At first I thought it was just that the unions were doing a great job of feeding info to the media and that the issues they've been having happen all the time but just don't get reported. Now I'm not so sure.

It's the pixies. Fiendish thingies.

I was wondering the same thing earlier today. Then I remembered that I'll be flying Qantas in the next month and decided it was probably best not to think about it.

its gonna happen soon. the big one.

I'm with PG. I strongly believe that it's best not to think.

The unions argue its a result of an aging fleet and maintenance being shipped to the Phillipines and places like that, where the engineers seemingly have lower standards. That there have been so many incidents recently is heavily suggestive of some sort of systemic failure in the procedures that are being followed.

Ben Sandilands in Crikey has been rabbiting on about how poorly CASA regulates the Australian industry for a good year, and seems to see the incidents as a result of lax regulation. His blog says that this latest incident was just the result of an unfortunate and unpredictable weather pattern, and that the plane didn't crash was testament to the pilots' skill.

I suspect tabula rasa may know more about all this.

I am very surprised that qantas aren't being more proactive about at least appearing to invest heavily in maintenance, all this negative publicity can't be good for the bottom line.

THEBOTTOMLINE

I am very surprised that qantas aren't being more proactive about at least appearing to invest heavily in maintenance, all this negative publicity can't be good for the bottom line.

Especially as in overseas markets they advertise using their safety record.

Especially as in overseas markets they advertise using their safety record

exzachery. if qantas dont have that to hang their hat on, then they have nuttin.

If you are referring to the incident over WA today, that appears to be a case of severe turbulence rather than any malfunction.

The aircraft involved is an A330 - a very new aircraft compared to Qantas' 767 and 747 fleets that have been in the news recently. Mind, you as it's a Scarebus it's probably an autopilot or FMC malfunction. Extremely unlikely it's a mechanical problem.

Qantas onshore maintenance is superb. I've seen it close up - unbelievable quality control.

What about their offshore maintenance voidster?

I was going to say the same thing bout the turbulence but couldn't be fucked....probably wouldn't have been broken bones if people didn't insist on going to the toilet!!!!!!

too many safety incidents in too short a time. im tellin ya, the big one is only a matter of time.

love the fact that the news said all emergency vehicles in exmouth were on hand, and shot to an airport scene of one ambulance.

re the offshore maintenance...there was a Qantas747 that overshot the runway at Bangkok several years ago (essentially caused by pilot error but a combination of non-mechanical factors), the insurers recommended that Qantas write the aircraft off because of t the cost of repairing it.
Qantas have never lost a jet hull (the last hull loss was in 1962 and was a DC-4 or Super Connie) so they decided to get it fixed (rumour was that it cost to be more to repaired than replaced) to keep the 100% safety record on jets.

That aircraft was repaired in China. I'll let you have the rego so you know if you are ever flying on it :)

eek - that's a scary story.

**I am very surprised that qantas aren't being more proactive about at least appearing to invest heavily in maintenance, all this negative publicity can't be good for the bottom line.

2 weeks ago there was a Qantas advertising liftout in the Saturday Age. It was a large poster with montage of Qantas images which were all filtered in red - an extremely bad choice in graphic design for a faltering airline!

details of the bangkok incident plane here

Do they publish the plane rego on their timetable?

sounds like severe turbulance, doubt it would be a stall or autopilot malfunction. i've been hit by severe turbulence once, night flying over the cbd, i was wearing a harness and my head still smashed into the cockpit roof a foot above me, disengaged autopilot and nosedived out of it. it threw my neck out and my head ached. this is why i never take off my seatbelt when the seatbelt sign dings off.

qantas have a very old fleet and not enough regulation by casa, i'm sure that's about to change. alitalia went under just last week, airlines need to cut costs and the offshore standards are cheaper and not as stringent. australia really does have the most stringent pilot testing (along with the uk), so the report sounds fair enough, we train vietnam, emirates, cathay pacific and most pilots for asian airlines.

Virgin's always been my reliable one, the only reason why I sometimes chose Qantas flights over Virgin flights is that they were comparable prices but Qantas has better in-flight service. I wouldn't risk it with their industrial situation being like it is, and I can't see Alan Joyce putting much importance in cabin service - it feels like he's trying to run Qantas like Jetstar, but exploiting the goodwill in the Qantas name to drive a higher profit margin.

Allan Joyce is despicable and is making foolish decisions for Qantas. Shame really because it was once a very good airline.

Currently working for an airline - no one is safe in this industry. It's a bloody uncomfortable reality really. Much like any other risk adverse boom or bust industry.

A London-bound Qantas A380 made an emergency landing in Dubai with an engine problem, exactly a year after an A380 suffered an engine explosion near Singapore.

thanks for the free flight qandog, now pay my incidentals!

Opinion Poll on who's to blame for the grounding. ALP & Greens supporters blame Qantas, Liberal supporters blame the unions.

Opinion Poll on who's to blame for the grounding. ALP & Greens supporters blame Qantas, Liberal supporters blame the unions.

You don't say.

Ha, yeah I guess that should have been obvious. But y'know, I work for the polling company so this stuff just lands in my inbox.

But still, 56% of all respondents blame the management, 42% the unions.

Can anyone find an extremely cheap flight from Melbourne to the Gold Coast this Saturday morning (returning in a few days to a week, that date's not as crucial, neither is the airline). (It's my uncle's birthday so I'd like to get a ticket for my Dad, yeah, I know it's late....)

Can he fly up Saturday afternoon? Those flights tend to be cheaper.

He's gotta get out to the back of beyond by (old Queensland person) dinner time. Saturday's cheaper than Friday by a mile. I haven't thought of where he's gonna stay etc. Yes, I'm organising it as a treat for him, otherwise he wouldn't go, and he's been good to me over the years,

Flight to Brisbane, then a shuttle bus (eg this), might be cheaper. I had to go to Sunshine Coast a few weeks ago and that worked for me.

OK, I'll look into it. Thanks.

teeheehee

LOLZ. Twitter gold.

especially after this lateline thing last night

timing!

thanks qantas for reimbursing incidentals & paying for loss of wages & giving us a free return flight, I reckon you're alrigh!

Alan Davies: Air crew told me to f--- off

Qantas launches investigation
Sunday 18 December 2011

Australian airline Qantas has launched an inquiry after Alan Davies complained that one of its stewards told him to ‘fuck off’. The QI star said he was insulted at the start of the flight from Bangkok to London, on his way back home from an Australian tour. He got into an argument with the cabin staff after he and his two-year-old daughter Susie went into the toilets in first class – even though they did not have first-class tickets.

Davies made his complaint on Twitter, writing: ‘Life in #qantas town. A steward made my 2 yr old cry after turfing her out of a “1st class” toilet & told me to ''fuck off'' when I complained. I was actually holding my crying two year old girl in my arms when the #qantas steward told me to fuck off. Made for a less enjoyable journey. I asked the #qantas steward what his name was and he wouldn't tell me. He said ''Get out of my face''. Managed to call him a gutless coward and sat down. Got his name later.’

Davies said he raised the issue with the chief steward – but the ‘he didn't believe me, argued with me over it and made my daughter cry again’. He said they went into the unmarked toilet in a bid to keep his daughter entertained on the long flight because ‘#qantas don't provide anything for children, so playing with a cup in the sink is as good as it gets. it was unclear that the toilet was for first class only and we had been there only a matter of seconds.’

A Qantas spokeswoman said the airline had begun an internal investigation and were taking Davies’s comments ‘seriously’.

The should have been able to tell from the moment they got in there by the solid gold seats, butler holding a fluffy white hand-towel, diamond-encrusted tapware, and Sade (1st album) playing in the background. And the metal cutlery.

Alan Joyce bitching about not being allowed to make enough money by turning Qantas into a foreign airline again.

Usually I can see both sides of the story i.e. the need to sustain aussie jobs vs. the need to allow a business to be competitive. But Alan Joyce is cunt, so every time he tries to argue his case I just think ''my god, what an asshole'' now.