Is Qantas an airline or a duty free retailer.

Is Qantas an airline or a duty free retailer.I travel frequently on multiple carriers and note more a focus on duty free sales than most any other carrier.Most all who travel frequently and even those on there first trip outside OZ all realize it,s a rip off.Most if they have done there fill in overpriced SYD,do not need a dedicated flight attendant selling this crap, get them doing customer service as they shore need it.The cost of transporting it to an aircraft,the weight of it all,additional fuel..focus on the customer please.This revenue stream if it actually derives revenue should be stopped.I know four fellow P1,s that never buy on board duty free.

Come on AJ eliminate something that is long overdue for elimination.

Korean Airlines famously is the biggest seller of onboard duty free and it represents a significant proportion of it's revenue.

Qantas' sales wouldn't hold a candle to KE's duty free sales, but it's an important element in helping to keep the airline afloat. Dropping it would be a huge mistake and I think FA's would also be against such a move because it gives them something to do in the many hours between meal times and take off/landing.

Some people obviously do buy duty free on board - I doubt Qantas (and many other airlines) have been carting stuff around just for the hell of it. I've certainly bought items of duty free on board, usually something other than alcohol/fragrances and it's always a bit of fun for me!

This duty-free business use to make sense decades ago and even then why one would buy in airplane when it is possible to do so on the ground? Nowadays with Internet trading only heavy taxed items like alcohol and tobacco make sense to buy from duty free. Even electronics like cameras could be negotiated in city cheaper with duty than in airport without duty and again they even cheaper in the net. Wholly agree – duty-free has to be scrapped from airplanes.

I pity the flight attendant who's been tasked to do the duty free rounds. Is it a form of punishment? LOL

Am I the only person that purchases (mainly alcohol) from In-Sky Shopping these days? I use it to avoid the stupidly long morning peak crowds at SYD, or when I'm US bound (because they don't have duty free post arrival). Plus I'm not a fan of lugging two 1L bottles from the store, to the lounge, to the gate, then through the arrival corridors - easier to pick it up in-flight for generally the same discounts.

Honestly, the in-flight duty free service is handy when you need it, unobtrusive when you don't. (Unless you consider an FA walking down the aisle 3 times a flight obstrusive - it must be a hard life.) It's imbecilic to think that an airline is compromising quality because an airline offers in-flight shopping!

I always enjoy picking up something on a long flight to Europe, For me its more part of the experience of the journey than trying to make a massive saving on the price

I just like buying the duty free Vodka on board - so when they stop serving me alcohol on the flight - I have a ready stash I can get into. 

The do have certain items that you cannot buy in Australia.