Qantas launches post-crisis customer reassurance campaign
Qantas has launched a national print campaign to win back customers after the weekend’s crisis.
The airline has taken ad space in the Sydney Morning Herald, The Australian and the Australian Financial Review.
Qantas spokesperson Sophia Connelly told Mumbrella about the brief for agency M&CSaatchi: “It was straightforward to be able to communicate with our customers that they could travel with Qantas with confidence – their flight would not be re-timed or cancelled as a result of strike action.”
The ad reads ‘Qantas is back to schedule’, then follows: “We deeply regret the impact of our fleet being grounded. We now have certainty for our customers following the Fair Work Australia decision.”
Thanks so much for re-launching us!
While I do understand the thinking behind Joyce’s decision to suspend flights, I have to agree with James Wright’s comments, Qantas is fast becoming just another airline.
I’ve been a F/Flyer since 1993 and most times, book Qantas flights for business – even when they’re dearer. But any “emotional connection” I had with “my airline” has pretty much dissapated.
Gold card holder here and so far, no email.
I demand an apology for the tardy apology!
And as for regretting the impact of the fleet being grounded, Joyce chucked his toys out of the pram and got exactly what he wanted as pointless as it all was (why didn’t he go to FWA himself again?)…so on second thoughts, I demand an apology for the insincere apology that has not arrived. And we wonder why Qantas is in trouble.
“continuing to invest in new aircraft” – yeah continue that while I still fly on a clunky 767
“ensuring the best possible in-flight experience” – try giving me more than a biscuit for dinner delivered with a grimace.
I’m no copy writer but…I am a little confused at the “..if you were affected…look forward to a special thank-you” line.
“Thank-you” for being affected?
Surely it is a “look forward to grovelling apology/bribe” for making you miss your friends, family, work, other flights etc
I’m still waiting for the confirmation email for the rescheduled flight I took yesterday.
Qantas IS just an another airline James Wright, competing with an increasing number of players worldwide. What it needs to retain is its status as a premium, trusted airline brand.
We were due to leave LA on Saturday night and arrive home Monday morning. Had our daughter not sent us a text message in the middle of the night on Friday, we would have tootled up to the check-in desk at LAX at 9 pm, totally oblivious to the drama unfolding. We found the US Qantas phone number from the internet, but all day Saturday and all Saturday night it was permanently engaged. My complaint is that no-one attempted to let us know what was happening and how to go about getting home. Had we not gone to the airport after breakfast on Sunday, we might still be in the USA and in the dark! If our daughter could text us, so could Qantas! Or they could at least have got a phone information line working! My husband has lost four days work this week, for which he will not be paid and for which Qantas will not reimburse us. A thoroughly bad effort and a mark of C– to our national airline! An apology just doesn’t cut it!
Maybe Qantas should spend comparable time improving their service and getting that roo back in the air, not just talking about it. They do realise that they need to meet their promise of being ‘back to schedule’, right? In a situation of crisis like this, brands need to meet the equilibrium between talk, show and action.
No one from Qantas tried to contact me to let me know my flight had been concelled. After tried a few airlines I was able to get a seat back to LAX. It took me 16 hours of flight and hours of waiting at the airport. No business class was availabe I need to call home and Qantas told me I had to buy a phone card in which I did . What a mess. Send me an e-mail and let me know how to claim my reimbursement on my airline ticket and my meals .I think Qantas has to rebuild its image. Thanks.
No doubt this will have bee heavily deliberated on but….
Is returning to a schedule not more commonly referred to as getting back ‘on’ schedule
?
I’ve said this before, but all Qantas needs is a logo refresh and they’ll be as right as rain…
I have to agree with Qantas just becoming another airline.
What ever the long term strategy behind the grounding was, it doesn’t distract from the short sharp destruction of the brand to be relegated to just another airline.
Qantas was one of the last Australian icons that had a strong emotional attachment with the Australian market, once betrayed it’s very challenging to regain.
While it can be argued that Virgin survived their ticketing debacle several years ago, the Virgin brand sits at a different level to Qantas, choices are more dollar driven than brand driven, you just have to look at the success of Jetstar.
There copy
“Our focus now is on our customers. We want to restore your faith by returning our on-time performance to its normal high levels, ”
Isn’t backed up by anything that would indicate otherwise, an interesting time never the less to see how the brand is viewed n the years to come.
Alan Joyce has single handedly destroyed the value of a great brand in the eyes of most Australians: Brand Irish. It’s taken us years to build up the image of happy go lucky souls. And now this wowser ruins it all. Feck off Joyce!
is Alan Joyce the new Sol Trujillo?
I now read all Qantas copy in an Irish accent. Seriously! Joyce should keep out of the media for a while until that trusted Qantas copy-voice returns to my head.
Interesting use of a Qantas A380 in the ad flying over a landscape devoid of customers as far as the eye can see.