I have experienced similar local-based FA's that have demonstrated converse service examples a few too many times.

As an example flying from BNE-CNS-BNE in J, as I use a GPS for business related survey positioning purposes, I wondered whether the hand-held would receive a sufficient signal thru the small porthole once in flight to operate effectively. I was surprised that it did, but needed an upgrade to read over 1000kmh!

The FA asked me what it was and I told her (probably thought it was a mobile phone). She went away and came back a few minutes later and said would I be able to bring the GPS up to the flightdeck as the Captain was very interested (Remember those days when cockpit access was allowed - sigh).

We compared it to their big-buck INS/GPS etc and couldnt find any difference in readouts. Captain asked me to take the jumpseat for the remainder of the journey - MUCH BETTER THAN F!!!!

On the return to BNE in J again a few days later I was idly trying the same routine when the FA Hyacinth (I called her after a renowned TV star) told me to turn that thing off before we crash - no explanation was allowed.

Every time following that when Hyacinth was on board, the service I got was abysmal.

Anyhoo we all got over it eventually - and I didn't tear up my QC card!

The original experience I described in this thread was less of an irritation to me than a reflection of a certain ethos (or lack thereof) that is typical in Australian corporations, but which is a greater liability in an organization such as QF, whose employees in many cases provide our visitors with their first and last impressions of Australia.

However, my biggest grievance with QF, as I described somewhere along the line (I think), relates not to the way I've been treated personally (which has generally been quite good, sometimes excellent, and sometimes woeful), but to the way I've seen QF FAs and ground staff treat Asian customers, often characterized by perceptible indifference, condescension, or impatience. For example, I've seen QF staff (a) contemptuously chastise economy-class Chinese passengers who happened to be standing too close to the boarding line; (b) shouting at an elderly female Japanese passenger who had asked for assistance to retrieve her bags from the luggage belt, because the old lady wasn't actively doing her bit to help remove the bags; and (c) indulging in an utterly unintelligible attempt at sick humor with some Asian passengers who could barely speak English and certainly couldn't understand hers.

I've seen so many instances of this kind of behavior over the last few years that I can come to no other conclusion than that the attitude is endemic in the airline, or at least in a significant number of its employees. On several occasions I've been so upset by what I've seen that I've chastised the employee involved and apologized to his/her victim.

If this is racism, it's probably not active racism, but perhaps a passive kind that is manifest in employees who lack appropriate maturity and/or training to handle certain untoward situations that arise in the course of their duties. Sometimes, however, the provocation seems incredibly slight, as on a recent flight when an Asian passenger got up to ask the FA for his amenity kit (thinking he had been passed over) and was met with a very impatient rebuff by the FA.

While most of us may experience good or superior service from QF most of the time, the sad truth is that there are others out there, perhaps less able to communicate than we are, who are being treated to standards of service that are unacceptable and inexcusable. As someone who is invariably treated with utmost respect, patience, courtesy, and friendliness on Asian airlines, I find this situation intolerable and shameful.

As already said, some of us, including me, have had a totally different experience from Antiqantas. At no point have I seen the horrendous behaviour he describes. I think I am as observant as anyone. Estimating I have flown on close to 400 QF flights in the last few years in all classes all over the QF network, particularly those classes you turn right for, I can ony conclude maybe I fly on a different Qantas from the OP.

Maybe others who read this thread should reflect on their own observations in order to reach a conclusion on how they value the proposition being put by the OP.

turtlemichael even if there were to be a hundred new posts from happy QF campers (and btw I am very happy with the QF service I get) it does not negate the OP's assertion, corroborated by me and a few other posters, namely: on occasions the actions of some QF FAs are unacceptable or even appalling. Both Antiqantas and I find QF stands out amongst other airlines in this regard.

Now, you and some other WPs with huge QF experience (so do I but I am not interested in a p***ing contest) have not experienced this. How can we explain this divergence, when we are using the same carrier? Your conclusion "I can ony (sic) conclude maybe I fly on a different Qantas from the OP" implies to me that you don't believe his reports, ie he is mistaken, exaggerating or lying. If that is the case then I also must be, as must the other posters, who have made similar observations.

QF_WP has said This contains an inference (although I am sure it was not intended) that perhaps those pax on the receiving end of a FA hissy fit were somehow to blame. Well I just reject that outright, but even if that was the case, customer-facing employees have to cop that sometimes if they wish to be regarded as professionals. My staff does, and so do I.


I will return to the analogy which I used in my earlier post, because I think it is less emotive than the QF service issue. In my earlier career I spent literally hundreds of hours with the police. Now granted they were more senior than many of their colleagues, but I never once saw them being discourteous, take bribes or bash gays. Moreover, I am reasonably certain that my colleagues would report that they were very well looked after by the police force. Using the very same logic that you have applied above, surely you would concede that anyone making allegations of discourtesy, corruption or gay-bashing must be "flying with a different police force". What say only one gay was bashed, or only one bribe was taken. Is that acceptable?

To reiterate, collectively we have a great deal of experience with QF. Mostly the experience is positive or excellent, and sometimes the service is outstanding. Some of us have experienced or observed service that we view as unacceptable, and some of us believe that this occurs more often with QF than with other carriers in this market. Why is it that so many FFs feel challenged by this? Surely it is in all our interests that QF is as competitive as it might be, and that as passengers we provide QF with honest feedback about service failures? I certainly hope that is the case with my own "customers" - the last thing I want is to lose them to a competitor without knowing where we went wrong.

AUS-MD. I make no suggestions or assertions about the veracity of other posts but I am surprised at that interpretation of mine. I will concede though that I do not necessarily believe everything I read on the Boards. It is as valid for me and others to reflect on our own experience, particularly when so fundamentally different, as it is for you to do so. I merely suggested others look to their own experience to reach their own conclusion.

You counter that by making an analogy of police behaviour behind closed doors bashing gays and taking bribes. The analogy is very weak. Are Qantas FA's and ground staff meant to whisk Asian passengers into a private space and then berate them out of earshot and only heard by Antiqantas and a few others? It's also an offensive analogy, particularly to QF staff, and I suspect designed to provoke.

If the analogy is really making the point that just because I have not seen it doesn't mean it didn't happen then that is more valid. I can't say it did or it didn't. That's why I rely on my own experience and suggested others do the same. Equally, if it happened in front of me, I would react and certainly report it to Qantas Management and the senior on the flight. I have no reason to believe it would not be dealt with firmly.

I'll now accept Willyroo's public advice and don't intend to contribute any more as, frankly, I have nothing more to say on the subject. To me it has reached the "waste of time" stage but that's probably just me.

Oh, thanks for drawing attention to the typo in my post. I'll try to do better next time.

turtlemichael, I'm not sure what you mean by "value the proposition". I'm willing to admit that if you haven't observed the same kind of behavior, and you've flown a lot and consider yourself to be as observant as anyone, then you may well find my comments somewhat quizzical. I guess neither of us can explain such a disparity in our experience. Please note, however, that I'm not just talking about in-flight service. Probably the majority of the aberrations I've observed have occurred on the ground, viz., at check-in, boarding, and luggage collection.

Yes, that was the reason.

Wrong, and to be honest, I don't understand what you are trying to say here. If you look at my earlier use of the same analogy you will see my intent was to demonstrate that a failure of experienced passengers to observe does not mean that the reports are necessarily incorrect. I clearly stated that I was trying to make the argument less emotive, but you have drawn it back to QF. What's the link - are you saying that QF FAs are gay? If that is true, so what?


Obviously I was too oblique here. In the previous sentence you had asserted that you were as observant as anyone. I observed the spelling error and you hadn't. A cheap shot.

Much like my experience at the BA LHR Transfer counter when the dragons told me to go away (to the line "over there") until I flashed the WP card - strangely they beamed with smiles and warmly welcomed me - what pretentious snobs they were!

Has anyone ever seen / heard FAs in the galley gossiping about passengers? - I'm sure we all can quote examples.

Come on guys - this isn't just a characteristic of just one group in one country. Haven't you seen it elsewhere? It happens everywhere - open your eyes .

Wouldn't life be miserable if people in the service industry were the same - each and every time. Just like the stereotyped FA droids or robots that others (including I) have mentioned elsewhere.

I have experienced good and ordinary crews - on many airlines. None I would consider bad. They are only human - like some of us here. Usually, when I smile at them, they smile back (and vice versa). People like to be complemented.

Get over it!

og, you may just be reading snippets of recent posts and not comprehending the substance of the discussion. If treating Asian passengers (or more generally, passengers of a race or nationality different from that of the carrier) is common to all airlines, then I'm sorry to hear that, but (a) I have never been treated rudely in hundreds of flights on Asian airlines in the last few years, and (b) as I said in an earlier post, I don't care to the same extent if a foreign airline treats me badly, but I do care when QF treats Asian passengers badly, because I'm Australian and I care about our national image.

As I said, the discussion is about how our foreign visitors are treated (it didn't start that way but it has evolved that way). Most or all of us have asserted that we ourselves generally receive good service from QF. Implicit in that, I would think, is that as experienced flyers we are aware that QF employees are human, and of the importance of treating them with basic respect and friendliness. The bit I'm trying to add is that they should be treating our honored Asian visitors with that same degree of respect.