Qantas rubbing it in

[King]

Qantas, the spirit of Australia, is part of a cheap air fare promotion being used to poke fun at Ricky Ponting's underperforming national cricket team. "Hurry! Once (these tickets) are gone they're gone -- a bit like the Aussie Ashes hopes," says one travel agent's website. STA Travel's advertisement features a sad-looking kangaroo called Ricky holding a cricket ball. It tells customers Qantas is offering London-Sydney return fares for 215 pounds -- one pound for every run scored in Australia's "rather paltry" first innings of the second Test. There are 425 tickets available -- one for every first innings run England amassed en route to inflicting Australia's first defeat at Lord's in 75 years. STA, which has 450 branches worldwide including 100 in Australia and New Zealand, says the special Qantas fares are "to celebrate the epic Aussie demise". Ponting's men can take little comfort from the thought that they might be helping homesick Aussies return cheaply, because Poms out for a low-cost holiday down under are just as likely to buy the tickets. Travellers would have been even better served if the Poms had batted as dismally as the Aussies. The cheap fares promotion was a "cooperative activity" generated in the UK between Qantas and British Airways under a code-share agreement, said a Qantas spokeswoman in Sydney. "The result has ended in fantastic fares for travellers from England to Australia," she said. "It's great news for customers." Qantas had no comment on whether Australians might feel offended by mockery of their cricketing pride and joy. A similar deal will apply for next month's Fifth Test at The Oval, when the price of a London-Melbourne return ticket will be determined by England's first innings total and the number of tickets by Australia's tally. The current sale might suit UK-based Aussies who can't take much more ribbing, with departures starting from August 7, the date of the fourth Test at Headingley. It might also appeal to Poms who want to see England rub it in even more, with final departures on September 22, two days after the long tour ends with a seventh one-day match. Cricket Australia's current airline partner is Emirates. Qantas had not been a preferred supplier for over a decade, a spokesman said.

http://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/cricket/2664212/Ponting-ribbed-over-cut-price-flights :hysterical: Amazing what the corporates come up with.... :haha:

[Mr. Wicket]

The corporates should be fired (and better engineers hired in their places) or told to focus on the real problems instead of cute marketing campaigns like this. From an airline that's had significant engineering and mechanical carrier problems in the last year with its reputation in free-fall, and increasing issues w.r.t service in flight, baggage handling and general customer satisfaction, Qantas is the last entity that should point fingers at anyone. Regardless of how Ponting's men play, they are on the field at the time they're supposed to be, not grounded due to navigational problems, fuel problems, mechanical errors, electrical difficulties that see passengers shifted in a hotel overnight instead of flying or nosediving in mid-flight and injuring people. (Now if Air New Zealand made such an ad... that would be funny. Besides Air NZ is frigging AWESOME. :--D)

[DomainK]

Dont know much about the airlines, but the ad is funny.:haha:

[Mr. Wicket]

Dont know much about the airlines' date=' but the ad is funny.:haha:[/quote'] Air NZ - excellent; among the first to put flat beds in business class, very pleasant in flight w/ great service, no issues I've ever heard w.r.t aircraft problems. Qantas are turning into the Bangladesh of airlines. F-ck ups. http://www.smh.com.au/travel/qantas-jet-hits-turbulence-passengers-injured-20090622-ct2x.html http://www.smh.com.au/world/qantas-jet-went-into-total-freefall-passenger-20090622-ct89.html http://business.smh.com.au/business/were-guilty-again-qantas-20090708-ddcd.html http://www.smh.com.au/travel/qantas-grounds-a380-after-fuel-leak-strands-passengers-20090302-8mgz.html http://www.smh.com.au/news/news/sydneybound-qantas-jet-flying-blind/2008/10/29/1224956143124.html http://www.smh.com.au/news/travel/cracks-found-in-14-qantas-jets/2008/02/19/1203190812849.html

[DomainK]

Air NZ - excellent; among the first to put flat beds in business class, very pleasant in flight w/ great service, no issues I've ever heard w.r.t aircraft problems. Qantas are turning into the Bangladesh of airlines. F-ck ups. http://www.smh.com.au/travel/qantas-jet-hits-turbulence-passengers-injured-20090622-ct2x.html http://www.smh.com.au/world/qantas-jet-went-into-total-freefall-passenger-20090622-ct89.html http://business.smh.com.au/business/were-guilty-again-qantas-20090708-ddcd.html http://www.smh.com.au/travel/qantas-grounds-a380-after-fuel-leak-strands-passengers-20090302-8mgz.html http://www.smh.com.au/news/news/sydneybound-qantas-jet-flying-blind/2008/10/29/1224956143124.html http://www.smh.com.au/news/travel/cracks-found-in-14-qantas-jets/2008/02/19/1203190812849.html

lol.....I sometimes wonder why air services are so bad even in developed countries? You are more likely to get better treatment in a police station than in one of those air planes.

[Mr. Wicket]

Thai Airways, Malaysian Airways, Kingfisher and Jet in India and EVA Air in Taiwan are world class airlines and blow the doors off third-rate airlines like United, American, Delta, Continental, Qantas and a few others from 'developed countries'. The gulf in quality when flying American and then a truly world class, benchmark setting airline like Singapore Airlines is just unbelievable. Even the airports are worlds apart. Was in Malaysia recently. The KLIA airport blows away any airport I have gone through in Europe, Australia or the USA. And imagine if you compare those mediocre airports with something like the ones in Singapore or Dubai.

[Bradman99]

Quantas are one of the more reliable.

[Mr. Wicket]

Were. Do you fly regularly?

[Bradman99]

At least once a year (Im just 16), they go pretty good I reckon.

[Mr. Wicket]

Once a year isn't the best way to get an idea of what they're like. Read a few of the pieces, search for more info on why their reputation is declining so much in between those issues and the push on their market from Virgin, ANZ and SIA.

[Macj]

Thai Airways, Malaysian Airways, Kingfisher and Jet in India and EVA Air in Taiwan are world class airlines and blow the doors off third-rate airlines like United, American, Delta, Continental, Qantas and a few others from 'developed countries'. The gulf in quality when flying American and then a truly world class, benchmark setting airline like Singapore Airlines is just unbelievable. Even the airports are worlds apart. Was in Malaysia recently. The KLIA airport blows away any airport I have gone through in Europe, Australia or the USA. And imagine if you compare those mediocre airports with something like the ones in Singapore or Dubai.

Dubai airport is big and built with the best materials, though this doesnt add up to being convenient. A very forward looking idea is that all toilets in DXB have a dedicated attendant ready to clean and wipe the toilets after people use them. Especially since these people have different styles of cleansing, can potentially make a toilet messy.

[Bradman99]

Once a year isn't the best way to get an idea of what they're like. Read a few of the pieces, search for more info on why their reputation is declining so much in between those issues and the push on their market from Virgin, ANZ and SIA.

My Dad travels about once a week and he thinks Quantas is one of the best.