Quote:
Originally Posted by Ash W
What do you want Qantas management to do? They had a plan to replace the older 747's, it's called the A380, the first of which was delivered 2-3 years behind schedule so of course there are going to be 747's that they have kept longer than they wanted to. Yes their interiors are dated a little, but through cabin upgrades etc they are almost as good as any new aircraft out there in terms of passenger comfort, amenity and of course safety.
They have a plan to replace the 767's. These are things called A330's, which have been progressively introduced over the past few years, on time and of course we have the 787's which by the time they make it to the fleet will be delayed by a good few years. Again what can Qantas do to help counter the delay of the 787? Do they go an lease in some aircraft on a temporary basis? If so where do they go? What age aircraft do you think they would get on short term lease?
They have plans to replace the 737-400's, these things called 737-800's have been coming in regularly since 2002. Not sure what you mean that the 737's except on the Tasman look dated, I for one certainly don't think the 30+ 737-800's flying domestically looked all that dated.
Now sure there are some old aircraft in the fleet, but by the same token there are HEAPS of new aircraft too. By my calculation about half the fleet is under 8 years old with a plan to introduce many new aircraft over the next 5 years or so.
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Thanks Ash and I understand the point you make and you are right on a lot of the issues you point out. My concern is not the aircraft but the perception gained by those regular travellers who really don't understand what aircraft they fly on but do take note of the interior of the aircraft and the contrast between the aircraft that have all the 'bells and whistles' such as PTV's and in-seat power (which is why I singled out the 737-800's on the Tasman) and the ones that don't (these are just one example). When people see that Virgin Blue have these inflight 'comforts' and I use them as an example, Air New Zealand is another, I am sure flyers ask themselves the question, where is Qantas at in this regard. My overall point is that although Qantas are replacing aircraft and have their plans, the competition are aswell and are investing in their product. No matter what anyone says, a 20 year old aircraft is not an 8 year old aircraft and my previous post was about aesthetics, the look and feel of an aircraft.
And furthermore, the incident which happened today was very unfortunate, but a serious one nonetheless. Sometimes being the flag carrier can be a hinderance than a help because everything that occurs will always get publicity and almost more than the issue at hand deserves. However, today's incident probably, dare I say, deserves some coverage because it is serious and those 99 people on board I imagine felt at the time it occurred, only the worst thought.
Dave
25th January 2011, 06:01 PM
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