Company Watch - Qantas Airways

Aug 27, 2007

Qantas said yesterday it will invest A$50 million ($40 million) to improve and expand its domestic terminal at Perth, with work set to commence by year end. It also revealed that it conducted an audit of all its aircraft maintenance workers after "discovering irregularities in documentation relating to the qualifications of one of its engineering employees." No other problems were found, QF said, adding that the worker in question resigned. Aug 22, 2007

Qantas CEO Geoff Dixon will quit the airline after his current contract expires in July 2009. Speaking on Australia's Sky News Business Sunday, Dixon said, "There is a time to move on, and I don't think the board or I would contemplate anything after the time we've said, unless there is something out there I don't see. I really do think it would be time to move on." Aug 21, 2007

Qantas low-cost subsidiary JetStar Airways, which will restore service to markets that Qantas abandoned. "We're obviously moving it into international areas, and it will go into routes where we know Qantas finds it very difficult to make money," he told viewers. "Places like Greece and Italy, I believe they can make that viable with the new aircraft they get in August [2008]. The Boeing 787s will enable a one-stop flight to Athens via Bangkok." Aug 21, 2007

Sabre Travel Network announced that Qantas is the launch customer for Sabre Branded Fares, a tool it said will be "integrated into the standard travel agency desktop of its GDS" and "enable the airline to package and brand a variety of fares featuring different attributes." Last week, Galileo unveiled a solution for Canadian travel agents that would make Air Canada's a la carte fare products and Web-only content available on its GDS. SBF, part of the Sabre Merchandising Distribution Suite, will be tailored for other airlines as well. Sabre said it already is "working with additional airlines around the world to adopt these tools." VP-Marketing Hans Belle said the new technology "allow[s] for a flexible one-way fare structure, offering features beyond the normal fare rules and it also enables agents to easily locate and book the lowest fare available within a fare family." Aug 20, 2007

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