Coordinates	24°2′″N97°4′″N
Airline	Qantas Airways
Logo	Qantas Airways Limited logo.svg
Logo size	180
Fleet size	140
Destinations	20 domestic and 21 international
Iata	QF
Icao	QFA
Callsign	QANTAS
Company slogan	The Spirit of Australia
Founded	1920
Hubs	Sydney AirportMelbourne Airport
Secondary hubs	Brisbane AirportAdelaide AirportPerth AirportSingapore Changi Airport
Focus cities	Cairns International AirportDarwin International AirportLondon Heathrow AirportLos Angeles International Airport
Frequent flyer	Qantas Frequent Flyer
Lounge	Chairmans Lounge The Qantas Club
Alliance	Oneworld
Subsidiaries	QantasLinkJetstar AirwaysJetconnectNetwork AviationQantas FreightQantas Defence ServicesQantas HolidaysExpress Ground HandlingQ Catering
Headquarters	Botany Bay, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Key people	Leigh Clifford (Chairman)Alan Joyce (CEO)
Revenue	13.772 billion (2010) (Qantas Group)
Operating income	A$253 million (2010)
Profit	A$116 million (2010)
Assets	A$19.91 billion (2010)
Equity	A$5.981 billion (2010)
Website	Qantas.com.au }}

Qantas Airways Limited () () is the flag carrier of Australia. The name was originally "''QANTAS''", an acronym/initialism for "''Queensland and Northern Territory Aerial Services''". Nicknamed "The Flying Kangaroo", the airline is based in Sydney, with its main hub at Sydney Airport. It is Australia's largest airline, the oldest continuously operated airline in the world and the second oldest in the world overall. Qantas headquarters are located in the Qantas Centre in the Mascot suburb of the City of Botany Bay, Sydney, New South Wales.

Currently the airline is considered a four-star airline by research consultancy firm Skytrax. In 2011, Qantas was voted the eighth best airline in the world by the firm, a drop from 2010 (seventh), 2009 (sixth), 2008 (third), 2007 (fifth), 2006 (second), and 2005 (second). In 2010, Qantas retained a 65 percent share of the Australian domestic market, however the airline struggles to compete with other carriers in its international operations.

History

Qantas was founded in Winton, Queensland on 16 November 1920 as Queensland and Northern Territory Aerial Services Limited. The airline's first aircraft was an Avro 504K. The airline flew internationally from May 1935, when it commenced service from Darwin to Singapore. In June 1959 Qantas entered the jet age when the first Boeing 707–138 was delivered .

Company affairs and identity

Headquarters

Qantas headquarters are located in the Qantas Centre in the Mascot suburb of the City of Botany Bay, Sydney, New South Wales.

In 1920 Queensland and Northern Territory Aerial Services Ltd had its headquarters in Winton, Queensland. In 1921 the head office moved to Longreach, Queensland. In 1930 the head office moved to Brisbane. In 1957 a head head office, Qantas House, opened along Hunter Street in Sydney. In the 1970s a new A$50 million headquarters, consisting of twin skyscrapers, was being built in Sydney and expected to take one city block.The first and largest tower had an expected completion time in 1973.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders initiatives

Qantas, through its Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Programme, has some links with the Aboriginal Australian community. As of 2007, the company has run the programme for more than ten years and 1–2% of its staff are Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander. Qantas employs a full time Diversity Coordinator, who is responsible for the programme.

Qantas has also bought and donated some Aboriginal Art. In 1993, the airline bought a painting — Honey Ant and Grasshopper Dreaming — from the Central Australian desert region. As of 2007, this painting is on permanent loan to Yiribana at the Art Gallery of New South Wales. In 1996, Qantas donated five extra bark paintings to the gallery. Qantas has also sponsored and supported Aboriginal artists in the past.

Promotional activities

Qantas used a small promotional animation on its website to announce it will offer in-flight internet services on its fleet of A380s. Qantas' present long-running advertising campaign features renditions by children's choirs of Peter Allen's "I Still Call Australia Home", set to footage of Australian 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 "Qantas Wallabies", the Australian national Rugby Union team. They also sponsor and have shirt rights to the Socceroos, Australia's national football team. Qantas is now the sponsor for the Formula One Australian Grand Prix. It last sponsored the Australian Grand Prix in 2001. For many years between 1994 until 2004, Qantas sponsorship logos appeared at the credits for ''Neighbours'', ''Wheel Of Fortune'', ''Hey Hey It's Saturday'' (as its sponsor), originally under the banner of ''We choose to fly...''. These replaced earlier sponsorship under the ''Australian Airlines'' brand in 1994.

Australia Asia Airlines

Australia Asia Airlines (澳亞航空公司 Àoyà Hángkōng Gōngsī) was a wholly owned subsidiary of Qantas set up to operate services between Australia and Taiwan in the Republic of China in 1990. This was because the People's Republic of China objected to national carriers of countries with which it had diplomatic relations flying to a territory that it regarded as a breakaway province. Similar arrangements were made by British Airways, KLM, Swissair and Japan Airlines amongst others.

The airline operated a Boeing 747SP and Boeing 767 aircraft seconded from the Qantas fleet, repainted in a modified livery, which did not display the Flag of Australia, or the kangaroo logo, which was replaced by a dynamic ribbon. It initially flew its flights using the IATA code IM but switched to Qantas's QF in 1994.

Australia Asia Airlines ceased operations in 1996 as Qantas could by then serve Taiwan in its own right due to it being completely privatised, and its aircraft were then returned to Qantas service. However, Qantas has since ceased flying to Taiwan, and now codeshares with EVA Air from Brisbane.

Fundamental structural change

In August 2011 the company announced that due to financial losses and a decline in market share, major structural changes would be made. Up to 1,000 jobs will be lost in Australia and a new Asia-based premium airline will be set up operating under a different name. It will also launch a budget airline, called Jetstar Japan, in partnership with Japan Airlines and Mitsubishi Corporation. Included in the changes are the cessation of services to London via Hong Kong and Bangkok, for which Qantas is no longer taking reservations.

Destinations

Qantas flies to 20 domestic destinations and 21 international destinations in 14 countries across Africa, the Americas, Asia, Europe and Oceania excluding the destinations served by its subsidiaries. In the entire Qantas group it serves 60 domestic and 27 international destinations. Domestically, Qantas advertises all direct flights between Adelaide, Brisbane, Canberra, Melbourne, Perth and Sydney as ''Qantas CityFlyer''.

;Antarctic flights Qantas operates flightseeing charters to Antarctica on behalf of Croydon Travel. It first flew Antarctic flightseeing trips in 1977. They were suspended for a number of years due to the crash of Air New Zealand Flight 901 on Mt Erebus in 1979. Qantas restarted the flights in 1994. Although these flights do not touch down, they require specific polar operations and crew training due to factors like sector whiteout which contributed to the Air New Zealand disaster.

Partnerships

Codeshare agreements

Outside Oneworld, Qantas also exchanges codeshare agreements with the following airlines:

{| |- valign="top" |

Aircalin

Air France (SkyTeam)

Air Malta

Air Niugini

Airnorth

|

Air Pacific

Air Tahiti Nui

Air Vanuatu

Alaska Airlines

Asiana Airlines (Star Alliance)

|

EVA Air

El Al

China Eastern Airlines (SkyTeam)

Garuda Indonesia (future SkyTeam member)

Gulf Air

Jet Airways

|

Kenya Airways (SkyTeam)

Polynesian Airlines

South African Airways (Star Alliance)

Vietnam Airlines (SkyTeam)

|}

Technology

Qantas moved from an in-house Passenger Service System known as QUBE (Qantas Universal Business Environment) to an outsourced solution provided by Amadeus in late 2000. In September 2007 Qantas announced a ten year extension of the outsourcing agreement. In addition to using Amadeus' Altéa platform for reservation and inventory management Qantas extended usage of the system by adopting the departure control module in February 2008.

Fleet

As of August 2011 the Qantas mainline fleet consists of the following aircraft:

First Class and Premium Economy offered on select aircraft.

As of August 2011 Qantas and its subsidiaries operate 284 aircraft, which includes 59 aircraft by Jetstar Airways, 56 by the various QantasLink-branded airlines, 10 by Jetconnect, 10 by Network Aviation, four by Express Freighters Australia and five by Qantas Freight. The Boeing customer code for Qantas is 38. This code appears in Boeing aircraft model numbers (such as 747-438).

Qantas has named its aircraft since 1926. Themes have 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, the flagship of the airline, is named after Australian aviation pioneers, with the first A380 named ''Nancy-Bird Walton''.

Qantas has two aircraft painted in Australian Aboriginal art liveries: ''Wunala Dreaming'' (Boeing 747-400ER ), and ''Yananyi Dreaming'' (Boeing 737–800 ). Both carry striking, colourful liveries, designed by Australian Aborigines. There was previously a third livery ''Nalanji Dreaming'' (Boeing 747–300 ), but the aircraft was sold for spare parts in 2007.

Qantas historical fleet

;First aircraft Qantas' first aircraft was an Avro 504K (a replica of which can be seen at Sydney Airport's Qantas Domestic Terminal 3 on departures level) with a 100 horsepower (74 kW) water-cooled Sunbeam Dyak engine. By 1921 it also operated a Royal Aircraft Factory BE2E with a 90 horsepower (67 kW) air-cooled engine.

;During World War II During World War II Qantas operated flying boats on the Australia-England route. This service became a vital line of communication between Australia and the United Kingdom.

;Lockheed Constellation era After World War II Qantas modernised its fleet with Lockheed Constellation aircraft. By 1956 the airline was operating 34 propeller-driven aircraft. Qantas carried a record number of passengers to the XVl Olympic Games in Melbourne, and also carried the Olympic flame into the Southern Hemisphere for the first time on its longest ever trip, from Athens to Darwin.

;Jet era Qantas entered the Jet Age in July 1959 with Boeing 707 services to the USA. The service was extended to London (via New York). Sydney–London services (via India) began in October 1959. With the certification of the turbofan engine, Qantas modified its existing 707–138 fleet with the turbofans, naming its Boeing 707 aircraft ''V-Jets'', from the Latin ''vannus'', meaning “fan” as commonly accepted, but really standing for “thing that blows against the grain”. In total, Qantas took delivery of seven Boeing 707–138 aircraft, and a further six −138Bs.

By the 1970s Qantas had acquired Boeing 747 aircraft, which strengthened its long haul fleet. The fleet as of 1970 is listed below.

Services

In-flight entertainment

Qantas has several in-flight entertainment systems installed on its aircraft. Across the fleet, the in-flight experience is referred to as "On:Q". Apart from the QantasLink-operated Boeing 717s and Dash 8s, which do not have either audio or video entertainment options, every Qantas aircraft has some form of video audio entertainment.

iQ

"iQ", is featured in all classes of the Airbus A380, as well as newer Airbus A330-200s. It will be implemented on new Boeing 737-800s, and Boeing 787s when they enter service. This audio video on demand (AVOD) experience is based on the Panasonic Avionics system and features expanded entertainment options, touch screens, new communications related features such as Wi-Fi and mobile phone functionality, as well as increased support for electronics (such as USB and iPod connectivity).

Total Entertainment System

The "Total Entertainment System" by Rockwell Collins is featured on all Boeing 747–400, Airbus A330-300 and international-configuration Airbus A330-200 aircraft. This AVOD system includes personal LCD screens in all classes, located in the seat back for economy and business class, and in the armrest for premium economy and first class.

Qantas Mainscreen

The other entertainment system is the Mainscreen System, where video screens are the only available form of video entertainment; movies are shown on the screens for lengthier flights, or TV programmes on shorter flights. A news telecast will usually feature at the start of the flight. Audio options are less varied than on iQ or the Total Entertainment System.

The Mainscreen System is installed on on all Boeing 737-400s, domestic configured Boeing 737-800s (delivered before 2011) as well the economy and most business class sections on Boeing 767s. International-configured Boeing 767 aircraft have Mainscreen throughout the cabin however also offer a 10-channel looped personal video system in Business Class.

Nine's Qantas Inflight News

The Australian Nine Network provides a news bulletin for Qantas entitled Nine's Qantas Inflight News. This news bulletin includes all the latest news, sport, finance and weather details presented by Amber Higlett. The bulletin is the same broadcast as Nine's ''Early Morning News''.

In-flight magazine

The Qantas in-flight magazine is entitled ''The Australian Way''. The magazine, along with a travel blog featuring entries from Qantas ambassadors and the ability for frequent flyers to post comments.

In-flight internet connectivity

Boeing's cancellation of the Connexion by Boeing system caused concerns that in-flight internet would not be available on next-generation aircraft such as Qantas' fleet of Airbus A380s and Boeing 787s. However, Qantas announced in July 2007 that all service classes in its fleet of A380s would have wireless internet access as well as seat-back access to e-mail and cached web browsing. Certain elements would also be retrofitted into existing Boeing 747-400s. The in-flight entertainment system indicates that Internet access is provided by OnAir.

In-flight mobile phone trial

Qantas announced in April 2007, a trial for use of mobile telephones with AeroMobile, during domestic services for three months on a Boeing 767. During the trial, passengers were allowed to send and receive text messages and emails, but were not able to make or receive calls.

Cabin

First class

First class is offered only on the Boeing 747–400 and Airbus A380.

On the Boeing 747–400, first class is in the form of flat bed sleeping pods with 79 in seat pitch with each seat being 22 in wide. It folds flat to form a 6 ft 6 in (198 cm) fully flat bed. Other features include a 26 cm (10.4 in) touch screen monitor with 400 AVOD programs and personal 110 V AC power outlets in every seat. Qantas offers 14 seats on all the 747-400s equipped with first class.

On the Airbus A380, Qantas offers 14 individual suites, with 83.5 in seat pitch (extending to a 212 cm fully flat bed) and a width of 29 in. Each suite has a 43 cm (17 in) wide screen HD monitor with 1000 AVOD programs. In addition to the 110 V AC power outlets offered on the 747-400, USB ports are also offered for connectivity. Passengers are also able to make use of the on-board business lounge on the upper deck.

Complimentary access to either the first class or business class lounges (or affiliated lounges) is offered.

Business class

Business class is offered on all Qantas mainline passenger aircraft.

International Business Class is available on the Boeing 747, some International Airbus A330-200s, the A330-300 and the Airbus A380. On the Boeing 747, seating is in a 2-3-2 configuration on the main deck and a 2–2 configuration on the upper deck. The A330 features a 2-2-2 configuration. The lie-flat Skybeds feature 60 in of seat pitch and 21.5 in width. 747s and A330s features a 26 cm (10.4 in) touch screen monitor with 400 AVOD programs. Qantas' new international business class product is featured on the Airbus A380. It features 72 fully flat Skybed seats with 80 in seat pitch (converting to a 200 cm long bed). These seats are located on the upper-deck in a 2-2-2 configuration in 2 separate cabins. features include a 30 cm touch screen monitor with 1000 AVOD programs and an on-board lounge. On the internationally configured Boeing 767, seating is in a 1-2-2 configuration, which include a 13 cm monitor with 10 channels of video and 12 channels of audio.

Complimentary access to the Qantas business class lounge (or affiliated lounges) is also offered.

Premium economy class

Premium economy class is only available on Airbus A380 and certain Boeing 747–400 aircraft. It has a seat pitch of 38 in on the Boeing 747 & it ranges between 38–42 in on the Airbus A380, with a width of 19.5 in. On the Boeing 747, it is configured in a 2-4-2 seating arrangement around the middle of the main deck, whilst it is in a 2-3-2 at the rear of the upper deck on the A380. All A380's have 32 seats.

Qantas premium economy is presented as a lighter business class product rather than most other airlines' premium economy, often presented as a higher economy class.

Economy class

Economy class is available on all Qantas mainline passenger aircraft.

Seat pitch is usually and seat width ranges from 17 to . Layouts are 3–3 on the 737, 2-3-2 on the 767, 2-4-2 on the A330 and 3-4-3 on the 747. On the A380, the layout is 3-4-3 and there are 4 self-service snack bars located in between cabins.

Awards

Service Award

Skytrax Airline of the Year — listed in the top five airlines in the world for five consecutive years. Skytrax Best Airline Australia – 2005, 2006, 2008 Skytrax Best Regional Airline Australia – 2006, 2008

Entertainment

WAEA Avion awards Best Overall Inflight Entertainment – 2002, 2003, 2005, 2006 Inflight entertainment guide – 2005, 2006 WAEA Avion awards Best Entertainment for Inseat Systems – 2006

Wine awards

Best First Class Red – 2009 Cellars in the Sky Awards Best First Class Fortified – 2009 Cellars in the Sky Awards Best First Class Cellar – 2009 Cellars in the Sky Awards Best Presented Wine List – 2009 Cellars in the Sky Awards Best First and Business Class Wine List – 2005 cellars in the Sky Awards. Most Original First Class Wine List – 2007, 2008 cellars in the Sky Awards. Best First Class – 2007 Cellars in the sky awards Best Business Class Sparkling Award – 2007 cellars in the Sky Awards Best Consistency of Wines across Business and First – 2007 Cellars in the Sky Awards

Design Awards

2009 Australian International Design Award of the Year – A380 Economy Seat 2010 – The Chicago Anthenaeum’s Annual Good Design Awards — A380 First Class Suite

Qantas Frequent Flyer

The Qantas Frequent Flyer programme rewards customer loyalty. Points are accrued based on distance 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. Other partners include credit cards, car rental companies, hotels and many others.

+ Qantas Frequent Flyer Tiers	!Tier Level	Benefits
		:* Earn points with Oneworld aliance airlines – American Airlines, British Airways, Cathay Pacific ''et al''	:* Earn points on other partner airlines	:* Earn points with retail partners — Woolworths Everyday Reward Card ''et al''	:* Earn points through eligible Qantas Frequent Flyer associated credit cards — ANZ, NAB, Westpac ''et al''	Membership fee for Australia and New Zealand residentsFree membership for residents of other countries
		:* Receive all the benefits of Bronze tier	:* Earn 50% more than the base Frequent Flyer points	:* Premium Check-In Service (complimentary use of Next Generation Check-In (Q-Tag)	:* Priority reservation waitlisting	:* Baggage Bonus Allowance	:* Advance Seat Reservation (immediate)	:* One complimentary access card (one time use only) for entrance to the Qantas Club, per year	:* Preferential access to Qantas Classic Award seat bookings	Earn 300 Status credits to qualify, 250 Status credits per year thereafter to retain
		:* Receive all the benefits of Silver tier	:* Earn 75% more than the base Frequent Flyer points	:* Priority check-in, boarding and baggage handling	:* Complimentary membership and access to the Qantas Club	Earn 700 Status credits to quality, 600 Status credits per year thereafter to retain
		:* Receive all the benefits of Gold status	:* Earn 100% more than the base Frequent Flyer points	:* Fast track Check-In	:* Highest level of priority and recognition	:* Access to Qantas First lounges	Earn 1400 Status credits to qualify, 1200 Status credits per year thereafter to retain

To join the programme, passengers living in Australia or New Zealand pay a one-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 eighteen months. Flights with Qantas and selected 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).

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 March 2008, an analyst at JPMorgan Chase suggested that the Qantas frequent-flyer program could be worth A$2 billion (US$1.9 billion), representing more than a quarter of the total market value of Qantas.

On 1 July 2008, a major overhaul of the programme was announced. The two key new features of the programme are Any Seat rewards, in which members can redeem any seat on the plane, rather than just selected ones — at a price. The second new feature is Points Plus Pay, where members can use a combination of cash and points to redeem an award. Additionally, the Frequent Flyer store was also expanded to include a greater range of products and services. Announcing the revamp, Qantas confirmed it would be seeking to raise about A$1 billion in 2008 by selling up to 40% of the frequent flyer program. However, in September 2008, it stated it would defer the float, citing volatile market conditions.

The Qantas Club

The Qantas Club is the 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 or four years) 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.

Facilities at the Qantas Club vary by lounge, but typically include:

Business Lounge — workstations, internet access, facsimile, photocopying facilities;

Showers — self-contained washrooms with free toiletries;

Bar — free bar, staffed from early afternoon (domestic) or open 24 hours with self-service (international).

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

Some 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. When flying with American Airlines, members have access to Admirals Club lounges and when flying on British Airways, members have access to the Terraces Lounge.

Platinum Frequent Flyers had previously been able to access The Qantas Club in Australian domestic terminals at any time, regardless of whether they are flying that day.

Travellers holding Oneworld Sapphire or Emerald status are also welcome in Qantas Club lounges worldwide.

Airline incidents

===Aircraft incidents and accidents=== It is often claimed, most notably in the 1988 movie ''Rain Man'', that Qantas has never had an aircraft crash. While it is true that the company has neither lost a jet airliner nor had any jet fatalities, it had eight fatal accidents and an aircraft shot down between 1927 and 1945, with the loss of 63 people. Half of these accidents and the shoot-down occurred during World War II, when the Qantas aircraft were operating on behalf of Allied military forces. Post-war, it lost another two aircraft with the loss of 17 lives. To this date, the last fatal accident suffered by Qantas was in 1951.

Since the end of World War II, the following accidents and incidents have occurred:

On 7 April 1949, Avro Lancastrian VH-EAS swung on landing at Dubbo during a training flight, causing the gear to collapse. The aircraft was destroyed by fire, but the crew evacuated safely. On 16 July 1951, de Havilland Australia DHA-3 Drover VH-EBQ crashed off the coast of New Guinea (in the Huon Gulf near the mouth of the Markham River) after the centre engine's propeller failed. The pilot and the six passengers on board were killed. To date, this was the last fatal accident suffered by Qantas. On 24 August 1960, Super Constellation VH-EAC crashed on take-off at Mauritius en route to the Cocos Islands. The take-off was aborted following an engine failure, the aircraft ran off the runway, and was destroyed by fire. There were no fatalities. On 23 September 1999, Qantas Flight 1, a Boeing 747–400 VH-OJH, overran the runway while landing at Bangkok, Thailand, during a heavy thunderstorm. The aircraft ended up on a golf course, but without fatalities. The Australian Transport Safety Bureau criticised numerous inadequacies in Qantas' operational and training processes. On 25 July 2008, Qantas Flight 30, a Boeing 747–400 VH-OJK, on the leg from Hong Kong to Melbourne, suffered a rapid decompression and made an emergency landing in Manila after an explosion. There were no injuries. The ATSB officially stated that the incident was caused by the failure of an oxygen tank. On 7 October 2008, Qantas Flight 72, an Airbus A330-300 VH-QPA "Kununurra" travelling from Singapore to Perth, suffered a rapid loss of altitude in two sudden uncommanded pitch down manoeuvres causing serious injuries while from Learmonth, Australia. The aircraft safely landed in Learmonth, with 14 people requiring transportation by air ambulance to Perth. Another 30 people also required hospital treatment, while an additional 30 people had injuries not requiring hospital treatment. Initial investigations identified an inertial reference system fault in the Number-1 Air Data Inertial Reference Unit as the likely origin of the event. On receiving false indication of a very high angle of attack, the flight control systems commanded a pitch down movement, reaching a maximum of 8.5 degrees pitch down. On 4 November 2010 Qantas Flight 32, an Airbus A380, named "Nancy-Bird Walton" and registered VH-OQA, fitted with four Trent 972 engines manufactured by Rolls-Royce suffered an uncontained turbine disc failure of its left inboard engine shortly after taking off from Singapore Changi Airport. The flight returned to Singapore and landed safely, and all 433 passengers and 26 crew on board survived uninjured. Cowling parts of the failed engine fell over Batam island, Indonesia.

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 demanding $500,000 in unmarked $20 notes. 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. Qantas paid the money and it was collected, after which Mr. Brown called again, advising the 'bomb on the plane' story was a hoax. The initial pursuit of the perpetrator was bungled by the New South Wales Police Force who, despite having been advised of the matter from the time of the first call, failed to establish adequate surveillance of the pick-up of the money. Directed not to use their radios (for fear of being "overheard"), the police were unable to communicate adequately. Tipped off by a still-unidentified informer, the police arrested an Englishman, Peter Macari, finding more than $138,000 hidden in an Annandale property. Convicted and sentenced to 15 years in prison, Macari served nine years before being deported to Britain. Over $224,000 has still not been found. The 1985 telemovie ''Call Me Mr. Brown'', directed by Scott Hicks and produced by Terry Jennings, relates to this incident.

On 4 July 1997, a copycat extortion attempt was thwarted by police and Qantas security staff.

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 of discrimination. 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 to children. The policy has also been criticised for failing to take female abusers into consideration.

Price fixing

Qantas has pleaded guilty to participating in a cartel that fixed the price of air cargo. Qantas Airways Ltd. was fined $155,000 CAD after it admitted that its freight division fixed surcharges on cargo exported on certain routes from Canada between May 2002 and February 2006.

See also

The Double Sunrise

QantasLink

Ansett Australia

Jetstar Airways

Virgin Australia

Transport in Australia

Keith Thiele

References

Qantas August 2011 Investor Briefing: ''Building a Stronger Qantas'' retrieved 25 August 2011

External links

Qantas Ephemera at the National Library of Australia

Original Qantas Logbook at the State Library Of Queensland

Qantas Airways To Cut 1000 Jobs & Launch Premium Asian & Japanese Budget Airlines

Category:Airlines of Australia Category:IATA members Category:Acronyms Category:Airlines established in 1920 Category:Orphan initialisms Category:Companies based in Sydney Category:Oneworld Category:Australian brands

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Coordinates	24°2′″N97°4′″N
birth name	John Joseph Travolta
birth date	February 18, 1954
birth place	Englewood, New Jersey, U.S.
occupation	Actor, singer, dancer, producer, writer
years active	1969–present
religion	Roman Catholic (until 1975)Scientologist (1975-present)
spouse
children
website	http://www.travolta.com }}

John Joseph Travolta (born February 18, 1954) is an American actor, dancer and singer. Travolta first became known in the 1970s, after appearing on the television series ''Welcome Back, Kotter'' and starring in the box office successes ''Saturday Night Fever'' and ''Grease''. Travolta's acting career declined in the early 1980s and continued to deteriorate throughout the remainder of the decade. His career faced a resurgence in the 1990s with his role in ''Pulp Fiction'', and he has since continued starring in Hollywood films including ''Face/Off'', ''Ladder 49'', and ''Wild Hogs''. Travolta was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor for ''Saturday Night Fever'' and ''Pulp Fiction''. He won the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor - Motion Picture Musical or Comedy for his performance in ''Get Shorty''.

Early life

Travolta, the youngest of six children, was born and raised in Englewood, New Jersey, an inner-ring suburb of New York City. His father, Salvatore Travolta (November 1912 – May 1995), was a semi-professional American football player turned tire salesman and partner in a tire company. His mother, Helen Cecilia (née Burke, January 1912 – December 1978), was an actress and singer who had appeared in ''The Sunshine Sisters'', a radio vocal group, and acted and directed before becoming a high school drama and English teacher. His siblings are Joey, Ellen, Ann, Margaret, and Sam Travolta. Travolta's father was a second-generation Italian American and his mother was Irish American; he grew up in an Irish-American neighborhood and has said that his household was predominantly Irish in culture. He was raised Roman Catholic, but converted to Scientology in 1975.

Career

Early career

After attending Dwight Morrow High School, Travolta moved across the Hudson River to New York City and landed a role in the touring company of the musical ''Grease'' and on Broadway in ''Over Here!'' singing the Sherman Brothers' song "Dream Drummin'". He then moved to Los Angeles to further his career in show business.

Travolta's first California-filmed television role was as a fall victim in, ''Emergency!'' (S2E2), in September 1972, but his first significant movie role was as Billy Nolan, a bully who was goaded into playing a prank on Sissy Spacek's character in the horror film, ''Carrie'' (1976). Around the same time, he landed his star-making role as Vinnie Barbarino in the TV sitcom ''Welcome Back, Kotter'' (1975–1979), in which his sister, Ellen, also occasionally appeared (as Arnold Horshack's mother). The show aired on ABC.

'70s stardom

Around this time, Travolta had a hit single entitled "Let Her In" peaking at number ten on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. In the next few years, he appeared in some of his most memorable screen roles: Tony Manero in ''Saturday Night Fever'' (1977) and as Danny Zuko in ''Grease'' (1978). These two films were among the most commercially successful pictures of the decade and catapulted Travolta to international stardom. ''Saturday Night Fever'' earned him an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor. At age 24, Travolta became one of the youngest performers ever nominated for the Best Actor Oscar. His mother and his sister Ann appeared as extras in ''Saturday Night Fever'' and his sister Ellen appeared as a waitress in ''Grease''. Travolta performed several of the songs on the ''Grease'' soundtrack album. In 1980, Travolta inspired a nationwide country music craze that followed on the heels of his hit film, ''Urban Cowboy'', in which he starred with Debra Winger.

Downturn

After ''Urban Cowboy'', Travolta starred in a string of flops that sidelined his acting career. These included ''Perfect'', co-starring Jamie Lee Curtis, and ''Two of a Kind'', a romantic comedy reteaming him with Olivia Newton-John. During that time he was offered, but turned down, lead roles in what would become box office hits, including ''American Gigolo'' and ''An Officer and a Gentleman'', both of which went to Richard Gere.

Resurgence

In 1989 Travolta starred in ''Look Who's Talking'', which grossed $297,000,000, making it his most successful film since ''Grease''. Travolta continued to the 2 sequels ''Look Who's Talking Too'' (1990) and ''Look Who's Talking Now'' (1993). But It was not until he played Vincent Vega in Quentin Tarantino's hit ''Pulp Fiction'' (1994), for which he received an Academy Award nomination, that his career was revived. The movie shifted him back onto the A-list, and he was inundated with offers. Notable roles following ''Pulp Fiction'' include a movie-buff loan shark in ''Get Shorty'' (1995), an FBI agent and terrorist in ''Face/Off'' (1997), a desperate attorney in ''A Civil Action'' (1998), a Bill Clinton-esque presidential candidate in ''Primary Colors'' (1998) and a military detective in ''The General's Daughter'' (1999).

2000–present

Travolta also starred in ''Battlefield Earth'' (2000) based on a work of science fiction by L. Ron Hubbard, in which he played the leader of a group of aliens that enslaves humanity on a bleak future Earth. The film received almost universally negative reviews and did very poorly at the box office. Travolta played Mrs. Edna Turnblad in the remake of ''Hairspray'', his first musical since ''Grease''.

Personal life

Travolta was in a relationship with actress Diana Hyland, whom he met while filming ''The Boy in the Plastic Bubble''; Hyland died of breast cancer in 1977.

Travolta married actress Kelly Preston in 1991. The couple had a son, Jett (1992–2009). Their daughter, Ella Bleu, was born in 2000. On May 18, 2010, Travolta and Preston announced that she was pregnant with the couple's third child, later confirmed to be a boy. Their son, Benjamin, was born on November 23, 2010 in Florida.

Travolta and Preston have regularly attended marriage counseling; Travolta has stated that therapy has helped the marriage.

Travolta is a certified private pilot and owns five aircraft, including an ex-Qantas Boeing 707–138 airliner. The plane bears the name ''Jett Clipper Ella'' in honor of his children. Pan American World Airways was a large operator of the Boeing 707 and used Clipper in its names. The 707 aircraft bears the marks of Qantas, as Travolta acts as an official goodwill ambassador for the airline wherever he flies. His $4.9 million estate in the Jumbolair subdivision in Ocala, Florida, is situated on Greystone Airport with its own runway and taxiway right to his front door. On September 13, 2010, during the first episode of the final season of her talk show, Oprah Winfrey announced that she would be taking her entire studio audience on an 8-day expenses-paid trip to Australia, with Travolta serving as pilot for the trip. He had helped Winfrey plan the trip for over a year. On 24 Nov. 1992 Travolta piloting his Gulfstream N728T at night (on top of a solid undercast) had a total electrical system failure while flying IFR into DCA. During the emergency landing there was a near mid-air collision with USAir Boeing 727, due to a risky decision by an air trafic controller.

Travolta has been a practitioner of Scientology since 1975 when he was given the book ''Dianetics'' while filming the movie ''The Devil's Rain'' in Durango, Mexico. After the 2010 Haiti earthquake, joining other celebrities in helping with the relief efforts, Travolta flew his 707 full of supplies, doctors, and Scientologist Volunteer Ministers into the disaster area.

In June 2010, Travolta and Preston donated $10,000 to the Nelson Mandela Children's Fund while on a trip to South Africa.

Son's death

On January 2, 2009, Travolta and Preston's son, Jett, died while on their holiday vacation in The Bahamas. A Bahamian death certificate was issued, attributing the cause of death to a seizure. Jett, who had a history of seizures, reportedly suffered from Kawasaki disease as an infant. On September 24, 2009, long a source of speculation, Travolta and Preston confirmed that their son had autism and suffered regular seizures. They made their statements while giving a testimony after a multi-million dollar extortion plot against them regarding the circumstances of their son's death. After a mistrial, Travolta dropped the charges. Travolta has credited his family and faith in helping him survive the tragic death of his son, and in moving forward with his film career.

Filmography

+ List of film and television credits
! Year	! Title	! Role	Notes
1975	''''	John	TV movie
1975	''''	Danny
1976	''''	Tod Lubitch
1976		Billy Nolan
1977	''Saturday Night Fever''	Tony Manero
1978	''Moment by Moment''	Strip Harrison
1978
1980	''Urban Cowboy''	Buford 'Bud' Uan Davis
1981	''Blow Out''	Jack Terry
1983	''Staying Alive''	Tony Manero
1983		Zack Melon
1985		Adam Lawrence
1987		Ben	TV segment "The Dumb Waiter"
1989	''Look Who's Talking''	James Ubriacco
1989	''''	Travis
1990	''Look Who's Talking Too''	James Ubriacco
1991		Jack Cabe
1991	''Eyes Of An Angel''	Bobby	aka ''The Tender''
1991	''Chains of Gold''	Scott Barnes	TV movie; also writer
1992	''Boris and Natasha: The Movie''	Himself	cameo
1993	''Look Who's Talking Now''	James Ubriacco
1994		Vincent Vega
1995		Chili Palmer
1995		Louis Pinnock
1996
1996		George Malley
1996	''Orientation: A Scientology Information Film''	Himself	short subject
1996		Maj. Vic 'Deak' Deakins
1997		Himself	documentary
1997		Sam Baily
1997	''Face/Off''	Sean Archer/Castor Troy	Nomination—Saturn Award for Best Actor
1997	''She's So Lovely''	Joey Giamonti	also executive producer
1998	''''	Jan Schlichtmann
1998	''''	Brigadier General Quintard
1998	''Junket Whore''	Himself	documentary
1998		Governor Jack Stanton	Nomination—Golden Globe Award for Best Actor - Motion Picture Musical or Comedy
1999	''''	Warr. Off. Paul Brenner/Sgt. Frank White
1999	''Our Friend, Martin''	Kyle's dad	animated educational film, voice only
2000	''Welcome to Hollywood''	Himself	mockumentary; cameo
2000	''Lucky Numbers''
2000			also producerRazzie Award for Worst Actor
2001	''Domestic Disturbance''	Frank Morrison
2001		Gabriel Shear
2002	''Austin Powers in Goldmember''	"Austinpussy" Johann van der Smut (Goldmember) / Himself	cameo
2003		Tom Hardy
2004	''Ladder 49''	Captain Mike Kennedy
2004	''''	Bobby Long
2004	''''	Howard Saint
2005	''Magnificent Desolation: Walking on the Moon 3D''		narrator; documentary
2005	''Be Cool''	Chili Palmer
2006		Elmer C. Robinson
2007	''Wild Hogs''	Woody Stevens
2007
2008		Bolt the Dog	voice
2009	''''	Benard Ryder
2009		Charlie Reed
2010		Charlie Wax
2012		Dennis
2012	''The Expendables 2''

+ List of credits in series television
! Year	! Title	! Role	Notes
1972	''Emergency!''	Chuck Benson	Episode: "Kids"
1972	''Owen Marshall: Counselor at Law''		Episode: "A Piece of God"
1973	''''	Eddie Halley	Episode: " Frozen Smoke"
1974		Danny	Episode: "Saturday's Child"
1975–1979	''Welcome Back, Kotter''

Discography

Albums

! Year	! Album	! style="width:50px;"
1974	''Over Here!''
1976	''John Travolta''
1977	''Can't Let You Go''
	''Travolta Fever''
1983	''Two of a Kind''
1986	''The Road to Freedom''
1996	''Let Her In: The Best of John Travolta''
2003	''The Collection''
2007	''Hairspray''

Singles

"Dream Drummin (1974)

"Easy Evil" (1975)

"Can't Let You Go" (1975)

"You Set My Dreams To Music" (1976)

"Goodnight Mr. Moon" (1976)

"Rainbows" (1976)

"Settle Down" (1976)

"Moonlight Lady" (1976)

"Right Time Of The Night" (1976)

"Big Trouble" (1976)

"What Would They Say" (1976)

"Back Doors Crying" (1976)

"Let Her In" (1976) – #10

"Whenever I'm Away From You" (1976) – #38

"Slow Dancin'" (1976)

"It Had To Be You" (1976)

"I Don't Know What I Like About You Baby" (1976)

"All Strung Out On You" (1977) – #34

"Baby, I Could Be So Good At Lovin' You" (1977)

"Razzamatazz" (1977)

"You're the One That I Want" – #1 (1978) (w/ Olivia Newton-John)

"Sandy" (1978)

"Greased Lightnin" (1978) – #47

"Never Gonna Fall in Love Again" (1980)

"Hooker Madness" (1983)

"Take A Chance" (1983) (w/ Olivia Newton-John)

"Two Sleepy People" (1997) (w/ Carly Simon)

"I Thought I Lost You" (2008) (w/ Miley Cyrus)

See also

List of oldest and youngest Academy Award winners and nominees – Youngest Nominees for Best Actor

References

Further reading

Tast, Brigitte (ed.) ''John Travolta''. (Hildesheim/Germany 1978) ISBN 3-88842-103-9.

External links

John Travolta official site

John Travolta: A Passionate Ambassador of Aviation

Category:1954 births Category:Living people Category:20th-century actors Category:21st-century actors Category:Actors from New Jersey Category:American aviators Category:American dancers Category:American film actors Category:American male singers Category:American musical theatre actors Category:American musicians of Irish descent Category:American musicians of Italian descent Category:American people of Irish descent Category:American people of Italian descent Category:American pop singers Category:American Scientologists Category:American television actors Category:Best Musical or Comedy Actor Golden Globe (film) winners Category:Converts from Roman Catholicism Category:Former Roman Catholics Category:People from Bergen County, New Jersey Category:People from Englewood, New Jersey Category:Children of Entertainers

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Coordinates	24°2′″N97°4′″N
Name	Pam Ann
Background	solo_singer
Birth name	Caroline Reid
Origin	Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Occupation	Comedienne, Actress
Years active	1996–present
Website	www.pamann.com }}

Pam Ann is the air hostess alter-ego of Australian comedienne Caroline Reid. Performances focus on the nuances of air travel, identifying the individual quirks of some of the biggest international airlines and their media stereotypes. Her style leans towards camp humour, in the vein of Dame Edna Everage, Kathy Griffin and Chelsea Handler. The character of Pam Ann has developed a cult-like following and fans include Madonna, who describes Pam as "cruelly funny".

Appearances

Pam Ann has been featured in an advertising campaign for British Airways with over 1.25m views in a 6 week period. Qantas have Pam Ann’s Live DVD ‘Come Fly with Me’ in their in-flight programming. Most recently Pam Ann has been working closely with JetBlue and will be performing on their first ever JetPride flight which is a first on any US carrier operating from San Francisco to Long Beach for the Long Beach Pride. On 21 April 2010 she was the featured entertainment at JetBlue's party to celebrate the launch of their new Sabre reservation system, held at JetBlue's hangar at JFK Airport.

In Australia, Pam Ann starred in her own television talk show, ''The Pam Ann Show'' on the national Foxtel comedy channel. She also hosted Australia’s live broadcast of Mardi Gras 2009, airing in over 2 million households. She also appeared on the TV shows ''Project Runway UK'' and ''Britain’s Next Top Model''.

From a sellout worldwide tour in 2009 covering Europe, UK, Iceland, Canada, Australia, and the USA Pam Ann continues to sell out tours globally and will commence another worldwide tour in 2011.

Pan Ann has performed at the highly acclaimed London Palladium (2 sellout solo performances) and 2 sold out shows at the London Hammersmith Apollo. In 2010, Caroline Reid prepared to expand Pam Ann’s notoriety state-side relocated to NYC.

A proud Australian, Pam revealed in a UK interview that she no longer would want to live in Australia. “Well, I loved being back there, and I’ll probably get killed for this, but I don’t think I could live out there anymore!... Don’t get me wrong, it’s so nice to go home and spend time there, but after living in London and New York, I think my attention span has been shortened--I need more.”

Characters

Pam (Pam Ann) Her signature character

Lily (Singapore Airlines) A Singapore Chinese-flight attendant who would sacrifice passenger safety for her Gucci handbag.

Valerie (American Airlines) An ageing American flight attendant from Texas, who is accompanied with a man in an Osama Bin Laden mask.

Vanity (Virgin Atlantic Airways) A sultry, woman in red who asks that passengers call her sex line.

Mona (British Airways) A BA attendant who has appeared with a horse-head instead of a face and "piss off" attitude.

Donna (EasyJet) A typical, ignorant chav dressed in orange with Croydon facelift and hoop earings

Vespa (Alitalia) A perky Italian woman who greets passengers with "Ciao! Bellissimo! Donatellaversace!"

Chantal Jemeladonne (Air France) A snobby fashionista who walks the aircraft aisle as if it were a catwalk

Marcia (unspecified African airline) Dressed in flowing gowns and accompanied by soul music

Heidi (Scandinavian Airlines System) A stereotypical Swedish blonde woman who usually appears undressed with coffee pots strategically located.

Conchita Rosa María González Gómez (Iberia Airlines) A tiny Spanish woman with bright red hair and sings "Fanta, do you want a Fanta? Fanta? Fanta?"

Helga (Lufthansa) A brash, dominating woman who barks out commands and orders

Unnamed Arabic woman (Emirates Airline & Etihad Airways) A woman with a chador and ski mask talking gibberish that resembles Arabic

Unnamed Indian woman (Air India) A woman in a sari who ignores passenger's requests on call button (made by herself), while declaring "I am fingering the air hostess, but she is not coming."

Malaka Pustis (Olympic Airlines) A cigarette smoking, kebab-meat-cutting woman who says "Pustis pustis pustis malaka tzatziki".

Gloria (Qantas) A Qantas air hostess who wears the typical Qantas uniform. While giving the safety video, she states some of Qantas's defects. She also offers a full "head to toe" licking for everyone who still chooses to fly Qantas.

Sarah (Virgin Blue) A Virgin Blue air hostess who offers passengers salty nuts. When a terrorist tries taking her hostage, she offers him oral pleasure.

Clodagh (Ryanair) An Irish flight attendant who often syphons fuel from other airlines and repeatedly shouts "I love my job".

Acting

Caroline makes an appearance in the British comedy film ''Confetti'', as a judge called Minky.

Friends and acquaintances

She is a good friend of Australian singers Tina Arena and Dannii Minogue. Pam Ann performed in-flight entertainment for the 40th birthday of David Furnish, partner of the musician Elton John. Reid has said guests such as Victoria Beckham and Lulu loved being barked at to sit down, teased that they were going to a different destination, then warned the aircraft was going to blow up. “It went down so well because they’re used to people licking their arses,” she said. She also accompanied Cher on her Farewell tour.

Notes and references

External links

Pam Ann's Homepage

Pam Ann

BBC | Pam Ann's Mile High Club

Pam Ann DVD

Category:Australian comedians Category:Living people Category:Year of birth missing (living people)

es:Pam Ann