Yep, I had considered that. Still think its a PR disaster for them in their biggest market.

Actually, Qantas was originally based in Winton QLD and moved to Longreach a little later.

You are right, today's lastest Qantas "crisis news" is that a conveyor belt broke down in Melbourne and Qantas had to courier 400 bags to passengers homes...........that is not exactly earth shattering news is it? WTH!!


http://www.heraldsun.com.au/ipad-app...-1225962992998

England cricketers' flight to Adelaide this morning delayed for 'technical reasons'...

Good god! Whatever next!?

Bring the maintanance back to Australia NOW!

It's only a matter of time etc etc!

Quite agree!


G Swann

The media get stuck in Qantas now no matter what happens - the baggage problems in Melbourne the other day are a case in point - what does that have to do with safety ?

Qantas have had a run of incidents which while statistically not so common can still happen. The A380 was a different case - Qantas just happened to be flying that aircraft with that particular engine in a particular power configuration which revealed the fault - it wasn't their fault there was a design/production defect with the engine.

The service Qantas provide is crap but the aircraft and pilots are still amongst the safest and most highly-trained in the world. Remember, the pilot and crew have to be HAPPY to fly in that plane also.

The Engineers Union have a valid point about off-shore maintenance that hasn't been adequately addressed [ what are the checks and balances to ensure off-shore maintenance is up to par ?] but they are using safety as a bludgeon to get their point across. They also make the argument that somehow anything done in Australia is the gold standard which is absolute bollocks.

If it's really true that the checks & balances to make sure maintenance is up to par haven't been adequately addressed then the rest of your post is somewhat contradictory - in terms of Qantas safety - and the media would in fact have a point.

Perhaps I'm being nieve in assuming that the checks & balances at Lufthansa Technik wherever would be broadly similar to those being applied down the road from here at Avalon - that place that has been the source of some of the MX mishaps detailed in the media before, initially blamed on offshore work.

These 'technical issues' were a big problem in 2008 too, on the OZ to USA run.

I flew bris to LA sept oct 08 and around that time there were a few major incidents. I remember it clearly as I was put on some very old jumbo that rattled and shook all the way to LA, not the most calming experience given the media at that time.

Mitchell Johnson's flight to Adelaide may not even take off

It might have been an old plane, but it would have been safe to fly. No pilot would fly a plane that they did not think was safe - basically they don't want to die either.

I personally know a BA pilot - the final say to fly is with him, and if he ain't happy then you're going nowhere.

There were a couple of pilots on September 11th that skipped the pre-flight checks ... awright, I'm being silly, I'll be off ...

Let him take off his bum fluff first.

Yeah, landing training optional!

In 2008 there were three or four qantas incidents in a very short time, not quite the media there is now, but I noticed when all this cropped up again the 2008 incidents seem to have been forgotten. I myself have even assumed it was all OK again and booked a flight with them on the A380, not that knowing pilots would reassure me, we know an absolute party animal that flies international flights.

I dont know if the pilot thinking the plane is safe is a good guide, I mean in the recent inccidents the pilot would have thought the plane was OK then too, but it wasnt was it