Qantas Airways Limited

Qantas Airways Limited is the Australian national airline. Originally, the name was QANTA, a short form/inialism for Queensland and Northern Territory Aerial Services. It was also referred to as The Flying Kangaroo, its nickname; the airliner is located in Sydney with its major center being at Sydney Airport. It is the largest airline of Australia and the oldest continuously operating airline of the world. Headquarter of Qantas are situated in the Qantas centre in the City of Botany Bay's Mascot suburb in Sydney, New South Wales. The airline is considered currently as a four-star airline by Skytrax, a research consultancy firm. Qantas was voted in 2020 as the seventh best airline in the world by the firm, a decrease from six, third, fifth, second and second in 2009, 2008, 2007, 2006 and 2005 respectively (Qantas Airways, Ltd, 1976, 56).

Qantas was established on 16^th November 1920 in Winton, Queensland as a Queensland and Northern Territory Aerial Services Limited. An Avro 504K was the first aircraft of the airline. Since May 1935, the airline flew internationally when it started service from Darwin to Singapore. Qantas entered the jet age in June 1959 when Boeing 707-138, the initial jet was delivered.

Qantas Airways Limited is involved in the transportation of passengers using two airline brands, Qantas and Jetstar. The Jetstar network consists of thirty-two destinations. The company had a fleet of two hundred and fifty-four aircrafts and fourteen international lounges as of 30^th June 2010. The fleets of the company are made up of A380-800, A330-200, B787-8, B787-9, B737-800, A320 family and Q400 (Qantas Airways, Ltd, 1976, 78). The B787-8 can seat about three hundred passengers while the B787-9 seats about three hundred and fifty passengers. Its Qantas group carried forty-one point four million passengers while Jetstar carried fourteen point six million passengers during the fiscal year that ended 30^th June 2020- fiscal 2010. Qantas and Jetstar operated jointly on twenty six routes in Australia and internationally during the fiscal 2010. Jetstar of the company was permitted to join Qantas on twenty two routes within Australia comprising of Melbourne Brisbane and Sydney-Melbourne in the course of fiscal 2010. Qantas offers services to Jakarta while Jetstar serves both the Jakarta and resort island of Bali in Indonesia.

According to Australia Parliament Senate (1974, 16), Queensland and Northern Territory Aerial Service Limited had located its headquarters in Winton, Queensland in 1920. The head office was shifted to Longreach, Queensland in 1921. The head office was shifted to Brisbane in 1930. Qantas House, a head office, was opened along Hunter Street, Sydney in the year 1957. A new $AUS fifty million headquarters comprising of twins skyscrapers, was being constructed in Sydney and anticipated to take one city block in the 11970s. The initial and largest tower had an anticipated completion period of time in 1973.

Qantas has got some connections with the Aboriginal Australian Community through its Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Program. The company has run this program for over 10 years as of 2007 and one to two percent of its staff are Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander. A full time Diversity Coordinator, who is accountable for the programme in employed by Qantas?

Furthermore, Qantas has also purchased and donated some Aboriginal Art. A painting, Honey Ant and Grasshopper Dreaming, was bought by the airline in 1993, from the Central Australian desert area (Australia Parliament Senate, 1974, 29). This painting is on an enduring loan to Yiribana at the Art Gallery of New South Wales as of 2007. Five additional bark paintings were donated by Qantas to the gallery in 1996. In addition, Aboriginal artists were also supported and sponsored by Qantas in the past.

Threats and Opportunities

Like any other business organization, Qantas has been receiving and working under threats and opportunities. There were several threats posed on the organization. For instance, Qantas received a call on 26^th May 1971 from Mr. Brown asserting that there was a bomb that was planted on a Hong Kong-bound jet and demanding five hundred thousand dollars in unmarked twenty dollars bills (Qantas Airways Limited & Australian Securities Commission, 1996, 48). He was handled seriously when he led police to an airport locker where a functional bomb was found. Agreements were made to pick up the money in front of the airline's head office in the centre of Sydney business district.

The money was paid by Qantas and was collected only sometime later for Mr. Brown to call again the story of a bomb on the plane was a trick. The New South Wales Police Force, who failed to establish enough surveillance of the pick-up of the money despite the fact that they were advised about the matter since the time of the initial call, bungled the initial pursuit of the perpetrator. The police were not able to communicate adequately since they were directed not to use their radios for fears of being overheard. The police arrested Peter Macari, an Englishman, after being tipped off by a still unidentified informer and found over one hundred and thirty eight thousand dollars hidden in an Annandale property.

Qantas Airways Limited & Australian Securities Commission (1996, 62) state that Macari served nine years prior to his deportation to Britain despite the fact that he had been convicted and sentenced to fifteen years in prison. More than two hundred and twenty four thousand dollars has still not been found. This incident was related by the movie, "Call Me Mr. Brown," the 1985 telemovie that was directed and produced by Scott Hicks and Terry Jennings respectively. A copycat extortion attempt was frustrated by Qantas security staff and police on 4^th July 1997 (Australia. Parliament, 1977, 23).   

It was realized in November 2005 that Qantas had a strategy of not seating adult male passengers next to unaccompanied children. This resulted to accusations of discrimination. The strategy came to light after an occurrence in 2004 when Mark Wolsay, who was seated next to a young boy on Qantas flight in New Zealand, was asked to change a seat with a female passenger. He was informed by a steward that it was policy of airline that women alone were permitted to next to unaccompanied children.

This policy was criticized by the Cameron Murphy of the NSW Council for Liberties president and asserted that the ban had no basis. He also proposed that it was not right to suppose that children were posed to danger by all adult men. This strategy had also been condemned for failing to take into consideration female abusers (Australia. Parliament, 1977, 46).                 

Development of Future Objectives

Qantas applied a small promotional moving picture on its website to publicize that it will provide in-flight internet services on its fleet of A380s. Current long-running advertising campaign of Qantas features versions children's choirs of "I Still Call Australia Home" of Peter Allen set to video recording of Australian scenery. An Australian koala, who despised Qantas for bringing tourists to temper with his quite life- his major tagline: I hate Qantas, was featured in a much earlier campaign aimed at American television spectators. The major and shirt sponsors of the Qantas Wallabies- the Australian national Rugby Union team is Qantas. The Formula one Australian Grand Prix is sponsored currently by Qantas who is the main sponsor and it sponsored the Australian Grant Prix last in 2001 (Grant, 2006, 78). For quite a number of years ranging between 1994 and 2004, Qantas sponsorship symbols become visible at the credits for Neighbors, Wheel of Fortune, Hey Hey, it is Saturday- as its sponsor- initially beneath the banner of We choose to fly. These substituted ancient sponsorship beneath the Australian Airlines brand in 1994.

Qantas flies to eighteen home destinations and twenty-one international destinations within fourteen nations throughout Africa, Asia, Oceania, Europe and the America leaving out the destinations served by its supplementary. Flightseeing charters to Antarctica are operated by Qantas on behalf of Croydon Travel. It first flew Antarctic flightseeing excursions in 1977 (Coelli & Anthony, 2006, 78). They were banned for a number of years because of the Air New Zealand Flight 901 crash in 1979 0n Mt Erebus. In 1994, Qantas restarted the flights. These flights need specific polar operations and team education as a result of factors like whiteout which facilitated the Air New Zealand disaster even though these flights don't tough down.

Grant (2006, 86) stipulates that Qantas has got numerous in-flight entertainment systems fitted on its aircraft. The most fully-featured system is referred to as the IQ and is supposed to be featured within all classes of the Airbus A380, and to be placed into practice on new Boeing 737-800, the new-generation A330-200 aircraft and Boeing 737 aircraft. Entertainment options were enlarged by the system features with new communications associated features like Wi-Fi and functionality of mobile phones, and raised support for electronics like iPod and USB connectivity.

Boeing 747-400, international configuration Airbus A330-200 aircraft and Airbus A330-300 featured the Total Entertainment System. This AVOD- audio video on demand- system consists of personal LCD screens within all classes, situated in the seat back for business and economy classes, and within armrest for premium economy and first class.

The Mainscreen system is the other entertainment system where descend video screens the only available type of video entertainment, for lengthier flights, movies are shown on the screens or television programs on short flights. At the beginning of the flight, a news telecast normally features (Australian Bureau of Statistics, 1978, 34). Audio alternatives are less diverse when compared to the Total Entertainment System. In all Boeings 737, domestically configured Airbuses A330-200s and the economy and most business class section on the Boeing 767 have an installed Mainscreen System.

The Australian Way is the title given to the Qantas in-flight magazine. The magazine is found online at http://travelinsider.qantas.com.au along with a travel blog featuring entries from Qantas ambassador in addition to the capability for frequently flier to post comments. A news bulletin for Qantas entitled Nine's Qantas Inflight News is provided by the Australian Nine Network. This news bulletin consists of all the latest news, weather, finance and sports details presented by Amber Higlett. Nine's Early Morning News and the bulletin is same broadcast (Pederson, 2004, 49).  

Boeing's annulment of the connexion by Boeing System led to concerns that in-flight internet would be accessible on next-generation aircraft like Qantas' fleet of Airbus A380s and Boeing Dreamliner 787s. Nevertheless, Qantas proclaimed in July 2007 that all service classes within its fleet of A380s will have wireless internet admittance in addition to seat-back admittance to email and hoarded web browsing when they begin flying in October 2008 (Australian Bureau of Statistics, 1978, 56). Furthermore, some elements will be retrofitted into the Boeing 747-400s that are in existence. Its initial A380 has the in-flight internet System already fitted but deactivated. Email client which simply shows a no uplink message error can be accessed by clients flying on the A380. It is indicated by the in-flight entertainment system that internet access if offered by OnAir.

In April 2007, Qantas declared a trial for application of mobile telephones with AeroMobiles in the course of domestic services for three months on Boeing 767- registration: VH-OGI. Passengers were permitted to send and receive emails and text messages during the trial even though they were not capable of receiving calls (Australian Bureau of Statistics, 1979, 89).

Proposed Business Strategy

It was said Wednesday by Qantas Airways Limited that it is looking into setting up probable service routes to Europe by going via China, that is incase and when euro authorities provide their seal of approval on the proposal. Alan Joyce, chief executive of the company acknowledged even though that as of currently, China is sheathing behind from the UK and US in terms of passenger volume although Qantas is banking on the enormous prospective of the markets of Asian country. 

According to Australian Bureau of Statistics (1979, 97), Mr. Joyce added that the government of China had already indicated support on the service routes proposal of the company although the Europeans remain as the stumbling hindrance stating that it is not the issue with the Chinese but it in reality the Europeans. Mr. Joyce also told the media that the human resources covering the Australia Pacific Aviation outlook Summit within Sydney that they are currently in discussion over two-sided traffic rights questions with Europe and China countries, adding quickly that the government of Australia is set to join the talks and that they are apparently section of the continuing discussion with the Europeans and that it is their hope that this will be facilitated at some stage.       

The chief executive also noted that the airway's planned expansion into the Chinese market should be realized further as he emphasized that the 787 particularly gives the way to the range and spectrum for routes that we would not view as economic currently with the anticipated delivery of Dreamliners, new Boeing 787 of Qantas (Australian Bureau of Statistics,, 1978, 24).

It was said by Qantas that the fresh Dreamliners fleet would be utilized largely by its low-cost supplementary, Jetstar, in increasing its international operations which Mr. Joyce, chief executive, said that it is one of the approach, a two-brand approach of preserving a full service mainline carrier and a budget airliner, which offers the company a certain edge over its competitors.

He also added that Qantas had been observing remarkable turnovers from its cargo services between the China and US thus it would not be likely for the company to dip its fingers also on some middle ground endeavors referring to it as trying to be all things to all individuals (Australian Bureau of Statistics, 1978, 33). The chief executive asserted that such approach will come to an end as a failure investment, emphasizing that one could end up as road kill if you sit at the centre of the road for quite a period of time.      

Specification of Appropriate Strategic Actions

Despite the good operation and management of Qantas, there are several aspects that are supposed to be changed. For instance, there should be reduction of aircraft weight, this will be of great significance to the company since it aircrafts will be now in a position to fly easily and consume less fuel. Reduction of aircraft's weight will also be important in that it will play a great role of reducing GHG as observed in some A380 and Boeing 787. When regarding internet services, internet should be made accessible in all fleets so that customers can easily communicate through mobile phones, emails and text messages other than just receiving text messages. Qantas Airways Limited should do away with discriminative rules such as one that prohibits men from sitting next to unaccompanied children. This due to the fact that not only or all men can affect children but bear in mind that women can also do the same. By doing away with such outdated laws that are said to be discriminative, all customers will be free and happy to travel without fear of being shifted from one seat to the other in the name of being removed close to unaccompanied child.

The level of security should be also improved with highly skilled and committed security guards and organizations being employed. This will enable the company to do away with fraud cases which see them loosing thousands of dollars like that of Mr. Brown. Surveillance devices should be installed everywhere within and outside the company so that they can assist in security purpose. In addition, the company should initiate education program to give its employees further education regarding their respective works, this is due to the fact that with technology inventions and improvement, different things also change and get advanced thus needing more skills. It will be therefore of great importance if all employees are educated and equipped with modern skills and be on up to date when carrying out their duties. This is because think are changing with more machines that require high skills being invented.    

As a result, I would therefore suggest that immediate changes should be made including increasing number of fleets and hiring highly skilled workers. This is due to the fact that currently, there is rapid population increase with transport and communication growing faster. Thus in order to ease transportation of these increased passengers and ensure safe travel, the number of fleets should be increased so as to cut down the number of passengers being transported both domestically and internationally.  Skilled employees are also significant asset in the company. This is due to the fact that they facilitate the rate at which work is done both manually and technologically thus reducing cases of congestion within and out the company. they are also in a good position to be transferred from one country to the other and one task to the other thus reducing cases where the company stops its normal functioning due to the fact that one person has not attended to his duty.

In order to introduce these changes, the company should start to encourage all employees to start attending classes during their free time other than sitting idle. Hard working and dedicated employees should be rewarded with salary increase, promotion among others so as to encourage all workers across the company to offer their best. The company should also start keeping certain amount of money from profit earned for the purpose of repair and buying new fleets. By attaining all these, Qantas Airway Limited will be one of the large companies with high profit margins and efficient work flow thus placing it on advantageous side when regarding competition since it will be highly competitive in both within and outside Australia.