Beleaguered airline draws more ire over its safety video

Qantas pilot and flight attendant

Australia’s flagship carrier Qantas Airways  (QUBSF) – Get Free Report had a difficult end to 2023 and, by the looks of things, has not managed to re-earn public trust in the start of 2024.

Last fall, longstanding chief executive Alan Joyce ended a 15-year career with early retirement after a local consumer protection group filed a lawsuit accusing the airline of selling tickets for more than 8,000 flights it never meant to fly during the Covid-19 pandemic and caused traveler outcry.

Tapped to take over from Joyce, former CFO Vanessa Hudson began her new role with an apology video in which she acknowledged that the airline has “let you down in many ways” and said that she is “determined to fix” the lack of transparency that led to the numerous scandals over the last two years.

‘For regular flyers who might otherwise tune out…’

To start off 2024 on a new foot, Qantas released a nearly 10-minute safety video to be both available online and played before flights. According to Chief Customer Officer Catriona Larritt, it was filmed over 40 days and showcases 14 of the destinations to which Qantas flies.

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“The video is about familiarizing our customers with safety procedures, and we try to make it as engaging as possible, in particular for regular flyers who might otherwise tune out,” Larritt said in a statement.

But the immediate criticism that Qantas received from the public had to do with the length of the video. As the full 10-minute video was what immediately became available online, many did not realize that it was an extended version for online viewing while the version played before flights was condensed to six minutes.

‘Looking for the escape slide’ and ‘smacks of smoke and mirrors’

“After watching that for over nine minutes, I was looking for the escape slide!” wrote one Australian named Ronald Simmons underneath the version posted on YouTube.

“This is a stunning and beautiful production, but sadly you have buried the safety information in amongst lots of other information that looks like a TV show or movie,” reads another comment.

After the comments started rolling in, Qantas quickly clarified that the longer version is “for online viewing only” while “the in-flight version will be highly condensed.”

Even so, many saw the video as a chance for the airline to gloss over past problems such as the ticket-booking scandal as well as accusations that it laid off over 1,700 workers during the pandemic while still giving executives hefty bonuses.

“Given Qantas’ recent shameful (bordering on fraudulent) treatment of its frequent flyer customers and Alan Joyce feathering his nest during this contentious period, the video smacks of smoke and mirrors,” wrote another commenter underneath the YouTube video. “I was one of Qantas’ victims, losing a significant amount of frequent flyer points during the Covid epidemic when it was impossible to travel. All attempts to reach them and redress my complaint were totally ignored.”

Qantas shares are currently down nearly 23% from a year ago but have been picking up slightly from the drop that occurred when Joyce announced his resignation.