Anybody in Australia has probably heard all about the “Air Australia” carrier’s voluntary liquidation. If you haven’t, you can find out all about the Air Australia collapse here. The really shocking bit was the opportunity this present for Qantas, and how they missed it almost completely.
For those of you reading from areas other than Australia, Qantas is the quintessential Australian national airline. It’s not government-owned, but it has a rich history and historically has been the golden child of the Australian airways. In recent times, Qantas has been marred by union shutouts, threatened strike action, leaving more than a few customers stranded and less than impressed. Days ago it was announced that 500 jobs were being cut, because of a huge drop in profitability.
What’s this got to do with Air Australia? Opportunity. For Qantas, the Air Australia collapse was an opportunity to become the knight in shining armour. With around 4000 Australians stranded overseas, Qantas could have stepped in, saving the day. The cost to provide additional services, bringing stranded passengers home, pales in comparison to the goodwill generated. The “Flying Kangaroo”, looking after Australians when they need it most.
Granted, Qantas are providing some extra services. But there are stories of stranded passengers being required to pay. The Qantas CEO, Alan Joyce, was interviewed on morning television show Sunrise, and asked about how Qantas could help. Rather than a direct, “All Air Australia customers will be flown on Qantas, with no extra charges.”, his answer swerved around as though he was giving somebody directions to the transfer desk.
The point of this isn’t to bag Qantas. They’re my favourite airline. The point is to demonstrate the beautiful opportunity they had to cement their position as Australia’s national carrier, which has unfortunately added little value for them.