Qantas had a computer glitch this week.
It wasn't the only airline that was affected by the IT issue.
Qantas was criticized for failing to manage the queue. As far as the international terminal, there was a queue from the domestic terminal. The Qantas service desk was overwhelmed as passengers tried to rebook flights.
If there is one word you don't want to use to describe the commercial passenger experience, it's chaos. Chaos has defined the passenger experience of Australia's once-vaunted national carrier as well as to offer a lesson in corporate unaccountability and the failures of privatisation.
Qantas's reputation for quality used to drive a plot point in a movie. In Rain Man, Tom Cruise is forced to drive his brother on a life-changing journey across America because the only airline that will fly is Qantas. The other airlines cut the key scene when the film played on their inflight entertainment.
When the movie came out, the local audience cheered. One imagines the locals throwing their boots at the screen.
If it is not queue from IT glitch at Qantas, it is queue from delayed baggage transfers, cancelled flights and a lack of staff. According to this publication, as many as one in 10 pieces of luggage is lost every day at the airport.
Qantas declined to provide its own figures on mishandled baggage, but said the claim was incorrect.
Frequent flyers don't risk lost hold luggage and travel with carry on items because there isn't enough room on packed flights. Every Qantas boarding experience has been transformed into a game that combines two of the most popular board games of all time.
The brutal enthusiasm with which Alan Joyce has engaged corporate tactics at the company has distinguished him in the Australian corporate community. Joyce was responsible for stranding thousands of Qantas passengers around the world in 2011.
Alan Kohler pointed out at the time that a drop in fuel prices funded Qantas's profit, even though it wasn't aggressive industrial policy. According to The Australian, Joyce was the most influential business leader of that year.
Qantas received $2 billion from the Morrison government during the airline's grounding.
Both Qantas management and the government demanded no equity in exchange for their largesse. Qantas management did not keep their jobs even though they were paid two-thirds of the company's value.
Instead, they sacked its unionized ground staff, exploiting a "window of opportunity" when workers weren't physically at work. Thousands of baggage handler, cleaners, aircraft towing crews and other ground crew were sacked in late 2019.
The money was used to destroy Qantas's competitors. The company replaced its fleet of planes, bought out a potential rival, lobbied the government to not bail out Virgin, and paid out lavish executive bonuses.
If you are wondering why Qantas is unbothered by customer outrage at its poor product offering, you should know that crushing rivals allows Qantas management to run our once proud national airline without the threat of competition obliging the company to lift standards. After threatening to put people on minimum awards, management doubled down against the staff, cancelling staff agreements as a bargaining tactic to cut wages and using a "sign on bonus" to cut wages.
What are we expecting? Those with rosy recollections of the Qantas brand need to know that the airline was privatised in 1992. When corporate raiders suggest a critical piece of national infrastructure go for sale, the Albanese Labor government should be aware.
The corporate mission of Qantas is not so much about transporting people or facilitating the service of travel. The first line of their strategy is to achieve the highest total shareholder returns in the world.
The calls for Qantas to be re-nationalised are increasing. A group of Australians are waiting for a delayed flight in a large queue.
Van Badham is a writer. She works with various Australian trade unions.
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