Qantas announced it plans to close all its sales and service desks located at airports starting early next year to cut costs.
It makes sense in the current climate, Qantas says, especially with the growing shift to booking online.
It also impacts service desks located in airport lounges.
"This was happening before Covid but it has accelerated significantly since. Given that shift, we can’t ignore the efficiencies that come with removing the traditional sales desks, particularly in the current environment," said Phil Capps, Business Executive Manager of Product and Service.
The airline says it doesn’t expect the change to result in involuntary layoffs.
It will move some of the sales staff to work at check-in kiosks.
Since flights restarted after state lockdowns, Qantas says it has seen a 20% increase in customers checking-in online.
Qantas said the vast majority of inquiries made at its service desks were for passengers to change seats or flight times.
The airline reported a $2 billion annual loss due to Covid-19 global travel restrictions.
Written by Ray Montgomery, Asia Editor
