The Australian Airline Qantas Is Looking For New Business Models
The Australian airline Qantas is looking for new business models in the Corona crisis. From next month, a seven-hour sightseeing flight over Australia will be offered, which will take off and land in Sydney, the company said. As it is company policy, a mouth and nose protection and disinfectant for the hands are provided to fellow travelers. Walking around in the cabin is not permitted.
The aim is to offer travelers a tourist flight over the sights of the fifth continent. With a Boeing 787, which is normally used for international long-haul flights, it goes at low altitude from Sydney along the coast of New South Wales to Brisbane, via Uluru and the Great Barrier Reef back via Sydney Harbor.
The "flights to nowhere" are intended to boost demand in the Asia-Pacific region, because the airlines are among the big losers of the corona crisis: According to the Association of Asia Pacific Airlines, entry restrictions, quarantine measures and changing risk areas all come together International travel in the region slumped 97.5 percent.
8500 jobs are to be cut
Qantas CEO Alan Joyce hopes frequent flyers will take advantage of the offer. He believes that many people who have often been on the plane missed flying as much as the goals that can no longer be achieved. Other airlines are following the Qantas example: Taiwanese EVA Airways and Japan's ANA also offer comparable regional sightseeing flights in order to secure employment and keep their pilots' licenses up to date.
In the summer months, Qantas announced that it would cut many jobs. A total of 8,500 jobs are to be cut. More than half of the remaining 23,000 employees were given leave for months. This should save nine billion euros over a period of three years.