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Qantas Airways
File:Qantas.svg
IATA ICAO Callsign
QF QFA QANTAS
Founded1920
HubsSydney Airport
Melbourne Airport
Singapore Changi Airport
Frequent-flyer programQantas Frequent Flyer
Allianceoneworld
Fleet size231 (+74 orders)
Destinations81
Parent companyQantas Airways Limited
HeadquartersSydney, Australia
Key peopleGeoff Dixon (CEO)
Margaret Jackson (Chairman)
Websitehttp://www.qantas.com.au

Qantas (pronounced ['kwɒntəs]) is the name and callsign of the national airline of Australia and the world's third oldest continuously running independent airline behind KLM and Avianca. It is the 11th largest airline in the world.

The name was originally "QANTAS", an acronym for "Queensland and Northern Territory Aerial Services". The company is based in Sydney, New South Wales and it is Australia's largest airline. It is traded on the Australian Securities Exchange as ASX: QAN.

History

Beginnings

Qantas Avro 504K replica
Qantas DH50J circa 1928

Qantas was founded in Winton, Queensland on 16 November 1920 as Queensland and Northern Territory Aerial Services Limited[1] by Paul McGuiness, Hudson Fysh, Fergus McMaster and Arthur Baird. The airline's first aircraft was an Avro 504K purchased for £1425. The aircraft had a cruising speed of 105 kilometres per hour (65 mph) and carried one pilot and two passengers.[2] Eighty-four year old outback pioneer Alexander Kennedy was the first passenger, receiving ticket number one. The airline operated air mail services subsidised by the Australian government, linking railheads in western Queensland.

Between 1926 and 1928, Qantas built seven De Havilland DH.50s and a single DH9 under licence in its Longreach hangar.[3] In 1928 a chartered Qantas aircraft conducted the inaugural flight of the Royal Flying Doctor Service of Australia, departing from Cloncurry.[4]

Flying boats and war — 1934 to 1945

In 1934, QANTAS Limited and Britain's Imperial Airways (the forerunner of British Airways) formed a new company, Qantas Empire Airways Limited. Each partner held 49%, with two per cent in the hands of an independent arbitrator.[5] The new airline commenced operations in December 1934 flying between Brisbane and Darwin using old fashioned DH50 and DH61 biplanes.

Short S.23 Qantas Empire Flying Boat

QEA went international from May 1935, when the service from Darwin was extended to Singapore using newer de Havilland DH-86 Commonwealth Airliners. Imperial Airways operated the rest of the service through to London. In July 1938, this operation was replaced by a thrice weekly flying boat service using Shorts S.23 Empire Flying Boats. The Sydney to Southampton service took nine days, with passengers staying in hotels overnight.[6] For the single year of peace that the service operated, it was profitable and 94% of services were on time. This service lasted through until Singapore fell in February 1942. Enemy action and accidents destroyed half of the fleet of ten, when most of the fleet was taken over by the Australian government for war service.[7]

Flying boat services were resumed with American built PBY Catalinas in July 1943, with flights between Perth and Ceylon (now Sri Lanka). This linked up with the BOAC service to London, maintaining the vital communications link with England. The 5,652km non-stop sector was the longest flown up to that time by any airline, with an average flying time of 28 hours. Passengers received a certificate of membership to the "Order of the Double Sunrise" as the sun rose twice during the flight. These flights continued until July 1945.[8]

The post-war years — 1945 to 1959

After World War II, QEA was nationalised, with the Australian Labor government led by Prime Minister Ben Chifley buying the shares of both Qantas Limited and BOAC. The Qantas staff encouraged this, as nationalised airlines were becoming the norm at the time.

File:049-connie-gov.jpg
Qantas Empire Airways L.749 Constellation VH-EAB

Shortly after nationalisation, QEA began their first services outside the British Empire — to Tokyo via Darwin and Manila with Avro Lancastrian aircraft.[9] These aircraft were also deployed between Sydney and London in cooperation with BOAC. They were soon replaced by Douglas DC-4s and services to Hong Kong began.

In 1948, the airline took delivery of Lockheed L.049 Constellations. In 1952, Qantas expanded across the Indian Ocean to Johannesburg via Perth, Cocos Islands and Mauritius, calling this the Wallaby Route. Around this time, the British Government placed great pressure on Qantas to purchase the De Havilland Comet jet airliner, but Hudson Fysh was dubious about the economics of the aircraft and successfully resisted this. The network was expanded across the Pacific to San Francisco via Auckland, Nadi and Honolulu in early 1954 when it took over the operations of British Commonwealth Pacific Airlines (BCPA).[9] This became known as the Southern Cross Route.

In 1956, Qantas became the first non US airline to order the Boeing 707 jet airliner. Boeing created a special version for Qantas, designated the Boeing 707-138. This aircraft was shortened from the usual version, reducing payload to provide more range for the sectors Qantas had in mind.

In 1958, Qantas became one of the very few around-the-world airlines, operating round-the-world services from Australia to London via Asia and the Middle East (Kangaroo route) and via the Southern Cross route with Super Constellations.[10] It took delivery of new turboprop Lockheed Electra aircraft in 1959.

The jet age — 1959 to 1992

Ex-Qantas Boeing 707-138B "V-jet" still in original 1960's livery, now owned by John Travolta

The first jet aircraft on the Australian register (and the 29th 707 built) was registered VH-EBA and named City of Canberra. This aircraft returned to Australia in December 2006 for display in the Qantas Founders Outback Museum at Longreach, Queensland.[11] The Boeing 707-138B was a shortened version of the Boeing 707 that was specially designed for Qantas. The first jet service operated by Qantas was on 29 July 1959 from Sydney to San Francisco via Nadi and Honolulu. On 5 September 1959, Qantas became the third airline to fly jets across the Atlantic — after BOAC and Pan Am. It operated between London and New York as part of the service from Sydney.[12] All of the turbojet aircraft were converted to upgraded turbofan engines in 1961 and were rebranded as V jets from the Latin vannus meaning fan.[13][14]

Air travel grew substantially in the early 1960s, leading Qantas to order the larger Boeing 707-338C series of aircraft. In 1966, the airline diversified its business by opening the 450 room Wentworth Hotel in Sydney. The same year, Qantas placed early options on the new Concorde airliner. At the time supersonic flight was thought of as the way of the future, but along with most airlines in the world the orders were eventually cancelled. Also in 1966, another around-the-world route was opened, the Fiesta route. Sydney to London via Tahiti, Mexico City, and Bermuda.

In 1967, the airline placed orders for the new Boeing 747. The aircraft could seat up to 350 passengers, a major improvement over the Boeing 707. Orders were placed for four aircraft with deliveries commencing in 1971. The later delivery date allowed Qantas to take advantage of the -200B version, which better suited its requirements. Also in 1967, Qantas Empire Airways changed its name to just Qantas Airways, the name of the airline today.[15]

When Cyclone Tracy devastated the city of Darwin at Christmas 1974, Qantas established a world record by flying the most people on an aeroplane — 673 people in a Boeing 747.[15] They also established a record for the number of people embarked in a Boeing 707 — 327 people on VH-EAH.[16] Later in the decade, Qantas placed options on two McDonnell Douglas DC-10 aircraft for flights to Wellington, New Zealand. These were not taken up, and two Boeing 747SP were ordered instead. In March 1979, Qantas operated its final Boeing 707 flight from Auckland to Sydney, and became the only airline in the world to have a fleet that consisted of Boeing 747s only. That same year Qantas introduced Business class — the first airline in the world to do so.[17]

The Boeing 767-200 was introduced in 1985,[17] for New Zealand, Asia and Pacific routes. The same year, the Boeing 747-300 was introduced, featuring a stretched upper deck. The Boeing 747 fleet was upgraded from 1989 with the arrival of the new Boeing 747-400 series. The delivery flight of the first aircraft was a world record, flying the 18,001km from London to Sydney non-stop.

In 1990, Qantas established Australia Asia Airlines to operate services to Taiwan. Several Boeing 747SP and Boeing 767 aircraft were transferred from Qantas service. The airline ceased operations in 1996.[18]

Privatisation — 1992 to the present

Ex-Australian Airlines Boeing 737 in Qantas livery

The Australian Government sold the domestic carrier Australian Airlines to Qantas in August 1992, giving it access to the national domestic market for the first time in its history. The purchase saw the introduction of the Boeing 737 and Airbus A300 to the fleet — though the A300s were soon retired.[18] Qantas was privatised in March 1993, with British Airways taking a 25% stake in the airline for A$665m.[19] After a number of delays, the remainder of the Qantas float proceeded in 1995. The public share offer took place in June and July of that year, with the government receiving A$1.45b in proceeds. The remaining shares were disposed of in 1995-96 and 1996-97.[20] Investors outside Australia took a strong interest in the float, securing 20% of the stock which, together with British Airways 25% holding, meant that, once floated on the stock exchange, Qantas was 55% Australian owned and 45% foreign owned.[21] By law, Qantas must be at least 51% Australian-owned, and the level of foreign ownership is constantly monitored.

In 1998, Qantas co-founded the oneworld alliance with American Airlines, British Airways, Canadian Airlines, and Cathay Pacific. The alliance commenced operation in February 1999, with Iberia and Finnair joining later that year. Oneworld markets itself at the premium travel market, offering passengers a larger network than the airlines could on their own. The airlines also work together to provide operational synergies to keep costs down.

The main domestic competitor to Qantas, Ansett Australia, collapsed on 14 September 2001. Market share for Qantas immediately neared 90%, with the relatively new budget airline Virgin Blue holding the remainder. In order to capitalise on this event, Qantas ordered Boeing 737-800 aircraft — obtaining them a mere three months later. This unusually short time between order and delivery was possible due to the terrorist attacks in the United States on 11 September — the subsequent downturn in the US aviation market meant American Airlines no longer needed the aircraft they ordered. The delivery positions were reassigned to Qantas on condition the aircraft remained in American Airlines configuration for later possible lease purposes.

Qantas Boeing 747-438 descending near London Heathrow Airport

At the same time, Virgin Blue announced a major expansion in October 2001,[22] which was successful in eventually pushing the Qantas domestic market share back to 60%. To prevent any further loss of market share, Qantas responded by creating a new cut-price subsidiary airline Jetstar. This has been successful in keeping the status quo at around 65% for Qantas group and 30% for Virgin Blue with other regional airlines accounting for the rest of the market. On 13 December 2004, the first flight of Jetstar Asia Airways took off from its Singapore hub to Hong Kong, marking Qantas' entry into the Asian cut-price market. Qantas owns 44.5% of the carrier.

Qantas has also expanded into the New Zealand domestic air travel market, firstly with a shareholding in Air New Zealand and then with a franchise takeover of Ansett New Zealand. In 2003, Qantas attempted and failed to obtain regulatory approval to purchase a larger (but still minority) stake in Air New Zealand. Subsequently Qantas stepped up competition on the trans-Tasman routes, recently introducing Jetstar to New Zealand. British Airways sold its 18.5% stake in Qantas in September 2004 for £425 million, though keeping its close ties with Qantas intact.

Qantas had also developed a full-service all economy international carrier focused on the holiday and leisure market, which had taken on the formerly used Australian Airlines name. This airline ceased operating its own liveried aircraft in July 2006, the assets being absorbed back into the parent company. However, Australian Airlines continues to exist as a "wet lease" company, operating and crewing Qantas aircraft on Qantas routes.

Airline Partners Australia takeover bid

Qantas Boeing 747-400

In December 2006 following detailed negotiations, the Qantas Board had received a revised proposal from Airline Partners Australia to acquire 100 percent of the Company for $5.60 ($5.45 after special distribution) cash per share. Subsequently the Qantas Board recommended the revised Offer From Airline Partners Australia, a consortium comprising Allco Equity partners, Texas Pacific, Macquarie Bank, Onex and Allco Finance.

Margaret Jackson (Chairman) said the revised proposal provided an attractive premium for Qantas shareholders, being:

  • 33 percent higher than the closing share price of $4.20 on 6 November 2006, the day before the first speculation about the offer; and
  • 61 percent above Qantas' volume weighted average share price of $3.48 over the six months to that date.

The proposal will be implemented by way of an off-market takeover bid, which will be subject to certain conditions including a 90 percent minimum acceptance condition.

The revised proposal followed negotiations with APA since the Board's rejection of its initial proposal. These negotiations resulted in the removal of unacceptable conditions and a substantial break fee as well as an increase in the price from $5.50 to $5.60 per share.

Under the terms of the offer, the interim dividend that would otherwise be payable in April 2007 will not be available. However, the Board decided that a fully franked special dividend could be paid during the bid period, in which case the offer consideration would be reduced by the dividend amount.

The take over proposal involves:

  • Qantas transitioning to a privately owned company and de-listing from the Australian Securities Exchange;
  • Qantas remaining majority owned and controlled by Australians; and
  • retention of the current management team, who will invest in the privately owned company.

Mr Geoff Dixon would continue as Chief Executive Officer and Mr Peter Gregg would remain Chief Financial Officer under the new ownership structure.

As of the start of April 2007 only 30% of shares had been secured by APA, so on 12 April 2007 the consortium lowered the minimum acceptance level to 70 percent. On Friday evening 4 May 2007, APA announced that it appeared its offer had failed to reach the 50 per cent level required for the $11.1 billion private equity buyout to proceed. The consortium had only secured 46 per cent of the national carrier by the 7.00pm deadline for the takeover offer that day. APA was counting on a last-minute rush of acceptances from hedge funds to get the deal over the line. On Saturday 5 May 2007 the APA said a late acceptance from a large investor (Samuel Heyman)[23] received after the 7.00pm deadline the previous evening meant it intended to press ahead with the bid. However, after the late acceptance was denied by the takeover board, APA decided to accept that the bid had failed, rather than pursue a protracted and uncertain legal battle in an attempt to keep it alive. [24]

Qantas now

Its main international hubs are Sydney Kingsford Smith International Airport, Melbourne Airport and Brisbane Airport. However, Qantas operates a significant number of international flights into and out of Singapore Changi Airport, Los Angeles International Airport, London Heathrow Airport and Perth Airport. Its domestic hubs are Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane airports, but the company also has a strong presence in Perth, Adelaide, Cairns and Canberra airports. It serves a range of international and domestic destinations.

Qantas wholly owns Jetstar Airways, and JetConnect (which operates New Zealand domestic services) and QantasLink (including, Airlink, Sunstate and Eastern Australia Airlines).[25] It also has a minor stock holding in Air New Zealand. It also owns 49% of the Fiji-based international carrier Air Pacific. It owns 50% of both Australian Air Express and Star Track Express (a trucking company)[26], with the other 50% of both companies owned by Australia Post. Since its privatisation in 1993, Qantas has been one of the most profitable airlines in the world.[27] It was recently voted 2nd best airline in the world in the 2006 World Airline Awards (with surveys conducted by Skytrax) behind British Airways[28]

Qantas has stepped up the expansion of Jetstar, with the launch of international services (in addition to existing trans-Tasman and Jetstar Asia flights) to leisure destinations such as Bali, Ho Chi Minh City, Osaka and Honolulu from November 2006. On some routes Jetstar will supplement existing Qantas operations but many routes are new to the network. The lower cost base of Jetstar makes these routes feasible.

In recent years it has announced substantial new aircraft orders. Qantas ordered twelve Airbus A380-800, with options for twelve more. It will be the second airline (after launch customer Singapore Airlines) to receive an A380 and is now expected to receive four aircraft by the end of 2008 and seven by mid-2009, after Airbus reported further delays in the delivery. Qantas exercised 8 options on A380s, increasing firm orders to 20 on 29 October 2006.

File:Qantas787-8.jpg
Boeing's impression of Qantas Boeing 787

All aircraft are due to be delivered between 2008 to 2015. An additional four A330-200 aircraft were ordered to address capacity concerns due to the A380s service entry delay.[29][30]

On 14 December 2005 Qantas announced an order for 115 Boeing 787-8 and 787-9 aircraft (45 firm orders, 20 options and 50 purchase rights).[31] The aircraft will allow Qantas to replace their 767-300 fleet, increase capacity and establish new routes. Jetstar will also operate 10 of the new aircraft on international routes.[32] This announcement came after a long battle between Boeing and Airbus to meet the airline's needs for fleet renewal and future routes. The first of the 787s are scheduled to be delivered to Jetstar in August 2008, with the 787-9s coming in 2011.

Although Qantas did not choose the Boeing 777-200LR, it is rumoured that Qantas is still looking into buying aircraft capable of flying London-Sydney non-stop.[33]

Promotional activities

Qantas used a small promotional animation on its website to officially announce it will offer in-flight internet services on its fleet of A380s.[34] Qantas also announced that it would trial in-flight use of mobile phones on one of its Boeing 767 aircraft. This will allow customers to send emails and text messages on board, but will not allow phone calls whilst in flight.[35] Qantas has also launched Online Check in (OLCI) for its domestic Australian flights. Customers are now able to log on to qantas.com 24 hours before their flight departs, select their seat and print a boarding pass, enabling them to bypass check-in at the terminal.[36] It recently re-introduced hot face towels for economy class on all long haul flights.

Qantas is responsible for some of the most successful marketing campaigns in Australian history, with many advertising campaigns featuring renditions by children's choirs of Peter Allen's "I Still Call Australia Home", set to footage of breathtaking scenery. A much earlier campaign aimed at American television audiences featured an Australian koala, who of all things detested Qantas for bringing tourists to destroy his quiet life (his key tagline: "I hate Qantas"). Qantas is the main and shirt sponsor of the "Qantas Wallabies", the Australian national Rugby Union team.They also sponsor and have shirt rights to the Socceroos, who are Australia's national football (soccer) team.

Destinations

Main article: Qantas destinations

Qantas flies to 81 destinations in 5 continents.

Fleet

The Qantas fleet consists of the following aircraft as of May 2007:

Qantas Fleet
Aircraft Total Passengers Routes Notes
Airbus A330-200 (4 orders) 301 (38/265) Entry into service: 2007/2008
Airbus A330-300 10 297 (30/267) Asia
Airbus A380-800 (20 orders) 501 Entry into service: August 2008
Boeing 737-400 19 142 (16/126) Domestic
Boeing 737-800 33
(5 orders) 		168 (12/156) Domestic, Oceania
Boeing 747-300 6 450 (52/398) Domestic (only 4 in service) (VH-EBU put up for sale Feb 2007)
Boeing 747-400 24 343 (14/64/265)
379 (14/50/315)
412 (56/356) 		Europe, Asia, Africa
Boeing 747-400ER 6 343 (14/64/265) North America
Boeing 767-300ER 29 229 (25/204)
244 (30/214)
250 (30/220)
251 (30/221)
254 (30/224) 		Domestic, Oceania, North America, Asia
Boeing 787-8 (15 orders) Entry into service: 2009
Boeing 787-9 (30 orders)

The average age of Qantas fleet was 10 years in August 2006. Some of the Boeing 767-300ER aircraft are leased from British Airways on a long term basis and entered service with Qantas in 2000 and 2001.

The Qantas customer code for Boeing is 38. This code appears in Boeing aircraft model numbers such as B747-438.[citation needed]

It appears likely that Qantas is going to exercise all their options on Boeing 787s, bringing the total orders to 115. They are also considering placing additional orders.[citation needed]

Qantas has three aircraft painted in Australian Aboriginal art liveries: Wunala Dreaming (Boeing 747-438ER VH-OEJ[37]), Nalanji Dreaming (Boeing 747-338 VH-EBU[38], which has now been put up for auction) and Yananyi Dreaming (Boeing 737-838 VH-VXB[39]). All three carry striking, colourful liveries, designed by Australian Aborigines.[40]

Qantas have named their aircraft since 1926. Themes included Greek gods, stars, significant people in Australian aviation history, and Australian birds. Since 1959, the majority of Qantas aircraft have been named after Australian cities. The Airbus A380 series is probably going to be named after Australian Aviation Pioneers, beginning with Nancy Bird Walton.

Main article: Naming of Qantas aircraft

Qantas Frequent Flyer

File:Qantasff.gif

The Qantas Frequent Flyer program is designed to reward customer loyalty. Points are accrued based on miles flown, with bonuses that vary by travel class, and can be earned on oneworld airlines as well as other partners. Points can be redeemed for flights or upgrades on flights operated by Qantas, oneworld airlines, and other partners. Co-branded credit cards are issued by both American Express, ANZ Bank and Westpac, and a number of other credit cards earn points that can be transferred to the Qantas Frequent Flyer program.

To join the program, passengers living in Australia or New Zealand must pay a once off joining fee, and then become a Bronze Frequent Flyer (residents of other countries may join without a fee). All accounts remain active as long as there is points activity once every three years. Flights with Qantas and partner airlines earn Status Credits — and accumulation of these allows progression to Silver Status (oneworld Ruby), Gold Status (oneworld Sapphire) and Platinum Status (oneworld Emerald).

In addition to its QantasLink and oneworld partnerships, Qantas offers frequent flyer partnerships with the following airlines:

File:CreditCard-AU-Qantas-Cobrands.jpg
Qantas Frequent Flyer co-branded credit cards

Qantas also offers frequent flyer partnerships with the following car rental agencies:

Qantas Club

File:Qantasclub.gif

Qantas Club is the official business-class airline lounge for Qantas with airport locations around Australia and the world. The Qantas Club offers membership by paid subscription (one year, two years, four years or life) or by achievement of Gold or Platinum frequent flyer status. Benefits of membership include lounge access, priority check-in, priority luggage handling, increased luggage allowances. The Chairman's Lounge is an invitation only lounge, offering better amenities and more benefits than the Qantas Club.

Facilities vary by lounge, but typically include:

  • Business Lounge - workstations, internet access, facsimile, photocopying facilities;
  • Showers - self-contained washrooms with complimentary toiletries;
  • Bar - complimentary bar open with staff from early afternoon (domestic) or open 24 hours with self-service (international).

Lounges also include power points, free local-call telephones, television, and quiet areas. Wireless internet access is fee-based.

The Qantas First Class Lounge at Sydney International Airport is currently undergoing extensive refurbishment. The Lounge has been developed by renowned Australian designer Marc Newson. Newson also developed the design for the Qantas Sky Bed.

The Lounge is due to be completed in May 2007.

Lounge access

Members are entitled to enter The Qantas Club when flying on a Qantas or Jetstar flight and invite one guest, who need not be flying. When flying on American Airlines, members have access to Admirals Club lounges; when flying on British Airways, members have access to the Terraces Lounge; when fying with Cathay Pacific, members have access to the The Pier or The Wing, located in Hong Kong International Airport.[citation needed]

Platinum Qantas Frequent Flyers are able to access The Qantas Club at any time, regardless of whether they are flying that day.[citation needed]

Lounge locations

Codeshare agreements

Along with Qantas oneworld airline partners, Qantas has codeshare agreements with the following airlines:

Incidents and accidents

Main article: Qantas fatal accidents

It is often claimed, most notably in the 1988 movie Rain Man, that Qantas has never had a fatal accident.[41] While the airline's safety record is respected around the world, the statement only relates to the fact that the company has never lost a jet airliner. Between 1927 and 1951, Qantas had eight fatal accidents with the loss of 62 people. Half of these accidents occurred during World War II, when the Qantas aircraft were operating on behalf of the Royal Australian Air Force.

Extortion attempts

On 26 May 1971, Qantas received a call from a "Mr. Brown" claiming that there was a bomb planted on a Hong Kong-bound jet and that he wanted $500,000 in unmarked $20 bills. He was treated seriously when he directed police to an airport locker where a functional bomb was found. Arrangements were made to pick up the money in front of the head office of the airline in the heart of the Sydney business district. After Qantas raced around to find two suitcases large enough to hold all the cash, they paid the money and it was safely collected, after which Mr. Brown called again, advising the 'bomb on the plane' story was a hoax. The initial pursuit of the perpetrator was bungled by the New South Wales Police who, despite having been advised of the matter from the time of the first call, failed to establish adequate surveillance of the pick up of the money. Directed not to use their radios (for fear of being "overheard"), the police were unable to communicate adequately.[48] Tipped off by a still unidentified informer, the police eventually arrested an Englishman, Peter Macari[49], finding more than $138,000 hidden in an Annandale property. Convicted and sentenced to 15 years in jail, Macari served nine years before being deported to Britain. Over $224,000 has still not been found. The 1985 telemovie "Call Me Mr. Brown" directed by Scott Hicks and produced by Terry Jennings, relates to this incident.

On 4 July 1997, a copycat extortion attempt was thwarted early on thanks to the skills of police and Qantas security staff.[50]

In-flight cell-phone trial

Qantas has become the first airline to trial using cell-phones during a flight. The trial will run for 3 months using one of Qantas' Boeing 767s. During the trial, passengers will be allowed to send and receive text messages and emails, but are still prohbited from making or receiving calls. If the trial is successful, Qantas may become the first airline to allow its passengers to use cell-phones in flight. Qantas has not ruled out allowing passengers to make or receive calls.[51]

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders initiatives

Qantas, through its Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Programme, has maintained strong links with the indigenous Australian community. As of 2007, the company has run the programme for more than ten years and 1-2% of its staff are of indigenous Australian ethnicity. Qantas employs a full time Diversity Coordinator, who is responsible for the programme.[52]

Qantas also prides itself as an investor and supporter of Aboriginal art. In 1993, the airline bought a painting - Honey Ant and Grasshopper Dreaming - from the Central Australian desert region. As of 2007, this painting is on permanent loan to Yiribana at the Art Gallery of New South Wales. In 1996, Qantas donated five extra bark paintings to the gallery. Qantas has also sponsored and supported Aboriginal artists in the past.[52]

References

  1. ^ "Small Beginnings". Our Company. Qantas. Retrieved 2006-12-16.
  2. ^ "The Plane, the Place and the Passenger". Our Company. Qantas. Retrieved 2006-12-17.
  3. ^ "The Formative Years". Our Company. Qantas. Retrieved 2006-12-17.
  4. ^ "The Flying Doctor Service". Our Company. Qantas. Retrieved 2006-12-17.
  5. ^ "The Move to Brisbane". Our Company. Qantas. Retrieved 2006-12-16.
  6. ^ "Venturing Overseas". Our Company. Qantas. Retrieved 2006-12-16.
  7. ^ "The World at War". Our Company. Qantas. Retrieved 2006-12-16.
  8. ^ "The Rise of Civil Aviation to 1970". National Stories. Australian Heritage Commission. Retrieved 2007-01-07.
  9. ^ a b "Post War Expansion". Our Company. Qantas. Retrieved 2006-12-16.
  10. ^ "Constellations Span the World". Our Company. Qantas. Retrieved 2006-12-16.
  11. ^ "Historic First Qantas Jet to Return to Australia". Qantas. 09 October 2006. Retrieved 2006-12-20. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  12. ^ "707 Chronology". VH-Jet#1 & her sisters. Retrieved 2006-12-20.
  13. ^ "Why V-Jet?". VH-Jet#1 & her sisters. Retrieved 2006-12-17.
  14. ^ Actor John Travolta personally owns and pilots an ex-Qantas Boeing 707-138B painted in the Qantas livery of the 1960s (see "John Travolta Friendship Tour". Air Force One 707 Simulator. Retrieved 2006-12-17.
  15. ^ a b "The Jumbo Jet". Our Company. Qantas. Retrieved 2006-12-16.
  16. ^ Cuskelly, Ron. "VH-EAH". VH-Jet#1 & her sisters. Retrieved 2006-12-16.
  17. ^ a b "Boeing Aircraft Take Qantas Further". Our Company. Qantas. Retrieved 2006-12-16.
  18. ^ a b "Expanding Overseas...and at Home". Our Company. Qantas. Retrieved 2006-12-16.
  19. ^ The Hon R. Willis, Answer to a Question without Notice, House of Representatives Debates, 13 May 1993, p.775.
  20. ^ Commonwealth of Australia Budget Statements 1996-97, Budget Paper no. 3, p. 3-191.
  21. ^ Ian Thomas, '"Luck" played a key part in float success', Australian Financial Review, 31 July 1995.
  22. ^ "Virgin Blue Announces Major Expansion Plans Australia's Second Airline Keeps More Of The Air Fare" (Press release). Virgin Blue. 30 October 2001. Retrieved 2006-12-16. {{cite press release}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  23. ^ http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,20867,21683488-601,00.html
  24. ^ http://www.theage.com.au/news/business/apa-gives-up-on-qantas/2007/05/08/1178390265428.html
  25. ^ "QantasLink". Our Company. Qantas. Retrieved 2006-12-22.
  26. ^ "Qantas and Australia Post buy Star Track Express" (Press release). Australia Post. Retrieved 2006-12-22.
  27. ^ Qantas lifts profit, to raise A$800M,CNN.com/business, 21 August 2002 (accessed 18 January,2007)
  28. ^ "Airline of the Year 2006 — results". World Airline Awards. 2006-06-12. Retrieved 2006-12-17. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  29. ^ "Qantas Statement on A380 Delay" (Press release). Qantas. 28 November 2006. Retrieved 2006-12-17. {{cite press release}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  30. ^ "Qantas Orders Additional A380 Aircraft" (Press release). Qantas. 29 October 2006. Retrieved 2006-12-16. {{cite press release}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  31. ^ "Qantas Chooses Boeing 787 Dreamliner" (Press release). Boeing. 13 December 2005. Retrieved 2006-12-16. {{cite press release}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  32. ^ "Qantas Board Chooses Boeing" (Press release). Qantas. 14 December 2005. Retrieved 2006-12-16. {{cite press release}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  33. ^ James Wallace (November 10, 2005). "Long-range 777 would let Qantas add nonstop London-Sydney route". Seattle Post Intelligencer. Retrieved 2007-02-05. Qantas Chief Executive Geoff Dixon said a plane that could fly nonstop between London and Sydney, roundtrip, was a longtime dream. "Any aircraft that can give us competitive operating costs and can bypass the Asia hubs would be of great attraction to us," he said." One day, that's what Qantas needs -- a hub buster."
  34. ^ Warne, Dan (2006-07-15). "Qantas to finally offer inflight broadband". ninemsn. Retrieved 2006-12-16. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  35. ^ "Qantas to Conduct an Evaluation of New Technology Allowing Customers to stay Connected Inflight" (Press release). Qantas. 28 August 2006. Retrieved 2006-12-16. {{cite press release}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  36. ^ "Business to Benefit from Online Check-in" (Press release). Qantas. 5 October 2006. Retrieved 2006-12-16. {{cite press release}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  37. ^ "CASA Aircraft Register (VH-OEJ)". Civil Aviation Safety Authority.
  38. ^ "CASA Aircraft Register (VH-EBU)". Civil Aviation Safety Authority.
  39. ^ "CASA Aircraft Register (VH-VXB)". Civil Aviation Safety Authority.
  40. ^ Qantas Airlines Features Artistic Aircraft
  41. ^ "Memorable Quotes from Rain Man (1988)". Internet Movie Database. Retrieved 2007-02-14.
  42. ^ "Accident Description". Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved 2007-02-14.
  43. ^ Job, Macarthur. "Misadventure at Mauritius" (PDF). Flight Safety Australia (Jan-Feb 2000). Retrieved 2007-02-09.
  44. ^ "CASA Aircraft Register (VH-OJH)". Civil Aviation Safety Authority.
  45. ^ "World: Asia-Pacific London-bound jet skids off runway". BBC News. 1999-09-23. Retrieved 2006-12-17. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  46. ^ "Aviation Safety Investigation Report — Final". Australian Transport Safety Bureau. April 2001. Retrieved 2006-12-18.
  47. ^ "CASA Aircraft Register (VH-EBW)". Civil Aviation Safety Authority.
  48. ^ Young, Barry. The Qantas Extortion Case. Sydney: Qantas Public Affairs Department.
  49. ^ A photograph of him was published in the Sydney Morning Herald in 2002, in an article on an apparently unrelated incident (see:Macey, Richard (May 25 2002). "'Mr Brown' and riddle of the man who just vanished". Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 2006-12-17. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help))
  50. ^ Jennifer Muldoon and Melissa Jones. "Extortion Attempt Qantas Airways" (PDF). Australian Institute of Criminology. Retrieved 2006-12-17. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  51. ^ "Qantas to trial in-flight mobile phone use". ABC News (Australia). 2007-04-18. Retrieved 2007-04-20. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  52. ^ a b "Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islanders Initiatives". Retrieved 2007-04-23.
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