Angry Qantas customers say the once-beloved airline has gone from Australia’s ‘best to worst’ after Daily Mail Australia revealed what it’s really like to work for the Flying Kangaroo.
Furious employees and sacked workers lifted the lid on what it’s like to work for the ‘Spirit of Australia’ and levelled extraordinary allegations against the airline amid a bitter court battle that could result in a multi-million dollar payout.
The Transport Workers Union took Qantas to court in late 2020, when it was ruled the airline illegally sacked nearly 2,000 baggage handlers, cleaners and ground staff before outsourcing their jobs to foreign-owned providers, including Swissport.
The trickle-down effect has seen jaded customers, with Frequent Flyer members saying they are looking elsewhere due to surging costs of fares.
Aussies have since taken to social media to express their displeasure with Qantas, claiming it has moved away from its historically high standards – with one woman writing a brutal open letter to the ‘mean spirit of Australia’.
‘Maybe instead of spending money on glossy new ads filled with Aussie talent, you perhaps could do the bare minimum and answer the phone when your customers need assistance?’, Dr Sara Marzouk wrote.
‘Maybe you can invest in providing jobs onshore by establishing call-centres where the staff actually have a clue about what they can and cannot do?
Qantas employees and sacked workers have levelled extraordinary allegations against the airline. CEO Alan Joyce is pictured with Qantas crew in a stock photo
Angry Qantas customers say the once-beloved airline has gone from Australia’s ‘best to worst’ after a series of cost-cutting measures were introduced through the pandemic
‘Stop blaming this on COVID. These issues of poor customer service pre-dated the pandemic but have been exacerbated by them. No other airline has shown such contempt.
‘You need to do better.’
Another woman named Dee tweeted at Qantas on Monday,
‘When did you change to a high-cost low service airline? Gone from best in class to worst,’ a woman named Dee tweeted to the airline’s account.
Herald Sun columnist Rita Panahi responded to the post, saying: ‘The corporate virtue signalling is as painful as their inferior service’.
Others said Qantas’ service has become ‘horrible’, saying its offshore call centres had made managing their booking a nightmare.
The airline has a priority call centre in Hobart for its top customers, with everyone else being referred to offices in New Zealand, South Africa, the Philippines and Malaysia.
Customers have posted images of extensive wait times to speak to Qantas support staff, with one man waiting longer than six hours for a response.
‘Absolutely disgraceful. South African call centre working a charm. Been on the phone for almost 10 hours across three days. Inept and rude,’ a passenger named Jack posted to Twitter.
‘Your website has not allowed me to make a booking the last three days and your call centre claims to be too busy to pick my calls the last two days,’ another man named Shiva wrote.
A chiropractor named Anthony said he had been attempting to get ahold of the airline for days regarding a flight that had changed departure time.
‘Would it be too much to ask for a response on any platform inc phone? We have been trying to contact you for weeks now regarding a flight that have changed on us and nothing. And when we do, your CS rep has failed to resolve the issue! What a disgrace!’
Read More: Angry customers react to Qantas going from the ‘best to worst’ airline