Qantas has promised stressed passengers they will soon be able to keep track of their bags while flying with the national carrier.
Baggage tracking is a highlight of Qantas’s update to its long-term strategy for the next seven years, released on Tuesday.
The airline also promised an overhauled version of its smartphone app towards the end of 2023, which will give passengers more control over their bookings.
The new app will also better integrate the Qantas loyalty points program, the airline said during an investor briefing on Tuesday.
It will also better communicate during disruptions, and offer enhancements, including fast check-in.
Qantas also plans to overhaul its boarding process to better recognise travellers with higher tiers in its frequent flyer program, and expand the range of redemption options for that program.
The airline’s bag tracking plans reportedly hinge on improvements to its RFID-enabled Q Bag Tags, introduced in 2010.
Rival Virgin Australia is also reportedly trialling bag tracking on Sydney and Brisbane flights, through its app. It plans to add other capital cities within months, with regional centres to follow.
Moves to help customers keep track of their bags while they fly follow widespread horror stories from the reopening after the pandemic. Many passengers, of domestic and international airlines, reported their bags going astray.
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All on the Dreamliners
Qantas said it would offer “points burn” opportunities with major retailers for its frequent fliers, as well as diversification into financial services.
Qantas also said it would add up to 8500 new operational roles in Australia by 2033 to support new aircraft and additional flying.
The airline said it viewed its Dreamliner Boeing 787-9s as a “transformative aircraft for long-haul operations”, making previously unprofitable routes profitable.
Qantas took delivery of its 12th Dreamliner, the Billabong, earlier in May. Two more will arrive in coming weeks, after supply-chain issues delayed their delivery for two years during the pandemic.
The company said the Dreamliners were providing improved earnings on three long-haul routes it launched last year – Perth-Rome, Melbourne-Dallas and Sydney-Johannesburg – as well as the Auckland-New York route it will begin flying in June.
The investor briefing said this was a repeatable strategy that could be used to open other opportunities, such as flying to Paris, Chicago and Seattle.
“This is a structurally different business than it was before COVID, operating in markets that have also changed,” CEO Alan Joyce said.
“We’re very well placed to take advantage of the opportunities that creates, and the detail we’ve released today shows our strategy to do it.”
-with AAP
