Qantas Loses Top Global Ranking Over Baggage And Flight Delays

In the wake of a big wave of consumer dissatisfaction, Qantas has dropped out of the top five global airline rankings.

AirlineRatings.com has dropped Qantas from fourth to sixth place in its yearly rankings.

Ex-Qantas Chief Economist Tony Webber, CEO of Airline Intelligence & Research (AIR) and former Qantas Chief Economist, said Qantas faced severe competition from airlines like Qatar Airways and Air New Zealand.

Customers have recently taken to social media to complain about lost bags and delayed flights, and Qantas’s tumble in the global rankings is the latest in a string of PR setbacks.

Reduced employee numbers, caused by labour shortages and COVID quarantines, have been widely blamed by the airline for the decline in its level of customer care.

After cutting at least 6,000 workers at the beginning of the pandemic, opponents have pointed out that the airline manufactured its labour crisis.

Even though Qantas had received more economic stimulus than any other company from the previous government, including over $1 billion in aviation support measures and $856 million in JobKeeper, the airline reported a loss of $1.28 billion for the six months ending in December.

People are “fed up” with the volatility that comes with working for an airline, says Dr Webber, even though Qantas couldn’t afford to keep all of its employees during the first two years of the pandemic.

Employees who have left Qantas are now being recruited by the airline.

CEO Alan Joyce stated that almost 20,000 Qantas employees will receive a $5000 bonus from partaking in the airline’s post-pandemic recovery in June.

If you show up to work at Sydney Airport every day for the remainder of the year, Swissport, the luggage handlers’ supplier, will give you a bonus of $50 a day, according to a report in the Guardian Australia.

Dr Webber added that reputation would not be restored until enough employees are hired to provide the level of service passengers expect.