News

9 Jun 2012

Remember Global Rewards? Qantas points may soon be worthless

Far from CX to alarm you, your mum, or startle the chooks. But a week ago it was unthinkable that Qantas would be in loss, despite the continual doom and gloom from its besieged management. Today’s Weekend Business (SMH) openly canvasses The End of the Airline as we know it.

When Ansett closed down without warning, its workers were gutted and abandoned. A pilot told his mate how he had phoned the Administrator to be told in a cold fashion that he was just ‘a number’, and dismissed without care. He then killed himself.

For most of the rest of us, we had unfulfilled rewards points. CX had a business class return ticket to New York which was outright cancelled because United Airlines quite rightly had no chance of being paid by Ansett for the reward. We lost 200,000 points.

CX suggest you migrate your airline business out of Qantas, if you care about status credits and reward points.

Here are some of the scenarios that are being openly canvassed in media for Qantas, as of today:

  1. Code share or virtual partnership with Emirates. Guaranteed to kill off most other international routes, leaving Emirates holding the trump card.
  2. Shut down / wind down International. Where does that leave your future point redemption’s?
  3. Sell off the profitable bits, ie: Qantas Frequent Flyer, and Jetstar. See above.

Funny enough, no one really believes the management plan anymore. They talk about how splitting the thing up will make it better, but no one believes it. That’s why the share price has tanked, because the people who own the airline are exiting.

Which is a good reason for you to consider an alternative. While there is time to do so.

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