Seat Review: Qantas A380 International Economy Class

I have reviewed Qantas long haul economy before but recently had my first chance to try out the new(ish) A380 version of economy class. I have long held the view that the A380 is just another plane and not deserving of the hype and theatre that accompanied its launch. Sure it is a lot quieter than other aircraft but it is still just a box in the sky with customers doing whatever they can to get through the next 24 hours tightly packed with 500 other souls. That said, Qantas have taken the time with this new aircraft to revamp their very good economy class product. Unfortunately, in classic Qantas fashion there are parts of the product that fall a long way short of the promise of the marketing. But on the whole the BOOT was very happy with the experience. The BOOT rating for Qantas International. Economy on the A380 is 4.5 stars out of 6 or "Great Seat". Here is the detailed review
Getting on Board	Score 0.5
I may have lost Platinum status (call me Ivanka) but I am still Gold meaning I can enjoy premium check in either when in economy. Oddly there were only two premium counters in operation in Singapore when I was checking in. Meant that even though my status should provide boarding benefits above the normal economy experience, I spent a more than usual amount of time waiting to be checked in. The delays were extended at the gate where there was poor demarcation between premium and non-premium boarding queue. This made for a delayed and close to disorganised boarding process. If boarding for an economy class passenger with high status is confusing and slow, we can safely assume that for regular economy class customers there are still a lot of kinks and improvements for Qantas to make in boarding this large aircraft quickly and efficiently. My status also affords me business class lounge access. The Qantas Business Class Lounge in Singapore has all that is needed in areas of space, quiet and Wi-Fi. There is plenty of room such that an A380 full of people on status does not overcrowd the lounge. The seating and facilities allowed for all that is needed to get comfortable, connect to power and get to work. However the food and drink selection left a lot to be desired. Only a limited selection of drinks, some cheese and crackers and poor selection of tea and coffee (Ivanka I really do miss you) . I have seen better food selection in the Qantas lounge at terminal 2 at Sydney domestic (the backup lounge at Sydney domestic in the Virgin dominated terminal).
The Seat	Score 1.0
By design I was a long way down the back of the bus - row 80. Top tier flyers at Qantas can no longer rely on being assigned exit seats. Qantas how charge $80 for access to an exit row. I am 185cm so paid the extra money. The leg room improvements from the exit row are substantial and for a business traveller worth the extra costs. But there are also some clear downsides to the exit row. You need to measure the gains in leg room over the losses in video access and a narrower seat. With no seat in front of you, there needs to be more in the arm rests. Having the video screen and tray table in the arm rest reduces the width of the seat meaning that some of the gains in leg inches are lost in the width. I found myself in a bank of four seats 80D-G with three other large businessmen. All of us had paid the extra money for the exit precisely because we were larger than the average traveller. Four bigger guys in four narrower seats is not as uncomfortable as four bigger guys in four seats with cramped leg room but it does make for a very tight elbow experience (making eating and computer usage a cirque de solei like contortionist experience). The other disadvantage is that while Qantas has finally made the upgrade necessary to launch their entertainment system prior to take off, with the video screens in the arm rest exit row passengers need to wait an extra 30 minutes until the plane is in the air. The Seat itself has some nice touches. It has a twin recline movement. As the head-rest goes backwards the seat of the seat slides out. Means that while the backwards recline is on par with one's expectations of an economy seat (ie not much), the effect of the seat sliding forward is a much more comfortable and perceptively deeper recline. Last comment - it may just be an issue for the exit row, but the tray table sat oddly against the video screen when both were open. Left me with my hand permanently on any drink when I was watching a movie with the tray table fully open for fear that glasses on the table were not stable enough
The Service	Score 1.0
The crew on this flight were in a good mood and this translated into good service. They were particularly helpful to me in agreeing to hang up my suit bag. I like to carry a suite and a couple of shirts onto the plane in a suit bag. If I can hang this up for the flight it dramatically reduces the need for ironing at my destinations. Staff on this flight were kind enough to hang up my bag in the business class coat area.
The Food	Score 0.5
Qantas continue to deliver in the food area. They provide the best economy food in the sky. A complaint in past reviews has been around out of meal service request for food and drink being handled badly by QF staff. I have found this in business, economy and premium economy of Qantas. If I press the call button and ask a crew member for something to eat or drink outside of a particular service, then Qantas staff often respond with a face that says "can't you see I am resting here" rather than one that says "welcome to the new spirit". Qantas have tried to compensate for this with their new economy class galley/bar area. The fancy flash A380 sales piece on Qantas.com talks of a self-service bar area filled with fruit, ice-creams, snacks and more. The reality is another Qantas promise to reality crash landing. On my flight there were four different cans of soft drink and two types of cookie. Hot drinks were not on display. A very limited selection tucked right and the back of the plane. Not worth the walk.
The Entertainment	Score 1.0
The area of biggest improvement across all Qantas classes in the last two years has been in their entertainment system. Four big improvements. Firstly the screen is a massive size and is clear. I used to squint looking at Qantas screens from the size and from the darkness. With old screens I was leaning forward and pressing the brightness button constantly wishing it went to a brightness setting of 11 to finally realise that watching movies with night time scenes was just a waste of time on Qantas flights. Now the screen is big enough and the resolution good enough that these problems have gone away. Secondly the system is faster. On some Qantas flights I felt like I was watching the interstitial "Q" symbol as much as I watched movies. Now loading times have dramatically increased and programs start almost immediately. Thirdly the audio. Qantas have not stumped up for noise cancelling headsets in economy but they have put in a very nice sound feature. When the entertainment is interrupted by a PA announcement, the volume through entertainment system goes down. This means that movies are interrupted by a quiet word from the captain rather than an ear splitting and brain shattering scream about reaching 35,000ft (I assume this is a deliberate feature). Finally they have a easy to find "kids button". A one push that opens up all of the kids entertainment options. A little touch that spares parents from the shuffle around every 30-90 minutes to help their charges navigate through all the explosions, rom coms and episodes of Top Gear and find the demanded Pixar, Dora and smurfs that children prefer.
BOOT Factor	Score 0.5
There is something really strange about plane design when it comes to the simple things. In the non-plane world we have fantastic designs for simple things like taps and seatbelts. With taps you can turn them on, wash your hands, then turn them off. With seatbelts, everyone from age 5 and up can put on a car seatbelt without the need for a detailed in car instructional video. But on planes these designs gains in the ground-based world were forgotten. Taps need three hands. One to push the buttons and two to be washed. Seatbelts need instructional videos and roving staff to help. Qantas have changed all this. In a hardly revolutionary but very welcome move they have taps that can be used to wash hands easily and a seatbelt that looks and works like a car seat belt. Previous BOOT factors have been much more glamorous than taps and belts but in the airline world sometimes the simple things need a special mention
Final Score	4.5 - Great Seat
Details and scoring system for airline seat reviews Thanks to Tim Riley via Flickr for the photo

How is the Qantas frequent flyer program like an angry Russian Model - Extended Version

A few weeks ago I wrote a post on how losing Qantas Platinum status was like breaking up with a sexy but temperamental Russian super model. I recently wrote and extended version of that post. Here it is....

After ten years I lost platinum status with Qantas. I fell about 8% short of the status credit target so find myself in the unexpected position of carrying a gold rather than platinum frequent flyer card on my many travels. Time away from the black card has allowed me to reflect on what I am missing and the value of platinum membership. I have decided that losing platinum status is like breaking up with a gorgeous but temperamental eastern European super model. They looked beautiful, your friends were impressed and the promise for excitement was high. But in reality you were treated really badly, the private times never matched the public promise and all that sticks in your mind long after the relationship is over is how often you fought over the stupid things they did but refused to apologize for. So how is losing Qantas FF platinum like breaking up with Ivanka - let me tell you.

I try to remember the fond times but there are too many painful memories. Like Ivanka refusing to take me to the coolest nightclubs in case we are spotted by friends, QANTAS revoked my anytime lounge access via an email promising enhancements to the program. Somehow for QANTAS the word enhancement does not mean improvement.

Like Ivanka refusing to do anything around the house "not with these hands" she would cry - there was the look that a long-haul QANTAS staff member would give you if you pressed the call button and asked for a glass of water during what they had clearly designated as "nap time". That is anytime between two hours after take off and two hours before landing.

Like Ivanka looked good around technology and always had the latest high-end gadgets and gizmos but never knew how to use them - there was the two year stint where QF was claiming to have the best in the air video on demand system despite the fact that SQ, CX and many more clearly had better system. Critically I had two years of flights where the Qantas entertainment system crashed every single time.

Like the time Ivanka told me "it was simply impossible (darling)" for her to be able to change her plans to meet my sick mother but then miraculously found a way when she discovered that my mother was drafting her will - there was the time QF told me that there was nothing they could do to get me on a flight. "The system simply won't let me". Only to change their mind and miraculously find a way 1 minute later when told by a colleague you'd better get them out a storm is coming (story here).

But there is an Ivanka moment I will never forget and always be grateful for. Like when she drove through the rain for two hours to pick me up at the side of the road with a flat tire - there was the time I had to get out of Bangkok but there were simply no seats on the QANTAS flight. I went to the airport 2 hours early and sat and waited. With 30 minutes to go before departure there were 40 people queued up trying to get on this flight. From the far right hand corner of the airport the chief check-in agent waved to his colleague staffing the front of the queue and held up two fingers indicating how many seats there were. Without blinking or pausing the agent then pointed to me and one other passenger - granting us the magic tickets home. Sure I had to downgrade to a middle seat economy. But 38 other people went back to there hotel rooms and cried.

So farewell Qantas Platinum/Ivanka. In my dark moments I miss you and wish I was still part of the in-crowd that gravitated around you. But without you my life has less missed expectations and fights on the side of the curb....my friends say I am better off.

(call me)

-------

PS - A news site of note asked me to write this extended version of my Russian model vs Qantas Frequent Flyer programme post then decided to pass on it. What do you think - is this extended post any good?

How is the Qantas frequent flyer program like an angry Russian Model

After ten years I have lost platinum status with Qantas. I fell about 8% short of the status credit target so find myself in the unexpected position of carrying a gold rather than platinum frequent flyer card on my many travels. Time away from the black card has allowed me to reflect on what I am missing and the value of platinum membership. I have decided that losing platinum status is like breaking up with a gorgeous but temperamental eastern European super model. They looked beautiful, your friends were impressed and the promise for excitement was high. But in reality you were treated really badly, the private times never matched the public promise and all that sticks in your mind long after the relationship is over is how often you fought over the stupid things they did but refused to apologize for.

So farewell Qantas Platinum/Ivanka. In my dark moments I miss you and wish I was still part of in crowd that gravitated around you. But without you my life has less missed expectations and fights on the side of the curb....my friends say I am better off.

Thanks to teelwan via flickr for the photo

The BOOT's Frequent Flyer Gold Rush

After 10 years as a Qantas top tier Platinum Frequent Flyer, I failed to re-qualify. Yet in a twist of frequent flyer magic, just as I was losing top status on QF, through a series of status matches and promotions I managed to get Gold on both Velocity (Virgin Blue) and United. I have also been a Gold Singapore member for a number of years. Making 2011 the first year I have been Gold on four airlines at once. I am sure it wont last into 2012 as even with my travelling load, keeping four in Gold is impossible. But I thought I'd share with you (minus the numbers), the river of frequent flyer gold now available to the BOOT.

My Qantas status is an interesting one. I cannot begrudge Qantas from downgrading me as I failed to accumulate the requisite status credits. In the end I accumulated 1,060 against a target of 1,200 (about 10% short). I called and asked Qantas to do me a favour and keep me platinum (quoting ten years) but the answer was a very polite no. But there is a twist here for Qantas. After years of flying with them I am lifetime Gold (you can see the "Lifetime Member" message bottom right of my Qantas card). Therefore with Gold a lifetime status and Platinum unlikely to be regained in 2011 (re-qualification rises to 1,400 status credits), my incentive to fly Qantas to accumulate status credits drops to zero. If I can't get to Platinum and there is not need to fly to stay at Gold, then it is better for me to push as much as I can to retain my other cards. It is strange how incentives work. By missing out (just) on re-qualifying for Platinum, Qantas and oneworld will likely see a dramatic drop off in my flying and United/Singapore/Star will see a dramatic increase in my travel (prices being equal of course).

Qantas were very polite and charming in my downgrade. In fact they sent me a very well designed white with grey markings pack with my lifetime Gold announcing "Introducing a new way to fly" (photo below)

In addition to the new card and the usual "thank you and here you the list of things you get" note from the CEO and head of loyalty, the pack has two RFID chip based luggage tags. The new card also has an RFID chip. Between the two I can check in (for domestic) and drop off my bags without having to go to a kiosk or visit and agent. Assuming it works it means no more boarding cards or luggage tags (domestic only). More photos of the pack and baggage tag below.

QF32, A380, exploding engine and Rolls Royce - listen to the full story on what happened

ABC radio national's current affairs program Background Briefing just published a piece titled "The airline, the engine maker, the 500 passengers and their luck escape".

It contains the most comprehensive analysis I have seen/heard on what happened on that flight and the subsequent battles between Qantas, Rolls Royce, Airbus and others. What makes this reporting particularly interesting is the balance they have met between keeping the explanations simple and digestible for the less technically minded while covering a lot of ground and detail on what spun off where and hit what causing the other thing to explode. This link gives you access to a download, stream or transcript.

Thank you to the Professor for the photo

Seat Review - Qantas Premium Economy (round 2)

After my recent Tokyo to Sydney flight on Qantas Premium Economy I am now able to provide my judgement / kiss of death for the best premium economy seat flying Australia to Europe via Asia. Qantas is the clearly better product and leads similar offerings from Virgin Atlantic and British Airways. The question is not - does Qantas have the best Premium Economy is the sky (it does). The question - is it worth twice the cost of Economy. Answer - depends on who's paying. The BOOT rating for Qantas International Premium Economy is 4.5 stars out of 6 or "Great Seat". Here is the detailed review

Getting on Board	Score 1.0
Qantas has an advantage over other carriers in all instances of boarding as my top tier Platinum status grants me access to their first class lounges regardless of the class I am flying. Something that I miss on VS (though gain on BA). This advantage was particularly acute in Tokyo as I knew to head for the JAL first class Sokura lounge rather than take the monorail to the less impressive and more crowded Qantas Tokyo Business Class lounge. A general tip for you when flying Qantas in Tokyo is take advantage of the JAL lounge and avoid the Qantas one (ditto for CX lounge in HK). Getting on Board itself was a mixed experience. The dual queue set up (one for premium passengers and one for economy) fell apart resulting a huge crowd of pushers and shovers. Once on board the Premium Economy seats are very nicely located just to the left of the middle door. This speeds the boarding process (and the exit process- see BOOT Factor)
The Seat	Score 1.0
Qantas clearly have the largest of the Premium Economy seats. Equally it is clear that have spent a lot of time looking at and avoiding the mistakes make by British Airways and Virgin Atlantic. The entertainment control handset is placed on the lower left of the seat next to the foot rest and a long way away from your legs. Means that there is no chance of accidently bumping and pausing or exiting a movie (a curse that BA suffers from). The area under the seat in front is free from obstruction providing more room to stretch out (both BA and VS had blockages). The pitch is deeper meaning that the seat pocket in front does not jam into your knees (a VS problem). The pillow is a decent size providing for more comfort when trying to doze/sleep (the BA pillow is too small). In addition there are other touches that were appreciated. The blankets used are the Qantas Business Class blankets - with a recent improvement. The early version of this blanket could be quite scratchy or itchy. Like an un-softened woollen jumper. The new version has a sheet lining on one side to increase comfort. The only downside is the footrest. For a guy of my height (185cm) it is useless. In only comes out a little way. Fully extended it does not even touch my calves. Might as well not be there.
The Service	Score 0.5
Qantas service is unfortunately hit or miss depending on the mood of the crew. On this flight service was fine and attentive. Nothing to complain about, nothing to sing about.
The Food	Score 0.5
An unfortunate gap in my review. In accordance with my tips for flying economy - which you can extend to flying Premium Economy - I ate my meals on the ground. A very enjoyable meal in the JAL lounge. I did not eat in the air. That said, I will give them a score of 0.5 because there is no way the QF food could be as bland as BA.
The Entertainment	Score 1.0
I am long term critic of the QF entertainment system. Thankfully from the peak of those criticisms in 2008, they have made improvements. As against their competition in this class (BA and VS) are providing noise cancellation headsets (whereas BA and VS don't). This makes a big difference in the enjoyment of the movie and in the general noise in the cabin. As per the seat comments above, the location of the controls is another plus. A further step up against VS is that QF has placed the headphone jack in an out of the way location. The VS jack jammed into my left thigh causing discomfort. The selection is good - and finally you are able to start movies before take off. Only downside is (like VS) the screen is too reflecting - especially during the well lit meal times. Makes watching a movie with lots of dark or night time scenes (such as Predators) very difficult.
The BOOT factor	Score 0.5
I like the proximity of the seat to the exit. I am a sprinter when it comes to getting of a long-haul flight. Especially at an airport like Sydney where dozens of large long haul aircraft land the second curfew is lifted (6am) there are huge advantages in getting off the plane, through immigration and into a taxi as soon as possible. The first step in that sprint is getting of the plane. The Premium Economy is in a great spot for getting off the plane fast. I also like the size of the cabin. On the plane I flew the Premium Economy seating area was just two rows of 2 x4x2. Means each seat is only one step from the aisle and there are only 16 people in the cabin. Very quiet, very relaxed, even with children.
Final Score	4.5 – Great Seat

Details and scoring system for airline seat reviews

Note this is the second review of Qantas Premium Economy on the BOOT – but my first. My wife did the first one.

BOOT off to Japan on Qantas Premium Economy...maybe

Am off to Tokyo this week care of Qantas Premium Economy....I think.... Rumour has it that the refitted plane including Premium Economy and the updated business class is not yet ready.

Liz Savage (EGM Commercial) of Virgin Blue on the difference between Euro and AU Air markets

For part of today I was at the Australia Pacific Aviation Outlook Summit 2010. Highlight speaker of the seasons I listened to was Liz Savage the (relatively) new Chief Commercial Officer (now Executive General Manager Commercial) of Virgin Blue. Ninemsn is carrying the traditional news part of her speech around DJ's determination to carve a space in between the hard core low cost of Tiger yet steal premium customer share from Qantas. She announced a desire to double DJ's share of the corporate sector from 10% to 20%.

Savage's background (linkedin profile here) was with easyjet and Monarch. She took some time in her speech to share three key differences between the Low Cost/New World Carrier market in Europe and Australia. They are:

1. Number of competitors and low cost carriers: Compared to her time in Europe, Savage was intrigued to discover how concentrated market share was in Australia. This lack of competition was particularly acute for Savage when it came to LCCs. Europe is filled with point to point low cost carriers. Savage mentioned that her previous employer - Monarch - was a medium sized carrier (some 30 aircraft and 100 routes) but was also a profitable airline and of size enough to compete. In Australia, no matter how you measure the market, there a very limited number of competitors - on an absolute scale and relative to Europe;
   
2. Number of secondary airports: Savage reminded us that the success of Ryanair was in no small part due to the use of secondary airports. In Australia there are virtually no secondary airports, forcing low cost and new world carriers to sit with the same airport cost base as the full service/premium carrier(s); and
   
3. Need for an international network: European LCCs can survive and prosper on the back of point to point short haul. But given Australia's distance and market, a carrier must says Savage have an international network (either directly or a virtual one via alliances).

Great to get a new view on the Australian market. Any other major differences between the Euro and Australian air markets?

Qantas In-flight Video Kills Virgin Atlantic Money Shot

Yesterday I flew Auckland to Sydney on Qantas. Playing on their in-flight video was the new Roman Polanski movie Ghost Writer. This movie contains one of the now ubiquitous airline product placements. This one is a doozy.

It starts with Ewan McGregor enjoying a scotch in an amazing looking lounge with no mention of the brand - though clearly the Heathrow Virgin Atlantic Upper Class Lounge. Then it quickly moves to McGregor sitting very comfortably in a beautiful herringbone seat being served by a lovely looking stewardess while both are bathed in red/purple hue lighting. Again no mention of brands but clearly a Virgin Atlantic Upper Class Seat. Then it is time for the closing shot. The sweeping music filled mid shot of the airline filling the sky and filling our screens with the Virgin Atlantic brand. The VS brand money shot. But that is how it plays out in the cinema not on a Qantas flight. No way. As the grainy blackberry photo below shows the money shot is blurred out, the tail is a generic red smudge rather than a bright and embolden declaration of the Virgin brand . Can't blame QF for the mid-air editing - it is a natural reaction to blur out "unsavoury" images from an in-flight video.

BOOT in NZ - back on Qantas for first time in a long time

BOOT will be in NZ this week for a market visit and some hotel meetings. Let me know if there are any readers in Auckland interested in meeting up. Will be flying Qantas which will be first time on a Qantas international in over a year. Will let you know how it goes.

thanks to tm-tm for the photo care of flickr

The BOOT is perfect for Qantas Affiliate Program....really??????

I received an email this morning from Affiliate Future. A company providing marketing services to help companies generate affiliate sales. They are pitching an affiliate relationship between the BOOT and Qantas. The offer is for $15 a sale. The email invite contained this sentence as the big hook to draw me in

"I’m reaching out [to you] as I think Qantas is highly relevant for your site and traffic"

Why is that people write to me (to anyone) to pitch a business without have spent a moment to read the source material. Here are some quote from the BOOT about Qantas.

re relationship with Amadeus
"Unlike the PR love-ins of the previous announcements, Qantas was very happy to very publicly blame the whole thing on Amadeus. Newly appointed Qantas spokesman David Epstein used all of the tact that his former Labour party bosses are famous for by being very polite in his finger pointing but stating clearly and cleanly" [full post]

re service on the A380
"More and more this [service] becomes Qantas' weak point. It is provided to their schedule not the passengers'." [full post]

re the outrageous prices on the AU-US route
"Right now Qantas is gouging me and every other customer on the Pacific Route (East Coast Australia to West coast USA). " [full post]

re changes to frequent flyer program
"I have been fuming about the recent changes to the Qantas Frequent Flyer program." [full post]

re a VOD system that did not work for two years
"Shame on you Mr Cox and shame on you Qantas. Your customers are telling you the system is busted, your staff are telling you the system is busted and the best solution you can come up with is moving seats. This is completely useless advice" [full post]

re Price fixing in air cargo
"Aaah Qantas - the "spirit of Australia". So long as you mean old fashioned pre-colonial convict spirit of Australia to steal as much as you can from anyone you can." [full post]

And this is just a sample. It is not all negative for Qantas here on the BOOT. There are some high praise/positive posts including these three:

• "Thank you Qantas";
• They remain in my top 5 airlines in the world; and
• "In defence of Qantas."

But this is not a site that (if I was Qantas) I would want to be sending to cheques to or having my booking engine on. Clearly Affiliate Future have just printed out a list of top ranked or trafficked sites in travel - especially those generating links for seat reviews - and not bothered to actually look at the site to see if the content would suit the partner.

Let this be my version of the warning post to PR companies and marketing people. Take a moment - just 5 mins will be enough- to look at my site before you write to me. How embarrassing.

First Class is dead. Long Live First Class.

10 years ago last month(January 2000) British Airways changed business class flying forever when they introduced the lie flat business class seat. I am sure that the revenue management team putting together the pricing and yielding plan for that launch did not realise that 10 years later they would be causing the death of first class. The launch itself completely changed the pricing for the standard 3 class airlines. In the early nineties (with the old Business Classes) the general rule for pricing between Economy, Business and First was "double double". Business was twice the cost of Economy. And First twice the cost of Business. But with flat beds stripping out seats, the pricing had to change. The rule went from "double double" to "by four by one point five". Sydney to Europe in economy was a $2,500, Business by 4 at $10,000 and First by 1.5 at $15,000. The gap between the price of Economy and the price of Business grew too great to withstand the Global F'n Crisis.

Today Qantas announced (during the publication of their results) that they would spend $400mm refitting most of the fleet to eliminate first class in all but 12 of its A380s.

On Jan 26 this year Air NZ announced their new plans for class configurations. They announced a revamped business, high end premium economy and the first efforts at beds in economy class. It does not include a first class (Upgrade:Travel Better blog post here on the announcement).

I therefore conclude that First Class is on its deathbed. My prediction is that within the next 3 years (by end 2013) all but the most luxurious of carriers that have flat or near flat Business Class seats (ie everyone bar Emirates, Qatar, Etihad and maybe Singapore) will follow suit and remove First Class from their configurations. That will leave Business as the new First with a huge gap to Premium Economy and smaller gap to Economy. In effect having moved from a 3 class airlines product to a 4 class airline product to a 2.5 class range of product.

But the change will continue. I predict that over the course of the following 7 years (starting in 2013 and ending in 2020) the seats in premium economy will start to lean a little more, then be spaced out a little further, then go a little flatter, then have their own lounges and check ins and finally an airline will announce Krug being served in "Business Class". We will realise that Airlines are back to the "natural order" of front of the plane with flat beds, middle of the plane with large, very comfortable seats and the back filled with grouchy people wondering why they signed up for the "enhanced transportation techniques" afforded by economy class.

In other words we are witnessing the end of First Class....until they rename Business, flatten out Premium and we go round again. Do you agree?

PS - if you like stories and analysis on the life, death and opulence of first class travel check out Shashank Nigam August 2009 post on SimplyFlying called " Singapore Airlines A380 Suites – A Class Beyond First or a First Class Branding Debacle?".

thanks to x-ray delta one via flickr for the photo of a 1959 707 first class on board lounge area

Qantas to Amadeus – what the hell was that???!?

In 2007 Amadeus and Qantas were riding high. A joy filled press release heralded that their relationship would bloom for another ten years. The then CIO John Willett was full of praise saying

"The development of Altéa [Amadeus' airline customer management system], which has become the leading customer management solution for airlines, has been a milestone for the industry and we expect that the next 10 years will help us to innovate further,"

A year later there was a new CIO at Qantas (Jamila Gordon) and the good times continued. The companies announced that the Altéa system was fully implemented. Gordon was filled with the joy and expectation that can only be found in press releases

"Exceptional customer service is a key competitive weapon and you can only deliver this by understanding the needs of individuals which is what the integrated Altéa system provides." She added, "As the operating environment for airlines gets tougher, it is essential that technology is able to both deliver greater operational efficiency as well as support the implementation of policies that build customer loyalty and drive increased revenues."

Remember those words “deliver greater operational efficiency”.

Fast forward to Jan 3 2010 and the Amadeus and Qantas bromance took a blow (though it does not look fatal) when the Amadeus Altéa system appeared to suffer a world wide hour long blue screen of death crash-a-doodle-do. Automated check-in came crashing down. Customers were stuck and airline crews abused. Qantas firstly called it “intermittent” (SMH) . But later an ABC commentator found out that the system had crashed on three separate occasions during the outage period. Delays, angry customers and twitter rant–a-thons ensued.

Unlike the PR love-ins of the previous announcements, Qantas was very happy to very publicly blame the whole thing on Amadeus. Newly appointed Qantas spokesman David Epstein used all of the tact that his former Labour party bosses are famous for by being very polite in his finger pointing but stating clearly and cleanly

"We are seeking assurances this won't happen again,"

(according to a report from the ABC)

The Herald Sun very neatly summed up the response from Amadeus to the blame game “Amadeus could not be reached for comment”. I bet they couldn’t.

Thanks to Aaron Frutman over at Flickr for the phot of Kobe in flight

Resurrection of ReadyRooms - New life for former Qantas online hotels brand

In July 2004, Qantas proudly announced the launch of ReadyRooms (another announcement story here). An online last minute hotel booking system to take on Wotif, Lastminute.com.au (then owned by travel.com.au now owned by Wotif) and RatestoGo (owned by Orbitz). Then sometime around late 2006 early 2007 the ReadyRooms brand disappeared from Qantas sites. It was replaced with a generic "Qantas Hotels" brand. I noticed the brand confusion in this review post of the Qantas online hotels product.

I have just discovered that the ReadyRooms brand and product is back. I spotted a banner advert for the new site and clicked through. Subsequently I have seen a post over at the Publicis Digital site (an advertising firm) saying that they launched the campaign for the new site on October 21 2009.

This new version of ReadyRooms is not being operated by Qantas. Instead, the brand is part of Jetset Travelworld - Australia's number 3 offline travel company. But this does not mean that Qantas has complete divorced itself from ReadyRooms. In June 2008 Jetset Travelworld bought Qantas Holidays off Qantas in exchange for Qantas taking a 58% stake in Jetset (PDF press release here). The "new" ReadyRooms a look, feel and colouring that is not at all like Qantas so there is a clear desire to establish a new and separate brand. But the search results, pricing and hotels are exactly the same as the Qantas Hotels product. Like the Qantas version Jetset's ReadyRooms charges at $4.95 booking fee (called a credit card fee) [note - no fee charged on debit cards. Just credit cards]. Critically - unlike ReadyRooms, the Qantas version of the product comes with frequent flyer miles. In other words Jetset's ReadyRooms is the same product as the Qantas Hotel's product but with less benefits. Not sure that will work.

Jetset have also launched ReadyFlights to sell air. Clearly Jetset have decided their strategy is to go online with a whole new brand approach to get around frachisee issues.

Mile Run: Frequent flyer miles, obsessions and what to do with my relationship with Qantas

I have been mulling over my relationship with Qantas. I have just achieved life time Gold status with them while also qualifying for my ninth year in a row as one of their Platinum fliers. That said, I have not flown Qantas long haul for almost a year. My last trip was economy class Qantas to Singapore almost a year ago. I held my Platinum status through domestic trips on QF and long haul trips on oneworld partners Cathay Pacific, BA and JAL. Choice played a role (I am a big fan of CX Business Class) but more often than not it was price that put me on BA and CX rather than QF - especially as my company has a United preference for Australia to US travel.

So I started a forum thread over at FrequentFlyer.com.au on whether I should chase Qantas Platinum status for another year or move my main frequent flyer account over to BA, CX or American. The discussion is here.

At the same time I cam across this video on the fantastic Elliott.org blog. It is a 18min video documentary of flying enthusiasts/nuts chasing mileage status and bonuses. Including an amazing story of a guy that paid people in northern Thailand to fly a particular routing on Thai four times a day to collect Star Alliance points. Reminded me of the famous Pudding Guy (David Phillips) who earned 1.25mm frequent flyer miles in 1999 just by buying 12,150 yoghurt container sized serves of chocolate pudding.

If you don't have time to watch the video then here are some of the statistical take aways from the video are (in part drawn from a great Economist article from 2005 called "Funny money; Frequent-flyer miles" - pdf version here):

• There are 17-20 Trillion unspent frequent flier miles in circulation;
• This is enough for redemption for 800 million US domestic trip;
  
• This is enough for 160 million first class trips form the US to Asia; and
• (according to the Economist), this is more in circulation that there are dollar bills in the US.
  

As the Econmist says with that much "currency" in circulation and no one looking to restrict or manage supply then regular devaluations are inevitable. In other words - having lots of miles ig great but if you don't spend them then they will be devalued over time. They have to be. Here is the video.

Frequent Flyer from Gabriel Leigh on Vimeo.

thanks to msmail for the photo at flickr

Thank you Qantas

It has been a very difficult week for the BOOT and family. Within moments of turning up for TRAVELtech in Sydney I received a phone call telling me that a close and dear relative had collapsed while on holiday in Berlin, was in a coma and was given a less than 50% chance of living. As you can imagine this was frightening, overwhelming and distressing. Thankfully it is 9 days later and I am on the way home from Berlin to Sydney leaving behind someone who has defied the odds, is in recovery and under the care of fantastic doctors and other family members. With great relief I can now smile and go home.

This is a story for the Business Of Online Travel because there is a travel angle to this harrowing family experience. Within moments of hearing of my relative’s condition I knew I had to get to Berlin fast. I was able – within 60 hours of that first call – to walk into the hospital in Berlin and be a support for my relative and contact for the rest at home all because Qantas did everything they could to be accommodating and helpful. I have been a top tier flyer for Qantas for now 9 years but have also (through this blog) been one of their loudest critics. But when they have come through for me I have also given them praise. This is one of those times. Not only did they get me a points seat on the most convenient flight for me, they we proactive in exploring options and reaching out to me. In addition they were able to deal with my obvious distress and emotional state in a very professional and courteous manner. Thank you Qantas.

I also want to give my thanks to the Department of Foreign Affairs and the consulate in Berlin. They provided support and assistance before and after I arrived in Berlin well beyond any expectation that I had.

Three lies the travel industry keeps telling consumers (with Qantas, Hilton and Virgin Express examples)

Again and again the travel industry thinks that lying to a customer is the best way out of an uncomfortable situation. As a consumer of online travel (a COOT rather than a BOOT) I have come across three standard lies that the industry keeps telling me. They are:

1. I would like to help you but "the system" wont let me;

2. The flight/hotel/boat/train is fully booked; and

3. The flight/boat/train is on time.

Here are those three lies in action. What is common across each of these lies is that I actually received the service or result I was looking for. In each case the service provider gave me something that I did not by rights deserve and helped me out. But I had to work through the lies to get it. The result is that instead of leaving with a fantastic feeling of "thank you for going the extra mile" I leave with "why the hell did you make s$%t up"

Lie 1 care of Qantas "I would like to help you but the system wont let me"

I was in Melbourne yesterday for work, flying Qantas domestic and my meeting finished early. I was on a very restrictive fare so was owed no favours and did not expect any. On the off chance I went to the counter of the Qantas lounge to ask for earlier flight. Either I was going to get a break with an earlier flight or spend three hours on the lounge wi-fi and drinks buffet.

Here is the exchange with the lounge agent as he was busily typing away in the rez system

Agent - " your fare is an inflexible one. Sometimes 'the system' allows me to make a change but sometimes 'they' wont 't let me"

Note the use of the 'they' and the reference to 'the system'. A strong message to me that if there is bad news, it will not be his (the agent's) fault. He went on

Agent- " I am sorry but I can't change these fares"

My colleague and I were about to step aside when another agent (Agent 2) leans over to the first Agent (Agent 1) and says

Agent 2 - "we are getting reports of very bad weather on the way. You should get them [ ie me] out as soon as you can."

Agent 1 - "OK"

He returns to typing on his screen and thirty seconds later gives us two boarding passes for the flight leaving in 25 mins

In one big respect I am grateful to Qantas. I found out (care of a tripit pro alert) that my original flight left almost two hours late. So by putting me on the earlier flight I was home four and a half hours earlier than if I had stayed on the original flight. My fare type did not give me any right to a change. But why did the agent feel the need to blame the system and 'them' when clearly he had complete authority to make a change. I would have understood it if he had told me that my fare was too restrictive and that he would get back to me on a stand by basis later rather than lie to me about how much influence he had.

Lie 2 care of Hilton "The hotel is fully booked"

Back in Cendant days I found myself at the Hilton in Parsippany. A horrible place at the best of times (not Hilton's fault) made worse during one very cold January visit when the company asked me to stay on for four more days than I planned. I called down to the front desk and here is the exchange

Me - "I am due to check out now, but would like to stay. Can I stay longer?"

Front Desk - "I am sorry sir but we are fully booked"

Me - " that's a shame as I would like to stay another four days"

Front Desk - "oh...that's fine I will adjust the check out date"

Me - "do I have to change rooms?"

Front Desk - "no, that's fine...you can stay where you are"

Clearly when I asked to stay longer the front desk person thought I was asking for a late check out not an extension. Understandable given my choice of words But instead of telling me the truth (that for whatever reason late check out was not available) her first instinct was to lie (we are full).

Lie 3 care of Virgin Express "your flight is on time"

I have told this story before in a post about a time I forgot my passport on a trip from London to Brussels. Here is the short version.

I was running very late for a Virgin Express flight (now Brussels Airlines). Here is the exchange with the reservation centre.

Me - "Is this flight on time?"

Virgin Express - "Yes sir, right on time."

Me - "I know you are supposed to say that but I actually need the flight to be delayed as I am running late. So tell me, is the flight on time?"

Virgin Express - "OK sir, the flight is running about 20 mins late."

Me - "Are you sure. I need the flight to be about an hour late for me to make it."

Virgin Express - "OK sir, I am tracking the flight at about an hour and a half late."

Me - "great. Thanks. I'll make it."

Again I benefited from the outcome (catching a flight I should have missed) but the lie was clearly built into the culture and standard customer response script.

Why does the industry do it

My theory is that the industry has created so many complex rules around pricing and yield management that enforcing the resulting restrictions and consumer segmentation has become more of a focus than serving the customer. The rate complexity requires customer care agents to either be very blunt with customers (I am sorry you can't have that because you didn't pay for it ) or undermine their pricing (ok I will give this to you even though you should pay) or lie (I wish I could do it but I can't). The pricing/product differences are a challenge but the right response is better customer care training, improved customer profiling and trusting that giving a customer a last minute helping hand is not going to do long term damage to your pricing structure. Lying to a customer is not (and is never) the right answer

Any thoughts? Do you have examples of when you were lied to or asked to lie to a customer?

Update - other great "lies" that I have seen in twitter responses include

• "the hotel is right by the beach";
• "your flight is boarding now".
  

thanks to La Tête Krançien's at Flickr for the photo

Seat Review - Qantas A380 International Premium Economy

Madame BOOT was in Venice recently for work. Yes she is a road warrior traveller as well. And Yes there are people that work in Venice. Her trip gave the BOOT family an opportunity to review Qantas' new A380 Premium Economy Product. Her quick summary of the experience "Happiness is a low base". Her expectations of Qantas service going into the flight were bad and results were above her expectations. I asked her - "Did you feel like the service was of a standard that should come out of a $10mm investment in the new Qantas customer care centre". Her reply "the customer care is there so long as the customers do not interfere with process. The "process culture" rather than customer care culture of Qantas continues to hold back their product from the high level rating that the seat, entertainment and technical components deserve.

Update - my own review of the product is here where I rate Qantas Premium Economy as the best in it's class

The BOOT rating for Qantas International Premium Economy on the A380 is a 4.0 stars out of 6 or Good Seat". Here is the detailed review (Details and scoring system for airline seat reviews)

Getting on Board	Score 1.0
Madame BOOT had the additional bonus of a Gold membership to help with lounge access. Qantas' business class lounge is well stocked, large and comfortable. It gets a little crowded in nearly abandoned Heathrow Terminal 4 but Sydney and Singapore are a real oasis. As to boarding itself there is a dedicated queue for premium economy which filters straight upstairs for a simple and easy boarding process. A drink is offered immediately and cabin crew where available for help.
The Seat	Score 0.5
"Good but not incredible" was Madame's initial response. The recline is nowhere even in the realm of business class but does allow for sleeping. Unfortunately the foot rest was in the wrong position and at the wrong angle for Madame meaning that her feet were left dangling. This made it hard for her to find a comfortable position for her height. The space between the rows was noticeably greater than economy with "no sardine feeling". But the exit row seat for her return from London to Sydney came with a cost. The exit row extends across the cabin and gives more room to the middle section of seats but this is then used by passengers and (most appalling) staff as a thoroughfare. Means that her relaxation was constantly and regularly interrupted by staff members looking for a short cut from one aisle to the other. Thankfully the VOD screens come out of the arm rest rather than seat in front so the regular herd like movements of wandering crew did not interrupt viewing. The interruption by staff reduced the score here form a 1.0 to a 0.5. The staff culture having a negative impact on the quality of the seat.
The Service	Score 0.0
More and more this becomes Qantas' weak point. It is provided to their schedule not the passengers'. Here are some examples. My wife woke at one point and asked for food outside a meal service (as encouraged by the menu). She was offered a sandwich but then made to wait over 30 minutes so they could bring it along with the next cabin service and therefore not interrupt their routine. On the way to London (not the A380) for a meal Madame was offered "lamb or fish". She asked for "fish", was provided with "lamb" and after a quizzical glance was told by the crew to "eat the lamb and ask for the fish if still hungry later". On the return flight Madame was very unwell and needed to use the bathroom. She stood and tried to give her tray to a crew member to allow her to get to the bathroom quickly. The crew member refused to accept the tray as he was busy. Not good enough Qantas. The training centre is not paying off.
The Food	Score 0.5
"Unremarkable" but closer to business class than economy.
The Entertainment	Score 1.0
Thankfully all of the glitches in the Qantas VOD system have been fixed. There is plenty to choose from. Madame commented particularly on the great selection of non-movie entertainment such as Louis Theroux docu-comedies. She particularly liked the dedicated "kids" button that allowed direct access to the children's entertainment.
The BOOT factor	Score 1.0
She loved the A380. Comments like "it is much quieter", "better air quality", "roomier", "space around you feels bigger". The plane makes a difference. Such as shame that the service culture takes away from this.
Final Score	4.0 - Good Seat

Details and scoring system for airline seat reviews