Qantas CEO walks the walk with flight attendants

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Qantas CEO walks the walk with flight attendants

By Kay O'Sullivan
Groomed for service ... Qantas staff keep up appearances.

Groomed for service ... Qantas staff keep up appearances.

Qantas is aiming high with its new $10 million Centre of Service Excellence.

The airline's executive general manager, John Borghetti, says the centre, opened last week, will establish Qantas as the market leader in customer service in Australia.

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"It's not just about being the airline with the best customer service," he says. "We want Qantas to be recognised as the company with the best customer service in the country."

Borghetti, who came up with the idea, was also the first of the Qantas executive team to undergo training at the centre last week.

"It was my idea, so I have to do it, but all executives will go through the centre," he says.

Borghetti expects that more than 18,000 employees will undergo training specific to their jobs this year.

The new 5000-square-metre facility at Alexandria has mock-ups of the airline's four flight classes, its lounges, as well as image and presentation rooms and a wine and food training wing.

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Accustomed to fear

The US Travel Association, an organisation that represents all sectors of the $100 billion travel industry, is calling on the Obama administration to make entry into the US easier.

The association's president and chief executive, Roger Dow, says a fresh approach, one that is more welcoming and explains the intricacies of the visa and entry system, is needed to encourage more foreign tourists to holiday in the US.

"Surveys of foreign travellers reveal that they are more concerned about how they will be treated at customs than the threat of crime or terrorism when considering a trip to the United States," he says.

The association estimates a 1 per cent increase in the US's market share of international travel would boost its economy by $22 billion.

Deals in your inbox

Internet magazine Travelzoo says it is value that gets leisure travellers moving these days.

The US company, which researches and sends out a weekly package of what it regards as the best travel deals in the market, says today's travellers are motivated by value for money rather than low prices.

A survey of the company's 100,000 Australian subscribers shows that 67 per cent would book a holiday if they saw a great deal, even if they had no plans to travel.

Interestingly, the respondents also say they are more likely to travel more this year than they did last year. And this applies to domestic and international leisure.

The company, which has more than 14 million subscribers in the US, Canada, China, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Japan, Spain, Taiwan and Britain, set up shop here a year ago.

Subscription is free and the deals, which are tested for authenticity, are emailed each Wednesday. See travelzoo.com.au.

Targeting the future

British Airways is aiming to halve its carbon emissions by 2050.

The target means that BA will reduce its annual net carbon output from 16 million tonnes in 2005 to 8 million annually by mid-century.

"We will make progress through investment in cleaner aircraft, use of alternative fuels and more efficient flight routings," says the airline's chief executive, Willie Walsh.

BA is also about to introduce in-flight mobile phone technology.

In the southern autumn, passengers will be able to use broadband and send and receive texts and emails on board. The airline is holding off on voice calls to see how passengers react to the change.

The new technology will be introduced progressively, with the business-class-only London City Airport to New York JFK route the first to acquire it.

Mobile check-in

Cathay Pacific has introduced mobile check-in, allowing passengers with a web-enabled mobile phone or other hand-held device to select their preferred seat and check in for their flight at any time and from any location.

The Hong Kong airline is in the process of rolling out self-service check-in kiosks worldwide and it is anticipated that Australian airports will have their kiosks later this year.

meanwhile, Australian passengers can still use the web check-in and show the boarding code sent to their mobile at internet counters at Australian airports. See m.cathaypacific.com.

Send news items to smarttraveller@fairfax.com.au.

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