QANTAS Again

[D Chan]

Originally Posted by Philip Argy

First we have fumes in the cabin reported to have forced the cancellation of three Melbourne flights today.

These things happen on aircraft of airlines all over the world. Remember the BAe146? Those were notorious for fumes!

[Adam P.]

There is no doubt that the public perception of Qantas is not as high as it once was. "Glad I'm not flying Qantas" is a statement I've heard a lot recently from people not involved in the industry.

Those who are in the industry, of course, are fully aware that niggling issues like those we're seeing reported at the moment are normal for any system as complex as an aeroplane. Normally they wouldn't be reported in the wider media. Unfortunately, attempts to educate the great unwashed about this simple truth are difficult to make - people just don't want to believe that an aeroplane can and does break down.

[Andrew M]

It will be very interesting when the first V Australia flight out of Sydney is cancelled due to a tech problem.

Something to think about

The plane is scheduled to leave at 21:15 Sydney time

The curfew starts at 23:00

While (at this stage) the plane is scheduled to sit on the tarmac in SYD for 14 or so hours before the SYD-LAX flight, I would safely say it won't be too long before a 1hour 45 min delay causes a big headache for VA. A plane can go tech at anytime, regardless of the care it is given in the 14 hour rest period in SYD.

The issue with the flight leaving that late SYD time is there is no chance to get passengers on any other LAX flight as the last SYD-LAX flight on QF/UA/NZ is around 14:00 from memory (someone can correct me)

Added to that with a fleet of 1-3 planes, they won't be able to pull one from anywhere to fix the problem the next day.

So it will be off to a hotel etc etc for the night.

[Andrew McLaughlin]

Originally Posted by Adam P.

Those who are in the industry, of course, are fully aware that niggling issues like those we're seeing reported at the moment are normal for any system as complex as an aeroplane. Normally they wouldn't be reported in the wider media. Unfortunately, attempts to educate the great unwashed about this simple truth are difficult to make - people just don't want to believe that an aeroplane can and does break down.

Tell me about it!

We get calls at the mag all the time from mass media outlets wanting "expert" comment on what's happening. But often when we tell them that we don't believe it's systematic and that many of the occurances happen daily to most airlines around the world, they often don't want to go through with the interview or don't print what we've told them.

The main exception seems to be the ABC, both National and regional stations.

Cheers

[Andrew M]

Originally Posted by Andrew McLaughlin

But often when we tell them that we don't believe it's systematic and that many of the occurances happen daily to most airlines around the world, they often don't want to go through with the interview or don't print what we've told them.

That's why you would never get a job at the Herald Sun, Sydney Morning Herald etc etc

You dont' care enough about rubbish headlines

Full credit for you not spreading crap around that is unwarranted !

Thinking back to Dec 07 into Feb 08 of this year, there was at least 3 days where AC cancelled the SYD-YVR flights due to tech issues with BRAND NEW 777's, yet it never made the news here at all.

Funny that

[Ryan N]

http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599...-29277,00.html

Electrical fault grounds Qantas jet
By David Barbeler
September 07, 2008 06:11pm
Article from: AAP

ANOTHER Qantas flight has been delayed due to technical difficulties, leaving 318 passengers in Brisbane 13 hours behind schedule.

Qantas flight QF175 was due to depart Brisbane for Los Angeles at 11am (AEST).

However, due to a suspected electrical fault, the plane now won't take off until midnight.

A spokesman for Qantas said the flight was delayed due to a fault in the indicator wiring in the electrical wing of the Boeing 747.

"We needed to source a part from Sydney and as a result the crew ran out of hours," he said.

"The 318 passengers have been provided accommodation."

The latest problem came just two days after 220 passengers at Melbourne airport had to get off Sydney-bound QF418 when fumes appeared inside the plane's cabin after the engines started up on Friday morning.

The passengers were accommodated on later flights, Qantas said.

And, late on Thursday night, 308 passengers due to fly from Melbourne to London were forced to camp in the terminal overnight because of damage to a plane's wing.

Flight QF29, due to have taken off at 10.50pm (AEST) on Thursday, eventually left at 6.12am on Friday.

[Philip Argy]

Originally Posted by Adam P.

[-snip-]

Unfortunately, attempts to educate the great unwashed about this simple truth are difficult to make - people just don't want to believe that an aeroplane can and does break down.

Normally I agree with you, Adam, but my sample size of one has experienced more niggling issues with QF in the last 12 months than I've experienced in more than 30 years of frequent flying. That's what now converts each incident from being the unremarkable norm to the sign of something having changed either in terms of checking processes or care or employee engagement or whatever is going on.

I came back tonight from PER on VH-OGD - the a/c was fine but the On-Q video shown was from the beginning of August anticipating the Olympics and the Hyundai football competition and other August events. That's just organisational failure which in my humble opinion points to a slackness that ought not be occuring in a disciplined organisation where safety depends upon discipline and procedures being properly followed. If this were a one-off it would not rate a mention - it's someone's oversight. But it's the aggregation over too short a period of too many such incidents that simply leads me to form an opinion that all is not right.

For every flight I catch I catch two cabs or hire cars (one at each end). It used to be the case that incidents with cabs turning up late or not at all, or being unroadworthy, or drivers who were navigationally challenged were more likely to occur than an incident with the flight. That has now reversed and it's not a figment of my imagination. Unscientific it may be, but it creates a bad impression that as both a QF shareholder and platinum FF I am disappointed to get.

[Adam P.]

G'day Philip.
Fair point. It's people's own experiences that shape their opinions of things, and I can see how your impression of Qantas might have been changed by recent events.
Having said that, however, could it be that with the current level of mainstream reporting, a perception exists for the public that "Qantas is unsafe", however unfair that may be, and the very existance of this is influencing how you interpret your own experiences? In other words, are your own experiences simply reinforcing the subconscious idea (that has been generated by mass media coverage in recent weeks) that something has changed, that Qantas is not as 'safe' as it once was?

[Philip Argy]

No - on the contrary, Adam, I've been just as critical of the media for inaccurate and misleading 'reporting', so that hasn't influenced me at all. My current impressions were reached only very reluctantly and in a context where I've tried to rationalise away each incident until I have just concluded that, although each one can be rationalised, the frequency is excessive based on my past experience, and that therefore reflects un underlying trend that disappoints me.

I wish I had an explanation for what I'm observing, whether it be cost cutting, or a loss of morale and therefore employee engagement, or whatever else it might be - I don't know - but I'd really like to see the trend reversed.

[Kelvin R]

On Friday there was a 734 flying trans tasman with an emergency exit door disabled. PAX were boarded, the front door was closed and then a special briefing was given by the CSM that one of the doors was disabled and could not be used. Not the greatest situation to be in I must admit especially with the wife being a nervous flyer as is.