Cultured Views

Qantas: the ‘no-worries-mate’ airline

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I would say there are very few people who are completely 100 percent laid back about air travel; no matter how many miles you have flown you possibly still have that little bit of apprehension when you board an aircraft…am I right?

Ever seen the film Rain Man? remember where Dustin Hoffman’s character, Raymond, stresses out when he realises he has to get on a plane…? he claims that only one airline has never crashed - Qantas - and the plane he was supposed to get on was not a Qantas plane…

He was correct - in a way. During WW2 Qantas flew flights as part of the RAF and there were eight minor incidents which resulted in loss of life. But since then, as a major commercial airline, Qantas have never had a fatal crash - never lost a jet. Only one incident back in 1999 when a jet overran the runway in Bangkok - but still, I think that’s a pretty good track record which is hard to beat.

I have flown plenty of times on various airlines but I have to admit - and this is not just partriotism speaking - there is something about a Qantas plane which gives me a feeling of security. On short haul flights, those lasting up to two/three hours I rarely relax enough to enjoy the flight - I listen for the slightest change or difference in engine sounds and I watch the cabin crew’s faces for any sign of anxiety…am I mad or what?

But when I get on a Qantas plane I instantly feel ’safe’; maybe it’s the familiar accents of the crew or that ‘no worries mate’ attitude in the Captains voice when he speaks to the passengers prior to the flight…or even that brilliant red flying kangaroo on the plane’s tail.

Just recently passengers on a Qantas flight from London to Melbourne suffered a few scary moments when a faulty door caused a problem and a sudden drop in altitude and had to make an emergency landing in Manila. The passengers said that what calmed them was the demeanor of the crew and the expertise of the pilots; I can imagine though the ripe language in the cockpit when the problem occurred…

Despite all this Qantas will always remain the only airline that I could ever feel ‘at home’ on - why? because it’s Australian and that means it wont ever let you down.

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