Qantas has announced that it will be spending an additional $80 million on customer improvements. This is in addition to $150 million previously funded.
The Improvements
In a market update to the ASX, Qantas says that it intends to address a number of “customer pain points”. The update called out the following initiatives:
- better contact centre resourcing and training,
- an increase in the number of seats that can be redeemed with Frequent Flyer points,
- more generous recovery support when operational issues arise,
- a review of longstanding policies for fairness and
- improvements to the quality of inflight catering.
In addition, Qantas has said that they will continue to absorb recent increases in fuel prices. Since May 2023, Qantas says that fuel prices have increased by 30% due to a range of factors. Having said that, they have warned that they may need to adjust prices if the current price levels are sustained.
Background
It’s no secret that Qantas has been under fire on multiple fronts lately. One of the issues that has received a lot of press is the way in which customers have had in dealing with the company.
While over the last year or so there have been some apologies, little seems to have changed.
This culminated in a video apology to customers from new Qantas CEO Vanessa Hudson. In that video, she commented, “I know that we have let you down in many ways, and for that, I’m sorry.”
“We want to get back to the national carrier that Australians can be proud of, that’s known for going above and beyond. We understand we need to earn your trust back, not with what we say, but what we do and how we behave.”
