Shopping on line can be easy, simple and save you lots of money. It can also take a lot of your time, frustrate you, and result in unwanted purchases. Now the same can be said for regular high street shopping, but with the vast opportunity presented by the Internet it will pay you to spend a few minutes reading this and understanding how to better optimize your Qantas shopping experience:

1. Compare - without doubt the biggest advantage that the Qantas offers shoppers today is the ability to compare thousands of Qantas at a time. This is a great thing, but not necessarily all the time! Too much can be daunting at times so take advantage of the great comparison sites and where possible let them do the hard work for you.

2. Research - if it has been said it will be on the internet. Ignorance is no longer a justifiable reason for buying the wrong thing. Take the time to research in detail everything that you could possible want to know about

3. Testimonials - don't know anybody that has bought a Qantas? Wrong! If the Qantas is good the internet will let you know. Use the Internet as a friend and get testimonials before you buy.

4. Questions - Got a question about Qantas then search the Forums, FAQ's, Blogs etc. Don't be afraid to ask .....

5. Reputation - Never heard of the company selling Qantas? Don't worry, no reason why you should know every company in the world, but you know someone that does! Use the internet to find out what people are saying about Qantas and build up a picture of their reputation for sales, returns, customer service, delivery etc.

6. Returns - still worried that even after all of the above your Qantas wont be what you want? Check out the returns policy. There is so much competition now that someone, somewhere is bound to offer the terms that you are comfortable with.

7. Feedback - happy with your Qantas then let people know, after all you are depending on others people input in your buying decision, so why not give a little back.

8. Security - check for the yellow padlock on the Qantas site before you buy, and the s after http:/ /i.e. https:// = a secure site

9. Contact - got a question about Qantas, or want to leave a comment then check out the sites contact page. Reputable companies have them and respond.

10. Payment - ready to pay for your Qantas, then use your credit card or PayPal! Be aware of companies that don't accept them, there may be genuine reasons but given the huge amount of choice you have when buying online there is no reason at all not to buy via credit card or PayPal.

{{Infobox Airline| airline = Qantas| logo = 2007 Qantas Logo.svg| logo_size = 150px| fleet_size = 213 Qantas Fact file (+148 orders)| destinations = 143| IATA = QF| ICAO = QFA| callsign = QANTAS| parent =| company_slogan = Spirit of Australia| founded = 1920, [Australia ([CEO)
Margaret Jackson (Chairman) until November 2007
Leigh Clifford, Chairman from November 2007]
Melbourne Airport| focus_cities = Brisbane Airport
Los Angeles International Airport
London Heathrow Airport
Perth Airport
Singapore Changi Airport| lounge = [#Qantas Club| alliance = oneworld
[Jetstar
Jetconnect
Qantas Defence Services of the [national airline of Australia. Qantas is the world's third oldest continuously running airlinehttp://www.qantas.com.au/infodetail/about/FactFiles.pdf (after KLM and Avianca) and is the 20th largest in fleet sizeWorld%27s_largest_airlines#By_fleet_size_in_2007 with 213 aircraft. Qantas is ranked the 13th largest airline in the world by passenger numbers, carrying 24.9 million passengers in 2007.List of largest airlines in Oceania Including 28 of these aircraft in the Jetstar Airways and 49 aircraft under the various QantasLink brands. In 2007, Qantas voted the fifth best airline in the world by research consultancy Skytrax.Skytrax, 'The World Airline Awards', at http://www.worldairlineawards.com/Awards_2007/AirlineYear-2007.htm, accessed 21 October 2007. Its subsidary, Jetstar, was named the best low-cost carrier in the world. Skytrax, 'The World Airline Awards', at http://www.worldairlineawards.com/Awards_2007/Lowcost.htm, accessed 21 October 2007.

The name was originally "QANTAS", an acronym for "Queensland and Northern Territory Aerial Services". The company is based in Sydney, New South Wales and it is Australia's largest airline. It is traded on the Australian Securities Exchange as .

History Beginnings K replica

Qantas was founded in Winton, Queensland on 16 November 1920 as Queensland and Northern Territory Aerial Services Limited{{cite web | title =Small Beginnings | work =Our Company | publisher =Qantas | date = | url =http://www.qantas.com.au/info/about/history/details2 | accessdate = 2006-12-16 --> by Paul McGuiness, [Hudson Fysh, [Fergus McMaster and Arthur Baird. The airline's first aircraft was an [Avro 504K purchased for £1425. The aircraft had a cruising speed of 105 kilometres per hour (65 mph) and carried one pilot and two passengers.{{cite web | title =The Plane, the Place and the Passenger | work =Our Company | publisher =Qantas | date = | url =http://www.qantas.com.au/info/about/history/details4 | accessdate = 2006-12-17 --> Eighty-four year old outback pioneer Alexander Kennedy was the first passenger, receiving ticket number one. The airline operated air mail services subsidised by the Australian government, linking railheads in western Queensland.

Between 1926 and 1928, Qantas built seven De Havilland DH.50s and a single DH9 under licence in its Longreach, Queensland hangar.{{cite web | title =The Formative Years | work =Our Company | publisher =Qantas | date = | url =http://www.qantas.com.au/info/about/history/details5 | accessdate = 2006-12-17 --> In 1928 a chartered Qantas aircraft conducted the inaugural flight of the [Royal Flying Doctor Service of Australia, departing from [Cloncurry, Queensland.{{cite web | title =The Flying Doctor Service | work =Our Company | publisher =Qantas | date = | url =http://www.qantas.com.au/info/about/history/details6 | accessdate = 2006-12-17 -->

Flying boats and war — 1934 to 1945 In 1934, QANTAS Limited and Britain's Imperial Airways (the forerunner of British Airways) formed a new company, Qantas Empire Airways Limited. Each partner held 49%, with two per cent in the hands of an independent arbitrator.{{cite web | title =The Move to Brisbane | work =Our Company | publisher =Qantas | date = | url =http://www.qantas.com.au/info/about/history/details7 | accessdate = 2006-12-16 --> The new airline commenced operations in December 1934 flying between [Brisbane and Darwin using old fashioned DH50 and DH61 biplanes. QEA went international from May 1935, when the service from Darwin, Australia was extended to Singapore using newer de Havilland DH-86 Commonwealth Airliners. Imperial Airways operated the rest of the service through to London. In July 1938, this operation was replaced by a thrice weekly flying boat service using Short Empire. The Sydney to Southampton service took nine days, with passengers staying in hotels overnight.{{cite web | title =Venturing Overseas | work =Our Company | publisher =Qantas | date = | url =http://www.qantas.com.au/info/about/history/details8 | accessdate = 2006-12-16 --> For the single year of peace that the service operated, it was profitable and 94% of services were on time. This service lasted through until Singapore fell in February 1942. Enemy action and accidents destroyed half of the fleet of ten, when most of the fleet was taken over by the Australian government for war service.{{cite web | title =The World at War | work =Our Company | publisher =Qantas | date = | url =http://www.qantas.com.au/info/about/history/details10 | accessdate = 2006-12-16 -->

Flying boat services were resumed with American built PBY Catalinas in July 1943, with flights between Perth, Western Australia and Ceylon (now Sri Lanka). This linked up with the BOAC service to London, maintaining the vital communications link with England. The 5,652km non-stop sector was the longest flown up to that time by any airline, with an average flying time of 28 hours. Passengers received a certificate of membership to the "Order of the Double Sunrise" as the sun rose twice during the flight. These flights continued until July 1945.{{cite web | title =The Rise of Civil Aviation to 1970 | work =National Stories | publisher =Australian Heritage Commission | date = | url =http://www.ahc.gov.au/publications/national-stories/transport/chapter8.html | accessdate = 2007-01-07 -->

The post-war years — 1945 to 1959 After World War II, QEA was nationalised, with the Australian Labor government led by Prime Minister Ben Chifley buying the shares of both Qantas Limited and BOAC. Nationalised airlines were normal at the time, and the Qantas board encouraged this move.



Shortly after nationalisation, QEA began their first services outside the British Empire — to Tokyo via Darwin and Manila with Avro Avro Lancastrian aircraft.{{cite web | title =Post War Expansion | work =Our Company | publisher =Qantas | date = | url =http://www.qantas.com.au/info/about/history/details12 | accessdate = 2006-12-16 --> These aircraft were also deployed between Sydney and London in cooperation with BOAC, but were soon replaced by [Douglas DC-4s. Services to [Hong Kong began around the same time.

In 1948, the airline took delivery of Lockheed Corporation Lockheed Constellations. In 1952, Qantas expanded across the Indian Ocean to Johannesburg via Perth, Western Australia, Cocos Islands and Mauritius, calling this the Wallaby Route. Around this time, the British Government placed great pressure on Qantas to purchase the De Havilland Comet jet aircraft airliner, but Hudson Fysh was dubious about the economics of the aircraft and successfully resisted this. The network was expanded across the Pacific to Vancouver via Auckland, Nadi, Honolulu and San Francisco in early 1954 when it took over the operations of British Commonwealth Pacific Airlines (BCPA). This became known as the Southern Cross Route.

In 1956, Qantas became the first non US airline to order the Boeing 707 jet airliner. Contrary to popular belief, the special shortened version for Qantas was the original version Boeing offered to airlines. Boeing lengthened the aircraft by ten feet for all other customers, which destroyed the economics for Qantas. The airline successfully negotiated with Boeing to have the aircraft they had originally contracted for.{{cite web | title =Qantas and the 707 | work =VH-JET#1 & Her Sisters | publisher =Ron Cuskelly | author =Dr Ron Yates | url =http://www.adastron.com/707/qantas/707-development.htm | accessdate = 2007-05-14 -->

In 1958, Qantas became one of the very few round-the-world airlines, operating services from Australia to London via Asia and the Middle East (Kangaroo route) and via the Southern Cross route with Super Constellations.{{cite web | title =Constellations Span the World | work =Our Company | publisher =Qantas | date = | url =http://www.qantas.com.au/info/about/history/details13 | accessdate = 2006-12-16 --> It took delivery of new [turboprop [Lockheed Electra aircraft in 1959.

The jet age — 1959 to 1992 -138B "V-jet" owned by John Travolta, repainted in 1960s livery

The first jet aircraft on the Australian register (and the 29th 707 built) was registered VH-EBA and named City of Canberra. This aircraft returned to Australia as VH-XBA {{cite web | title =WHY VH-XBA? | publisher =QANTAS FOUNDATION MEMORIAL LTD | date =08 October [ | url =http://www.707.adastron.com/qantas/why-xba.htm | accessdate = 2007-06-13-->in December 2006 for display in the [Qantas Founders Outback Museum at [Longreach, Queensland, [Queensland.{{cite web | title =Historic First Qantas Jet to Return to Australia | publisher =Qantas | date =09 October [ | url =http://www.qantas.com.au/regions/dyn/au/publicaffairs/details?ArticleID=2006/oct06/3489 | accessdate = 2006-12-20--> The Boeing 707-138 was a shorter version of the Boeing 707 that was operated only by Qantas. The first jet service operated by Qantas was on 29 July 1959 from Sydney to San Francisco via Nadi and Honolulu. On 5 September [, Qantas became the third airline to fly jets across the Atlantic — after [BOAC and [Pan Am, operating between London and New York as part of the service from Sydney.{{cite web | title =707 Chronology | publisher =VH-Jet#1 & her sisters | url =http://www.adastron.com/707/history/707-chron.htm | accessdate = 2006-12-20--> All of the [turbojet aircraft were converted to upgraded [turbofan engines in 1961 and were rebranded as ''V jets'' from the Latin ''vannus'' meaning fan.{{cite web | title =Why V-Jet? | publisher =VH-Jet#1 & her sisters | url =http://www.707.adastron.com/qantas/why-vjet.htm | accessdate = 2006-12-17-->Actor [John Travolta personally owns and pilots an ex-Qantas Boeing 707-138B painted in the Qantas livery of the 1960s (see {{cite web | title =John Travolta Friendship Tour | publisher = Air Force One 707 Simulator | url =http://www.707sim.com/jt2.html | accessdate = 2006-12-17 -->

Air travel grew substantially in the early 1960s, leading Qantas to order the larger Boeing 707-338C series of aircraft. In 1966, the airline diversified its business by opening the 450 room Wentworth Hotel in Sydney. The same year, Qantas placed early options on the new Concorde airliner. At the time supersonic flight was thought of as the way of the future, but along with most airlines in the world the orders were eventually cancelled. Also in 1966, another around-the-world route was opened, the Fiesta route. Sydney to London via Tahiti, Mexico City, and Bermuda.

In 1967, the airline placed orders for the new Boeing 747. The aircraft could seat up to 350 passengers, a major improvement over the Boeing 707-138's. Orders were placed for four aircraft with deliveries commencing in 1971. The later delivery date allowed Qantas to take advantage of the -200B version, which better suited its requirements. Also in 1967, Qantas Empire Airways changed its name to just Qantas Airways, the name of the airline today.{{cite web | title =The Jumbo Jet | work =Our Company | publisher =Qantas | date = | url =http://www.qantas.com.au/info/about/history/details15 | accessdate = 2006-12-16 -->

When Cyclone Tracy devastated the town of Darwin, Australia at Christmas 1974, Qantas established a world record for the most people ever embarked on a single aircraft when they evacuated 673 people on a single Boeing 747 flight. They also established a record embarking 327 people on Boeing 707 VH-EAH.{{cite web | first=Ron | last=Cuskelly | title =VH-EAH | work = | publisher =VH-Jet#1 & her sisters | date = | url =http://www.707.adastron.com/qantas/VH-EAH.htm | accessdate = 2006-12-16 --> Later in the decade, Qantas placed options on two [McDonnell Douglas [DC-10 aircraft for flights to [Wellington, [New Zealand. These were not taken up, and two [Boeing 747SP were ordered instead. In March 1979, Qantas operated its final Boeing 707 flight from [Auckland to [Sydney, and became the only airline in the world to have a fleet that consisted of Boeing 747s only. That same year Qantas introduced [Business class — the first airline in the world to do so.

The Boeing 767-200 was introduced in 1985,{{cite web | title =Boeing Aircraft Take Qantas Further | work =Our Company | publisher =Qantas | date = | url =http://www.qantas.com.au/info/about/history/details16 | accessdate = 2006-12-16--> for New Zealand, Asia and Pacific routes. The same year, the Boeing 747-300 was introduced, featuring a stretched upper deck. The [Boeing 747 fleet was upgraded from 1989 with the arrival of the new Boeing 747-400 series. The delivery flight of the first aircraft was a world record, flying the 18,001km from London to Sydney non-stop.

In 1990, Qantas established Australia Asia Airlines to operate services to Taiwan. Several Boeing 747SP and Boeing 767 aircraft were transferred from Qantas service. The airline ceased operations in 1996.{{cite web | title =Expanding Overseas...and at Home | work =Our Company | publisher =Qantas | date = | url =http://www.qantas.com.au/info/about/history/details17 | accessdate = 2006-12-16 -->

Privatisation — 1992 to the present -400 VH-TJE in Qantas livery. This was the first 737-400 delivered into Australia.

The Government of Australia sold the domestic carrier Trans Australia Airlines to Qantas in August 1992, giving it access to the national domestic market for the first time in its history. The purchase saw the introduction of the Boeing 737 and Airbus A300 to the fleet — though the A300s were soon retired. Qantas was privatised in March 1993, with British Airways taking a 25% stake in the airline for Australian dollar.The Hon R. Willis, Answer to a Question without Notice, House of Representatives Debates, 13 May 1993, p.775. After a number of delays, the remainder of the Qantas float proceeded in 1995. The public share offer took place in June and July of that year, with the government receiving Australian dollar in proceeds. The remaining shares were disposed of in 1995-96 and 1996-97.Commonwealth of Australia Budget Statements 1996-97, Budget Paper no. 3, p. 3-191. Investors outside Australia took a strong interest in the float, securing 20% of the stock which, together with British Airways 25% holding, meant that, once floated on the stock exchange, Qantas was 55% Australian owned and 45% foreign owned.Ian Thomas, '"Luck" played a key part in float success', Australian Financial Review, 31 July 1995. By law, Qantas must be at least 51% Australian-owned, and the level of foreign ownership is constantly monitored.

In 1998, Qantas co-founded the oneworld alliance with American Airlines, British Airways, Canadian Airlines, and Cathay Pacific. The alliance commenced operation in February 1999 {{cite web | title =oneworld: The alliance to serve the world takes off on February 1 | publisher =oneworld | date =25 January [ | url =http://www.oneworld.com/ow/news/details?objectID=1273 | accessdate = 2007-05-15-->, with [Iberia Airlines and [Finnair joining later that year. Oneworld markets itself at the premium travel market, offering passengers a larger network than the airlines could on their own. The airlines also work together to provide operational synergies to keep costs down.

The main domestic competitor to Qantas, Ansett Australia, collapsed on 14 September 2001. {{cite web | title =Ansett Airlines Shut Down; NZ Prime Minister Blockaded in Melbourne; Howard Returns to Parochial Political Realities | publisher =australianpolitics.com | date =14 September [ | url =http://www.australianpolitics.com/news/2001/01-09-14.shtml | accessdate = 2007-05-15--> Market share for Qantas immediately neared 90%, with the relatively new budget airline [Virgin Blue holding the remainder. In order to capitalise on this event, Qantas ordered [Boeing 737-800 aircraft — obtaining them a mere three months later. {{cite web | title =Boeing Welcomes Qantas Decision on 737-800 Purchase | publisher =Boeing | date =29 October [ | url =http://www.boeing.com/news/releases/2001/q4/nr_011029a.html | accessdate = 2007-05-15--> This unusually short time between order and delivery was possible due to the terrorist attacks in the United States on 11 September — the subsequent downturn in the US aviation market meant American Airlines no longer needed the aircraft they ordered. The delivery positions were reassigned to Qantas on condition the aircraft remained in American Airlines configuration for later possible lease purposes.{{cite web | title =Qantas Orders 15 Boeing 737-800s | publisher =Airline Industry Information | date =29 October [ | url =http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0CWU/is_2001_Oct_29/ai_79521571 | accessdate = 2007-05-15-->

descending near London Heathrow Airport

At the same time, Virgin Blue announced a major expansion in October 2001,{{cite press release | title =Virgin Blue Announces Major Expansion Plans Australia's Second Airline Keeps More Of The Air Fare | publisher =[Virgin Blue | date =30 October [ | url =http://www.virginblue.com.au/about_us/news/index.php?co=vb&artdate=102001 | accessdate = 2006-12-16--> which was successful in eventually pushing the Qantas domestic [market share back to 60%. To prevent any further loss of market share, Qantas responded by creating a new cut-price subsidiary airline [Jetstar Airways. This has been successful in keeping the status quo at around 65% for Qantas group and 30% for Virgin Blue with other regional airlines accounting for the rest of the market.

On 13 December 2004, the first flight of Jetstar Asia Airways took off from its Singapore hub to Hong Kong, marking Qantas' entry into the Asian cut-price market. Qantas owns 44.5% of the carrier.

Qantas has also expanded into the New Zealand domestic air travel market, firstly with a shareholding in Air New Zealand and then with a franchise takeover of Ansett New Zealand. In 2003, Qantas attempted and failed to obtain regulatory approval to purchase a larger (but still minority) stake in Air New Zealand. Subsequently Qantas stepped up competition on the trans-Tasman routes, recently introducing Jetstar to New Zealand. British Airways sold its 18.5% stake in Qantas in September 2004 for £425 million, though keeping its close ties with Qantas intact.{{cite web | title =British Airways Sells Qantas Stake | publisher =ASIA Travel Tips.com | date =08 September [ | url =http://www.asiatraveltips.com/travelnews04/89-Qantas.shtml | accessdate = 2007-05-15-->

Qantas had also developed a full-service all economy international carrier focused on the holiday and leisure market, which had taken on the formerly used Australian Airlines name. This airline ceased operating its own liveried aircraft in July 2006, with the staff operating Qantas services before being closed entirely in September 2007, with the staff joining the new Qantas base in Cairns.{{cite web | title =Qantas to Open New Base in Cairns | publisher =Qantas | date =03 May [ | url =http://www.qantas.com.au/regions/dyn/au/publicaffairs/details?ArticleID=2007/may07/Q3752 | accessdate = 2007-05-15-->

Airline Partners Australia takeover bid takes off, with undercarriage retractingIn December 2006 following detailed negotiations, the Qantas Board had received a revised proposal from Airline Partners Australia to acquire 100 percent of the Company for $5.60 ($5.45 after special distribution) cash per share. Subsequently the Qantas Board recommended the revised Offer From Airline Partners Australia, a consortium comprising Allco Equity partners, Texas Pacific, Macquarie Bank, Onex and Allco Finance.

Margaret Jackson (Chairman) said the revised proposal provided an attractive premium for Qantas shareholders, being:

The proposal will be implemented by way of an off-market takeover bid, which will be subject to certain conditions including a 90 percent minimum acceptance condition.

The revised proposal followed negotiations with APA since the Board's rejection of its initial proposal. These negotiations resulted in the removal of unacceptable conditions and a substantial break fee as well as an increase in the price from $5.50 to $5.60 per share.

Under the terms of the offer, the interim dividend that would otherwise be payable in April 2007 will not be available. However, the Board decided that a fully franked special dividend could be paid during the bid period, in which case the offer consideration would be reduced by the dividend amount.

The take over proposal involves:

Mr Geoff Dixon would continue as Chief Executive Officer and Mr Peter Gregg would remain Chief Financial Officer under the new ownership structure.

As of the start of April 2007 only 30% of shares had been secured by APA, so on 12 April 2007 the consortium lowered the minimum acceptance level to 70 percent. On Friday evening 4 May 2007, APA announced that it appeared its offer had failed to reach the 50 per cent level required for the $11.1 billion private equity buyout to proceed. The consortium had only secured 46 per cent of the national carrier by the 7.00pm deadline for the takeover offer that day. APA was counting on a last-minute rush of acceptances from hedge funds to get the deal over the line. On Saturday 5 May 2007 the APA said a late acceptance from a large investor (Samuel Heyman)http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,20867,21683488-601,00.html received after the 7:00pm deadline the previous evening meant it intended to press ahead with the bid. However, after the late acceptance was denied by the takeover board, APA decided to accept that the bid had failed, rather than pursue a protracted and uncertain legal battle in an attempt to keep it alive. http://www.theage.com.au/news/business/apa-gives-up-on-qantas/2007/05/08/1178390265428.html

Present day Its main international hubs are Sydney Kingsford Smith International Airport and Melbourne Tullamarine Airport. However, Qantas operates a significant number of international flights into and out of Brisbane Airport, Perth Airport, Singapore Changi Airport, Los Angeles International Airport and London Heathrow Airport. Its domestic hubs are Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Perth airports, but the company also has a strong presence in, Adelaide, Cairns and Canberra airports. It serves a range of Qantas destinations.

Qantas wholly owns Jetstar Airways, JetConnect (which operates New Zealand domestic and some Transtasman services) and QantasLink (including, Airlink, Sunstate Airlines and Eastern Australia Airlines).{{cite web | title =QantasLink | work =Our Company | publisher =Qantas | url =http://www.qantas.com.au/info/about/history/details2 | accessdate = 2006-12-22 --> Qantas did have a minor 4.2% stake in [Air New Zealand, however this was sold on 26 Jun 2007 for $NZ119 million. Qantas owns 49% of the [Fiji-based international carrier [Air Pacific. It owns 50% of both [Australian Air Express and [Star Track Express (a trucking company){{cite press release | title = Qantas and Australia Post buy Star Track Express | publisher = [Australia Post | date = | url = http://www.auspost.com.au/BCP/0,1080,CH3594%257EMO19,00.html | accessdate = 2006-12-22--> , with the other 50% of both companies owned by Australia Post. Since its privatisation in 1993, Qantas has been one of the most profitable airlines in the world. Qantas lifts profit, to raise A$800M,CNN.com/business, 21 August 2002 (accessed 18 January,2007) It was recently voted 5th best airline in the world in the 2007 World Airline Awards (with surveys conducted by Skytrax) having fallen from 2nd in 2005-6 (Singapore Airlines was ranked number 1){{cite web | title =Airline of the Year 2007 — results | work = | publisher = World Airline Awards | date = [2007-07-27 | url =http://www.worldairlineawards.com/Awards_2007/AirlineYear-2007.htm | accessdate = 2007-08-26 -->

Qantas has stepped up the expansion of Jetstar, with the launch of international services (in addition to existing trans-Tasman Sea and Jetstar Asia flights) to leisure destinations such as Bali, Ho Chi Minh City, Osaka and Honolulu from November 2006. On some routes such as Sydney-Honolulu, Jetstar will supplement existing Qantas operations but many routes are new to the network. The lower cost base of Jetstar allows the previously unprofitable or marginal routes to be operated at greater profitability.

In recent years it has announced substantial new aircraft orders. Qantas ordered twenty Airbus A380, with options for twelve more. It will be the second airline (after launch customer Singapore Airlines) to receive an A380 and is now expected to receive four aircraft by the end of 2008 and seven by mid-2009, after Airbus reported further delays in the delivery. Qantas exercised 8 options on A380s, increasing firm orders to 20 on 29 October 2006. All aircraft are due to be delivered between 2008 to 2015. An additional four A330-200 aircraft (VH-EBE to EBH) were ordered to address capacity concerns due to the A380's service entry delay.{{cite press release | title =Qantas Statement on A380 Delay | publisher =Qantas | date =28 November [ | url =http://www.qantas.com.au/regions/dyn/au/publicaffairs/details?ArticleID=2006/oct06/3487 | accessdate = 2006-12-17-->{{cite press release | title =Qantas Orders Additional A380 Aircraft | publisher =Qantas | date =29 October [ | url =http://www.qantas.com.au/regions/dyn/au/publicaffairs/details?ArticleID=2006/oct06/3498 | accessdate = 2006-12-16-->

On 14 December 2005 Qantas announced an order for 115 Boeing Commercial Airplanes Boeing 787 and Boeing 787 aircraft (45 firm orders, 20 options and 50 purchase rights).{{cite press release | title =Qantas Chooses Boeing 787 Dreamliner | publisher =[Boeing | date =13 December [ | url =http://www.boeing.com/news/releases/2005/q4/051213h_nr.html | accessdate = 2006-12-16--> The aircraft will allow Qantas to replace their [Boeing 767 fleet, increase capacity and establish new routes. Jetstar will also operate 15 of the new aircraft on international routes.{{cite press release | title =Qantas Board Chooses Boeing | publisher =Qantas | date =14 December [ | url =http://www.qantas.com.au/regions/dyn/au/publicaffairs/details?ArticleID=2005/dec05/3369 | accessdate = 2006-12-16--> This announcement came after a long battle between Boeing and Airbus to meet the airline's needs for fleet renewal and future routes. The first of the 787s are scheduled to be delivered to Jetstar in August 2008, with the 787-9s coming in 2011.

Although Qantas did not choose the Boeing 777, it is rumoured that Qantas is still looking into buying aircraft capable of flying London-Sydney non-stop.

In 2006, Chief Information Officer, Fiona Balfour left the company to join telstra after 14 years with Qantashttp://www.australianit.news.com.au/articles/0,7204,21183574%5E15306%5E%5Enbv%5E,00.html.

Former IBM executive Jamila Gordonwill take up the CIO position from September 17 2007http://www.australianit.news.com.au/story/0,24897,22287384-24169,00.html.

Qantas has offered a special promotion to United Stateshttp://www.qantas.com.au/regions/dyn/us/specials/webDeals217 and Canadahttp://www.qantas.com.au/regions/dyn/us/specials/webDeals249 tourists for several years called the "Aussie AirPass". It permits tourists to fly into Australia and receive up to three flight segments to Australian locales for a flat fee.

In Flight Internet connectivity Boeing's cancellation of the Connexion by Boeing system, which was the only broadly-deployed inflight broadband system for passengers, caused concerns that inflight internet would not be available on next-generation aircraft such as Qantas' fleet of Airbus A380s and Boeing Dreamliner 787s. However, Qantas announced in July 2007 that all classes of service in its fleet of A380s will have wireless internet access as well as seat-back access to email and web browsing when they start flying in August 2008. Certain elements will be retrofitted into existing Boeing 747-400s, too. It has not yet disclosed who the service provider is.

Promotional activities Qantas used a small promotional animation on its website to officially announce it will offer in-flight internet services on its fleet of A380s.{{cite news | title = Qantas to finally offer inflight broadband | first=Dan | last= Warne | publisher = [ninemsn | date = [2006-07-15 | url = http://www.apcstart.com/site/dwarne/2006/07/722/qantas-to-finally-offer-inflight-internet | accessdate = 2006-12-16 --> Qantas also announced that it would trial in-flight use of mobile phones on one of its Boeing 767 aircraft. This will allow customers to send emails and text messages on board, but will not allow phone calls whilst in flight.{{cite press release | title =Qantas to Conduct an Evaluation of New Technology Allowing Customers to stay Connected Inflight | publisher =Qantas | date =28 August [ | url =http://www.qantas.com.au/regions/dyn/au/publicaffairs/details?ArticleID=2006/aug06/Q3469 | accessdate = 2006-12-16--> Qantas has also launched Online Check in (OLCI) for its domestic Australian flights. Customers are now able to log on to qantas.com 24 hours before their flight departs, select their seat and print a boarding pass, enabling them to bypass check-in at the terminal.{{cite press release | title =Business to Benefit from Online Check-in | publisher =Qantas | date =5 October [ | url =http://www.qantas.com.au/regions/dyn/au/publicaffairs/details?ArticleID=2006/oct06/3488 | accessdate = 2006-12-16--> It recently re-introduced hot face towels for economy class on all long haul flights.

Qantas is responsible for some of the most successful marketing campaigns in Australian history, with many advertising campaigns featuring renditions by children's choirs of Peter Allen's "I Still Call Australia Home", set to footage of breathtaking scenery. A much earlier campaign aimed at American television audiences featured an Australian koala, who detested Qantas for bringing tourists to destroy his quiet life (his key tagline: "I hate Qantas"). Qantas is the main and shirt sponsor of the "Australia national rugby union team", the Australian national Rugby Union team.They also sponsor and have shirt rights to the Socceroos, who are Australia's national football (soccer) team.

Company logos Image:1968 Qantas Logo.png|3rd iteration of the Qantas kangaroo logo, used from 1968 to 1984Image:Qantas.svg|4th iteration of the Qantas kangaroo logo, used from 1984 to 2007Image:2007 Qantas Logo.svg|5th iteration of the Qantas kangaroo logo since 2007The Qantas Kangaroo logo in its lifetime has undergone four major facelifts since its introduction in 1944.

In 1984, the logo was updated in which the Kangaroo's wings were removed.

On 24 July, 2007, the airline unveiled the fifth and latest iteration of its logo, redesigned primarily to deal with technical issues arising from changes to the shape of airline tails and surface areas on stabilisers being designated as no paint areas. The aircraft livery is similar, all white with the red verticals but Spirit of Australia is moved to the rear end above the windows to match the A380's style. Spirit of Australia is located above the main deck windows and below the upper deck windows on the A380. The logo was also updated because of questions about how the feet of the kangaroo were not clearly seen. The latest logo clearly shows the feet. The colour of the writing has also changed from black to grey. So far as of October 2007 only two aircraft have this redesigned livery, Qantas Boeing 767-300ER VH-OGD and a QantasLink Boeing 717-231 (a modern version of the McDonnell Douglass DC-9) VH-NXO. All other Aircraft wear the original Spirit of Australia livery.

The fourth and fifth olivers of the logo have been designed by Hans Hulsbosch and his company Hulsbosch Communications. The company was handed the brief to perform the fifth iteration in January 2006, however work on the updating project was brought to a halt because of problems with the Airbus A380 program.

Destinations

Qantas flies to 81 destinations in 5 continents and have announced plans to expand to South America by November 2008 with direct flights to Santiago, Chile. It also has plans to launch flights to Dubai within about three years once the A380 superjumbo starts joining the fleet.http://archive.gulfnews.com/articles/07/07/08/10137642.html

Fleet The Qantas fleet consists of the following aircraft as of October 2007:{]|(6 orders)|237 (-/36/201)|Asia (Mumbai, Shanghai, Tokyo)
Melbourne-Auckland-Los Angeles|Entry into service: 2008|-|Airbus A330|10|297 (-/30/267)|Asia (Singapore, Hong Kong, Tokyo, China)||-|Airbus A380|(20 orders)|450 (14/72/32/332)|Kangaroo Route, Los Angeles, Johannesburg]|19|142 (-/16/126)|Domestic, Oceania||-|Boeing 737#737-800|33
(5 orders)|168 (-/12/156)|Domestic, Oceania||-|Boeing 747#747-300|4|450 (-/52/398)|Domestic (Sydney/Melbourne/Perth)
New Zealand|3 in service|-|Boeing 747-400|6|343 (14/64/265)|Los Angeles, San Francisco, New York-JFK|Launch Customer|-|[Boeing 767|29|229 (-/25/204)
244 (-/30/214)
250 (-/30/220)
251 (-/30/221)
254 (-/30/224)|Domestic, Oceania, Asia||-|Boeing 787|(15 orders)|||Entry into service: 2009|-|Boeing 787|(50 orders)||||}* First Class and Premium Economy offered on select aircraft.

The average age of the Qantas fleet was 10 years in August 2006.

The Qantas customer code for Boeing is 38. This code appears in Boeing aircraft model numbers such as B747-438.

Qantas and its subsidiaries operate a total of 213 aircraft, which includes 28 aircraft by Jetstar Airways and 49 by the various QantasLink brands. Qantas Fact file The first fifteen Boeing 787s (the 787-8s) will be delivered to Jetstar, from August 2008.

Qantas has two aircraft painted in Australian Aboriginal art liveries: Wunala Dreaming (Boeing 747-400 ), and Yananyi Dreaming (Boeing 737#737-800 ). Both carry striking, colourful liveries, designed by Australian Aborigines. Qantas Airlines Features Artistic Aircraft There was previously a third livery Nalanji Dreaming (Boeing 747#747-300 , but the aircraft was sold for spare parts in 2007 and will be eventually broken up.

Qantas have named their aircraft since 1926. Themes included Greek gods, stars, people in Australian aviation history, and Australian birds. Since 1959, the majority of Qantas aircraft have been named after Australian cities. The Airbus A380 series is probably going to be named after Australian Aviation Pioneers, beginning with Nancy Bird-Walton.

Qantas Frequent Flyer

The Qantas frequent flyer program is designed to reward customer loyalty. Points are accrued based on miles flown, with bonuses that vary by travel class, and can be earned on oneworld airlines as well as other partners. Points can be redeemed for flights or upgrades on flights operated by Qantas, oneworld airlines, and other partners. Co-branded credit cards are issued by American Express and Australia and New Zealand Banking Group, and a number of other credit cards earn points that can be transferred to the Qantas Frequent Flyer program.{{cite web | title =Cards | work =Earning Points | publisher =Qantas | date = | url =http://www.qantas.com.au/fflyer/dyn/partners/card | accessdate = 2007-05-17 -->

To join the program, passengers living in Australia or New Zealand must pay a once off joining fee, and then become a Bronze Frequent Flyer (residents of other countries may join without a fee). All accounts remain active as long as there is points activity once every three years. Flights with Qantas and partner airlines earn Status Credits — and accumulation of these allows progression to Silver Status (oneworld Ruby), Gold Status (oneworld Sapphire) and Platinum Status (oneworld Emerald).{{cite web | title =Status Privileges | work =Benefits & Privileges | publisher =Qantas | date = | url =http://www.qantas.com.au/fflyer/dyn/program/statusPrivileges | accessdate = 2007-05-17 -->

In addition to its QantasLink and oneworld partnerships, Qantas offers frequent flyer partnerships with the following airlines:{{cite web | title =Earn In The Air | work =Earning Points | publisher =Qantas | date = | url =http://www.qantas.com.au/fflyer/dyn/partners/airline | accessdate = 2007-05-17 --> s{||- valign="top"|| | |}

Qantas also offers frequent flyer partnerships with the following car rental agencies:{{cite web | title =Cars | work =Earning Points | publisher =Qantas | date = | url =http://www.qantas.com.au/fflyer/dyn/partners/car | accessdate = 2007-05-17 --> {||- valign="top"|| |}

Qantas has faced criticism regarding availability of seats for members redeeming points. In 2004, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission directed Qantas to provide greater disclosure to members regarding the availability of frequent flyer seats. In August 2007 Qantas CEO Geoff Dixon confirmed it was considering significant changes to its frequent flyer program and had discussed its potential sale to Aeroplan, the company which manages Air Canada's frequent flyer program.

Qantas Club

Qantas Club is the official business-class airline lounge for Qantas with airport locations around Australia and the world. The Qantas Club offers membership by paid subscription (one year, two years, four years or life) {{cite web | title =Membership Types | work =Qantas Club | publisher =Qantas | date = | url =http://www.qantas.com.au/info/flying/qantasClub/membershipTypes | accessdate = 2007-05-23 --> or by achievement of Gold or Platinum frequent flyer status. Benefits of membership include lounge access, priority check-in, priority luggage handling, increased luggage allowances. The Chairman's Lounge is an invitation only lounge, offering better amenities and more benefits than the Qantas Club.

Facilities vary by lounge, but typically include:{{cite web | title =A Home Away From Home | work =Qantas Club Benefits | publisher =Qantas | date = | url =http://www.qantas.com.au/info/flying/qantasClub/benefits#jump9 | accessdate = 2007-05-23 -->

Lounges also include power points, free local-call telephones, television, and quiet areas. As of April 2007, wireless internet access is now provided free of charge.

As part of a complete product upgrade, certain international lounges were upgraded in 2007. New First and Business lounges opened in Bangkok and Los Angeles, along with completely new First Class lounges in Sydney and Melbourne, designed by Marc Newson.

Lounge access Members are permitted to enter domestic Qantas Clubs when flying on Qantas or Jetstar flights along with one guest who need not be travelling. Internationally, the guest must be travelling with the member.{{cite web | title =Lounge Access | work =Qantas Club | publisher =Qantas | date = | url =http://www.qantas.com.au/info/flying/qantasClub/loungeAccess#qfclub | accessdate = 2007-06-22--> When flying with [American Airlines, members have access to [Admirals Club lounges and when flying on [British Airways, members have access to the [British Airways#Terraces Lounges .26 Molton Brown Spa. {{cite web | title =Lounge Access | work =Qantas Club | publisher =Qantas | date = | url =http://www.qantas.com.au/info/flying/qantasClub/loungeAccess#jump1 | accessdate = 2007-05-17 -->

Platinum Frequent Flyers are able to access The Qantas Club in Australian domestic terminals at any time, regardless of whether they are flying that day.{{cite web | title =Benefits | work =Qantas Club | publisher =Qantas | date = | url =http://www.qantas.com.au/info/flying/qantasClub/benefits#jump0 | accessdate = 2007-05-17 -->

Lounge locations {||- valign="top"|| | | |}

Codeshare agreements Along with Qantas oneworld airline partners, Qantas has Code sharing agreements with the following airlines: {||- valign="top"|| | |}

==Incidents and accidents==It is often claimed, most notably in the 1988 movie Rain Man, that Qantas has never had a fatal accident.{{cite web | title =Memorable Quotes from Rain Man (1988) | publisher =Internet Movie Database | url =http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0095953/quotes | accessdate = 2007-02-14--> This statement only relates to the fact that the company has never lost a jet airliner. Between 1927 and 1951, Qantas had eight fatal accidents with the loss of 62 people. Half of these accidents occurred during World War II, when the Qantas aircraft were operating on behalf of the [Royal Australian Air Force.

| title =Accident Description | publisher =Aviation Safety Network | url =http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19490407-0 | accessdate = 2007-02-14--> | title =Misadventure at Mauritius | author =Job, Macarthur | publisher =Flight Safety Australia (Jan-Feb 2000) | url =http://www.casa.gov.au/fsa/2000/jan/page49.pdf | date =[1999-09-23 | accessdate = 2006-12-17-->



| title =Qantas Moves to Reassure After Boeing 747 Failure | author =7:30 Report | publisher =ABC TV | url =http://www.abc.net.au/7.30/stories/s120777.htm | accessdate = 2007-05-27-->

Sex discrimination controversy In November 2005, it was revealed that Qantas has a policy of not seating adult male passengers next to unaccompanied children. This led to accusations that the airline considers all men to be potential paedophiles. The policy came to light following an incident in 2004 when Mark Wolsay, who was seated next to a young boy on a Qantas flight in New Zealand, was asked to change seats with a female passenger. A steward informed him that "it was the airline's policy that only women were allowed to sit next to unaccompanied children".

Cameron Murphy of the NSW Council for Civil Liberties president criticised the policy and stated that "there was no basis for the ban". He said it was wrong to assume that all adult males posed a danger for children . The policy has also been criticised for failing to take female abusers into consideration.

Extortion attempts On 26 May 1971, Qantas received a call from a "Mr. Brown" claiming that there was a bomb planted on a Hong Kong-bound jet and that he wanted $500,000 in unmarked $20 bills. He was treated seriously when he directed police to an airport locker where a functional bomb was found. Arrangements were made to pick up the money in front of the head office of the airline in the heart of the Sydney business district. After Qantas raced around to find two suitcases large enough to hold all the cash, they paid the money and it was safely collected, after which Mr. Brown call {{Infobox Airline| airline = Qantas| logo = 2007 Qantas Logo.svg| logo_size = 150px| fleet_size = 213 Qantas Fact file (+148 orders)| destinations = 143| IATA = QF| ICAO = QFA| callsign = QANTAS| parent =| company_slogan = Spirit of Australia| founded = 1920, [Australia ([CEO)
Margaret Jackson (Chairman) until November 2007
Leigh Clifford, Chairman from November 2007]
Melbourne Airport| focus_cities = Brisbane Airport
Los Angeles International Airport
London Heathrow Airport
Perth Airport
Singapore Changi Airport| lounge = [#Qantas Club| alliance = oneworld
[Jetstar
Jetconnect
Qantas Defence Services of the [national airline of Australia. Qantas is the world's third oldest continuously running airlinehttp://www.qantas.com.au/infodetail/about/FactFiles.pdf (after KLM and Avianca) and is the 20th largest in fleet sizeWorld%27s_largest_airlines#By_fleet_size_in_2007 with 213 aircraft. Qantas is ranked the 13th largest airline in the world by passenger numbers, carrying 24.9 million passengers in 2007.List of largest airlines in Oceania Including 28 of these aircraft in the Jetstar Airways and 49 aircraft under the various QantasLink brands. In 2007, Qantas voted the fifth best airline in the world by research consultancy Skytrax.Skytrax, 'The World Airline Awards', at http://www.worldairlineawards.com/Awards_2007/AirlineYear-2007.htm, accessed 21 October 2007. Its subsidary, Jetstar, was named the best low-cost carrier in the world. Skytrax, 'The World Airline Awards', at http://www.worldairlineawards.com/Awards_2007/Lowcost.htm, accessed 21 October 2007.

The name was originally "QANTAS", an acronym for "Queensland and Northern Territory Aerial Services". The company is based in Sydney, New South Wales and it is Australia's largest airline. It is traded on the Australian Securities Exchange as .

History Beginnings K replica

Qantas was founded in Winton, Queensland on 16 November 1920 as Queensland and Northern Territory Aerial Services Limited{{cite web | title =Small Beginnings | work =Our Company | publisher =Qantas | date = | url =http://www.qantas.com.au/info/about/history/details2 | accessdate = 2006-12-16 --> by Paul McGuiness, [Hudson Fysh, [Fergus McMaster and Arthur Baird. The airline's first aircraft was an [Avro 504K purchased for £1425. The aircraft had a cruising speed of 105 kilometres per hour (65 mph) and carried one pilot and two passengers.{{cite web | title =The Plane, the Place and the Passenger | work =Our Company | publisher =Qantas | date = | url =http://www.qantas.com.au/info/about/history/details4 | accessdate = 2006-12-17 --> Eighty-four year old outback pioneer Alexander Kennedy was the first passenger, receiving ticket number one. The airline operated air mail services subsidised by the Australian government, linking railheads in western Queensland.

Between 1926 and 1928, Qantas built seven De Havilland DH.50s and a single DH9 under licence in its Longreach, Queensland hangar.{{cite web | title =The Formative Years | work =Our Company | publisher =Qantas | date = | url =http://www.qantas.com.au/info/about/history/details5 | accessdate = 2006-12-17 --> In 1928 a chartered Qantas aircraft conducted the inaugural flight of the [Royal Flying Doctor Service of Australia, departing from [Cloncurry, Queensland.{{cite web | title =The Flying Doctor Service | work =Our Company | publisher =Qantas | date = | url =http://www.qantas.com.au/info/about/history/details6 | accessdate = 2006-12-17 -->

Flying boats and war — 1934 to 1945 In 1934, QANTAS Limited and Britain's Imperial Airways (the forerunner of British Airways) formed a new company, Qantas Empire Airways Limited. Each partner held 49%, with two per cent in the hands of an independent arbitrator.{{cite web | title =The Move to Brisbane | work =Our Company | publisher =Qantas | date = | url =http://www.qantas.com.au/info/about/history/details7 | accessdate = 2006-12-16 --> The new airline commenced operations in December 1934 flying between [Brisbane and Darwin using old fashioned DH50 and DH61 biplanes. QEA went international from May 1935, when the service from Darwin, Australia was extended to Singapore using newer de Havilland DH-86 Commonwealth Airliners. Imperial Airways operated the rest of the service through to London. In July 1938, this operation was replaced by a thrice weekly flying boat service using Short Empire. The Sydney to Southampton service took nine days, with passengers staying in hotels overnight.{{cite web | title =Venturing Overseas | work =Our Company | publisher =Qantas | date = | url =http://www.qantas.com.au/info/about/history/details8 | accessdate = 2006-12-16 --> For the single year of peace that the service operated, it was profitable and 94% of services were on time. This service lasted through until Singapore fell in February 1942. Enemy action and accidents destroyed half of the fleet of ten, when most of the fleet was taken over by the Australian government for war service.{{cite web | title =The World at War | work =Our Company | publisher =Qantas | date = | url =http://www.qantas.com.au/info/about/history/details10 | accessdate = 2006-12-16 -->

Flying boat services were resumed with American built PBY Catalinas in July 1943, with flights between Perth, Western Australia and Ceylon (now Sri Lanka). This linked up with the BOAC service to London, maintaining the vital communications link with England. The 5,652km non-stop sector was the longest flown up to that time by any airline, with an average flying time of 28 hours. Passengers received a certificate of membership to the "Order of the Double Sunrise" as the sun rose twice during the flight. These flights continued until July 1945.{{cite web | title =The Rise of Civil Aviation to 1970 | work =National Stories | publisher =Australian Heritage Commission | date = | url =http://www.ahc.gov.au/publications/national-stories/transport/chapter8.html | accessdate = 2007-01-07 -->

The post-war years — 1945 to 1959 After World War II, QEA was nationalised, with the Australian Labor government led by Prime Minister Ben Chifley buying the shares of both Qantas Limited and BOAC. Nationalised airlines were normal at the time, and the Qantas board encouraged this move.



Shortly after nationalisation, QEA began their first services outside the British Empire — to Tokyo via Darwin and Manila with Avro Avro Lancastrian aircraft.{{cite web | title =Post War Expansion | work =Our Company | publisher =Qantas | date = | url =http://www.qantas.com.au/info/about/history/details12 | accessdate = 2006-12-16 --> These aircraft were also deployed between Sydney and London in cooperation with BOAC, but were soon replaced by [Douglas DC-4s. Services to [Hong Kong began around the same time.

In 1948, the airline took delivery of Lockheed Corporation Lockheed Constellations. In 1952, Qantas expanded across the Indian Ocean to Johannesburg via Perth, Western Australia, Cocos Islands and Mauritius, calling this the Wallaby Route. Around this time, the British Government placed great pressure on Qantas to purchase the De Havilland Comet jet aircraft airliner, but Hudson Fysh was dubious about the economics of the aircraft and successfully resisted this. The network was expanded across the Pacific to Vancouver via Auckland, Nadi, Honolulu and San Francisco in early 1954 when it took over the operations of British Commonwealth Pacific Airlines (BCPA). This became known as the Southern Cross Route.

In 1956, Qantas became the first non US airline to order the Boeing 707 jet airliner. Contrary to popular belief, the special shortened version for Qantas was the original version Boeing offered to airlines. Boeing lengthened the aircraft by ten feet for all other customers, which destroyed the economics for Qantas. The airline successfully negotiated with Boeing to have the aircraft they had originally contracted for.{{cite web | title =Qantas and the 707 | work =VH-JET#1 & Her Sisters | publisher =Ron Cuskelly | author =Dr Ron Yates | url =http://www.adastron.com/707/qantas/707-development.htm | accessdate = 2007-05-14 -->

In 1958, Qantas became one of the very few round-the-world airlines, operating services from Australia to London via Asia and the Middle East (Kangaroo route) and via the Southern Cross route with Super Constellations.{{cite web | title =Constellations Span the World | work =Our Company | publisher =Qantas | date = | url =http://www.qantas.com.au/info/about/history/details13 | accessdate = 2006-12-16 --> It took delivery of new [turboprop [Lockheed Electra aircraft in 1959.

The jet age — 1959 to 1992 -138B "V-jet" owned by John Travolta, repainted in 1960s livery

The first jet aircraft on the Australian register (and the 29th 707 built) was registered VH-EBA and named City of Canberra. This aircraft returned to Australia as VH-XBA {{cite web | title =WHY VH-XBA? | publisher =QANTAS FOUNDATION MEMORIAL LTD | date =08 October [ | url =http://www.707.adastron.com/qantas/why-xba.htm | accessdate = 2007-06-13-->in December 2006 for display in the [Qantas Founders Outback Museum at [Longreach, Queensland, [Queensland.{{cite web | title =Historic First Qantas Jet to Return to Australia | publisher =Qantas | date =09 October [ | url =http://www.qantas.com.au/regions/dyn/au/publicaffairs/details?ArticleID=2006/oct06/3489 | accessdate = 2006-12-20--> The Boeing 707-138 was a shorter version of the Boeing 707 that was operated only by Qantas. The first jet service operated by Qantas was on 29 July 1959 from Sydney to San Francisco via Nadi and Honolulu. On 5 September [, Qantas became the third airline to fly jets across the Atlantic — after [BOAC and [Pan Am, operating between London and New York as part of the service from Sydney.{{cite web | title =707 Chronology | publisher =VH-Jet#1 & her sisters | url =http://www.adastron.com/707/history/707-chron.htm | accessdate = 2006-12-20--> All of the [turbojet aircraft were converted to upgraded [turbofan engines in 1961 and were rebranded as ''V jets'' from the Latin ''vannus'' meaning fan.{{cite web | title =Why V-Jet? | publisher =VH-Jet#1 & her sisters | url =http://www.707.adastron.com/qantas/why-vjet.htm | accessdate = 2006-12-17-->Actor [John Travolta personally owns and pilots an ex-Qantas Boeing 707-138B painted in the Qantas livery of the 1960s (see {{cite web | title =John Travolta Friendship Tour | publisher = Air Force One 707 Simulator | url =http://www.707sim.com/jt2.html | accessdate = 2006-12-17 -->

Air travel grew substantially in the early 1960s, leading Qantas to order the larger Boeing 707-338C series of aircraft. In 1966, the airline diversified its business by opening the 450 room Wentworth Hotel in Sydney. The same year, Qantas placed early options on the new Concorde airliner. At the time supersonic flight was thought of as the way of the future, but along with most airlines in the world the orders were eventually cancelled. Also in 1966, another around-the-world route was opened, the Fiesta route. Sydney to London via Tahiti, Mexico City, and Bermuda.

In 1967, the airline placed orders for the new Boeing 747. The aircraft could seat up to 350 passengers, a major improvement over the Boeing 707-138's. Orders were placed for four aircraft with deliveries commencing in 1971. The later delivery date allowed Qantas to take advantage of the -200B version, which better suited its requirements. Also in 1967, Qantas Empire Airways changed its name to just Qantas Airways, the name of the airline today.{{cite web | title =The Jumbo Jet | work =Our Company | publisher =Qantas | date = | url =http://www.qantas.com.au/info/about/history/details15 | accessdate = 2006-12-16 -->

When Cyclone Tracy devastated the town of Darwin, Australia at Christmas 1974, Qantas established a world record for the most people ever embarked on a single aircraft when they evacuated 673 people on a single Boeing 747 flight. They also established a record embarking 327 people on Boeing 707 VH-EAH.{{cite web | first=Ron | last=Cuskelly | title =VH-EAH | work = | publisher =VH-Jet#1 & her sisters | date = | url =http://www.707.adastron.com/qantas/VH-EAH.htm | accessdate = 2006-12-16 --> Later in the decade, Qantas placed options on two [McDonnell Douglas [DC-10 aircraft for flights to [Wellington, [New Zealand. These were not taken up, and two [Boeing 747SP were ordered instead. In March 1979, Qantas operated its final Boeing 707 flight from [Auckland to [Sydney, and became the only airline in the world to have a fleet that consisted of Boeing 747s only. That same year Qantas introduced [Business class — the first airline in the world to do so.

The Boeing 767-200 was introduced in 1985,{{cite web | title =Boeing Aircraft Take Qantas Further | work =Our Company | publisher =Qantas | date = | url =http://www.qantas.com.au/info/about/history/details16 | accessdate = 2006-12-16--> for New Zealand, Asia and Pacific routes. The same year, the Boeing 747-300 was introduced, featuring a stretched upper deck. The [Boeing 747 fleet was upgraded from 1989 with the arrival of the new Boeing 747-400 series. The delivery flight of the first aircraft was a world record, flying the 18,001km from London to Sydney non-stop.

In 1990, Qantas established Australia Asia Airlines to operate services to Taiwan. Several Boeing 747SP and Boeing 767 aircraft were transferred from Qantas service. The airline ceased operations in 1996.{{cite web | title =Expanding Overseas...and at Home | work =Our Company | publisher =Qantas | date = | url =http://www.qantas.com.au/info/about/history/details17 | accessdate = 2006-12-16 -->

Privatisation — 1992 to the present -400 VH-TJE in Qantas livery. This was the first 737-400 delivered into Australia.

The Government of Australia sold the domestic carrier Trans Australia Airlines to Qantas in August 1992, giving it access to the national domestic market for the first time in its history. The purchase saw the introduction of the Boeing 737 and Airbus A300 to the fleet — though the A300s were soon retired. Qantas was privatised in March 1993, with British Airways taking a 25% stake in the airline for Australian dollar.The Hon R. Willis, Answer to a Question without Notice, House of Representatives Debates, 13 May 1993, p.775. After a number of delays, the remainder of the Qantas float proceeded in 1995. The public share offer took place in June and July of that year, with the government receiving Australian dollar in proceeds. The remaining shares were disposed of in 1995-96 and 1996-97.Commonwealth of Australia Budget Statements 1996-97, Budget Paper no. 3, p. 3-191. Investors outside Australia took a strong interest in the float, securing 20% of the stock which, together with British Airways 25% holding, meant that, once floated on the stock exchange, Qantas was 55% Australian owned and 45% foreign owned.Ian Thomas, '"Luck" played a key part in float success', Australian Financial Review, 31 July 1995. By law, Qantas must be at least 51% Australian-owned, and the level of foreign ownership is constantly monitored.

In 1998, Qantas co-founded the oneworld alliance with American Airlines, British Airways, Canadian Airlines, and Cathay Pacific. The alliance commenced operation in February 1999 {{cite web | title =oneworld: The alliance to serve the world takes off on February 1 | publisher =oneworld | date =25 January [ | url =http://www.oneworld.com/ow/news/details?objectID=1273 | accessdate = 2007-05-15-->, with [Iberia Airlines and [Finnair joining later that year. Oneworld markets itself at the premium travel market, offering passengers a larger network than the airlines could on their own. The airlines also work together to provide operational synergies to keep costs down.

The main domestic competitor to Qantas, Ansett Australia, collapsed on 14 September 2001. {{cite web | title =Ansett Airlines Shut Down; NZ Prime Minister Blockaded in Melbourne; Howard Returns to Parochial Political Realities | publisher =australianpolitics.com | date =14 September [ | url =http://www.australianpolitics.com/news/2001/01-09-14.shtml | accessdate = 2007-05-15--> Market share for Qantas immediately neared 90%, with the relatively new budget airline [Virgin Blue holding the remainder. In order to capitalise on this event, Qantas ordered [Boeing 737-800 aircraft — obtaining them a mere three months later. {{cite web | title =Boeing Welcomes Qantas Decision on 737-800 Purchase | publisher =Boeing | date =29 October [ | url =http://www.boeing.com/news/releases/2001/q4/nr_011029a.html | accessdate = 2007-05-15--> This unusually short time between order and delivery was possible due to the terrorist attacks in the United States on 11 September — the subsequent downturn in the US aviation market meant American Airlines no longer needed the aircraft they ordered. The delivery positions were reassigned to Qantas on condition the aircraft remained in American Airlines configuration for later possible lease purposes.{{cite web | title =Qantas Orders 15 Boeing 737-800s | publisher =Airline Industry Information | date =29 October [ | url =http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0CWU/is_2001_Oct_29/ai_79521571 | accessdate = 2007-05-15-->

descending near London Heathrow Airport

At the same time, Virgin Blue announced a major expansion in October 2001,{{cite press release | title =Virgin Blue Announces Major Expansion Plans Australia's Second Airline Keeps More Of The Air Fare | publisher =[Virgin Blue | date =30 October [ | url =http://www.virginblue.com.au/about_us/news/index.php?co=vb&artdate=102001 | accessdate = 2006-12-16--> which was successful in eventually pushing the Qantas domestic [market share back to 60%. To prevent any further loss of market share, Qantas responded by creating a new cut-price subsidiary airline [Jetstar Airways. This has been successful in keeping the status quo at around 65% for Qantas group and 30% for Virgin Blue with other regional airlines accounting for the rest of the market.

On 13 December 2004, the first flight of Jetstar Asia Airways took off from its Singapore hub to Hong Kong, marking Qantas' entry into the Asian cut-price market. Qantas owns 44.5% of the carrier.

Qantas has also expanded into the New Zealand domestic air travel market, firstly with a shareholding in Air New Zealand and then with a franchise takeover of Ansett New Zealand. In 2003, Qantas attempted and failed to obtain regulatory approval to purchase a larger (but still minority) stake in Air New Zealand. Subsequently Qantas stepped up competition on the trans-Tasman routes, recently introducing Jetstar to New Zealand. British Airways sold its 18.5% stake in Qantas in September 2004 for £425 million, though keeping its close ties with Qantas intact.{{cite web | title =British Airways Sells Qantas Stake | publisher =ASIA Travel Tips.com | date =08 September [ | url =http://www.asiatraveltips.com/travelnews04/89-Qantas.shtml | accessdate = 2007-05-15-->

Qantas had also developed a full-service all economy international carrier focused on the holiday and leisure market, which had taken on the formerly used Australian Airlines name. This airline ceased operating its own liveried aircraft in July 2006, with the staff operating Qantas services before being closed entirely in September 2007, with the staff joining the new Qantas base in Cairns.{{cite web | title =Qantas to Open New Base in Cairns | publisher =Qantas | date =03 May [ | url =http://www.qantas.com.au/regions/dyn/au/publicaffairs/details?ArticleID=2007/may07/Q3752 | accessdate = 2007-05-15-->

Airline Partners Australia takeover bid takes off, with undercarriage retractingIn December 2006 following detailed negotiations, the Qantas Board had received a revised proposal from Airline Partners Australia to acquire 100 percent of the Company for $5.60 ($5.45 after special distribution) cash per share. Subsequently the Qantas Board recommended the revised Offer From Airline Partners Australia, a consortium comprising Allco Equity partners, Texas Pacific, Macquarie Bank, Onex and Allco Finance.

Margaret Jackson (Chairman) said the revised proposal provided an attractive premium for Qantas shareholders, being:

The proposal will be implemented by way of an off-market takeover bid, which will be subject to certain conditions including a 90 percent minimum acceptance condition.

The revised proposal followed negotiations with APA since the Board's rejection of its initial proposal. These negotiations resulted in the removal of unacceptable conditions and a substantial break fee as well as an increase in the price from $5.50 to $5.60 per share.

Under the terms of the offer, the interim dividend that would otherwise be payable in April 2007 will not be available. However, the Board decided that a fully franked special dividend could be paid during the bid period, in which case the offer consideration would be reduced by the dividend amount.

The take over proposal involves:

Mr Geoff Dixon would continue as Chief Executive Officer and Mr Peter Gregg would remain Chief Financial Officer under the new ownership structure.

As of the start of April 2007 only 30% of shares had been secured by APA, so on 12 April 2007 the consortium lowered the minimum acceptance level to 70 percent. On Friday evening 4 May 2007, APA announced that it appeared its offer had failed to reach the 50 per cent level required for the $11.1 billion private equity buyout to proceed. The consortium had only secured 46 per cent of the national carrier by the 7.00pm deadline for the takeover offer that day. APA was counting on a last-minute rush of acceptances from hedge funds to get the deal over the line. On Saturday 5 May 2007 the APA said a late acceptance from a large investor (Samuel Heyman)http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,20867,21683488-601,00.html received after the 7:00pm deadline the previous evening meant it intended to press ahead with the bid. However, after the late acceptance was denied by the takeover board, APA decided to accept that the bid had failed, rather than pursue a protracted and uncertain legal battle in an attempt to keep it alive. http://www.theage.com.au/news/business/apa-gives-up-on-qantas/2007/05/08/1178390265428.html

Present day Its main international hubs are Sydney Kingsford Smith International Airport and Melbourne Tullamarine Airport. However, Qantas operates a significant number of international flights into and out of Brisbane Airport, Perth Airport, Singapore Changi Airport, Los Angeles International Airport and London Heathrow Airport. Its domestic hubs are Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Perth airports, but the company also has a strong presence in, Adelaide, Cairns and Canberra airports. It serves a range of Qantas destinations.

Qantas wholly owns Jetstar Airways, JetConnect (which operates New Zealand domestic and some Transtasman services) and QantasLink (including, Airlink, Sunstate Airlines and Eastern Australia Airlines).{{cite web | title =QantasLink | work =Our Company | publisher =Qantas | url =http://www.qantas.com.au/info/about/history/details2 | accessdate = 2006-12-22 --> Qantas did have a minor 4.2% stake in [Air New Zealand, however this was sold on 26 Jun 2007 for $NZ119 million. Qantas owns 49% of the [Fiji-based international carrier [Air Pacific. It owns 50% of both [Australian Air Express and [Star Track Express (a trucking company){{cite press release | title = Qantas and Australia Post buy Star Track Express | publisher = [Australia Post | date = | url = http://www.auspost.com.au/BCP/0,1080,CH3594%257EMO19,00.html | accessdate = 2006-12-22--> , with the other 50% of both companies owned by Australia Post. Since its privatisation in 1993, Qantas has been one of the most profitable airlines in the world. Qantas lifts profit, to raise A$800M,CNN.com/business, 21 August 2002 (accessed 18 January,2007) It was recently voted 5th best airline in the world in the 2007 World Airline Awards (with surveys conducted by Skytrax) having fallen from 2nd in 2005-6 (Singapore Airlines was ranked number 1){{cite web | title =Airline of the Year 2007 — results | work = | publisher = World Airline Awards | date = [2007-07-27 | url =http://www.worldairlineawards.com/Awards_2007/AirlineYear-2007.htm | accessdate = 2007-08-26 -->

Qantas has stepped up the expansion of Jetstar, with the launch of international services (in addition to existing trans-Tasman Sea and Jetstar Asia flights) to leisure destinations such as Bali, Ho Chi Minh City, Osaka and Honolulu from November 2006. On some routes such as Sydney-Honolulu, Jetstar will supplement existing Qantas operations but many routes are new to the network. The lower cost base of Jetstar allows the previously unprofitable or marginal routes to be operated at greater profitability.

In recent years it has announced substantial new aircraft orders. Qantas ordered twenty Airbus A380, with options for twelve more. It will be the second airline (after launch customer Singapore Airlines) to receive an A380 and is now expected to receive four aircraft by the end of 2008 and seven by mid-2009, after Airbus reported further delays in the delivery. Qantas exercised 8 options on A380s, increasing firm orders to 20 on 29 October 2006. All aircraft are due to be delivered between 2008 to 2015. An additional four A330-200 aircraft (VH-EBE to EBH) were ordered to address capacity concerns due to the A380's service entry delay.{{cite press release | title =Qantas Statement on A380 Delay | publisher =Qantas | date =28 November [ | url =http://www.qantas.com.au/regions/dyn/au/publicaffairs/details?ArticleID=2006/oct06/3487 | accessdate = 2006-12-17-->{{cite press release | title =Qantas Orders Additional A380 Aircraft | publisher =Qantas | date =29 October [ | url =http://www.qantas.com.au/regions/dyn/au/publicaffairs/details?ArticleID=2006/oct06/3498 | accessdate = 2006-12-16-->

On 14 December 2005 Qantas announced an order for 115 Boeing Commercial Airplanes Boeing 787 and Boeing 787 aircraft (45 firm orders, 20 options and 50 purchase rights).{{cite press release | title =Qantas Chooses Boeing 787 Dreamliner | publisher =[Boeing | date =13 December [ | url =http://www.boeing.com/news/releases/2005/q4/051213h_nr.html | accessdate = 2006-12-16--> The aircraft will allow Qantas to replace their [Boeing 767 fleet, increase capacity and establish new routes. Jetstar will also operate 15 of the new aircraft on international routes.{{cite press release | title =Qantas Board Chooses Boeing | publisher =Qantas | date =14 December [ | url =http://www.qantas.com.au/regions/dyn/au/publicaffairs/details?ArticleID=2005/dec05/3369 | accessdate = 2006-12-16--> This announcement came after a long battle between Boeing and Airbus to meet the airline's needs for fleet renewal and future routes. The first of the 787s are scheduled to be delivered to Jetstar in August 2008, with the 787-9s coming in 2011.

Although Qantas did not choose the Boeing 777, it is rumoured that Qantas is still looking into buying aircraft capable of flying London-Sydney non-stop.

In 2006, Chief Information Officer, Fiona Balfour left the company to join telstra after 14 years with Qantashttp://www.australianit.news.com.au/articles/0,7204,21183574%5E15306%5E%5Enbv%5E,00.html.

Former IBM executive Jamila Gordonwill take up the CIO position from September 17 2007http://www.australianit.news.com.au/story/0,24897,22287384-24169,00.html.

Qantas has offered a special promotion to United Stateshttp://www.qantas.com.au/regions/dyn/us/specials/webDeals217 and Canadahttp://www.qantas.com.au/regions/dyn/us/specials/webDeals249 tourists for several years called the "Aussie AirPass". It permits tourists to fly into Australia and receive up to three flight segments to Australian locales for a flat fee.

In Flight Internet connectivity Boeing's cancellation of the Connexion by Boeing system, which was the only broadly-deployed inflight broadband system for passengers, caused concerns that inflight internet would not be available on next-generation aircraft such as Qantas' fleet of Airbus A380s and Boeing Dreamliner 787s. However, Qantas announced in July 2007 that all classes of service in its fleet of A380s will have wireless internet access as well as seat-back access to email and web browsing when they start flying in August 2008. Certain elements will be retrofitted into existing Boeing 747-400s, too. It has not yet disclosed who the service provider is.

Promotional activities Qantas used a small promotional animation on its website to officially announce it will offer in-flight internet services on its fleet of A380s.{{cite news | title = Qantas to finally offer inflight broadband | first=Dan | last= Warne | publisher = [ninemsn | date = [2006-07-15 | url = http://www.apcstart.com/site/dwarne/2006/07/722/qantas-to-finally-offer-inflight-internet | accessdate = 2006-12-16 --> Qantas also announced that it would trial in-flight use of mobile phones on one of its Boeing 767 aircraft. This will allow customers to send emails and text messages on board, but will not allow phone calls whilst in flight.{{cite press release | title =Qantas to Conduct an Evaluation of New Technology Allowing Customers to stay Connected Inflight | publisher =Qantas | date =28 August [ | url =http://www.qantas.com.au/regions/dyn/au/publicaffairs/details?ArticleID=2006/aug06/Q3469 | accessdate = 2006-12-16--> Qantas has also launched Online Check in (OLCI) for its domestic Australian flights. Customers are now able to log on to qantas.com 24 hours before their flight departs, select their seat and print a boarding pass, enabling them to bypass check-in at the terminal.{{cite press release | title =Business to Benefit from Online Check-in | publisher =Qantas | date =5 October [ | url =http://www.qantas.com.au/regions/dyn/au/publicaffairs/details?ArticleID=2006/oct06/3488 | accessdate = 2006-12-16--> It recently re-introduced hot face towels for economy class on all long haul flights.

Qantas is responsible for some of the most successful marketing campaigns in Australian history, with many advertising campaigns featuring renditions by children's choirs of Peter Allen's "I Still Call Australia Home", set to footage of breathtaking scenery. A much earlier campaign aimed at American television audiences featured an Australian koala, who detested Qantas for bringing tourists to destroy his quiet life (his key tagline: "I hate Qantas"). Qantas is the main and shirt sponsor of the "Australia national rugby union team", the Australian national Rugby Union team.They also sponsor and have shirt rights to the Socceroos, who are Australia's national football (soccer) team.

Company logos Image:1968 Qantas Logo.png|3rd iteration of the Qantas kangaroo logo, used from 1968 to 1984Image:Qantas.svg|4th iteration of the Qantas kangaroo logo, used from 1984 to 2007Image:2007 Qantas Logo.svg|5th iteration of the Qantas kangaroo logo since 2007The Qantas Kangaroo logo in its lifetime has undergone four major facelifts since its introduction in 1944.

In 1984, the logo was updated in which the Kangaroo's wings were removed.

On 24 July, 2007, the airline unveiled the fifth and latest iteration of its logo, redesigned primarily to deal with technical issues arising from changes to the shape of airline tails and surface areas on stabilisers being designated as no paint areas. The aircraft livery is similar, all white with the red verticals but Spirit of Australia is moved to the rear end above the windows to match the A380's style. Spirit of Australia is located above the main deck windows and below the upper deck windows on the A380. The logo was also updated because of questions about how the feet of the kangaroo were not clearly seen. The latest logo clearly shows the feet. The colour of the writing has also changed from black to grey. So far as of October 2007 only two aircraft have this redesigned livery, Qantas Boeing 767-300ER VH-OGD and a QantasLink Boeing 717-231 (a modern version of the McDonnell Douglass DC-9) VH-NXO. All other Aircraft wear the original Spirit of Australia livery.

The fourth and fifth olivers of the logo have been designed by Hans Hulsbosch and his company Hulsbosch Communications. The company was handed the brief to perform the fifth iteration in January 2006, however work on the updating project was brought to a halt because of problems with the Airbus A380 program.

Destinations

Qantas flies to 81 destinations in 5 continents and have announced plans to expand to South America by November 2008 with direct flights to Santiago, Chile. It also has plans to launch flights to Dubai within about three years once the A380 superjumbo starts joining the fleet.http://archive.gulfnews.com/articles/07/07/08/10137642.html

Fleet The Qantas fleet consists of the following aircraft as of October 2007:{]|(6 orders)|237 (-/36/201)|Asia (Mumbai, Shanghai, Tokyo)
Melbourne-Auckland-Los Angeles|Entry into service: 2008|-|Airbus A330|10|297 (-/30/267)|Asia (Singapore, Hong Kong, Tokyo, China)||-|Airbus A380|(20 orders)|450 (14/72/32/332)|Kangaroo Route, Los Angeles, Johannesburg]|19|142 (-/16/126)|Domestic, Oceania||-|Boeing 737#737-800|33
(5 orders)|168 (-/12/156)|Domestic, Oceania||-|Boeing 747#747-300|4|450 (-/52/398)|Domestic (Sydney/Melbourne/Perth)
New Zealand|3 in service|-|Boeing 747-400|6|343 (14/64/265)|Los Angeles, San Francisco, New York-JFK|Launch Customer|-|[Boeing 767|29|229 (-/25/204)
244 (-/30/214)
250 (-/30/220)
251 (-/30/221)
254 (-/30/224)|Domestic, Oceania, Asia||-|Boeing 787|(15 orders)|||Entry into service: 2009|-|Boeing 787|(50 orders)||||}* First Class and Premium Economy offered on select aircraft.

The average age of the Qantas fleet was 10 years in August 2006.

The Qantas customer code for Boeing is 38. This code appears in Boeing aircraft model numbers such as B747-438.

Qantas and its subsidiaries operate a total of 213 aircraft, which includes 28 aircraft by Jetstar Airways and 49 by the various QantasLink brands. Qantas Fact file The first fifteen Boeing 787s (the 787-8s) will be delivered to Jetstar, from August 2008.

Qantas has two aircraft painted in Australian Aboriginal art liveries: Wunala Dreaming (Boeing 747-400 ), and Yananyi Dreaming (Boeing 737#737-800 ). Both carry striking, colourful liveries, designed by Australian Aborigines. Qantas Airlines Features Artistic Aircraft There was previously a third livery Nalanji Dreaming (Boeing 747#747-300 , but the aircraft was sold for spare parts in 2007 and will be eventually broken up.

Qantas have named their aircraft since 1926. Themes included Greek gods, stars, people in Australian aviation history, and Australian birds. Since 1959, the majority of Qantas aircraft have been named after Australian cities. The Airbus A380 series is probably going to be named after Australian Aviation Pioneers, beginning with Nancy Bird-Walton.

Qantas Frequent Flyer

The Qantas frequent flyer program is designed to reward customer loyalty. Points are accrued based on miles flown, with bonuses that vary by travel class, and can be earned on oneworld airlines as well as other partners. Points can be redeemed for flights or upgrades on flights operated by Qantas, oneworld airlines, and other partners. Co-branded credit cards are issued by American Express and Australia and New Zealand Banking Group, and a number of other credit cards earn points that can be transferred to the Qantas Frequent Flyer program.{{cite web | title =Cards | work =Earning Points | publisher =Qantas | date = | url =http://www.qantas.com.au/fflyer/dyn/partners/card | accessdate = 2007-05-17 -->

To join the program, passengers living in Australia or New Zealand must pay a once off joining fee, and then become a Bronze Frequent Flyer (residents of other countries may join without a fee). All accounts remain active as long as there is points activity once every three years. Flights with Qantas and partner airlines earn Status Credits — and accumulation of these allows progression to Silver Status (oneworld Ruby), Gold Status (oneworld Sapphire) and Platinum Status (oneworld Emerald).{{cite web | title =Status Privileges | work =Benefits & Privileges | publisher =Qantas | date = | url =http://www.qantas.com.au/fflyer/dyn/program/statusPrivileges | accessdate = 2007-05-17 -->

In addition to its QantasLink and oneworld partnerships, Qantas offers frequent flyer partnerships with the following airlines:{{cite web | title =Earn In The Air | work =Earning Points | publisher =Qantas | date = | url =http://www.qantas.com.au/fflyer/dyn/partners/airline | accessdate = 2007-05-17 --> s{||- valign="top"|| | |}

Qantas also offers frequent flyer partnerships with the following car rental agencies:{{cite web | title =Cars | work =Earning Points | publisher =Qantas | date = | url =http://www.qantas.com.au/fflyer/dyn/partners/car | accessdate = 2007-05-17 --> {||- valign="top"|| |}

Qantas has faced criticism regarding availability of seats for members redeeming points. In 2004, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission directed Qantas to provide greater disclosure to members regarding the availability of frequent flyer seats. In August 2007 Qantas CEO Geoff Dixon confirmed it was considering significant changes to its frequent flyer program and had discussed its potential sale to Aeroplan, the company which manages Air Canada's frequent flyer program.

Qantas Club

Qantas Club is the official business-class airline lounge for Qantas with airport locations around Australia and the world. The Qantas Club offers membership by paid subscription (one year, two years, four years or life) {{cite web | title =Membership Types | work =Qantas Club | publisher =Qantas | date = | url =http://www.qantas.com.au/info/flying/qantasClub/membershipTypes | accessdate = 2007-05-23 --> or by achievement of Gold or Platinum frequent flyer status. Benefits of membership include lounge access, priority check-in, priority luggage handling, increased luggage allowances. The Chairman's Lounge is an invitation only lounge, offering better amenities and more benefits than the Qantas Club.

Facilities vary by lounge, but typically include:{{cite web | title =A Home Away From Home | work =Qantas Club Benefits | publisher =Qantas | date = | url =http://www.qantas.com.au/info/flying/qantasClub/benefits#jump9 | accessdate = 2007-05-23 -->

Lounges also include power points, free local-call telephones, television, and quiet areas. As of April 2007, wireless internet access is now provided free of charge.

As part of a complete product upgrade, certain international lounges were upgraded in 2007. New First and Business lounges opened in Bangkok and Los Angeles, along with completely new First Class lounges in Sydney and Melbourne, designed by Marc Newson.

Lounge access Members are permitted to enter domestic Qantas Clubs when flying on Qantas or Jetstar flights along with one guest who need not be travelling. Internationally, the guest must be travelling with the member.{{cite web | title =Lounge Access | work =Qantas Club | publisher =Qantas | date = | url =http://www.qantas.com.au/info/flying/qantasClub/loungeAccess#qfclub | accessdate = 2007-06-22--> When flying with [American Airlines, members have access to [Admirals Club lounges and when flying on [British Airways, members have access to the [British Airways#Terraces Lounges .26 Molton Brown Spa. {{cite web | title =Lounge Access | work =Qantas Club | publisher =Qantas | date = | url =http://www.qantas.com.au/info/flying/qantasClub/loungeAccess#jump1 | accessdate = 2007-05-17 -->

Platinum Frequent Flyers are able to access The Qantas Club in Australian domestic terminals at any time, regardless of whether they are flying that day.{{cite web | title =Benefits | work =Qantas Club | publisher =Qantas | date = | url =http://www.qantas.com.au/info/flying/qantasClub/benefits#jump0 | accessdate = 2007-05-17 -->

Lounge locations {||- valign="top"|| | | |}

Codeshare agreements Along with Qantas oneworld airline partners, Qantas has Code sharing agreements with the following airlines: {||- valign="top"|| | |}

==Incidents and accidents==It is often claimed, most notably in the 1988 movie Rain Man, that Qantas has never had a fatal accident.{{cite web | title =Memorable Quotes from Rain Man (1988) | publisher =Internet Movie Database | url =http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0095953/quotes | accessdate = 2007-02-14--> This statement only relates to the fact that the company has never lost a jet airliner. Between 1927 and 1951, Qantas had eight fatal accidents with the loss of 62 people. Half of these accidents occurred during World War II, when the Qantas aircraft were operating on behalf of the [Royal Australian Air Force.

| title =Accident Description | publisher =Aviation Safety Network | url =http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19490407-0 | accessdate = 2007-02-14--> | title =Misadventure at Mauritius | author =Job, Macarthur | publisher =Flight Safety Australia (Jan-Feb 2000) | url =http://www.casa.gov.au/fsa/2000/jan/page49.pdf | date =[1999-09-23 | accessdate = 2006-12-17-->



| title =Qantas Moves to Reassure After Boeing 747 Failure | author =7:30 Report | publisher =ABC TV | url =http://www.abc.net.au/7.30/stories/s120777.htm | accessdate = 2007-05-27-->

Sex discrimination controversy In November 2005, it was revealed that Qantas has a policy of not seating adult male passengers next to unaccompanied children. This led to accusations that the airline considers all men to be potential paedophiles. The policy came to light following an incident in 2004 when Mark Wolsay, who was seated next to a young boy on a Qantas flight in New Zealand, was asked to change seats with a female passenger. A steward informed him that "it was the airline's policy that only women were allowed to sit next to unaccompanied children".

Cameron Murphy of the NSW Council for Civil Liberties president criticised the policy and stated that "there was no basis for the ban". He said it was wrong to assume that all adult males posed a danger for children . The policy has also been criticised for failing to take female abusers into consideration.

Extortion attempts On 26 May 1971, Qantas received a call from a "Mr. Brown" claiming that there was a bomb planted on a Hong Kong-bound jet and that he wanted $500,000 in unmarked $20 bills. He was treated seriously when he directed police to an airport locker where a functional bomb was found. Arrangements were made to pick up the money in front of the head office of the airline in the heart of the Sydney business district. After Qantas raced around to find two suitcases large enough to hold all the cash, they paid the money and it was safely collected, after which Mr. Brown call

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