Qantas

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Qantas

Qantas Airways Limited is the national airline of Australia

Australia

Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the southern hemisphere comprising the Australia of the world's smallest continent, the major island of Tasmania, and numerous list of islands of Australia in the Indian Ocean and Pacific Oceans....
. The name was originally "QANTAS", an acronym for "Queensland and Northern Territory Aerial Services". Nicknamed "The Flying Kangaroo", the airline is based in Sydney

Sydney

Sydney Airport

Sydney Airport may refer to:* Sydney Airport , in Sydney, Australia* Sydney Airport , in Nova Scotia, Canada...
. It is Australia

Australia

Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the southern hemisphere comprising the Australia of the world's smallest continent, the major island of Tasmania, and numerous list of islands of Australia in the Indian Ocean and Pacific Oceans....
's largest airline and is the world's second oldest continuously operating airline (behind KLM) and the oldest in the English speaking world.

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Encyclopedia

Qantas Airways Limited is the national airline of Australia

Australia

Sydney

Sydney Airport

Sydney Airport may refer to:* Sydney Airport , in Sydney, Australia* Sydney Airport , in Nova Scotia, Canada...
. It is Australia

Australia

Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the southern hemisphere comprising the Australia of the world's smallest continent, the major island of Tasmania, and numerous list of islands of Australia in the Indian Ocean and Pacific Oceans....
's largest airline and is the world's second oldest continuously operating airline (behind KLM) and the oldest in the English speaking world. Qantas is headquartered in the Qantas Centre in the Mascot

Mascot, New South Wales

Mascot is a suburb in South-eastern Sydney Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Mascot is located 7 kilometres south of the Sydney central business district and is the administrative centre of the City of Botany Bay....
suburb of the City of Botany Bay

City of Botany Bay

The City of Botany Bay is a Local Government Areas in Australia in south eastern Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. It encompasses the suburbs to the north of Botany Bay, such as Botany, New South Wales....
, Sydney

Sydney

New South Wales

New South Wales is Australia's oldest and most populous States and territories of Australia, located in the south-east of the country, north of Victoria and south of Queensland....
.

In 2008, Qantas was voted the third best airline

Airline

File:Fedex-md11-N525FE-051109-21-16.jpgFile:Ryanair.b737-800.aftertakeoff.arp.jpgAn airline provides civil aviation for passengers or freight, generally with a recognized operating certificate or license....
in the world by research consultancy firm Skytrax

Skytrax

History

Beginnings

Qantas was founded in Winton, Queensland

Winton, Queensland

Winton is a town in central west Queensland, Australia, located 177 kilometres northwest of Longreach, Queensland. Shire population at the 2001 Census was 1612, although this had declined to 1,545 by 2004....
on 16 November 1920 as Queensland and Northern Territory Aerial Services Limited by Paul McGuiness, Hudson Fysh

Hudson Fysh

Fergus McMaster

Sir Fergus McMaster is an Australian businessman, commonly known as one of the founders of the airline company, Qantas. McMaster was born in Morinish, a town close to the city of Rockhampton, Queensland, in Queensland....
and Arthur Baird. The airline's first aircraft was an Avro 504

Avro 504

The Avro 504 was a World War I biplane aircraft made by the Avro and under licence by others. Production during the War totalled 8,970 and continued for almost twenty years, making it the most-produced aircraft of any kind that served in World War I, in any military capacity, during that conflict....
K purchased for £

Australian pound

The pound was the currency of Australia until 1966. It was subdivided into 20 shillings, each of 12 penny....
1425. The aircraft had a cruising speed of 105 kilometres per hour (65 mph) and carried one pilot and two passengers. 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.50

De Havilland DH.50

The de Havilland DH.50 was a 1920s United Kingdom large single-engined biplane transport built by de Havilland at Stag Lane Aerodrome, Edgware, and licence-built in Australia, Belgium and Czechoslovakia....
s and a single DH.9

Airco DH.9

The Airco DH.9 - also known after 1920 as the de Havilland DH.9 - was a United Kingdom bomber used in the World War I. A single-engined biplane, it was a development of Airco's earlier, highly successful Airco DH.4 and was ordered in very large numbers for Britain's Royal Flying Corps and Royal Air Force....
under licence in its Longreach

Longreach, Queensland

Longreach is a town located in central western Queensland, Australia and is approximately 700 kilometres from the coast, west of Rockhampton, Queensland....
hangar. In 1928 a chartered Qantas aircraft conducted the inaugural flight of the Royal Flying Doctor Service of Australia

Royal Flying Doctor Service of Australia

The Royal Flying Doctor Service of Australia is an air ambulance service for those living in the remote inland areas of Australia. It is a Non-profit organization which provides both emergency assistance and primary health care to people who cannot easily access a hospital or General practitioner due to the prohibitive distances of the Outb...
, departing from Cloncurry

Cloncurry, Queensland

Cloncurry is a town situated in north west Queensland, Australia, 770 kilometres west of the city of Townsville, Queensland via the Flinders Highway, Queensland....
.

Flying boats and war - 1934 to 1945

In 1934, QANTAS Limited and Britain's Imperial Airways

Imperial Airways

Imperial Airways was the early British commercial long range air transport company, operating from 1924 to 1939 and serving parts of Europe but especially the Empire routes to South Africa, India and the Far East....
(the forerunner of British Airways

British Airways

British Airways plc is an airline of the United Kingdom. The airline has the largest fleet of aircraft of any United Kingdom airline, but is only second in terms of international passengers carried....
) formed a new company, Qantas Empire Airways Limited. Each partner held 49%, with two per cent in the hands of an independent arbitrator. The new airline commenced operations in December 1934 flying between Brisbane

Brisbane

Brisbane is the state List of Australian capital cities of Queensland and its most populous city. It is also the List of cities in Australia by population in Australia, behind southern rivals Sydney and Melbourne....
and Darwin using old fashioned DH.50 and DH.61 biplanes.

QEA flew internationally from May 1935, when the service from Darwin was extended to Singapore

Singapore

Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is an island country microstate located at the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula. It lies 137 kilometres north of the equator, south of the Malaysian state of Johor and north of Indonesia's Riau Islands....
using newer de Havilland DH.86 Commonwealth Airliners. Imperial Airways operated the rest of the service through to London

London

London is the capital of both England and the United Kingdom, and the most populous municipality in the European Union. An important settlement for two millennia, History of London goes back to its founding by the Roman Empire....
. In July 1938, this operation was replaced by a thrice weekly flying boat service using Shorts S.23 Empire Flying Boats

Short Empire

The Short Empire was a passenger and mail carrying flying boat, of the 1930s and 1940s, which flew between UK and British colonies in Africa, Asia and Australia....
. The Sydney

Sydney

Southampton

Southampton is the largest City status in the United Kingdom in the ceremonial county of Hampshire, on the south coast of England, and is sited around 100 km south-west of London and 30 km north-west of Portsmouth....
service took nine days, with passengers staying in hotels overnight. 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.

Flying boat services were resumed with American built PBY Catalina

PBY Catalina

The Consolidated PBY Catalina was an United States flying boat of the 1930s and 1940s produced by Consolidated Aircraft. It could be equipped with depth charges, bombs, torpedoes, and M2 Browning machine gun machine guns and was one of the most widely used multi-role aircraft of World War II....
s on 10 July 1943, with flights between Swan River

Swan River

Swan River may refer to:Australia* Swan River Canada* Swan River, Manitoba * Swan River, Manitoba * Swan River Airport * Swan River ...
, Perth

Perth, Western Australia

Perth is the List of Australian capital cities and largest city of the Australian States and territories of Australia of Western Australia. With a population of 1,554,769 , Perth ranks fourth amongst the nation's cities, with a growth rate consistently above the national average....
and Koggala lake

Koggala Airport

Koggala Airport in Sri Lanka was originally a Royal Air Force base RAF Koggala. It is now the SLAF Koggala, used for domestic flights and for military purposes....
in Ceylon (now Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is an island country in South Asia, located about off the southern coast of India....
). This linked up with the BOAC service to London, maintaining the vital communications link with England. The 5,652 km 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 Rare and Secret Order of the Double Sunrise as the sun rose twice during the flight.

In 1944 the Catalinas were augmented by conventional B-24 Liberator

B-24 Liberator

The Consolidated B-24 Liberator was an United States heavy bomber, built by Consolidated Aircraft. It was produced in greater numbers than any other American combat aircraft of World War II and still holds the record as the most produced U.S....
s, flying from Ratmalana

Ratmalana Airport

Ratmalana Airport was originally the international airport for Colombo, Sri Lanka. It is now used for domestic flights and for military purposes....
via RAF Minneriya

SLAF Hingurakgoda

SLAF Hingurakgoda is a Sri Lanka Air Force station located in Hingurakgoda, Sri Lanka.This Base was an RAF airfield during the World War II, which renovated and re-established by Sri Lanka Air Force in 1978....
for refueling and then across the ocean to Learmonth

RAAF Learmonth

RAAF Learmonth, also known as Learmonth Airport , is a joint use Royal Australian Air Force base and airport. It is located near the town of Exmouth, Western Australia on the north-west coast of Western Australia....
. Later, Avro Lancastrian

Avro Lancastrian

The Avro 691 Lancastrian was a United Kingdom passenger and mail plane aircraft of the 1940s and 1950s developed from the Avro Lancaster bomber ....
s were flown on the route. They flew from Sydney to Gawler, Adelaide

Adelaide

Adelaide is the List of Australian capital cities and most populous city of the Australian States and territories of Australia of South Australia, and is the fifth-largest city in Australia, with a population of more than 1.1 million....
for refuelling than to Learmonth for the overnight stage to Ratmalana, where the plane refuelled for the flight to Karachi, where BOAC crews took over for the trip to UK. The lengthening of the runway at Ratmalana enabled the diversion to Minneria to be eliminated, and soon Ratmalana was replaced by RAF Negombo. The service was renamed the Kangaroo Service and the passenger award became The Order of the Longest Hop. It was on this route that the Kangaroo logo was first used. After the war, the return trip could also go Colombo - Cocos Islands - Perth - Sydney. These flights continued until 5 April 1946.

The post-war years - 1945 to 1959

After World War II

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global military conflict which involved a Participants in World War II, including all of the great powers, organised into two opposing military alliances: the Allies of World War II and the Axis powers....
, QEA was nationalised, with the Australian Labor government led by Prime Minister Ben Chifley

Ben Chifley

Joseph Benedict Chifley , Australian politician and 16th Prime Minister of Australia, was one of Australia's most influential Prime Ministers. Among his government's accomplishments were the post-war immigration scheme under Arthur Calwell, the establishment of Australian citizenship in 1949, the Snowy Mountains Scheme, the national airline T...
buying the shares of both Qantas Limited and BOAC. Nationalised airlines were normal at the time, and the Qantas board encouraged this move.

Shortly after nationalisation, QEA began their first services outside the British Empire

British Empire

The British Empire comprised the dominions, Crown colony, protectorates, League of Nations mandate, and other Dependent territory ruled or administered by the United Kingdom , that had originated with the overseas colonies and trading posts established by England in the late 16th and early 17th centuries....
— to Tokyo

Tokyo

, officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan of Japan and located on the eastern side of the main island Honshu. The twenty-three special wards of Tokyo, each governed as a city, cover the area that was once the Tokyo City in the eastern part of the prefecture, and total over 8 million people....
via Darwin and Manila

Manila

The 'City of Manila' , or simply 'Manila', is the Capital of the Philippines and one of the 17 cities and municipalities that make up Metro Manila....
with Avro

Avro

Avro was a United Kingdom aircraft manufacturer, with numerous landmark designs such as the Avro 504 trainer in the First World War, the Avro Lancaster which was one of the pre-eminent bombers during the Second World War and the delta wing Avro Vulcan, a stalwart of the Cold War....
Lancastrian

Avro Lancastrian

The Avro 691 Lancastrian was a United Kingdom passenger and mail plane aircraft of the 1940s and 1950s developed from the Avro Lancaster bomber ....
aircraft. These aircraft were also deployed between Sydney and London in cooperation with BOAC, but were soon replaced by Douglas DC-4

Douglas DC-4

The DC-4 is a four-engined propeller-driven airliner developed by the United States company Douglas Aircraft Company. It served during the Second World War in a military role, and after the war for civilian airlines....
s. Services to Hong Kong

Hong Kong

Lockheed Corporation

The Lockheed Corporation was an United States aerospace company founded in 1912 which merged with Martin Marietta in 1995 in aviation to form Lockheed Martin....
L.049 Constellation

Lockheed Constellation

The Lockheed Constellation, affectionately known as the "Connie", was a four-engine propeller-driven airliner built by Lockheed between 1943 and 1958 at its Burbank, California, USA, facility....
s. In 1952, Qantas expanded across the Indian Ocean to Johannesburg

Johannesburg

Johannesburg also known as Joburg, is the largest city in South Africa. Johannesburg is the province Capital of Gauteng the wealthiest province in South Africa, having the largest economy of any metropolitan region in Sub-Saharan Africa....
via Perth

Perth, Western Australia

Mauritius

Mauritius , officially the Republic of Mauritius, , is an island nation off the coast of the African continent in the southwest Indian Ocean, about 900 kilometres east of Madagascar....
, calling this the Wallaby Route. Around this time, the British Government placed great pressure on Qantas to purchase the De Havilland Comet

De Havilland Comet

The de Havilland Comet was the world's first commercial jet airliner to reach production. Developed and manufactured by de Havilland, it first flew in 1949 and was considered a landmark United Kingdom aeronautical design....
jet

Jet aircraft

A jet aircraft is an aircraft propelled by jet engines. Jet aircraft fly much faster than propeller-powered aircraft and at higher altitudes -- as high as 10,000 to 15,000 meters ....
airliner, but Hudson Fysh

Hudson Fysh

Sir Wilmot Hudson Fysh Order of the British Empire, Distinguished Flying Cross was an Australian aviator and businessman. A founder of the Australian airline company Qantas, Fysh was born in Launceston Tasmania, Tasmania....
was dubious about the economics of the aircraft and successfully resisted this. The network was expanded across the Pacific to Vancouver

Vancouver

Vancouver is a coastal city and major seaport located in the Lower Mainland of southwestern British Columbia, Canada. It is the largest city in British Columbia and the second largest metropolitan area in the Pacific Northwest region....
via Auckland

Auckland

The Auckland metropolitan area or Greater Auckland, in the North Island of New Zealand, is the largest and most populous urban areas of New Zealand with over 1.3 million residents, percent of the country's population....
, Nadi

Nadi

Nadi is the third-largest conurbation in Fiji. It is located on the western side of the main island of Viti Levu, and had a population of 42,284 at the most recent census, in 2007....
, Honolulu and San Francisco in early 1954 when it took over the operations of British Commonwealth Pacific Airlines

British Commonwealth Pacific Airlines

British Commonwealth Pacific Airlines or BCPA, was registered in New South Wales, Australia in June 1946 with headquarters in Sydney. It was formed by the governments of Australia , New Zealand and the UK to pursue trans-Pacific flights....
(BCPA). This became known as the Southern Cross Route

Southern Cross Route

Southern Cross Route is a term denoting passenger flights from Australasia to Europe via the Western Hemisphere. Although similar the Kangaroo route, its counterpart that runs through the Eastern Hemisphere, this route is much less used....
.

In 1956, Qantas ordered the Boeing 707

Boeing 707

The Boeing 707 is a four-engine commercial passenger jet airliner developed by Boeing Commercial Airplanes in the early 1950s. Its name is most commonly spoken as "Seven Oh Seven"....
jet airliner. The special shortened version for Qantas was the original version Boeing offered to airlines. Boeing lengthened the aircraft by ten feet for all other customers, which destroyed the economics for Qantas Pacific routes. The airline successfully negotiated with Boeing to have the aircraft they had originally contracted for.

In 1958, Qantas became one of the very few round-the-world airlines, operating services from Australia to London via Asia and the Middle East

Middle East

File:GreaterMiddleEast1.pngThe Middle East is a region that spans southwestern Asia, western Asia, and northeastern Africa. It has no clear boundaries, often used as a synonym to Near East, in opposition to Far East....
(Kangaroo route

Kangaroo route

The Kangaroo Route traditionally refers to air routes flown by Qantas between the countries of Australia and the United Kingdom, via the Eastern Hemisphere....
) and via the Southern Cross route with Super Constellations. It took delivery of new turboprop

Turboprop

A turboprop engine is a type of aircraft engine that uses a gas turbine to drive a propeller. The gas turbine is designed specifically for this application, with almost all of its output being used to drive the propeller....
Lockheed Electra

Lockheed Electra

Lockheed Electra refers to two distinct aircraft designs built by Lockheed:* Lockheed L-10 Electra, a ten-passenger piston engine aircraft of the 1930's, which had two immediate variants:...
aircraft in 1959.

The jet age - 1959 to 1992

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 as VH-XBA in December 2006 for display in the Qantas Founders Outback Museum

Qantas Founders Outback Museum

The Qantas Founders Outback Museum is a transport museum at Longreach, Queensland, Queensland, Australia. The museum is home to a decommissioned Qantas Boeing 747, which can be observed by people....
at Longreach

Longreach, Queensland

Longreach is a town located in central western Queensland, Australia and is approximately 700 kilometres from the coast, west of Rockhampton, Queensland....
, Queensland

Queensland

Queensland is a States and territories of Australia of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory to the west, South Australia to the south-west and New South Wales to the south....
. The Boeing 707-138 was a shorter version of the Boeing 707 that was operated only by 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

Boac

Boac can refer to:* Boac, Marinduque, a municipality in the Southern Philippines* British Overseas Airways Corporation the former United Kingdom state-owned airline...
and Pan Am

Pan American World Airways

Pan American World Airways, commonly known as Pan Am, was the principal international airline of the United States from the 1930s until its collapse on December 4, 1991....
, operating between London and New York as part of the service from Sydney. All of the turbojet

Turbojet

Turbojets are the oldest kind of general purpose jet engines. Two engineers, Frank Whittle in the United Kingdom and Hans von Ohain in Germany, developed the concept independently into practical engines during the late 1930s, although credit for the first turbojet is given to Whittle who submitted the first proposal and held a UK patent that...
aircraft were converted to upgraded turbofan

Turbofan

A turbofan is a type of aircraft engine consisting of a ducted fan which is powered by a gas turbine. Part of the airstream from the ducted fan passes through the gas turbine core, providing oxygen to burn fuel to create power....
engines in 1961 and were rebranded as V jets from the Latin vannus meaning fan.

Air travel grew substantially in the early 1960s, so Qantas ordered 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

Option (aircraft purchasing)

An option, when purchasing aircraft, allows an airline to purchase additional aircraft in the future at an agreed price and date.When placing orders for new aircraft, airlines commonly obtain options from the aircraft manufacturer, for example Airbus or Boeing....
on the new Concorde

Concorde

The A?rospatiale-BAC Concorde aircraft is a supersonic passenger airliner or supersonic transport . It was a product of an Anglo-French government treaty, combining the manufacturing efforts of A?rospatiale and British Aircraft Corporation....
airliner but the orders were eventually cancelled. Also in 1966, another around-the-world route was opened. This was named the Fiesta

Fiesta

Fiesta can mean:*A Spanish-derived word for festival, party, celebration, or holiday.*Ford Fiesta, a model of car produced by Ford.*Fiesta , the line of Homer Laughlin China Co....
route and was from Sydney to London via Tahiti

Tahiti

O Tahiti is the largest island in the Windward Islands group of French Polynesia, located in the archipelago of Society Islands in the southern Pacific Ocean....
, Mexico City

Mexico City

Mexico City is the capital city of Mexico. It is the most important economic, industrial, and cultural center in the country; the most populous city with over 8,836,045 inhabitants in 2008....
, and Bermuda

Bermuda

Bermuda is a British overseas territory in the Atlantic Ocean. Located off the east coast of the United States, it is situated around 1770 kilometres northeast of Miami, Florida, and 1350 kilometres south of Halifax Regional Municipality, Canada....
.

In 1967, the airline placed orders for the Boeing 747

Boeing 747

The Boeing 747 is a wide-body aircraft commercial airliner, often referred to by the nickname "Jumbo Jet". It is among the world's most recognizable aircraft, and was the first widebody ever produced....
. This 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 Qantas Airways, the name of the airline today.

When Cyclone Tracy

Cyclone Tracy

Cyclone Tracy was a tropical cyclone that devastated the city of Darwin, Australia, Northern Territory, Australia, from Christmas Eve to Christmas, 1974....
devastated the town of Darwin at Christmas

Christmas

Christmas , also referred to as Christmas Day, is an annual holiday celebrated on December 25 that commemorates the birth of Jesus. The day marks the beginning of the larger season of Christmastide, which lasts Twelve Days of Christmas....
1974, Qantas established a world record for the most people ever embarked on a single aircraft when they evacuated 673 people on a single Boeing 747 flight. They also established a record embarking 327 people on Boeing 707

Boeing 707

McDonnell Douglas

McDonnell Douglas was a major American aerospace manufacturer and defense contractor, producing a number of famous commercial and military aircraft....
DC-10 aircraft for flights to Wellington

Wellington

Wellington is the Capital of New Zealand, situated at the southwestern tip of the North Island between Cook Strait and the Rimutaka Range. The Wellington Urban Area is the major population centre of the southern North Island and ranks as New Zealand's third most populous Urban areas of New Zealand with residents....
, New Zealand

New Zealand

New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses , and numerous Islands of New Zealand, most notably Stewart Island/Rakiura and the Chatham Islands....
. These were not taken up, and two Boeing 747SP

Boeing 747SP

The Boeing 747SP is a wide-body aircraft commercial airliner. It is a highly modified version of its predecessor, the Boeing 747#747-100 with SP standing for "special performance"....
s were ordered instead. In March 1979, Qantas operated its final Boeing 707 flight from Auckland

Auckland

Sydney

Business class

Business class is a high quality second-tier travel class available on some commercial airlines and rail lines. Its level of accommodation is higher than economy class and domestic first class but lower than international first class ....
— the first airline in the world to do so.

The Boeing 767-200

Boeing 767

Boeing 747

The Boeing 747 is a wide-body aircraft commercial airliner, often referred to by the nickname "Jumbo Jet". It is among the world's most recognizable aircraft, and was the first widebody ever produced....
fleet was upgraded from 1989 with the arrival of the new Boeing 747-400 series. The delivery flight of the first aircraft VH-OJA was a world record, flying the 18,001 km from London to Sydney non-stop.

In 1990, Qantas established Australia Asia Airlines

Australia Asia Airlines

Australia Asia Airlines was a wholly owned subsidiary of Qantas set up to operate services between Australia and Taiwan in the Republic of China in 1990....
to operate services to Taiwan

Taiwan

Taiwan is an island in East Asia. "Taiwan" is also commonly used to refer to the country governed by the Republic of China and to the ROC itself, which governs the island of Taiwan, Orchid Island and Green Island, Taiwan in the Pacific Ocean off the Taiwan coast, the Penghu islands in the Taiwan Strait, and Kinmen and the Matsu Islands...
. Several Boeing 747SP

Boeing 747SP

Boeing 767

Privatisation - 1992 to 2006

The Australian Government

Government of Australia

The Australia is a federation constitutional monarchy under a parliamentary democracy. The Commonwealth of Australia was formed in 1901 as a result of an agreement between six self-governing British colonies, which became the six states....
sold the domestic carrier Australian Airlines

Trans Australia Airlines

Trans Australia Airlines or TAA , was one of the two major Australian domestic airlines between its inception in 1946 and its sale to Qantas in May 1996....
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

Boeing 737

The Boeing 737 is a short to medium range, single aisle, narrow-body aircraft jet airliner. Originally developed as a shorter, lower cost twin engine airliner derived from Boeing's Boeing 707 and Boeing 727, the 737 has nine variants, from the early -100 to the most recent and largest, the -900....
and Airbus A300

Airbus A300

The Airbus A300 is a short- to medium-range Wide-body aircraft aircraft. Launched in 1972 as the world's first twin-engined widebody, it was the first product of the Airbus consortium of European aerospace companies, wholly owned today by EADS....
to the fleet — though the A300s were soon retired. Qantas was privatised in March 1993, with British Airways

British Airways

Australian dollar

The Australian dollar is the currency of the Commonwealth of Australia, including Christmas Island, Cocos Islands, and Norfolk Island, as well as the independent Pacific Islandss of Kiribati, Nauru and Tuvalu....
. 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

Australian dollar

The Australian dollar is the currency of the Commonwealth of Australia, including Christmas Island, Cocos Islands, and Norfolk Island, as well as the independent Pacific Islandss of Kiribati, Nauru and Tuvalu....
in proceeds. The remaining shares were disposed of in 1995-96 and 1996-97. 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. By law, Qantas must be at least 51% Australian-owned, and the level of foreign ownership

Foreign ownership

Foreign ownership refers to the complete or majority ownership/control of a business or Natural resource in a country by individuals who are not citizens of that country, or by company whose headquarters are not in that country....
is constantly monitored.

In 1998, Qantas co-founded the Oneworld

Oneworld

American Airlines

British Airways

Canadian Airlines

Canadian Airlines International Ltd. was, from 1987 until 2001, Canada's second largest airline after Air Canada, carrying more than 11.9 million passengers to over 160 destinations in 17 countries on five continents at its height in 1996....
, and Cathay Pacific

Cathay Pacific

Cathay Pacific Airways is the flag carrier of Hong Kong. Based at Hong Kong International Airport, the airline's operations include scheduled passenger and cargo services to 115 destinations worldwide....
. The alliance commenced operation in February 1999, with Iberia

Iberia Airlines

Iberia, L?neas A?reas de Espa?a, S.A. , is the national airline of Spain. Based in Madrid, it operates an extensive international network of services....
and Finnair

Finnair

Finnair Plc is Finland's largest airline and the flag carrier, with its headquarters in Vantaa, Finland, and its main hub at Helsinki-Vantaa Airport....
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.

Qantas ordered twelve Airbus A380-800

Airbus A380

The Airbus A380 is a Double-deck aircraft, wide-body, four-engine jet airliner manufactured by the European corporation Airbus, a subsidiary of EADS....
in 2000, with options for twelve more. Eight of these options were exercised on 29 October 2006, bringing firm orders to twenty. Qantas is the third airline to receive A380s, (after Singapore Airlines

Singapore Airlines

Singapore Airlines Limited is the Flag carrier of Singapore. Singapore Airlines operates a hub at Singapore Changi Airport and has a strong presence in the Southeast Asia, East Asia, South Asia, and "Kangaroo Route" markets....
and Emirates

Emirates Airline

Emirates Airline is a subsidiary of The Emirates Group based in Dubai, United Arab Emirates . In 2008 the airline was the World's largest airlines#Scheduled international passengers carried airline in the world in terms of international passengers carried, and World's largest airlines#Scheduled international passenger-kilometres flown in th...
).

The main domestic competitor to Qantas, Ansett Australia

Ansett Australia

A member of the Ansett Transport Industries Ltd group, Ansett Australia Pty Ltd, or Ansett as it was commonly known, was a major Australian airline group, flying domestically within Australia and to destinations in Asia at its height in 1996....
, collapsed on 14 September 2001. Market share for Qantas immediately neared 90%, with the relatively new budget airline Virgin Blue

Virgin Blue

Virgin Blue is an Australian low-cost airline, Australia's second-biggest airline as well as the largest airline with the Virgin branding. It was founded by United Kingdom businessman Richard Branson's Virgin Group....
holding the remainder. 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 September 11, 2001 attacks in the United States — the subsequent downturn in the US aviation market meant American Airlines

American Airlines

American Airlines, Inc. is a major carrier of the United States. It is the world's largest airlines in passenger miles transported and passenger fleet size; second largest, behind FedEx Express, in aircraft operated; and second behind Air France-KLM in operating revenues....
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.

At the same time, Virgin Blue announced a major expansion in October 2001, which was successful in eventually pushing the Qantas domestic market share

Market share

Market share, in strategic management and marketing, is the percentage or proportion of the total available market or market segment that is being serviced by a company....
back to 60%. To prevent any further loss of market share, Qantas responded by creating a new cut-price subsidiary airline Jetstar

Jetstar Airways

Jetstar Airways is a Low-cost carrier based in Melbourne, Australia. It is a subsidiary of Qantas, created in response to the threat posed by low-cost airline Virgin Blue Airlines....
. 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.

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

Australian Airlines

Australian Airlines was a full-service airline based in Australia, servicing Australian and Asian destinations between 2002 and 2006. It was an all economy, full service international leisure carrier and was a wholly owned subsidiary of Qantas Airways, although run independently of the mainline carrier....
name. This airline ceased operating its own liveried aircraft in July 2006, with the staff operating Qantas services before being closed entirely in September 2007, with the staff joining the new Qantas base in Cairns.

Qantas has also expanded into the New Zealand

New Zealand

Air New Zealand

Air New Zealand Limited is the national airline and flag carrier of New Zealand. Based in Auckland, New Zealand, the airline operates scheduled passenger flights to over 40 destinations worldwide, and is currently the only airline to fly round the world....
and then with a franchise takeover of Ansett New Zealand

Ansett New Zealand

Ansett New Zealand was a wholly owned airline subsidiary of Ansett Australia, serving the New Zealand domestic market between 1987 and 2000. In order to comply with regulatory requirements relating to the acquisition of Ansett Australia by Air New Zealand, Ansett New Zealand was sold to News Corporation and later to Tasman Pacific Airlines of...
. 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.

On 13 December 2004, the first flight of Jetstar Asia Airways

Jetstar Asia Airways

Jetstar Asia Airways Private Limited , operating as Jetstar Asia, is a Low-cost carrier based in Singapore. It is the Asian offshoot of Qantas Jetstar Airways....
took off from its Singapore

Singapore

Hong Kong

Hong Kong , officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, is a territory located in Southern China in East Asia, bordering the province of Guangdong to the north and facing the South China Sea to the east, west and south....
, marking Qantas' entry into the Asian cut-price market. Qantas owns 44.5% of the carrier.

On 14 December 2005 Qantas announced an order for 115 Boeing

Boeing Commercial Airplanes

Boeing Commercial Airplanes is a unit of Boeing, based in Renton, Washington, Washington consisting of the Seattle-based former Boeing Airplane Company , as well as the Long Beach, California-based Douglas Aircraft Company division of the former McDonnell Douglas....
787-8

Boeing 787

The Boeing 787 Dreamliner is a mid-sized, Wide-body aircraft, twinjet jet airliner currently under development by Boeing Commercial Airplanes....
and 787-9

Boeing 787

The Boeing 787 Dreamliner is a mid-sized, Wide-body aircraft, twinjet jet airliner currently under development by Boeing Commercial Airplanes....
aircraft (45 firm orders, 20 options and 50 purchase rights). The aircraft will allow Qantas to replace their 767-300

Boeing 767

The Boeing 767 is a mid-size, wide-body twinjet airliner produced by Boeing Commercial Airplanes. Passenger versions of the 767 can carry between 181 and 375 passengers, and have a range of 5,200 to 6,590 nautical miles depending on variant and seating configuration....
fleet, increase capacity and establish new routes. Jetstar will also operate 15 of the new aircraft on international routes. 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 were originally scheduled to be delivered in August 2008, with the 787-9s coming in 2011. However on 10 April 2008 Qantas announced that the intended August delivery of the 787s has been delayed for a further 15 months from the original delivery date. In the interim, Qantas Chief Executive Officer Geoff Dixon

Geoff Dixon

Geoff Dixon is an Australian corporate executive and former CEO and Managing Director of Qantas....
stated that Qantas will claim substantial liquidated damages from Boeing under the purchase agreement, and use those funds to offset the costs of leasing alternative aircraft. Qantas also negotiated the lease of six Airbus A330

Airbus A330

The Airbus A330 is a large-capacity, wide-body aircraft, twinjet, medium-to-long-range commercial passenger airliner. It was developed at the same time as the four-engined Airbus A340....
aircraft for Jetstar International operations.

Although Qantas did not choose the Boeing 777-200LR

Boeing 777

The Boeing 777 is a long-range, Wide-body aircraft twin-engine airliner manufactured by Boeing Commercial Airplanes. The world's largest twinjet and commonly referred to as the "Triple Seven", the aircraft can carry between 283 and 368 passengers in a three-class configuration, and has a range from 5,235 to 9,380 nautical miles ....
, it is rumoured that Qantas is still looking into buying aircraft*

Airbus A340

The Airbus A340 is a long-range four-engined wide-body commercial passenger airliner manufactured by Airbus, a subsidiary of EADS. It seats between 261 and 380 passengers, and has a range between 6,700 and 9,000 nautical miles....
capable of flying Sydney

Sydney

London

London is the capital of both England and the United Kingdom, and the most populous municipality in the European Union. An important settlement for two millennia, History of London goes back to its founding by the Roman Empire....
non-stop.

In December 2006, Qantas was the subject of a failed bid from a consortium calling itself Airline Partners Australia

Airline Partners Australia

Airline Partners Australia is a consortium that made a Australian Dollar5.45 per share takeover offer for Australian airline Qantas in December 2006....
. This bid failed in April 2007, with the consortium not gaining the percentage of shares it needed to complete the takeover.

Qantas today - 2007 to present

Qantas' main international hubs are Sydney Airport

Sydney Airport

Sydney Airport may refer to:* Sydney Airport , in Sydney, Australia* Sydney Airport , in Nova Scotia, Canada...
and Melbourne Airport

Melbourne Airport

Melbourne Airport , also known as Tullamarine Airport or the local colloquialism Tulla, is the primary airport List of airports in the Melbourne area and the List of the busiest airports in Australia....
. However, Qantas operates a significant number of international flights into and out of Brisbane

Brisbane Airport

Brisbane Airport is the sole passenger airport serving Brisbane and the List of the busiest airports in Australia, after Sydney Airport and Melbourne Airport airports....
, Perth

Perth Airport

Perth Airport is an Australian domestic and international airport located south of Guildford, Western Australia, and is the major commercial airport servicing Western Australia's capital city, Perth, Western Australia....
, Singapore Changi

Singapore Changi Airport

Singapore Changi Airport or simply Changi Airport, is a major aviation hub in Asia, particularly in the Southeast Asian region, and is the main airport in Singapore....
, Los Angeles International

Los Angeles International Airport

Los Angeles International Airport is the primary airport serving Los Angeles, California, California, the United States metropolitan area of the United States....
and London Heathrow

London Heathrow Airport

London Heathrow Airport or Heathrow , located in the London Borough of Hillingdon, is the largest and Busiest airports in the United Kingdom by total passenger traffic airport in the United Kingdom....
airports. Its domestic hubs are Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Perth airports, but the company also has a strong presence in Adelaide, Cairns and Canberra airports. It serves a range of international and domestic destinations

Qantas destinations

This is a list of airports that Qantas and QantasLink fly to. This list does not include code-share only destinations or flights to airports which are only served by their low-cost subsidiary Jetstar Airways....
.

Qantas wholly owns Jetstar Airways

Jetstar Airways

JetConnect

Jetconnect is an airline based in Auckland, New Zealand. It is a subsidiary company of Qantas. It was established in July 2002 and started operations in October 2002....
(which operates New Zealand domestic and some TransTasman services), QantasLink

QantasLink

Sunstate Airlines

Sunstate Airlines is a subsidiary of Qantas which operates regional flights under the QantasLink banner throughout Queensland; and on the trunk routes between Sydney and Canberra, and between Brisbane and Canberra....
and Eastern Australia Airlines

Eastern Australia Airlines

Eastern Australia Airlines Pty Ltd is an airline based in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It is a regional domestic airline serving 16 destinations under the QantasLink banner....
), and Qantas Freight

Qantas Freight

Qantas Freight is a subsidiary company of Qantas, responsible for the air cargo operations of the Qantas group. It is the owner of freight airline Express Freighters Australia, Asia-based freight forwarder DPEX Worldwide, and trucking company Jets Transport Express; and is also a partner in two joint ventures with Australia Post; Australian a...
(which itself wholly owns Express Freighters Australia

Express Freighters Australia

Express Freighters Australia is a cargo airline based in Sydney, Australia. It was established in August 2006 and is wholly owned by Qantas....
). Qantas did have a minor 4.2% stake in Air New Zealand

Air New Zealand

Air New Zealand Limited is the national airline and flag carrier of New Zealand. Based in Auckland, New Zealand, the airline operates scheduled passenger flights to over 40 destinations worldwide, and is currently the only airline to fly round the world....
, but this was sold on 26 June 2007 for $NZ119 million. Qantas owns 49% of the Fiji

Fiji

Fiji , officially the Republic of the Fiji Islands , is an island nation in the South Pacific Ocean east of Vanuatu, west of Tonga and south of Tuvalu....
-based international carrier Air Pacific

Air Pacific

Air Pacific Limited, Fiji's international airline, is based in Nadi, Fiji, operating international and domestic services around the Pacific and to North America and Japan....
. Via its freight subsidiary Qantas Freight, it owns 50% of both Australian air Express

Australian Air Express

Australian air Express is a cargo airline based in Melbourne, Australia. It operates freight-only services within Australia using leased Qantas, National Jet Systems, and Pel-Air aircraft....
and Star Track Express

Star Track Express

Star Track Express, formerly Multigroup Distribution Services and Discount Freight Express is an Australian logistics company founded during 1974 in Dee Why, New South Wales, New South Wales....
(a trucking company), with the other 50% of both companies owned by Australia Post

Australia Post

Australia Post is trading name of the Government of Australia-owned Australian Postal Corporation, the mail with a monopoly in Australia....
. Since its privatisation in 1993, Qantas has been one of the most profitable airlines in the world. It was recently voted 3^rd best airline in the world in the 2008 World Airline Awards (with surveys conducted by Skytrax

Skytrax

Skytrax is a United Kingdom-based consultancy, the public face of Inflight Research Services. It conducts research for Airline. It carries out international-traveller Statistical surveys to find the best cabin staff, airport, airline, airline lounge, in-flight entertainment, on-board catering, and several other elements of air travel....
). Although still a drop from the 2^nd place position it held in 2005-6, it improved its 2007 position of 5^th place. In addition to this the airline received awards for Best First Class Lounge, Best Airline Australasia, Best Economy Class Onboard catering and Best Regional Airline Australasia.

Qantas has stepped up the expansion of Jetstar, with the launch of international services (in addition to existing trans-Tasman

Tasman Sea

The Tasman Sea is the large body of water between Australia and New Zealand, approximately 2000 kilometres across. It extends 2800 km from north to south....
and Jetstar Asia flights) to leisure destinations such as Bali

Bali

Bali is an Indonesian island located at , the westernmost of the Lesser Sunda Islands, lying between Java to the west and Lombok to the east. It is one of the country's 33 Provinces of Indonesia with the provincial capital at Denpasar towards the south of the island....
, Ho Chi Minh City

Ho Chi Minh City

Ho Chi Minh City is the largest city in Vietnam. Under the name Prey Nokor it was the main port of Cambodia, before being annexed by the Vietnamese in the 17th century....
, Osaka

Osaka

is a Cities of Japan in Japan, located at the mouth of the Yodo River on Osaka Bay, in the Kansai region of the main island of Honshu.Osaka is a City designated by government ordinance under the Local Autonomy Law and the capital city of Osaka Prefecture....
and Honolulu having begun in November 2006. On some routes (such as Sydney-Honolulu) Jetstar supplements existing Qantas operations, but many routes are new to the network. The lower cost base of Jetstar allows the previously unprofitable or marginal routes to be operated at greater profitability.

The Boeing 747, which once constituted the entire Qantas fleet in the early 1980s, and of which Qantas operates 30, will be retired by the airline in the coming years. The last three 747-300s were retired at the end of 2008 and the 747-400 series will be phased out beginning in 2013, replaced by the Airbus A380. Qantas is also considering the Airbus A350

Airbus A350

The Airbus A350 is a long range, mid-sized, Wide-body aircraft family of airliners currently under development. The A350 will be the first Airbus with fuselage and wing structures made primarily of carbon fiber reinforced plastic....
or the Boeing 777-300ER

Boeing 777

The Boeing 777 is a long-range, Wide-body aircraft twin-engine airliner manufactured by Boeing Commercial Airplanes. The world's largest twinjet and commonly referred to as the "Triple Seven", the aircraft can carry between 283 and 368 passengers in a three-class configuration, and has a range from 5,235 to 9,380 nautical miles ....
to replace the 747-400s in addition to the A380; the Boeing 787

Boeing 787

The Boeing 787 Dreamliner is a mid-sized, Wide-body aircraft, twinjet jet airliner currently under development by Boeing Commercial Airplanes....
may also take over some routes.

On 1 July 2008 Qantas became a 58% shareholder in the Jetset Travelworld Group, by corporatising its leisure and corporate travel divisions; Qantas Holidays and Qantas Business Travel (QBT), and selling them to Jetset Travelworld Group. This deal created a vertically integrated travel company with retail, wholesale and corporate sales arms.

On 4 September 2008 the first Qantas Airbus A380

Airbus A380

The Airbus A380 is a Double-deck aircraft, wide-body, four-engine jet airliner manufactured by the European corporation Airbus, a subsidiary of EADS....
was registered in Australia, in the lead-up to a handover ceremony on 19 September. During this ceremony, Qantas announced that they are considering ordering four more A380s. The aircraft arrived on Australian soil on the morning of 21 September, when it touched down at Sydney Airport. Qantas' first route for the A380 was Melbourne

Melbourne Airport

Los Angeles International Airport

Los Angeles International Airport is the primary airport serving Los Angeles, California, California, the United States metropolitan area of the United States....
beginning on 20 October 2008, then from Sydney to Los Angeles. The second A380, which was delivered in December 2008, increased the service frequency on the same routes. Subsequent aircraft to be delivered will further expand services, initially on the Kangaroo Route

Kangaroo route

The Kangaroo Route traditionally refers to air routes flown by Qantas between the countries of Australia and the United Kingdom, via the Eastern Hemisphere....
.

On 2 December 2008, British Airways

British Airways

British Airways plc is an airline of the United Kingdom. The airline has the largest fleet of aircraft of any United Kingdom airline, but is only second in terms of international passengers carried....
confirmed that talks were underway regarding a possible merger between the two companies. They would merge as a dual-listed company

Dual-listed company

A dual-listed company or DLC is a corporate structure which involves two listed companies with different sets of shareholders sharing ownership of one set of operational businesses....
with shares listed both on the London Stock Exchange

London Stock Exchange

The London Stock Exchange or LSE is a stock exchange located in London, United Kingdom. Founded in 1801, it is one of the largest stock exchanges in the world, with many overseas listings as well as British companies....
and Australian Securities Exchange. However, on 18 December 2008, the two companies called off their merger discussions over ownership issues in the aftermath of a merger. If the merger between Qantas and British Airways and the previously announced merger between British Airways and Iberia Airlines

Iberia Airlines

Iberia, L?neas A?reas de Espa?a, S.A. , is the national airline of Spain. Based in Madrid, it operates an extensive international network of services....
had both occured, it would have created the largest airline company in the world.

On 29 December 2008, Qantas flew its last scheduled Boeing 747-300 service, operating from Melbourne to Los Angeles via Auckland. The final 747-300 flight was on 20 January 2009 when the last of the four 747-300s was ferried to the United States for storage, bringing to a close over 24 years and 524,000 flying hours of operations. The final 747-300 flight was also the last time a Qantas aircraft flew with a flight engineer

Flight engineer

In aviation, a flight engineer is a member of the aircrew member of some aircraft. The flight engineer is responsible for monitoring and controlling many of the aircraft systems during flight....
.

Promotional activities

Qantas used a small promotional animation on its website to announce it will offer in-flight internet services on its fleet of A380s. Qantas' present long-running advertising campaign features renditions by children's choirs of Peter Allen

Peter Allen

Peter Allen was an Australian songwriter and entertainer. His songs were made popular by many recording artists, including Melissa Manchester and Olivia Newton-John, Elkie Brooks, and one, Arthur's Theme, won the Academy Award....
's "I Still Call Australia Home

I Still Call Australia Home

"I Still Call Australia Home" is a song written and performed by Peter Allen in 1980. In it, Allen sings of the expatriate's longing for home....
", set to footage of Australian scenery. A much earlier campaign aimed at American television audiences featured an Australian koala

Koala

The Koala is a wikt:thickset arboreal marsupial herbivory native to Australia, and the only Extant taxon representative of the family Phascolarctidae....
, who 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

Australia national rugby union team

The Australian national rugby union team is the representative side of Australia in rugby union. The national team is nicknamed the "Wallabies" and competes annually with All Blacks and South Africa national rugby union team in the Tri Nations , in which they also contest the Bledisloe Cup with New Zealand and the Mandela Challenge Plate with...
", the Australian national Rugby Union

Rugby union

Rugby union is a competitive outdoor contact sport, played with an oval ball, by two teams of 15 players. It is one of the two main codes of rugby football, the other being rugby league....
team. They also sponsor and have shirt rights to the Socceroos, Australia's national soccer

Football (soccer)

Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of eleven players, and is widely considered to be the most popular sport in the world....
team.

Company logos

Image:Img qa20 1944.jpg|

1944 - 1947 Image:Img qa20 1947.jpg|

1947 - 1968 Image:1968 Qantas Logo.png|

1968 - 1984 Image:Qantas.svg|

1984 - 2007 Image:2007 Qantas Logo.svg|

2007 - present

The Qantas Kangaroo logo has undergone four major facelifts since its introduction in 1944.

In 1984, the logo was updated in which the Kangaroo's wings were removed, while in 2007 the logo was updated again, primarily to deal with technical issues arising from changes to the shape of airline tails and surface areas on stabilisers being designated as no paint areas on the Airbus A380s. The fourth and fifth versions of the logo have been designed by Hans Hulsbosch and his company Hulsbosch Communications.

Destinations

Qantas flies to 82 destinations on six continents. It plans to launch flights to Dubai within about three years.

Antarctic Flights

Qantas operates flightseeing charters to Antarctica on behalf of Croydon Travel. They 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

Air New Zealand Flight 901

Air New Zealand Flight 901 was a scheduled Antarctic sightseeing flight from Auckland Airport in New Zealand. The Antarctic sightseeing flights were operated with McDonnell Douglas DC-10 aircraft and began in February 1977....
on Mt 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 whiteout which contributed to the Air New Zealand disaster.

CityFlyer

Qantas advertises all direct flights between Adelaide, Brisbane, Canberra, Melbourne, Perth and Sydney as Qantas CityFlyer (slogan Works for me).

Fleet

Qantas has an average fleet age of 9.3 years as of September 2008.

As of March 2009 the Qantas mainline fleet numbers 136 aircraft. The fleet (including Qantas-owned subsidiaries except Jetstar and QantasLink

QantasLink

**Qantas Fleet**
Aircraft	Total	Orders	Options	Purchase Rights	Passengers (First/Business/Premium Economy/Economy)*	Routes
Airbus A330-200 Airbus A330 The Airbus A330 is a large-capacity, wide-body aircraft, twinjet, medium-to-long-range commercial passenger airliner. It was developed at the same time as the four-engined Airbus A340....	6	0	0	0	235 (- /36/ - /199) 237 (- /36/ - /201) 299 (- /34/ - /265)	Melbourne to Los Angeles via Auckland, Sydney to Mumbai, Domestic (Perth to East Coast)
Airbus A330-300 Airbus A330 The Airbus A330 is a large-capacity, wide-body aircraft, twinjet, medium-to-long-range commercial passenger airliner. It was developed at the same time as the four-engined Airbus A340....	10	0	0	0	297 (- /30/ - /267)	Asia and Domestic (Perth to East Coast)
Airbus A380-800 Airbus A380 The Airbus A380 is a Double-deck aircraft, wide-body, four-engine jet airliner manufactured by the European corporation Airbus, a subsidiary of EADS....	3	17	4	12	450 (14/72/32/332)	Melbourne & Sydney to Los Angeles and Sydney to London Heathrow via Singapore.
Boeing 737-300 Boeing 737 Classic The Boeing 737 Classic is the name given to the -300/-400/-500 series of the Boeing 737 after the introduction of the -600/700/800 series. They are American short to medium range, single aisle, narrow-body aircraft jet airliners....	5 4	0	0	0	120 (- /8/ - /112) 130 (- / - / - /130) 0	NZ Domestic, operated by JetConnect JetConnect Jetconnect is an airline based in Auckland, New Zealand. It is a subsidiary company of Qantas. It was established in July 2002 and started operations in October 2002.... to be retired by July 2009; Australian Domestic freight, operated by Express Freighters Australia Express Freighters Australia Express Freighters Australia is a cargo airline based in Sydney, Australia. It was established in August 2006 and is wholly owned by Qantas....
Boeing 737-400 Boeing 737 Classic The Boeing 737 Classic is the name given to the -300/-400/-500 series of the Boeing 737 after the introduction of the -600/700/800 series. They are American short to medium range, single aisle, narrow-body aircraft jet airliners....	21	0	0	0	140 (- /20 /- /120) 142 (- /16 /- /126) 144 (- /12 /- /132) 146 (- /8 /- /138) 148 (- /4 /- /144) 150 (- /- /- /150) Jetconnect 142 (- /16/ - /126)	Domestic, NZ Domestic, Oceania; three operated by JetConnect
Boeing 737-800 Boeing 737 Next Generation The Boeing 737 Next Generation is the name given to the -600/-700/-800/-900 series of the Boeing 737 after the introduction of the -300/-400/-500 Boeing 737 Classic series....	38	31	0	0	168 (- /12/ - /156)	Domestic, Oceania. Melbourne and Sydney to Auckland aircraft to be fitted with new seats individual PTVs.
Boeing 747-300 Boeing 747 The Boeing 747 is a wide-body aircraft commercial airliner, often referred to by the nickname "Jumbo Jet". It is among the world's most recognizable aircraft, and was the first widebody ever produced....	3	0	0	0	450 (- /52/ - /398)	Stored in the USA after being withdrawn from service
Boeing 747-400 Boeing 747-400 The Boeing 747-400 is a wide-body aircraft commercial airliner, and is the most recent version of the Boeing 747 aircraft in service. The -400 series is the best selling and the most advanced model, currently flying, of the 747 family....	24	0	0	0	307 (14/66/40/187) 343 (14/64/ - /265) 345 (14/66/ - /265) 351 (14/50/32/255) 353 (14/52/32/255) 412 (- /56/ - /356)	Melbourne and Sydney to Singapore, Hong Kong and London Heathrow. Sydney to Buenos Aires, Johannesburg, Frankfurt, San Francisco, Bangkok, New York, Los Angeles and London Heathrow.
Boeing 747-400ER Boeing 747-400 The Boeing 747-400 is a wide-body aircraft commercial airliner, and is the most recent version of the Boeing 747 aircraft in service. The -400 series is the best selling and the most advanced model, currently flying, of the 747 family....	6	0	0	0	343 (14/64/ - /265)	Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane to Los Angeles. Sydney to San Francisco and New York-JFK.
Boeing 747-400F Boeing 747-400 The Boeing 747-400 is a wide-body aircraft commercial airliner, and is the most recent version of the Boeing 747 aircraft in service. The -400 series is the best selling and the most advanced model, currently flying, of the 747 family....	3	0	0	0	0	International freight services by Qantas Freight Qantas Freight Qantas Freight is a subsidiary company of Qantas, responsible for the air cargo operations of the Qantas group. It is the owner of freight airline Express Freighters Australia, Asia-based freight forwarder DPEX Worldwide, and trucking company Jets Transport Express; and is also a partner in two joint ventures with Australia Post; Australian a... , aircraft wet-leased from Atlas Air Atlas Air Atlas Air is an United States cargo airline based in Purchase, New York, United States. It operates scheduled freight flights on an ACMI contract basis for some of the world's leading airlines, flying to 101 cities in 46 countries....
Boeing 767-300ER Boeing 767 The Boeing 767 is a mid-size, wide-body twinjet airliner produced by Boeing Commercial Airplanes. Passenger versions of the 767 can carry between 181 and 375 passengers, and have a range of 5,200 to 6,590 nautical miles depending on variant and seating configuration....	29	0	0	0	229 (- /25/ - /204) 244 (- /30/ - /214) 250 (- /30/ - /220) 251 (- /30/ - /221) 254 (- /30/ - /224)	Domestic, Oceania, Asia
Boeing 787-9 Boeing 787 The Boeing 787 Dreamliner is a mid-sized, Wide-body aircraft, twinjet jet airliner currently under development by Boeing Commercial Airplanes....	0	50	20	30	?	Domestic, Oceania, Asia, Americas, Middle East

^{* First Class and Premium Economy offered on select aircraft.}

As of February 2009 Qantas and its subsidiaries operate 237 aircraft, which includes 40 aircraft by Jetstar Airways

Jetstar Airways

QantasLink

QantasLink is a regional brand of Australian airline Qantas and is an affiliate member of the Oneworld airline alliance. It is a major competitor to Regional Express Airlines....
-branded airlines. The Boeing customer code for Qantas is 38. This code appears in Boeing aircraft model numbers (such as 747-438).

Qantas have named their aircraft since 1926. Themes included Greek gods, stars, people in Australian aviation history, and Australian birds. Since 1959, the majority of Qantas aircraft have been named after Australian cities. The Airbus A380

Airbus A380

The Airbus A380 is a Double-deck aircraft, wide-body, four-engine jet airliner manufactured by the European corporation Airbus, a subsidiary of EADS....
series is going to be named after Australian Aviation Pioneers, with the first A380 named Nancy Bird-Walton

Nancy Bird-Walton

Nancy Bird Walton, Order of Australia, Order of British Empire, Venerable Order of Saint John was a pioneering Australian aviator, and was the founder and patron of the ....
.

Qantas has two aircraft painted in Australian Aboriginal art liveries: Wunala Dreaming (Boeing 747-400ER ), and Yananyi Dreaming (Boeing 737-800 ). Both carry striking, colourful liveries, designed by Australian Aborigines. There was previously a third livery Nalanji Dreaming (Boeing 747-300 ), but the aircraft was sold for spare parts in 2007.

1970

**Qantas Airways fleet in 1970**
Aircraft	Total	Orders	Notes
BAC/Sud Concorde Concorde The A?rospatiale-BAC Concorde aircraft is a supersonic passenger airliner or supersonic transport . It was a product of an Anglo-French government treaty, combining the manufacturing efforts of A?rospatiale and British Aircraft Corporation....	0	0	Four on option
Boeing SST Boeing 2707 The Boeing 2707 was developed as the first United States supersonic transport . After winning a competition for a government-funded contract to build an American SST, Boeing began development at its facilities in Seattle, Washington....	0	0	Six on option
Boeing 707-300 Boeing 707 The Boeing 707 is a four-engine commercial passenger jet airliner developed by Boeing Commercial Airplanes in the early 1950s. Its name is most commonly spoken as "Seven Oh Seven"....	21	0
Boeing 747-200 Boeing 747 The Boeing 747 is a wide-body aircraft commercial airliner, often referred to by the nickname "Jumbo Jet". It is among the world's most recognizable aircraft, and was the first widebody ever produced....	0	4
Douglas DC-3 Douglas DC-3 The Douglas DC-3 is an United States fixed-wing aircraft, propeller-driven aircraft whose speed and range revolutionized air transport in the 1930s and 1940s....	2	0
Douglas DC-4 Douglas DC-4 The DC-4 is a four-engined propeller-driven airliner developed by the United States company Douglas Aircraft Company. It served during the Second World War in a military role, and after the war for civilian airlines....	2	0
Hawker Siddeley HS 125 British Aerospace BAe 125 The British Aerospace BAe 125 is a twin-engined mid-size corporate jet, with newer variants now marketed as the Hawker 800. It was known as the Hawker Siddeley HS.125 until 1977....	2	0
Lockheed L-188 Electra Lockheed L-188 Electra The Lockheed L-188 Electra is an American turboprop airliner built by Lockheed. It was the first turboprop airliner produced in the United States....	1	0
Total	28	4

Awards

Service Award

Skytrax airline of the year — listed in the top five airlines in the world for five consecutive years.
Skytrax best airline Australia - 2005, 2006, 2008
Skytrax best regional airline Australia - 2006, 2008

Entertainment

WAEA Avion awards best overall in flight entertainment - 2002, 2003, 2005, 2006
Inflight entertainment guide - 2005, 2006
WAEA Avion awards best entertainment for Inseat systems - 2006

Wine Awards

Best first and Business class wine list - 2005 cellars in the Sky Awards.
Most original first class wine list - 2007, 2008 cellars in the Sky Awards.
Best first class - 2007 Cellars in the sky awards
Best business class sparkling award - 2007 cellars in the Sky Awards
Best consistency of wines across business and first - 2007 Cellars in the Sky Awards

Qantas Frequent Flyer

The Qantas Frequent Flyer program

Frequent flyer program

A frequent flyer program is a loyalty program offered by many airlines. Typically, airline customers enrolled in the program accumulate points corresponding to the distance flown on that airline....
rewards customer loyalty. Points are accrued based on distance flown, with bonuses that vary by travel class

Travel class

A travel class is a quality of lodging on public transport transport. The accommodation could be a seat or a cabin for example. Higher travel classes are more comfortable and more expensive....
, and can be earned on Oneworld

Oneworld

Oneworld is the third largest airline alliance after Star Alliance and SkyTeam. Alliance member airlines and affiliates co-operate to provide an integrated service, usually around the use of common passenger terminals and standardisation of frequent flier schemes....
airlines, and other partners. Other partners include credit cards, car rental companies, hotels and many others. To join the programme, passengers living in Australia or New Zealand must pay a one-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 selected partner airlines earn Status Credits — and accumulation of these allows progression to Silver Status (Oneworld Ruby

Oneworld

Australian Competition and Consumer Commission

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission is an independent authority of the government of Australia. It was established in 1995 with the amalgamation of the Australian Trade Practices Commission and the Prices Surveillance Authority to administer the Trade Practices Act 1974 ....
directed Qantas to provide greater disclosure to members regarding the availability of frequent flyer seats. In August 2007 Qantas CEO Geoff Dixon confirmed it was considering significant changes to its frequent flyer program and had discussed its potential sale with Aeroplan

Aeroplan

Air Canada

Air Canada is Canada's largest airline and flag carrier. The airline, founded in 1936, provides scheduled and charter air transportation for passengers and cargo to 160 destinations worldwide....
's frequent flyer program, though he stressed that Aeroplan

Aeroplan

Aeroplan is a Montreal, Quebec based loyalty marketing program operated by Groupe Aeroplan Inc . The Aeroplan Program was created in July 1984 by Air Canada as an incentive program for its frequent flyer customers....
was not buying Qantas Frequent Flyer saying there was, "certainly no discussions about them taking over the program and buying it".

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 programme was announced. The two key new features of the programme are Any Seat rewards, in which members can redeem any seat on the plane, rather than just selected ones — at a price. The second new feature is Points Plus Pay, where members can 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.

Qantas Club

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 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, 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 free toiletries;
Bar — free bar, staffed 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. As of April 2007, wireless internet access is now provided free.

Some international lounges were upgraded in 2007. New First and Business lounges opened in Bangkok and Los Angeles, along with completely new First Class lounges in Sydney and Melbourne, designed by Marc Newson

Marc Newson

Marc Newson was born in Sydney, Australia. He is a successful industrial designer who works in aircraft design, product design, furniture design, jewellery, and clothing....
.

Lounge access

Members are permitted to enter domestic Qantas Clubs when flying on Qantas or Jetstar flights along with one guest who need not be travelling. Internationally, the guest must be travelling with the member. When flying with American Airlines

American Airlines

American Airlines, Inc. is a major carrier of the United States. It is the world's largest airlines in passenger miles transported and passenger fleet size; second largest, behind FedEx Express, in aircraft operated; and second behind Air France-KLM in operating revenues....
, members have access to Admirals Club lounges and when flying on British Airways

British Airways

British Airways plc is an airline of the United Kingdom. The airline has the largest fleet of aircraft of any United Kingdom airline, but is only second in terms of international passengers carried....
.

Platinum Frequent Flyers are able to access The Qantas Club in Australian domestic terminals at any time, regardless of whether they are flying that day.

Travellers holding Oneworld

Oneworld

In flight entertainment

Qantas has several in-flight entertainment systems installed on its aircraft. The most fully-featured system is known as the "Total Entertainment System". This audio video on demand (AVOD) system includes 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. Total Entertainment System is installed on all Boeing 747-400s and variants, all Airbus A330-300s, and internationally configured Airbus A330-200s. A stripped-down version of this system is also installed on Boeing 747-300s; it does not feature AVOD, and has fewer video options.

The other entertainment system is the Mainscreen System, where drop-down video screens are the only available form of video entertainment; movies are shown on the screens for lengthier flights, or TV programmes on shorter flights. A news telecast will usually feature at the start of the flight. Audio options are less varied than on the Total Entertainment System. The Mainscreen System is installed on all Boeing 737s, the economy and most business class sections on the Boeing 767, and domestically configured Airbus A330-200s.

The new entertainment system for Qantas is "iQ". To be featured in all classes of the Airbus A380, it will feature expanded entertainment options, new communications related features, and increased support for electronics.

The Qantas in-flight magazine is entitled "The Australian Way". The magazine, along with a travel blog featuring entries from Qantas ambassadors and the ability for frequent flyers to post comments, is online at http://travelinsider.qantas.com.au .

The Australian Nine Network

Nine Network

The Nine Network, or Channel Nine, is an Australian Television broadcasting in Australia based in Willoughby, New South Wales, a suburb on the North Shore of Sydney....
provides a news bulletin for Qantas entitled Nine's Qantas Inflight News. This news bulletin includes all the latest news, sport, finance and weather details presented by Amber Higlett

Amber Higlett

Amber Higlett joined the Nine Network in 2007 to present the business segments for the Today , Nine News#AM Edition and Nine News#PM Edition bulletins....
. The bulletin is the same broadcast as Nine's Early Morning News.

In flight internet connectivity

Boeing's cancellation of the Connexion by Boeing

Connexion by Boeing

Connexion by Boeing was an in-flight online Internet connectivity service from Boeing. This service allowed travellers to access a high-speed internet connection while on board a plane in flight through a wired Ethernet or a wireless 802.11 Wi-Fi connection....
system caused concerns that inflight internet would not be available on next-generation aircraft such as Qantas' fleet of Airbus A380s and Boeing Dreamliner 787s. However, Qantas announced in July 2007 that all service classes in its fleet of A380s will have wireless internet access as well as seat-back access to email and cached web browsing when they start flying in October 2008. Certain elements will be retrofitted into existing Boeing 747-400s, too. It has not yet disclosed who the service provider is.

In-flight mobile phone trial

Qantas has become the first airline to trial using mobile phones during a flight with AeroMobile

AeroMobile

AeroMobile was established as a joint venture between ARINC and Telenor in 2006. Headquartered in London with operations in Oslo, Dubai, Singapore and Seattle; AeroMobile is a global independent cellular provider serving the aviation sector....
. The trial will run for three months on a Boeing 767

Boeing 767

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders initiatives

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

Qantas has also bought and donated some 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

New South Wales

Airline incidents

Aircraft incidents and accidents

It is often claimed, most notably in the 1988 movie Rain Man
Rain Man

Rain Man is a 1988 in film drama film written by Barry Morrow and Ronald Bass and directed by Barry Levinson. It tells the story of an abrasive, selfish yuppie, Charlie Babbitt, who discovers that his father has left all of his millionaire estate to his brother, Raymond, an Autism Savant syndrome, of whose existence he was unaware....
, 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 two aircraft with the loss of 17 lives. To this date, the last fatal accident suffered by Qantas was in 1951.

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

On 7 April 1949, Avro Lancastrian
Avro Lancastrian

The Avro 691 Lancastrian was a United Kingdom passenger and mail plane aircraft of the 1940s and 1950s developed from the Avro Lancaster bomber ....
VH-EAS swung on landing at Dubbo during a training flight, causing the gear to collapse. The aircraft was destroyed by fire, the crew evacuated safely.
On 24 August 1960, Super Constellation VH-EAC crashed on take-off at Mauritius
Mauritius

Mauritius , officially the Republic of Mauritius, , is an island nation off the coast of the African continent in the southwest Indian Ocean, about 900 kilometres east of Madagascar....
en route to the Cocos Islands. 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 September 23, 1999, Qantas Flight 1
Qantas Flight 1

Qantas Flight 1 is the flight number of the flagship Sydney to London route of Australia's Qantas Airways which goes via Bangkok. On 23 September 1999 a Boeing 747 jumbo jet overran the runway while landing in heavy rain for a stop over in Bangkok, causing the most serious incident in the airline's history of jet operations....
, a Boeing 747-400 VH-OJH, overran the runway while landing at Bangkok
Bangkok

The city of Bangkok is the Capital , largest urban area and primary city of Thailand. Known in Thai language as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon or Krung Thep for short, it was a small trading post at the mouth of the Chao Phraya River during the Ayutthaya Kingdom and came to the forefront of Thailand when it was given the status as the...
, Thailand
Thailand

The Kingdom of Thailand is an independent country that lies in the heart of Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Laos and Myanmar, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the west by the Andaman Sea and Myanmar....
, during a heavy thunderstorm. The aircraft ended up on a golf course, but without fatalities. The Australian Transport Safety Bureau
Australian Transport Safety Bureau

The Australian Transport Safety Bureau is the federal government body responsible for investigating transport-related accidents and incidents within Australia....
criticised numerous inadequacies in Qantas' operational and training processes.

On July 25, 2008, Qantas Flight 30
Qantas Flight 30

Qantas Flight 30 was a Qantas Boeing 747-400, construction number 25067, registered in Australia as VH-OJK. QF30 was a scheduled flight from London Heathrow Airport to Melbourne Airport with a stopover in Hong Kong International Airport on 25 July 2008....
, a Boeing 747-400 VH-OJK, on the leg from Hong Kong
Hong Kong

Hong Kong , officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, is a territory located in Southern China in East Asia, bordering the province of Guangdong to the north and facing the South China Sea to the east, west and south....
to Melbourne
Melbourne

Melbourne is the more common name for the geographic region and Census in Australia of the Greater Melbourne metropolitan area. It is the second List of cities in Australia by population in Australia, with a population of approximately 3.8 million and serves as the List of Australian capital cities of Victoria ....
, suffered a rapid decompression and made an emergency landing in Manila
Ninoy Aquino International Airport

The Ninoy Aquino International Airport or NAIA , is the airport serving the general area of Manila and its surrounding Metro Manila. Located along the border between Pasay City and Para?aque City, about seven kilometers south of Manila proper, and southwest of Makati City, NAIA is the main international gateway for travelers to the P...
as a result of in-flight structural damage. There were no injuries. The ATSB officially stated that the incident was caused by the failure of an oxygen tank.

On 7 October 2008, Qantas Flight 72
Qantas Flight 72

Qantas Flight 72 was a scheduled flight from Singapore Changi Airport to Perth Airport on 7 October 2008 that made an emergency landing at RAAF Learmonth near the town of Exmouth, Western Australia, Western Australia following an aviation accident featuring a pair of sudden uncommanded pitch -down manoeuvres that resulted in serious injuries...
, an Airbus A330-300 VH-QPA "Kununurra" travelling from Singapore
Singapore Changi Airport

Singapore Changi Airport or simply Changi Airport, is a major aviation hub in Asia, particularly in the Southeast Asian region, and is the main airport in Singapore....
to Perth
Perth Airport

Perth Airport is an Australian domestic and international airport located south of Guildford, Western Australia, and is the major commercial airport servicing Western Australia's capital city, Perth, Western Australia....
, suffered a rapid loss of altitude in two sudden uncommanded pitch down manoeuvres causing serious injuries while 80 nautical miles from Learmonth
RAAF Learmonth

RAAF Learmonth, also known as Learmonth Airport , is a joint use Royal Australian Air Force base and airport. It is located near the town of Exmouth, Western Australia on the north-west coast of Western Australia....
, Australia
Australia

Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the southern hemisphere comprising the Australia of the world's smallest continent, the major island of Tasmania, and numerous list of islands of Australia in the Indian Ocean and Pacific Oceans....
. The aircraft safely landed in Learmonth, with 14 people requiring transportation by air ambulance
Air ambulance

An air ambulance is an aircraft used for Medical emergency in situations where either a traditional ambulance cannot easily or quickly reach the scene or the patient needs to be repositioned at a distance where air transportation is most practical....
to Perth
Perth, Western Australia

Perth is the List of Australian capital cities and largest city of the Australian States and territories of Australia of Western Australia. With a population of 1,554,769 , Perth ranks fourth amongst the nation's cities, with a growth rate consistently above the national average....
. 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.

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

Hong Kong

Hong Kong , officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, is a territory located in Southern China in East Asia, bordering the province of Guangdong to the north and facing the South China Sea to the east, west and south....
-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

Sydney

Sydney is the List of cities in Australia by population in Australia, with a metropolitan area population of approximately 4.34 million . It is the List of Australian capital cities of New South Wales, and was the site of the first British Empire colony in Australia....
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 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. Tipped off by a still-unidentified informer, the police arrested an Englishman, Peter Macari, finding more than $138,000 hidden in an Annandale

Annandale, New South Wales

Annandale is a suburb of Inner West Sydney in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Annandale is located 5 kilometres west of the Sydney central business district and is part of the Local Government Areas in Australia of the Municipality of Leichhardt....
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

Scott Hicks

Robert Scott Hicks is an Academy Awards nominated film director from South Australia.Hicks graduated from Flinders University of South Australia in 1975 and was awarded an honorary doctorate in 1997....
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.

Sex discrimination controversy

In November 2005, it was revealed that Qantas has a policy of not seating adult male passengers next to unaccompanied children. This led to accusations that the airline considers all men to be potential paedophiles. The policy came to light following an incident in 2004 when Mark Wolsay, who was seated next to a young boy on a Qantas flight in New Zealand, was asked to change seats with a female passenger. A steward informed him that "it was the airline's policy that only women were allowed to sit next to unaccompanied children".

Cameron Murphy of the NSW Council for Civil Liberties president criticised the policy and stated that "there was no basis for the ban". He said it was wrong to assume that all adult males posed a danger to children . The policy has also been criticised for failing to take female abusers into consideration.

External links

digitised and held by the National Library of Australia
Original Qantas Logbook, held by the State Library Of Queensland