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Qantas has criticized consumer watchdog Choice for giving it a ‘Shonky’ award and labeling it one of the worst companies in Australia after calling the airline the ‘Spirit of Disappointment’.
Australia’s flagship airline was one of five brands to receive a Shonky Award by Choice, which names and shames major brands for poor service or poor products.
The award for Qantas came after a difficult year for the airline, marred by canceled flights, poor customer service, lost luggage and endless delays after national borders reopened after Covid.
But Qantas has fired back at Choice, claiming its measures to determine the award were unfair and based on data that was factually inaccurate.
Qantas fired back at consumer group Choice after giving the airline a “Shonky” award, calling them the “Spirit of Disappointment” (pictured, Qantas CEO Alan Joyce)
“These awards are clearly outdated and the data Choice uses is itself a bit shoddy,” an airline spokesperson told the Daily Mail Australia.
Qantas acknowledged that the airline had “had several months of poor performance” earlier this year, but said service had improved “significantly” since August.
“We have been very transparent with our performance figures, both good and bad, but Choice is using numbers that just don’t add up,” the spokesperson continues.
“Nobody disputes the fact that we had problems earlier this year, and we apologized for that, but it’s disappointing that Choice has failed to recognize the impact that Covid and border closures have had on the entire airline industry.”
Qantas corrected some of Choice’s figures, made comparisons with competing airlines and explained how it had improved its service.
It claimed to have ‘beaten’ rival airline Virgin for flights that were on time in eight of the past 12 months.
In some of those months, the spokesperson said Qantas outperformed Virgin “by a significant margin.”
The airline said call wait times were “less than half of what Choice claims” and customers had “redeemed more than $1 billion in Covid-related flight credits.”
Australia’s flagship airline said the data Choice used to determine eligibility for the prize was factually inaccurate and the service had improved “significantly” since then (stock image)
Choice rewarded Qantas with a Shonky amid months of canceled flights, poor customer service, lost luggage and endless delays (photo, people queuing at Qantas domestic arrival terminal at Melbourne airport)
Choice said the award of a Shonky to Qantas this year came after multiple complaints about the airline were sent to the consumer group.
“If ever there was a company that deliberately went out of its way to win a Shonky Award, it’s Qantas,” said Choice travel expert Jodi Bird.
“People are still paying premium prices to fly with Qantas, but it’s clear from the complaints we’ve heard that they’re not getting premium service.”
“Qantas has made it difficult and confusing for their customers to use flight credits for canceled trips.
“This means that many people are forced to spend extra money, put limits on available flights, are unable to book online with credits – the list goes on.”
Qantas offered $50 vouchers to millions of its frequent flyer members in August after passengers suffered sustained delays and cancellations, as well as lost luggage.
Hundreds of passengers took to social media to blame the airline for taking days to return their luggage, with those on a recent flight to London from Sydney via Darwin saying their bags had been left in Australia.
Qantas blames lingering problems, which are causing havoc for travelers and forcing thousands to fly Middle Eastern airlines instead, to staff sickness and isolation requirements – which were scrapped in September.
The airline’s response comes after millions of Qantas frequent flyers were offered a $50 discount in August after numerous issues (stock image)
Aviation supply chain issues from manufacturers Boeing and Airbus have also been touted as a cause of delays, as well as sectoral labor shortages.
CEO Alan Joyce recently revealed that the company was just 11 weeks away from bankruptcy at the start of the Covid pandemic in March 2020.
Joyce warned that the problems plaguing Qantas are likely to continue for the next 18 months due to issues with the aircraft manufacturer’s supply chain.
Despite the issues, Qantas has reported a return to profitability after five consecutive six-month losses.
Joyce said the airline expects “very strong” pre-tax profits of between $1.2 billion and $1.3 billion for the first half of fiscal 2022/23.
A Choice mystery store tested the airline in September, revealing staggering wait times for phone inquiries.
“Our research shows that you spend an average of 21 minutes on the phone before your call is answered, and up to 50 minutes,” said Mr Bird.
“By comparison, Virgin came in under a quarter of that average with a five minute wait and a maximum of 13 minutes.”
Choice chief executive Alan Kirkland criticized the airline for “making redeeming flight credits a nightmare.”
Joyce says the issues plaguing the airline are likely to continue for the next 18 months due to issues with aircraft manufacturers’ aviation supply chain (stock image)