Airports all over Canada are the scourge of airline passengers, airline and security staffs — hell, anyone who unfortunately has to go to or leave from an airport..But, it’s all the fault of the passengers, said Canada’s transport minister, Omar Alghabra, back in May..Travellers, who were mostly grounded during the pandemic, need to adjust, said Alghabra, adding pro athletes who get rusty between seasons start every new season in training camp..Opening passports, answering questions, removing bags filled with liquids and passing through security scanners are skills that require regular honing said Alghabra..“Taking out the laptops, taking out the fluids, all that adds 10 seconds here, 15 seconds there,” he said when asked about the massive traffic jams taking place at Canadian airports..Travel volume, he said, remains below pre-pandemic levels while the security workforce is at 90%, so the long delays and lengthy waits couldn’t be staffing issues, as airport authorities have claimed..“They need to adjust for that,” said Alghabra “It wasn’t as pronounced as it is right now, the peaks and valleys.”.Damn those passengers..It’s a world-wide phenomenon and down under, one major international airline apparently has found a solution..Qantas Airlines has announced it will phase out passengers to improve service, according to online satirical site The Shovel..Quantas CEO Alan Joyce says the new strategy will slash wait times and eliminate lost luggage completely..Qantas’ plan for the zero-passenger flights initiative is to have it completed by 2025..“It’s like the move to eliminate smoking on aircraft in the 1980s. The plan was the result of a top-to-bottom review of Qantas’s service,” says Joyce. “We’re always looking for ways to remove inefficiencies from the system so we can offer a more streamlined, frictionless service.”.“When we looked closely at what was slowing us down, again and again it came back to one thing — passengers.”.Joyce says much of the new initiative came from customer feedback..“Our customers told us they get frustrated when their baggage ends up in a different city,” he says. “They told us it’s unfeasible to wait on hold for eight or more hours to speak to our call centre.”.“By removing passengers from the equation, we’re confident these issues will become a thing of the past.”.“We’ve listened, we’ve heard, we’re acting”..Quantas’ shareholders were told the plan would eventually lead to greater cost efficiencies, with less reliance on pilots, flight attendants, baggage carriers, caterers, engineers and airport staff..He denies the airline doesn’t have Australians’ interests in mind..“Change can be scary, but this is about modernizing our service for the future,” says Joyce. “We removed smoking from aircraft in the 1980s and no one thinks twice about that now. This is no different”..Qantas will receive $1.5 billion in Australian federal government funding to assist with the transition..Prior to reaching full passenger-free status, Joyce says Quantas will move to an innovative feature allowing customers to provide their own baggage handler on flights when they want their luggage to arrive at their final destination..“The feature isn’t compulsory and passengers would still be able to choose to have their luggage lost on route if they wanted to,” says Joyce. “It’s about choice. We’re hearing from more and more customers that they want their baggage to come with them on their holidays, so we’re giving them the option for that for just a $39.95 additional fee.”.It’s about adapting to customers’ needs, says Joyce..“We’ve reduced meal sizes to accommodate people who don’t like eating, we’ve allowed people to bring their own entertainment devices instead of providing them ourselves. This is no different.”.If successful, Qantas will consider extending the program to include BYO flight attendants and pilots.
