Qantas facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Qantas

Founded	16 November 1920; 104 years ago (1920-11-16) Winton, Queensland, Australia
Commenced operations	2 November 1922; 102 years ago (1922-11-02)
AOC #	CASA.AOC.0001
Hubs	Brisbane Melbourne Sydney
Secondary hubs	Adelaide Perth
Focus cities	Cairns Singapore Darwin
Frequent-flyer program	Qantas Frequent Flyer
Alliance	Oneworld
Subsidiaries	QantasLink Jetstar Qantas Freight Qantas Holidays Express Ground Handling Qantas Ground Services TripADeal (51%)
Fleet size	125
Destinations	104
Headquarters	Mascot, New South Wales, Australia
Key people	Richard Goyder AO (Chairman) Vanessa Hudson (CEO)
Revenue	A$19.81 billion (2023)
Operating income	A$2.47 billion (2023)
Total assets	A$20.3 billion (2023)
Total equity	A$10 million (2023)
Employees	23,500 (2023)

Qantas Airways Limited (/ˈkwɒntəs/ KWON-təs) is the flag carrier of Australia. It is the largest airline by fleet size, international flights, and international destinations in Australia and Oceania. Qantas is the world's third-oldest airline by foundation date and the oldest airline in the English-speaking world — being founded in November 1920. Qantas is a founding member of the Oneworld airline alliance.

Qantas is an acronym of the airline's original name, Queensland and Northern Territory Aerial Services, as it originally served Queensland and the Northern Territory. It is popularly nicknamed "The Flying Kangaroo". It is considered the only airline in the world to fly to all seven continents, with it being the only airline operating regular sightseeing flights to Antarctica, along with flights to Africa, Europe, Asia, North America and South America.

Qantas is based in the Sydney suburb of Mascot, adjacent to its main hub at Sydney Airport. As of March 2023^[update], Qantas Group had a 60.8% share of the Australian domestic market. Various subsidiary airlines operate to regional centres and on some trunk routes within Australia, as well as some short haul international flights under the QantasLink banner. Qantas owns Jetstar, a low-cost airline that operates both international services from Australia and domestic services within Australia and New Zealand. It holds stakes in a number of other Jetstar-branded airlines in Asia, as well as Fiji Airways.

History

Qantas was founded in Winton, Queensland on 16 November 1920 by Hudson Fysh, Paul McGinness and Fergus McMaster as Queensland and Northern Territory Aerial Services Limited. The airline's first aircraft was an Avro 504K. It moved its headquarters to Longreach, Queensland in 1921 and Brisbane, Queensland in 1930.

QEA era

In 1934, QANTAS and Britain's Imperial Airways, a forerunner of British Airways, formed a new company, Qantas Empire Airways Limited (QEA). In December 1934, the new airline began operations, flying between Brisbane and Darwin. QEA flew internationally from May 1935, when the service from Darwin was extended to Singapore. Imperial Airways operated the rest of the service through to London. When World War II began, enemy action and accidents destroyed half of the fleet of ten. Most of the fleet was taken over by the Australian government for war service.

In 1943, flying boat services resumed, with flights between the Swan River at Crawley in Perth, Western Australia and Koggala Lake in Ceylon, now Sri Lanka. This linked up with the British Overseas Airways Corporation, BOAC, the successor airline to Imperial Airways, service to London. Qantas' kangaroo logo was first used on the "Kangaroo Route", begun in 1944, from Sydney to Karachi, where BOAC crews took over for the rest of the journey to the UK.

In 1947, QEA was nationalised by the Australian government led by Labor Prime Minister Ben Chifley. QANTAS Limited was then wound up. After nationalisation, Qantas' remaining domestic network, in Queensland, was transferred to the nationally owned Trans-Australia Airlines, leaving Qantas with a purely international network. Shortly after nationalisation, QEA began its first services outside the British Empire, to Tokyo. Services to Hong Kong began around the same time. In 1957, a head office, Qantas House, opened in Sydney.

Jet age

In June 1959, Qantas entered the jet age when the first Boeing 707–138 was delivered. On 14 September 1992, Qantas merged with nationally owned domestic airline, Australian Airlines, renamed from Trans-Australia Airlines in 1986. Australian Airlines's aircraft started to be rebranded as Qantas aircraft in 1993. Qantas was gradually privatised between 1993 and 1997. Under legislation passed to allow the privatisation, Qantas must be at least 51% owned by Australian shareholders.

Oneworld and Jetstar

In 1998, Qantas co-founded the Oneworld alliance with American Airlines, British Airways, Canadian Airlines, and Cathay Pacific. with other airlines joining subsequently.

With the entry of new discount airline Virgin Blue, now Virgin Australia, into the domestic market in 2000, Qantas' market share fell. Qantas created the budget Jetstar in 2001 to compete. The main domestic competitor to Qantas, Ansett Australia, collapsed in September 2001.

Qantas briefly revived the Australian Airlines name as a short-lived international budget airline between 2002 and 2006. This subsidiary was shut down in favour of expanding Jetstar internationally, including to New Zealand. In 2004, the Qantas group expanded into the Asian budget airline market with Jetstar Asia, in which Qantas owns a minority stake. In 2007, a similar model was used for an investment into Jetstar Pacific, headquartered in Vietnam, and Jetstar Japan, launched in 2012.

In December 2006, Qantas was the subject of a failed bid from a consortium calling itself Airline Partners Australia. In 2008, merger talks with British Airways did not proceed to an agreement. In 2011, industrial relations dispute between Qantas and the Transport Workers Union of Australia resulted in the grounding of all Qantas aircraft and a lock-out of the airline's staff for two days.

On 25 March 2018, a Qantas Boeing 787 flew non-stop between Australia and Europe, connecting the two continents by air for the first time, with the arrival in London of Flight 9 (QF9). QF9 was a 17-hour, 14,498 km (9,009-mile) journey from Perth Airport in Western Australia to London Heathrow.

On 20 October 2019, Qantas Airways completed the longest commercial flight to date, between New York City and Sydney using a Boeing 787–9 Dreamliner in 19 hours and 20 minutes.

COVID 19

On 19 March 2020, Qantas suspended about 60% of domestic flights, put two thirds of its employees on leave, suspended all international flights and grounded more than 150 of its aircraft from the end of March until at least 31 May 2020, following expanded COVID-19 pandemic government travel restrictions. To survive the pandemic, Qantas axed 6,000 jobs and announced a plan to raise A$1.9 billion in new capital. Qantas offloaded its 30% stake in Jetstar Pacific to Vietnam Airlines, retiring the Jetstar brand in Vietnam.

In July 2020, Qantas retired its last Boeing 747-438ER, after almost 49 years of continuous operation of the type—the first 747-238B was introduced in August 1971. All twelve Airbus A380s were placed in storage, ten at Mojave Air & Space Port and two at Los Angeles International Airport, for a minimum of three years. The pilots of the last Boeing 747 flight to Mojave Desert via Los Angeles traced the shape of the iconic Qantas logo in the flight path before the jet continued on its journey.

In November 2020, Qantas issued a public statement expressing their intention to require passengers traveling overseas to provide proof of COVID-19 inoculation. As per the statement made by Alan Joyce, the airline's CEO, the presence of a COVID-19 vaccine would be considered indispensable for the purpose of travel. Joyce expressed their intention to potentially modify the terms and conditions, to specify that anyone traveling internationally must have a vaccination before embarking. Qantas also announced a cut of 2,000 jobs to limit its financial losses.

In August 2021, Qantas required all of its 22,000 employees to be fully vaccinated against the virus.

In May 2022, Qantas ordered twelve A350-1000 aircraft from Airbus, to be used in non-stop flights from Sydney to London in late 2025. In the same month, Qantas agreed terms to purchase Alliance Airlines. In April 2023, the Australian Competition & Consumer Commission (ACCC) opposed the takeover.

Non-Stop flight routes

In August 2022, Qantas Airways announced plans to compete in June 2023 with Air New Zealand on the non-stop Auckland–New York route. Qantas flights would originate in Sydney, before flying in 2025 on a non-stop Sydney–New York route, as part of Project Sunrise. Qantas aims to eliminate the "tyranny of distance" by developing non-stop flight routes connecting Australian cities to New York City, and to London. In February 2023, Qantas announced soaring profits of A$1.7bn for the second half of 2022, after experiencing losses due to COVID. In a development described by ABC News as a "mammoth protest vote," on 3 November 2023 nearly 83% of Qantas shareholders voted against the airline's remuneration report.

Destinations

Qantas operates flightseeing charters to Antarctica on behalf of Croydon Travel. It first flew Antarctic flightseeing trips in 1977. They were suspended for a number of years due to the crash of Air New Zealand Flight 901 on Mount Erebus in 1979. Qantas restarted the flights in 1994. Although these flights do not touch down, they require specific polar operations and crew training due to factors like sector whiteout, which contributed to the 1979 Air New Zealand disaster.

With Flights 7 and 8 – a non-stop service between Sydney and Dallas/Fort Worth operated by the Airbus A380 – commencing on 29 September 2014, Qantas operated the world's longest passenger flight on the world's largest passenger aircraft. This was overtaken in March 2016 by Emirates' new Auckland-Dubai service. In 2018, after it ordered Boeing 787 aircraft, Qantas announced an intention to launch non-stop flights between Perth and London. The inaugural flight left Perth on 24 March.

On 19 March 2020, Qantas suspended all international flights and about 60% of domestic flights from the end of March until at least 31 May 2020, following expanded COVID-19 pandemic government travel restrictions.

Codeshare agreements

As of October 2016^[update], Qantas had codeshare agreements with the following airlines:

Joint ventures

In addition to the above codeshares, Qantas has entered into joint ventures with the following airlines:

• American Airlines
• China Eastern Airlines
• Emirates

Fleet

Current fleet

As of August 2023^[update], Qantas and its subsidiaries operated 337 aircraft, including 79 aircraft by Jetstar Airways; 116 by the various QantasLink-branded airlines and 17 by Express Freighters Australia (on behalf of Qantas Freight, which also wet leases two Atlas Air Boeing 747-400Fs).

Company heads

The company heads of Qantas Airways Limited are only listed from 1993, when Qantas' shares once again traded on the stock exchange as a publicly listed company, following the Australian Government's move to privatise the remaining 75% of the airline. Throughout Qantas' history, since 1920, there have been many structures, branding and variations including the name 'Qantas'. Its current company structure was established in 1993, going from an unlisted public company in which the Commonwealth owned all of the shares, to a listed public company.

Corporate affairs

Business trends

The key trends for the Qantas Group (Qantas Airways Ltd and Controlled Entities, which includes Jetstar and Qantas Cargo), are shown below, as at year ending 30 June:

Business indicators from 2016

	2016	2017	2018	2019	2020	2021	2022	2023
Turnover (A$m)	16,200	16,057	17,060	17,966	14,257	5,934	9,108	19,815
Net profit (A$m)	1,029	853	980	891	−1,964	−1,728	−860	1,744
Number of employees (FTE)	29,204	29,596	30,248	29,745	28,957	20,640	21,847	25,426
Number of passengers (m)	52.7	53.7	55.3	55.8	40.8	15.9	21.3	45.7
Passenger load factor (%)	80.1	80.6	83.2	84.2	82.3	63.2	67.9	83.3
Number of aircraft	303	309	313	314	314	311	322	336
Notes/sources

Business indicators 2008 - 2015

	2008	2009	2010	2011	2012	2013	2014	2015
Turnover (A$m)	15,627	14,552	13,772	14,894	15,724	15,902	15,352	15,816
Net profit (A$m)	970	123	116	249	−244	6	−2,843	560
Number of employees (FTE)	33,670	33,966	32,489	33,169	33,584	33,265	30,751	28,622
Number of passengers (m)	38.6	38.4	41.4	44.5	46.7	48.2	48.8	49.2
Passenger load factor (%)	80.7	79.6	80.8	80.1	80.1	79.3	77.4	79.1
Number of aircraft	224	229	254	283	308	312	308	299
Notes/sources

Headquarters

Qantas' headquarters are located at the Qantas Centre in the suburb of Mascot, Sydney, New South Wales. In December 2013, a redevelopment of the headquarters was completed.

Airline subsidiaries

Qantas has operated a number of passenger airline subsidiaries since inception, including:

• Australia Asia Airlines – operated from 1990 to 1996 to allow Qantas to serve the Taiwanese market
• Impulse Airlines – an established airline bought by Qantas in 2001. Ceased operations in 2001 and its assets used to establish Jetstar Airways
• Australian Airlines – an international leisure airline that operated from 2002 to 2006, serving leisure destinations in Asia as well as Qantas international routes flown out of Cairns.
• QantasLink – Qantas' regional airline brand encompassing the operations of four Qantas subsidiary airlines (Eastern Australia Airlines, National Jet Systems, Network Aviation and Sunstate Airlines) and a contract carrier
• Jetstar – currently operating as Qantas' low-cost carrier
• Jetconnect – a wholly owned Qantas subsidiary established in 2002 that focused on trans-Tasman travel between New Zealand and Eastern Australia cities (Brisbane, Melbourne, and Sydney). The last of Jetconnect's aircraft were transferred to the mainline fleet in October 2018

Qantas operates a freight service under the name Qantas Freight, which uses aircraft operated by Qantas subsidiary Express Freighters Australia and leases aircraft from Atlas Air. Qantas wholly owns the logistics-and-air-freight company Australian airExpress.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders initiatives

Qantas, through its Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Programme, has some links with the Aboriginal Australian community. In the Qantas Reconciliation Action Plan 2015 – 2018, Qantas revealed that 1 percent of all their staff are Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander. Qantas employs a full-time Diversity Coordinator, who is responsible for the programme.

Qantas has also bought and donated Aboriginal art. An art installation at its passenger lounge in Brisbane features a painting by Jenna Lee. Qantas has had a number of its aircraft painted with the art of Aboriginal artist Emily Kame Kngwarreye and others with art inspired by Rene Kulitja and Paddy Bedford.

Promotions and Sponsorships

An early television campaign, starting in 1969 and running for several decades, was aimed at American audiences. It featured a live koala, voiced by Howard Morris, who complained that too many tourists were coming to Australia and concluded "I hate Qantas." The koala ads have been ranked among the greatest commercials of all time. A long-running advertising campaign features renditions by children's choirs of Peter Allen's "I Still Call Australia Home", at various famous landmarks in Australia and foreign locations such as Venice. The song has been used in Qantas's safety videos since 2018.

Qantas is the main sponsor of the Australia national rugby union team. Qantas sponsors the Socceroos, Australia's national association football team. Qantas was the naming rights sponsor for the Formula One Australian Grand Prix from 2010 until 2012. In December 2011, Qantas signed a four-year deal with Australian cricket's governing body Cricket Australia, to be the official carrier of the Australia national cricket team.

Qantas management has expressed strong support for Marriage Equality and LGBTIQ issues, with CEO Alan Joyce said to be, "arguably the most prominent corporate voice in the marriage equality campaign." As official airline partner for the Sydney Mardi Gras, Qantas decorated one of its aircraft with rainbow wording and positioned a rainbow flag next to the tail's flying kangaroo. Qantas also served pride cookies to its passengers. It had a rainbow roo float in the Mardi Gras parade.

There has been criticism of Qantas using its corporate power to prosecute the private interests on their staff and the community. Peter Dutton has said that chief executives such as Alan Joyce at Qantas should "stick to their knitting" rather than using the company's brand to advocate for political causes. A senior church leader has made similar comments. Despite the criticism, Qantas will continue to advocate for marriage equality which will include offering customers specially commissioned rings with the phrase, "until we all belong". This phrase will appear on Qantas boarding passes and other paraphernalia. The cost of the campaign by Qantas and other participating companies is expected to be more than $5 million.

Joyce has pledged Qantas will, "continue social-justice campaigning", in relation to Israel Folau, sacked by Rugby Australia, which is financially supported by Qantas, following his social media postings on homosexuality.

Fundamental structural change

In August 2011, the company announced that following financial losses of A$200 million ($209 million) for the year ending June 2011 and a decline in market share, major structural changes would be made. One planned change that did not come to fruition was the plan to create a new Asia-based premium airline that would operate under a different name. In addition to this plan, Qantas announced it planned to cut 1,000 jobs. The reforms included route changes, in particular the cessation of services to London via Hong Kong and Bangkok. While Qantas still operated in these cities, onward flights to London would be via its Oneworld partner British Airways under a code-share service.

In 2012, Qantas reported an A$245 million full-year loss to the end of June 2012, citing high fuel prices, intense competition and industrial disputes. This was the first full year loss since Qantas was fully privatised 17 years previously, in 1995, and led to the airline cancelling its order of 35 new Boeing 787 aircraft, to reduce its spending. Qantas subsequently divested itself of its 50% holding of StarTrack, Australia's largest road freight company, in part for acquiring full interest in Australian airExpress. In March 2012, Qantas set up Jetstar Hong Kong with China Eastern Airlines Corporation, which was intended to begin flights in 2013, but became embroiled in a protracted approval process.

Qantas and Emirates began an alliance on 31 March 2013, in which their combined carriers offered 98 flights per week to Dubai. In September 2013, the carrier predicted another A$250 million (US$220 million) net loss for the half-year period that ended on 31 December and the implementation of further cost-cutting measures that would see the cut of 1,000 jobs within a year. S&P downgraded Qantas credit from BBB− (the lowest investment grade) to BB+. Moody's applied a similar downgrading a month later.

Losses continued into the 2014 reporting year, with the Qantas Group reporting a half year loss of A$235 million (US$208 million) and an eventual full year loss of A$2.84 billion. In February 2014, additional cost-cutting measures to save A$2 billion, including the loss of 5,000 jobs that will see the workforce lowered from 32,000 to 27,000 by 2017 were announced. In May 2014, the company stated it expected to shed 2,200 jobs by June 2014, including those of 100 pilots. Qantas reduced the size of its fleet by retiring aircraft and deferring deliveries, and planned to sell some of its assets.

With 2,200 employees laid off by June 2014, another 1,800 job positions were planned to be cut by June 2015. Also during 2014, the Qantas Sale Act, under which the airline was privatised, was amended to repeal parts of section 7. That act limits foreign ownership of Qantas to 49 percent, with foreign airlines subject to further restrictions, including a 35-percent limit for all foreign airline shareholdings combined. A single foreign entity can hold no more than 25 percent of the airline's shares.

Qantas returned to profit in 2015, announcing a A$557 million after tax profit in August 2015, in contrast with a A$2.84 billion loss the year earlier. In 2015, Qantas sold its lease of Terminal 3 at Sydney Airport, which was due to continue until 2019, back to Sydney Airport Corporation for $535 million. This meant Sydney Airport resumed operational responsibility of the terminal, including the lucrative retail areas.

Design, hospitality, and lifestyle

Design

Beginning in the early 2000s, Qantas began working with industrial designer Marc Newson on cabin interiors, product design and first-class lounges. This collaboration resulted in the introduction of the Skybed business class seat in 2003 and led to Newson being named as the first Creative Director of Qantas in 2006. Newson was responsible for the design of the Qantas A380 fleet which first entered service in 2008, as well as the Sydney first class lounge. Subsequently, Newson protégé David Caon was enlisted to design the cabins of the Boeing 787–9 as well as new first-class and business class lounges, furniture, and accessories. Furniture featured in Qantas first-class lounges and onboard has been manufactured by companies such as Poltrona Frau, Cappellini, Alessi, Tai Ping and Noritake. Qantas has received various awards for design.

Catering

Australian chef and entrepreneur Neil Perry has been responsible for the onboard and ground based culinary offerings of the airline since becoming the director of food, beverage, and service in 1997. In 2022, to celebrate the 25-year collaboration with Perry, Qantas reintroduced a selection of his most popular inflight and lounge dishes.

Uniform

Paris-based Australian designer Martin Grant is responsible for the current Qantas uniforms that were unveiled on 16 April 2013. These were to replace the previous uniforms, dubbed colloquially as "Morrissey" by staff after the designer, Peter Morrissey. The new outfits feature a colour palette of black, red and fuchsia pink. Qantas chief executive Alan Joyce stated that the new design "speaks of Australian style on the global stage" at the launch event that involved employees modelling the uniforms. Grant consulted with Qantas staff members over the course of one year to finalise the 35 styles that were eventually created. Not all employees were happy with the new uniform, however, with one flight attendant saying "The uniforms are really tight and they are simply not practical for the very physical job we have to do." In 2020 Grant also designed a Qantas branded athleisure-wear collection.

Liveries

Indigenous Art liveries

Two Qantas aircraft are currently painted in an Indigenous Australian art scheme. One aircraft, a Boeing 737-800 registered as VH-XZJ, wears a livery called Mendoowoorrji, which was revealed in November 2013. The design was drawn from the late West Australian Aboriginal artist Paddy Bedford. The second, a Boeing 787 registered VH-ZND, is adorned in a paint scheme inspired by the late Emily Kame Kngwarreye's 1991 painting Yam Dreaming. The adaptation of Yam Dreaming to the aircraft, led by Balarinji, a Sydney-based and Aboriginal-owned design firm, incorporates the red Qantas tailfin into the design, which includes white dots with red and orange tones. The design depicts the yam plant, an important and culturally significant symbol in Kngwarreye's Dreaming stories, and a staple food source in her home region of Utopia. The design was applied to the aircraft during manufacture, prior to its delivery in March 2018 to Alice Springs Airport, situated 230 kilometres southeast of Utopia, where the aircraft was met by Kngwarreye's descendants, the local community, and Qantas executives. The aircraft would later operate Qantas' inaugural nonstop services between Perth and London Heathrow, and between Melbourne and San Francisco, scheduled with Boeing 787 aircraft.

• 

  A Boeing 747-400ER in 2006 wearing the Wunala Dreaming livery. From 2003 to 2012, it was the second aircraft to carry the colour scheme.

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  A Boeing 747-300 in 2004 wearing the Nalanji Dreaming livery. The aircraft carried the colour scheme from 1995 to 2005.

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  A Boeing 737-800 in 2005 wearing the Yananyi Dreaming livery, which drew on the work of internationally renowned Pitjantjatjara artist Rene Kulitja. The aircraft carried the colour scheme from 2002 to 2014.

• 

  A Boeing 737-800 in 2015 wearing the Mendoowoorrji livery, Inspired by the work of the late West Australian Gija painter Paddy Bedford's 2005 painting ‘Medicine Pocket’. The aircraft has carried the colour scheme since 2013.

• 

  A Boeing 787-9 in 2018 wearing the Yam Dreaming livery, based on internationally renowned artist Emily Kame Kngwarreye’s 1991 painting ‘Yam Dreaming’. The aircraft has carried the colour scheme since 2018.

Australian Aboriginal art designs have previously adorned some Qantas aircraft; the first design was called Wunala Dreaming, which was unveiled in 1994 and had been painted on now-retired Boeing 747–400 and 747-400ER aircraft between 1994 and 2012. The motif was an overall-red design depicting ancestral spirits in the form of kangaroos travelling in the outback.

The second design was called Nalanji Dreaming and was depicted on a Boeing 747–300 from 1995 until its retirement in 2005. Nalanji Dreaming was a bright blue design inspired by rainforest landscape and tropical seas.

The third design was titled Yananyi Dreaming, and featured a depiction of Uluru. The scheme was designed by Uluru-based artist Rene Kulitja, in collaboration with Balarinji. It was painted on the 737 at the Boeing factory prior to its delivery in 2002. It was repainted into the standard livery in 2014.

Retro Roo liveries

In November 2014 the airline revealed that the 75th Boeing 737–800 jet to be delivered would carry a 'retro-livery' based on the airline's 1971 'ochre' colour scheme design featuring the iconic 'Flying Kangaroo' on its tail and other aspects drawn from its 1970s fleet. The aircraft was delivered on 17 November.

Qantas announced a second 737–800 would receive a 'retro roo' livery in October 2015. On 16 November 2015 the airline unveiled the second 'retro roo' 737, bearing a replica livery from 1959 to celebrate the airline's 95th birthday.

Other liveries

Several Qantas aircraft have been decorated with promotional liveries, promoting telecommunications company Optus; the Disney motion picture Planes; the Australian national association football team, the Socceroos; and the Australian national rugby union team, the Wallabies. Two aircraft – an Airbus A330-200 and a Boeing 747-400ER – were decorated with special liveries promoting the Oneworld airline alliance (of which Qantas is a member) in 2009. On 29 September 2014, nonstop Airbus A380 service to Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport was inaugurated using an A380 decorated with a commemorative cowboy hat and bandana on the kangaroo tail logo. Prior to the 2017 Sydney Mardi Gras, Qantas decorated one of its Airbus A330-300 aircraft with rainbow lettering and depicted a rainbow flag on the tail of the aircraft.

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  VH-VZD advertising Optus

• 

  VH-OJS advertising Socceroos

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  VH-OGG advertising Planes

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  VH-OQH advertising the Australian Wallabies rugby team

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  VH-ZNJ with 100th anniversary of Qantas' livery

Cabin

International

First

First class is available exclusively on the Airbus A380.

It offers 14 individual suites in a 1-1-1 layout. The seats face forward for takeoff, but can rotate to the side for sleeping and dining with 83.5in seat pitch (extending to a 212cm fully flat bed) and a width of 74 cm (29 in). Each suite contains a 43 cm (17 in) widescreen monitor. In addition to AC power outlets, USB ports are also offered. Passengers are also able to utilise the lounge on the upper deck. Complimentary access to both the first class and business class lounges (or affiliated lounges) is offered as well.

Updated versions of this seat were fitted to the airline's refurbished Airbus A380 aircraft from late 2019. The seat features refreshed cushioning and larger entertainment screens compared to the older version.

Business

Business Suites

Business Suites are available on all Boeing 787, Airbus A330, and selected Airbus A380 aircraft.

These seats are lie-flat and are in a 1-2-1 configuration. The Business Suite was introduced on the A330 in October 2014, and includes a Panasonic touchscreen eX3 system. By the end of 2016, the business class seats of Qantas' entire Airbus A330 fleet were refitted. Airbus A330 Business Suites are available on Asian routes, transcontinental routes across Australia and selected routes to New Zealand.

Updated versions of this seat were fitted to the airline's new Boeing 787 fleet from late 2017.

Business Skybeds

Business Skybeds are available exclusively on selected A380 aircraft.

The first version of the seats was offered between 2003 and 2019 and had 150 cm (60 in) of seat pitch and 55 cm (21+1⁄2 in) width; however, the seat was angled-flat. The second version, introduced in 2008, has 200 cm (80 in) of pitch, and allows passengers to lie fully flat.

In 2019, Qantas began retrofitting its Airbus A380 aircraft with new Business Suites as offered on Airbus A330 and Boeing 787 aircraft. The newer aircraft will gain six business class seats compared to the previous configuration. Complimentary access to the Qantas business class lounge (or affiliated lounges) is also offered.

Premium Economy

Premium economy class is offered on all Airbus A380 and Boeing 787–9 aircraft.

On the Airbus A380, the seat pitch ranges from 97 to 107 cm (38 to 42 in), with a width of 50 cm (19+1⁄2 in). On the Boeing 787, it is configured in a 2-3-2 seating arrangement, whereas it is in a 2-3-2 seating arrangement at the rear of the upper deck on the A380. The total number of seats depends on the aircraft type, as A380s have 35–60 seats, (depending on the configuration) and 787s have 28 seats.

In 2019, Qantas began retrofitting its Airbus A380 aircraft with new Premium Economy seats, as offered on Boeing 787 aircraft. The new cabin will gain 25 premium economy seats compared to the previous configuration.

Economy

International Economy class is available on all Qantas mainline passenger aircraft.

Seat pitch is usually 79 cm (31 in) and seat width ranges from 43 to 44 cm (17 to 17+1⁄2 in). Layouts are 3–3 on the 737, 2-4-2 on the A330, and 3-3-3 on the B787-9. On the A380, the layout is 3-4-3 and there are four self-service snack bars located in between cabins.

In 2019, Qantas began retrofitting its Airbus A380 aircraft with new Economy seats containing new seat cushions and improved inflight entertainment, as offered on Airbus A330 and Boeing 787 aircraft. The new aircraft will have fewer economy seats compared to the previous configuration due to an increase in the number of premium seats.

In-flight entertainment

All Qantas mainline aircraft contain some form of video audio entertainment. Qantas has several types of in-flight entertainment (IFE) systems installed on its aircraft.

Audio-video entertainment systems

The "Total Entertainment System" by Rockwell Collins was available on selected domestic and international aircraft between 2000 and 2019. This AVOD system included personal LCD screens in all classes, located in the seat back for economy and business class, and in the armrest for premium economy and first class.

The Mainscreen System is available on selected Boeing 737–800 aircraft. This entertainment system, introduced gradually between 2002 and 2011, has overhead video screens as the main form of entertainment. Movies are shown on the screens on longer flights and TV programmes on shorter flights. A news telecast will usually be shown at the start of each flight. Audio options are less varied than on Q, iQ or the Total Entertainment System.

The "iQ" inflight entertainment system by Panasonic Avionics Corporation is available on selected Airbus A380 and Boeing 737–800 aircraft. This AVOD experience, introduced in 2008, is based on the Panasonic Avionics system and features expanded entertainment options, touch screens and new communications-related features such as Wi-Fi and mobile phone functionality, as well as increased support for electronics (such as USB and iPod connectivity).

The "Q" inflight entertainment system by Panasonic Avionics Corporation is available on all Airbus A330-300, A330-200, Boeing 787 and selected Airbus A380 aircraft. This audio video on demand (AVOD) experience, introduced in 2014 and updated in 2018 on selected aircraft, is based on the Panasonic eX3 system and features extensive entertainment options; enhanced touch screens; and communications-related features such as Wi-Fi and mobile phone functionality; as well as increased support for electronics (such as USB and iPod connectivity). The "my flight" feature offers access to maps, playlists, and a service timeline showing when drinks and meals will be served and the best time for resting on long-haul flights.

Wireless entertainment systems and Wi-Fi

Q Streaming is an in-flight entertainment system in which entertainment is streamed to iPads or personal devices available in all classes on selected aircraft. A selection of movies, TV, music, and a kids' choice are available.

In 2007, Qantas conducted a trial for use of mobile telephones with AeroMobile, during domestic services for three months on a Boeing 767. During the trial, passengers were allowed to send and receive text messages and emails but were not able to make or receive calls.

Since 2014, Sky News Australia has provided multiple news bulletins both in-flight and in Qantas branded lounges. Previously, the Australian Nine Network provided a news bulletin for Qantas entitled Nine's Qantas Inflight News, which was the same broadcast as Nine's Early Morning News, however Nine lost the contract to Sky News.

In July 2015, Qantas signed a deal with American cable network HBO to provide over 120 hours of television programming in-flight from the network on its aircraft, as well as original lifestyle and entertainment programming from both Foxtel and the National Geographic Channel. In August 2022, it was announced that the airline had partnered with Network 10 owner Paramount to launch the Paramount+ service on its in-flight entertainment systems.

In 2017 Qantas began offering complimentary Wi-Fi on its domestic aircraft. The services utilises NBN Co Sky Muster satellites to deliver higher speeds than generally offered by onboard Wi-Fi. Previously, in July 2007, Qantas announced that Wi-Fi would be available on its long haul A380s and 747-400s although that system ultimately did not proceed following trials.

Inflight magazine

Qantas: The Australian Way is the airline's in-flight magazine. In mid-2015, the magazine ended a 14-year publishing deal with Bauer Media, switching its publisher to Medium Rare.

Services

Lounges

The Qantas Club

Qantas operates 12 domestic Qantas Club lounges across Australia. Access is available to Qantas domestic Business Class travellers, Qantas Club Members, Qantas Gold, Platinum and Platinum One, OneWorld Sapphire and Emerald frequent flyers when travelling on a Qantas, Jetstar or OneWorld flight.

Business Lounge

Domestic

Qantas operates domestic Business Lounges in Brisbane, Canberra, Melbourne, Perth and Sydney. Access is available to domestic Business Class, Qantas Platinum, Platinum One, and OneWorld Emerald frequent flyers travelling on a Qantas, Jetstar or OneWorld flight. Compared to Qantas Club lounges the Business Lounges generally offer superior food and beverage.

International

Qantas operates international Business Lounges in Auckland, Honolulu, Los Angeles, Melbourne, Sydney and Wellington. Access is available to international Business Class, First Class, Qantas Club Members, Qantas Gold, Platinum, Platinum One, OneWorld Sapphire and Emerald frequent flyers when travelling on a Qantas, Jetstar or OneWorld flight. Additionally, Qantas operates International lounges in Brisbane, London, Perth, and Singapore. These International lounges replaced the formerly separate first and business class lounges in these locations. These new lounges provide similar service to what is currently offered by Sofitel in the flagship First lounges in Sydney and Melbourne and a dining experience featuring Neil Perry's Spice Temple inspired dishes and signature cocktails.

First Lounge

Qantas operates international First Lounges in Auckland, Melbourne, Singapore, Sydney and Los Angeles. Compared to international Business lounges the First Lounges generally offer superior food and beverage. Access is available to First Class, Qantas Platinum, Platinum One, and OneWorld Emerald frequent flyers travelling on a Qantas, Jetstar or OneWorld flight. Qantas Chairmans Lounge Members are permitted access when travelling on any airline.

Chairmans Lounge

Qantas operates domestic Chairmans Lounges in Adelaide, Brisbane, Canberra, Melbourne, Perth and Sydney. Compared to domestic Qantas club and Business lounges the Chairmans Lounge offers superior food and beverage. Access is only available to Qantas Chairmans Lounge Members which is via invitation-only. Chairmans Lounge Memberships are often given to Australian politicians, celebrities, high-profile members of the media and company executive's that hold major corporate travel accounts with Qantas.

Lounge access

Qantas Club Members, Gold Frequent Flyers, and Oneworld Sapphire holders are permitted to enter domestic Qantas Clubs when flying on Qantas or Jetstar flights along with one guest who must be travelling. Platinum and Oneworld Emerald Members are permitted to bring in two guests who must be travelling. Internationally, members using Qantas International Business Class lounges (or the Oneworld equivalent). Guests of the member must be travelling to gain access to international lounges. When flying with American Airlines, members have access to Admirals Club lounges and when flying on British Airways, members have access to British Airways' Terraces and Galleries Lounges. Travellers holding Oneworld Sapphire or Emerald status are also allowed in Qantas Club lounges worldwide.

Access to Qantas First lounges is open to passengers travelling on internationally operated Qantas or Oneworld first-class flights, as well as Qantas platinum and Oneworld emerald frequent flyers. Emirates first-class passengers are also eligible for access to the Qantas first lounges in Sydney and Melbourne.

The Qantas Club also offers membership by paid subscription (one, two, or four years) or by achievement of Gold or Platinum frequent flyer status. Benefits of membership include lounge access, priority check-in, priority luggage handling and increased luggage allowances.

Qantas Frequent Flyer

The Qantas frequent-flyer program is aimed at rewarding customer loyalty. The program is long-standing, although the date of the actual inception has been a matter that has generated some commentary. Qantas state the program launched in 1987 although other sources claim what is the current program was launched in the early 1990s, with a Captain's Club program existing before that.

Points are accrued based on distance flown, with bonuses that vary by travel class. Points can also be earned on other Oneworld airlines as well as through other non-airline partners. Points can be redeemed for flights or upgrades on flights operated by Qantas, Oneworld airlines, and other partners. Other partners include credit cards, car rental companies, hotels and many others. Flights with Qantas and selected partner airlines earn Status Credits — and accumulation of these allows progression to Silver status (Oneworld Ruby), Gold status (Oneworld Sapphire), Platinum and Platinum One status (Oneworld Emerald).

Membership of the program has grown significantly since 2000, when the program had 2.4 million members. By 2005 membership had grown to 4.3 million, then to 7.2 million by 2010 and 10.8 million in 2015. As at 2018, the program has 12.3 million members, or approaching the equivalent of half of the Australian population.

Qantas has faced criticism regarding availability of seats for members redeeming points. In 2004, the Australian Competition & Consumer Commission directed Qantas to provide greater disclosure to members regarding the availability of frequent-flyer seats.

In March 2008, an analyst at JPMorgan Chase suggested that the Qantas frequent-flyer program could be worth A$2 billion (US$1.9 billion), representing more than a quarter of the total market value of Qantas.

On 1 July 2008 a major overhaul of the program was announced. The two key new features of the program were Any Seat rewards, in which members could now redeem any seat on an aircraft, rather than just selected seats — although using a dynamic pricing model. The second new feature was Points Plus Pay, which has enabled members to use a combination of cash and points to redeem an award. Additionally, the Frequent Flyer store was also expanded to include a greater range of products and services. Announcing the revamp, Qantas confirmed it would be seeking to raise about A$1 billion in 2008 by selling up to 40% of the frequent flyer program. However, in September 2008, it stated it would defer the float, citing volatile market conditions.

Accidents and incidents

It is often claimed that Qantas has never had an aircraft crash. While it is true that the company has neither lost a jet airliner nor had any jet fatalities, it had eight fatal accidents and an aircraft shot down between 1927 and 1945, with the loss of 63 people. Half of these accidents and the shoot-down occurred during World War II, when the Qantas aircraft were operating on behalf of Allied military forces. Post-war, it lost another four aircraft (one was owned by BOAC and operated by Qantas in a pooling arrangement) with a total of 21 people killed. The last fatal accidents suffered by Qantas were in 1951, with three fatal crashes in five months. Qantas' safety record allows the airline to be officially known as the world's safest airline for seven years in a row from 2012 until 2019 and again in 2021 and 2023.

Since the end of World War II, the following accidents and incidents have occurred:

• On 23 March 1946, an Avro Lancastrian registered G-AGLX disappeared while flying over the Indian Ocean. The BOAC-owned aircraft was being operated by Qantas on the Karachi—Sydney part of the two airlines' joint service from London to Sydney. It disappeared with seven passengers and crew on board between Colombo, Ceylon (now Sri Lanka), and the Cocos (Keeling) Islands, approximately three hours before it was due to arrive at the Cocos islands.
• On 7 April 1949, an Avro Lancastrian registered VH-EAS swung on landing at Dubbo, New South Wales during a training flight, causing the gear to collapse. The aircraft was destroyed by fire, but the crew evacuated safely.
• On 16 July 1951, a de Havilland Australia DHA-3 Drover registered VH-EBQ crashed off the coast of New Guinea (in the Huon Gulf near the mouth of the Markham River) after the centre engine's propeller failed. The pilot and the six passengers on board were killed.
• On 21 September 1951, a de Havilland DH.84 Dragon registered VH-AXL, crashed in mountainous country southeast of Arona in the central highlands of New Guinea, no passengers were on board, the pilot was killed.
• On 13 December 1951, a de Havilland DH.84 Dragon registered VH-URV crashed in mountainous country near Mount Hagen, central highlands of New Guinea. The pilot and the two passengers were killed. This is the last fatal accident suffered by Qantas.
• On 24 August 1960, a Lockheed L-1049 Super Constellation registered VH-EAC crashed on take-off at Mauritius en route to the Cocos Islands, Australia. The take-off was aborted following an engine failure, the aircraft ran off the runway, and was destroyed by fire. There were no fatalities.
• On 1 June 1989, Qantas Flight 5, a Boeing 747-200 operating from Sydney to Singapore was cruising at 32,000ft about 900km south-east of Derby when it sharply climbed 1500ft. The pilots disengaged the auto-pilot and the aircraft sharply descended 1500ft. Unrestrained passengers hit the cabin's internal ceiling panels, leaving holes. The aircraft diverted to Darwin, where 47 passengers were taken to hospital with cuts, bruises, chest pains, concussion, fractured ribs and shock. Three passengers suffered spinal injuries.
• On 23 September 1999, Qantas Flight 1, a Boeing 747–400 registered VH-OJH, overran the runway while landing at Bangkok, Thailand, during a heavy thunderstorm. The aircraft came to a stop on a golf course, but without fatalities. The Australian Transport Safety Bureau criticised numerous inadequacies in Qantas' operational and training processes.
• On 25 July 2008, Qantas Flight 30, a Boeing 747–400 registered VH-OJK, suffered a ruptured fuselage and decompression as a result of an oxygen tank explosion over the South China Sea. En route from Hong Kong International Airport to Melbourne Airport, the aircraft made an emergency landing in the Philippines with no injuries.
• On 7 October 2008, an Airbus A330-300 registered VH-QPA, travelling from Singapore Changi Airport to Perth, Western Australia as Qantas Flight 72, suffered a rapid loss of altitude in two sudden uncommanded pitch down manoeuvres causing serious injuries while 80 nautical miles (150 km; 92 mi) from Learmonth. The aircraft safely landed in Learmonth, with 14 people requiring transportation by air ambulance to Perth. Another 30 people also required hospital treatment, while an additional 30 people had injuries not requiring hospital treatment. Initial investigations identified an inertial reference system fault in the Number-1 Air Data Inertial Reference Unit as the likely origin of the event. On receiving false indication of a very high angle of attack, the flight control systems commanded a pitch down movement, reaching a maximum of 8.5 degrees pitch down. The incident featured in a 7 News documentary.
• On 4 November 2010, Qantas Flight 32, an Airbus A380 registered VH-OQA, fitted with four Rolls-Royce Trent 972 engines, suffered an uncontained turbine disc failure of its left inboard engine shortly after taking off from Singapore Changi Airport en route to Sydney. The aircraft returned to Singapore and landed safely. None of the 440 passengers or 29 crew on board were injured.

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 demanding $500,000 in unmarked $20 notes. The caller and threat were taken 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. Qantas paid the money and it was 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 Force which, 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.

Tipped off by a still-unidentified informer, the police arrested an Englishman, Peter Macari, finding more than $138,000 hidden in an Annandale property. Convicted and sentenced to 15 years in prison, Macari served nine years before being deported to Britain. More than $224,000 remains unaccounted for. The 1986 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 by police and Qantas security staff.

Awards

• 2004 Chicago Athenaeum Good Design Award (Qantas Skybed by Marc Newson)
• 2007 LEAF International Design Award (Sydny First Class lounge by Marc Newson and Sébastien Segers)
• 2009 Queensland Business Leaders Hall of Fame (Inaugural inductee)
• 2009 Australian International Design Award of the Year (A380 Economy Class Seat by Marc Newson)
• 2010 Chicago Athenaeum Good Design Award (A380 First Class suite by Marc Newson)
• 2014 ADI Award (Qantas Singapore Lounge)
• 2015 Australian Good Design Award (Qantas dinner box by Detmold Packaging)
• 2019 Sydney Design Awards Gold (Balarinji-Qantas Emily Kame Kngwarreye 787-9 Dreamliner)
• 2022 SkyTrax Awards
• 2022 Designers Institute of New Zealand Award (Signage)

See also

In Spanish: Qantas para niños

• The Double Sunrise
• Qantas Founders Outback Museum
• Qantas House
• Qantassaurus, a dinosaur named after the airline
• Southern Cross Route
• Wallaby Route

General:

• List of airlines of Australia
• List of oldest companies in Australia
• Transport in Australia