Contrition! How rare! Loss of customers now clearly a worry for the incompetents running Qantas

Qantas boss apologises to frequent flyers for Easter delays. No word of what he is doing to prevent further problems, however

QANTAS Airways chief executive Alan Joyce has written to frequent flyers saying sorry for flight cancellations due to what he says were mechanical issues and not safety problems.

Mr Joyce says that despite some "sensational coverage recently, safety was never an issue" in recent incidents that plagued the national flag carrier, including over the Easter holiday. "I want to apologise if you were affected personally by the disruptions," Mr Joyce said in the letter, which reached the inboxes of the airline's frequent flyer members today.

"I know that Easter is a special opportunity to unite family and friends, and I sincerely regret any frustration and anxiety you may have experienced due to the delays."

Qantas spokesman Simon Rushton said it was the first time Mr Joyce had written directly to frequent flyers since he was appointed chief executive in November 2008. The airline has experienced major disruptions for various reasons in the past two weeks.

A Boeing 747 bound for Singapore and Frankfurt was forced to return to Sydney - but not before dumping fuel at sea - on March 30 due to an engine problem. The next day, an Airbus A380 flying in from London via Singapore blew out two tyres upon landing at Sydney airport, leaving the 244 passengers stranded on board for about two hours on the tarmac. It was later identified as a braking problem. And a Qantas flight headed for Los Angeles had to return to Melbourne Airport on April 5 after pilots noticed cracks in the cockpit window.

Mr Joyce said these events "did not represent safety threats", although he did not refer specifically to any particular incident. "I also want to give you my personal assurance that you can continue to fly Qantas with confidence," Mr Joyce said. "We always respond conservatively to any mechanical or performance issue, and we always put safety before schedule.

"We hate disappointing our customers and we do all we can to rectify matters when things go wrong."

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