Airlines

Qantas apologizes to travelers for operational challenges

Qantas is formally apologizing to its millions of customers for recent operational difficulties and thanking them for their patience as the national carrier works to resume its best practices following COVID.

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In addition to dealing with high levels of sick leave (caused by the virus, COVID, and isolation restrictions) as well as a labor scarcity across the sector, the airline is implementing a number of efforts to improve mishandled luggage and on-time performance.

Qantas has hired 1,500 new people since April with more to come, adjusted flight schedules, and invested $15 million in new technology at key airports to help smooth the travel experience. Speaking directly to Frequent Flyers via an email and video message being sent on Monday, Qantas Group CEO Alan Joyce acknowledged while it was great to see people back on board after so long on the ground, the return to flying hasn’t all gone smoothly.

“As well as saying sorry, we also want to say thank you. We’re investing in a range of initiatives including status extensions for Frequent Flyers Silver and above, thousands of Qantas Points, and lounge passes. All our Frequent Flyers in Australia and New Zealand will be offered $50 towards a return Qantas flight, which equates to many millions in discounts,” added Mr. Joyce.

Qantas will also extend its commitment of up to 50 percent more Classic Reward seat availability through to 30 June 2023 with the first tranche of additional seats released from 12pm Monday across international and domestic flights. Reward seats are booked using Qantas Points.

Qantas first announced its commitment to increasing Classic Reward seats in October last year. Since then, Frequent Flyers have redeemed more than 80 billion Qantas Points, with one in every 11 passengers carried by Qantas flying a reward seat.

Airlines

Air India to Roll Out New Guidelines for Cabin Crew

Air India has announced a revised policy for its cabin crew members operating on domestic and international flights. Under this new policy, certain sections of cabin crew will be required to share rooms during layovers, a move that has drawn attention within the airline.

This updated policy will also apply to Air India Express, following the merger of AIX Connect with Air India. Among the key changes, the allowances for cabin crew on international flights will see an increase, shifting from the USD 75-125 bracket to USD 85-135.

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However, there will be no changes to the allowances for domestic flight cabin crew, who will continue to receive Rs 1,000 per night. Additionally, they will now be eligible for a support allowance of Rs 1,000 per night. does air india have wifi on international flights.

A spokesperson for air india refurbishment emphasized that the revised compensation and benefits remain competitive and aligned with industry standards. They noted that in-flight managers and executives typically have a minimum of 8-9 years of experience.

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While room sharing is already a practice at Air India Express and Vistara, this marks the first implementation of such a policy at Air India itself. The airline aims to balance operational efficiency with crew welfare as part of its ongoing efforts to enhance its operational framework.