stop in Singapore was added again.The stop meant Qantas could pick up Indian passengers who fly between Singapore and India. The biggest disadvantage of the service was the passenger unfriendly 2am arrival time.

I suspect Jetstar will take up this route soon.

The Auckland to Los Angeles axing is more of a surprise. Qantas have been flying this sector for many decades.I have flown on this route ten times, evenly split between Qantas and Air New Zealand. Up to 2009, the service was operated by a 747 which started in Melbourne, flew to Auckland and then onto Los Angeles.

The 747 was phased out and the route was split into two parts. Today, the time table looks like this:

• QF 25 Dep MEL: 06:00am Arr: AKL 11:40am Boeing 737 (168 pax in 2 classes)
• QF 25 Dep AKL: 03:05pm Arr; LAX 06:40am (same day): Airbus 330 (307 pax in 2 classes)
• QF 26 Dep LAX 11:25pm Arr: AKL 09:55am (2 days later): A330
• QF 26 Dep MEL: 12:45pm Arr: AKL 2:45pm B737

The two aircraft basically turn around so the 737 is shuttling between Melbourne and Auckland and the 330 between Auckland and Los Angeles. There is now a more significant wait in Auckland than there used to be when the same aircraft went all the way through. Passengers can also fly from Sydney to Auckland on QF 55 which arrives at 2;25pm and connect on to the LAX bound A330.

The biggest advantage to me of this service was it allowed me to stop over in New Zealand on the way to or from the USA. This meant I could combine business in two markets in a time efficient cost effective way. I have also noticed that Qantas consistently prices flights on the MEL to lAX via AKL more cheaply than the direct MEL- LAX flights.

I have four concerns with the announced changes:

1. Market Loss

Qantas is effectively removing itself from potential travellers coming from North America, who may wish to combine Australia and New Zealand without backtracking and Australians who may want to combine the USA and New Zealand. I am not sure how big the market is or will be and I know Qantas can re enter the route.

2. Air New Zealand gains Monopoly status

I don’t believe Air New Zealand will go too crazy with fare increases but we will see some reduction in the number of discounted seats available. Air New Zealand still has to price the route at a rate the market will bear and one which is low enough to entice people to fly that distance. In addition Air NZ are still competing with Qantas on LA-SYD and must bear Qantas pricing in mind

3. One World Alliance impacted

There is now a gap for One World round the world tickets. Passengers wanting to include Nee Zealand in a one world round the world itinerary will have to go via Australia to fly a one word carrier to or from North America. We also lose the option of earning One world points on this sector. Every reduction in One world earning capacity pushes me further toward Virgin Australia and  partners and Star Alliance (Air New Zealand belongs to Star).

4. The Joyce Grand Plan

As I have blogged before, I am not a big fan of Alan Joyce’s (pictured) new plan for Qantas. The plan consists of trimming Qantas to a few key routes which feed int One World partner routes at key points (e.g. Hong Kong, Los Angeles, Dallas, London), the creation of a Premium Qantas Asian carrier and the expansion of low cost carrier Jetstar. I fear the trimming of Qantas will reach a point where Qantas is almost a skeleton only. It reminds me of the Uk railway system under Lord Beeching in the 1960s. He reduced the rail system to a few trunk lines by closing as many rural branches as possible. It was only a few years later that people realised that successful main lines gained their passengers from these branch lines. Chopping the branches pushed people into motor vehicles and they by passed the trains altogether. This is now being reversed in the 21st century but the damage to rail lasted almost five decades.

 Reaction

The announced changes have not been greeted with excitement by passengers or employees. Qantas is currently,  the subject of an Australian Parliamentary inquiry as a result of the grounding of the whole airline last October by Mr Joyce. The relationship with the Unions is already at the lowest ebb. That seems to have got even worse with the Transport Workers Union head Tony Sheldon today saying”. “It’s clear the Australian people have got one foul liar running a company and destroying the company,” Sheldon said of Joyce. “It’s become clearer and clearer from both statements within Qantas management privately, and from our politicians in Canberra on both sides of the house, that Qantas intends to strip the flying kangaroo and Jetstar in an operation to maximise profits for the executives.” He went on to demand Qantas be prosecuted as the union felt the job cuts violated Fair Work Australia’s requirements.

The skies will remain turbulent for the Australian Flag Carrier especially as it seeks to avoid a demise like Malev, the Hungarian Flag carrier.

In the meantime, thanks to the crews who have looked after me on the Auckland service. May see you one more time in April!

Qantas A380  VH-OQF called  Charles Kingsford Smith en route to Singapore as QF 32, encountered severe turbulence over India as a result of storms in the region. A minute after the seatbelt sign came on, the plane began a series of drops and pitches. Some passengers has not made it back to their seats and were tossed up in the air, along with anything else not secured. Passengers screamed as the turbulence hit the plane. There were seven injuries- none serious. Passengers have praised the crew and the captain for the way they  handled the situation.

Plane, crew and passengers stayed in Singapore while the plane was checked.

http://video.au.msn.com/watch/video/qantas-lands-safely-after-bad-weather/x2l9923

Hopefully people wont blame Qantas CEO Alan Joyce for this one!

Okay, time for my annual review of airlines to see who I give top and bottom billing to. I rate every airline on every flight i fly vis a vis their offerrings from booking to landing. On my rating scale 5 out of 5 is an almost perfect travel experience. Any airline with:

• 4.7 or more out of 5 is Superb
•  4.4+ Excellent
• 4.1+ Good
• 3.5+ Average
• 3+ Below Average
• Under 3.0 Poor

Superb and Excellent List

1. Emirates once again scooped the pool for me with 5.0 out of 5.0 Consistently good service, food, entertainment, safety means I trust. Disappointed in 2011 that they did not recognise and match my Qantas frequent flyer status
2. Air New Zealand at 4.9 out of 5. This is an airline that is always a joy to fly. Amazing customer service, great food and wine and so many innovative attempts to make flying fun.
3. V Australia – now rolled into Virgin Australia plys the International routes. In all three classes, the V product is excellent earning then an average 4.8 out of 5.
4. Qantas Airways -still came in with 4.8 out of 5. There has been a lot of talk about a decline in Qantas service. On board, I still find the Qantas customer service focus to be there. I cannot say the same with upper management and the disgraceful grounding incident earlier in the year, almost had me remove Qantas from this list.
5. Cathay Pacific- still one of the best in the world though their service has become less consistent recently, their seats are not very comfortable (and are being replaced) and I had a run in over their online booking system in 2010…still get 4.7 out of 5 from me
6. LAN (about to merge with TAM) gives many carries a run for their money with service, cleanliness, food and entertainment.  4.7 out of 5
7. Lufthansa  My 2011 Lufthansa experience was very disappointing but overall I still give the German carrier 4.7 out of 5
8. JetBlue- for me, this low cost carrier has never compromised  servcie, courtesy or on board offerings. There are horror stories of  a grounding in the snowstorms a few years ago which I believe JetBlue learnt from: 4.7
9. Virgin America- the carriemr doesnt make any money but manages to fly customers around in amazing aeroplanes with great service and and an amazing eneternment system. A light in the dark US domestic scene: 4.7
10. Singapore Airlines- othe rpeople rave about Singapore and place them higher. I am satisfied with my 4.6 scoring.
11. Frontier- another low cost carrier makes it into the top ten list. Whether its the free on board chocolate chip cookie, groovy planes, or warm mid west hospitality, Frontier always delivers.

Out of my favourite airlines, three are One World,  three are Star Alliance, two are Virgin linked, three are unaligned and none are Skyteam

My Least Favourite airlines

1. Tiger Airways Australia – my last flight with them was a non event. Arriving 42 minutes before the flight, I found that check in had closed (they have a 45 minute check in cut off and didn’t offer online check in). They had no interest in accommodating two marginally late passengers insisting we buy new tickets. Coupled with their grounding in Australia last year and crappy on board project, Tiger comes  in for me with 1.5 out of 5 which I wonder if it is too generous?
2. Alitalia- enough said with 1.5 out fo 5
3. Ryan Air sits next. Their cheap fares attract but their legendary lack of care for customers, desire for revenue at all other costs earns admiration as a business model but one wonders if its really sustainable long term or will people continue to fly to save a few Euros, pounds or dollars even treated worse than cattle? (2 out of 5)
4. American Airlines. Grumpy service, aged planes and their  built in online ticketing rip off for Australian kept American in the list of worst carriers I have flown. Will bankruptcy improve them? (2.9 out fo 5)
5. US Airlines-How many airlines cancel a flight and invite you to drive  193 miles [310km] for an alternative flight. My US air flights were marginally better this year than my overall experience with them over years. (2.9 out fo 5)

Worthy of Comment

1. I have rated Air Asia at 3 out of 5 but think its time I revised this as people around me rave about them
2. United Airlines- my question in the United/Continental merger is will the Continental part raise the overall standards of United.  Pre merger, I gave United 3.5 out of 5 and Continental 4.7. For my nine 2011 United flights in 2011, I gave the new carrier an average of 3.7 out of 5. This means United is no longer in my bottom carrier list- just. Don’t get excited – they only just make average!
3. After a long absence, in 2011, I began frequenting Delta again. Boy am I impressed. Delta’s overhaul over the last few years has moved them from my no fly list to Good. I would rank them as the best US domestic carrier!
4. Etihad who I flew six times in 2011 were my biggest disappointment. I gave them a solid 4 out of 5 suggesting they are an average carrier. For all of their awards and marketing, I found the hype did not love up to a fairly ordinary global product.

What have been your experiences? Next Thursday:  Cities Visited in 2011

If Qantas, the Australian airline had any doubt as to how the Australian public feel about the once iconic brand, then their latest Social Media campaign has shown them the truth.

It all started innocently. This week Qantas began a new social media campaign called “Qantas Luxury”. From my view it seems to be an attempt to to win back the hearts and minds of Australians concerned about Qantas. The airline has been battered by four issues in the last year particularly:

1. a series of  incidents which have suggested to some that the airline appears to be less safe than it once was
2. a decision to shift more of the airline’s resources offshore
3. some of the most acrimonious relations between the company and the unions ever which has led to months of ongoing industrial conflict
4. the recent grounding of the airline by the CEO Alan Joyce which stranded 10s of thousands of people around the world

On Tuesday at 9am Australia Eastern Summer Time, the Qantas PR department sent these Tweets:

The first Twitter response said : ‘Planes that arrive intact and on time because they’re staffed and maintained by properly-paid, Australia-based personnel.

Then the Tweets poured in. Within two hours, #qantasluxury was sitting on 13 tweets a minute. By the end of the day, some commentators are claimed they had reached 51 tweets a minute. Within 24 hours, the hashtag #qantasluxury had 1.5 million impressions. Most of the Tweets were negative toward Qantas.

The chief executive of Qantas, Alan Joyce on October 31 after the grounding said “I think the Qantas brand is an amazingly resilient brand, and predicted it would bounce back. These tweets suggest the bounce back may take a long time…

PuppyOnTheRadio: BREAKING NEWS: Qantas introduce #QantasLuxury class. Same as standard class, but the plane leaves the ground.

corinne_grant: it’s a few weeks ago, but I wrote this break-up letter to Qantas. Seems pertinent again today. thehoopla.com.au/dear-qantas-me/ #qantasluxury #myarse

GrogsGamut:  #QantasLuxury is that safe feeling that comes from knowing your pilots are wearing the correct coloured ties [a reference to the suspension of pilots for wearing a red tie protesting Qantas management decisions]

jeremysear : Quick note to corporate Australia: when you’re in the middle of crushing your workforce, don’t start a twitter promotion. #QantasLuxury

rgcooke: Can’t wait to see the Air Crash Investigations episode on the #qantasluxury hashtag disaster.

RustyAway: #qantasluxury Alan Joyce giving his ill-gotten pay rise to charity and then resigning.

SoBohring: Not having to worry about the safety demonstration, because you can’t crash if your flight never leaves

Qantas soon had a Social Media #epicfail on their hands!

I think, at this point, they needed to acknowledge the seriousness of the complaints and make an apology to the public. Qantas needed to tell the public that they understand that the grounding of an airline was not going to be compensated for by a few pairs of pyjamas. Instead Qantas tweeted:

@QantasAirways At this rate our #QantasLuxury competition is going to take years to judge.

Ah, yes it will. The sensible thing next would be for the CEO to respond publicly promising that the issues in the tweets will be read and addressed. Then following that up with doing just that. There is enough unambiguous material in the Tweets to help the airline understand how the public feels. Instead Mr Joyce has “gone to ground”, vanishing from public view. He has done this amidst allegations that the action to ground the planes was preplanned. In addition, there is legal action by the pilots’ union alleging their lockout was an over reaction to wearing the wrong colour ties (no planes were cancelled by the pilots’ actions).

Joyce has now declined an invitation to appear before an Australian  senate inquiry into the Qantas Sale Act citing unavailability. This is despite his earlier assurances under oath that he was ”happy to defend [the decision to ground the airline] and talk about it in any forum, anywhere, because it was the right call”.

If the first sensible thing is not followed, then the next sensible action would be to sack Mr Joyce. Despite Amanda Vanstone suggesting he is a nominee for Australian of the year, Mr Joyce has lost the confidence of his flight crews, pilots, frequent flyers and the general public. To restore that confidence, he needs to be the Board’s Sacrificial lamb.

The twitter feed for  #qantasluxury is here: https://twitter.com/#!/search/%23QantasLuxury

You can also find tweets with a mis spelled version of Qantas (the airline does not have a U in its name). https://twitter.com/#!/search/%23QuantasLuxury

In the meantime, one of my favourites:

RT @kiwi_kali: #qantasluxury Somewhere in Qantas HQ a middle aged manager is yelling at a Gen Y social media “expert” to make it stop. / LOL

Roy Morgan has released results, from their regular phone poll survey of public opinion in Australia.  Som key feedback from the Australian public suggets that respondents were:

• more inclined to blame management (56%) than the unions (42%) for the shutdown
• overall disapproving of the shutdown with 61% against it and 35% approving
• wanting federal government sooner (64%) -with 32% disagreeing

This suggests that the Qantas Board and Management have a long row to hoe to get Australians to support their move and new directions.

British actor and Tweetaholic Stephen Fry was en route from Sydney to London today aboard a Qantas A380 operating as QF 31. Four hours out from Singapore, the plane was diverted to Dubai due to engine problems. Bizarrely one year to the day since a Qantas A380 Rolls Royce Trent 900 engine shredded in what could have been a disaster for that airliner. Fry kept us entertained with a blow by blow account of today’s situation which a Qantas spokesperson said was not connected to last year’s issue (Oh yeah? how d they know?):

82 stephenfry:  Taking off from Sydney. Reluctant to turn phone off and tear myself away from @Quora, a service with which I’ve fallen hopelessly in love

stephenfry: That’s it. Phone off now. Starting to taxi. See you all the other side. Singapore first. Then London. Farewell and thank you, Australia. 3 Nov (retweeted by 59)

stephenfry:  A quick stop over in Singapore while they change crews, clean and refuel the plane and whatnot…15 hours ago (retweeted by 33)

stephenfry:  Just before phones off, don’t miss the sublimely talented@TheShowstoppers’s Improv Musical this Fri night @CriTheatre.criterion-theatre.co.uk/Showstopper 14 hours ago (retweeted by 32)

stephenfry:  Bugger. Forced to land in Dubai. An engine has decided not to play. 5 hours ago (retweeted by 77)

stephenfry:  My flight. Still on board. Not sure of we’ll be bussed to the airport lounges or kept aboard while they work on it bbc.co.uk/news/business-…5 hours ago

stephenfry Still stuck on Dubai tarmac. No one seems to know how long we’ll be here. Should’ve landed in London at 6:20. That won’t happen! #qantas 4 hours ago

stephenfry @abcnews24 I think plan is to bus us to the transit lounge and await International Rescue. This plane, the crew tell me, is going nowhere 4 hours ago (re tweeted by 9)

stephenfry:  @abcnews24 I should in all conscience add that staff are being wonderful & that morale is high and the passengers understanding & cheerful 4 hours ago (re-tweeted by 21)

stephenfry:  On a bus from the plane to the terminal now. Who knows what treats lie in store? #qantas 3 hours ago (retweeted by 73)

stephenfry:  @abcnews and I’ve left my wallet on the plane – all my ID cards, money passes etc. I’m going to be siting here for ever and ever and ever 3 hours ago (retweeetd by 29)

stephenfry:  Reunited with wallet & cards so v relieved ! Hurrah. Qantas have gone to the trouble & expense of this: which is nice pic.twitter.com/3sStwLfV 41 minutes ago (retweeted by 42)

In the meantime, over at Weibo.com, the Chinese microblogging equivaent of Twitter, China Southern reported that its first A380 was back in the air after a two day grounding caused by a mechanical fault in the wing flap power-drive system. They had only had the plane for 12 days. Their next A380 is due December and at that point, we might know where they are going to take the planes internationally.