Why does Qantas not board via the rear stairs as well as the aerobridge (on domestic flights at least)?

Why does Qantas not board via the rear stairs as well as the aerobridge (on domestic flights at least)?

Because its tacky

Because pax have to be supervised onto tarmac in Syd for eg within metres of an active taxi way. QF Link pax get straight on a bus of are supervised to the front door (max 72 pax) compared to 200+ 

"Full service" is using the aerobridge.  If travelling on my own, I couldn't care which way I go as long as it is not raining and I'm not stuck behind somebody in the aisle taking ages to feather their airplane nest and stow bags that should have gone in the hold.  However, if travelling with the billy lids, aerobridge all the way (and I seek out boarding assistance too).

DJ seem to be able to arrange the "supervision to use rear stairs" and it does make boarding go smoothly (as long as people adhere to the instruction of which seats should board from the rear). The only annoying aspect is that on the occaision that I was flying DJ they seem to wait with offboarding until both aerobridge as well as rear stairs are attached with the excuse that "the aircraft might tip if we offboard via the aerobridge first> uuuhhh, how do other airlines seem to get away with only offboarding via the aerobridge? I will have to write DJ a letter to ask their explanation.....

Boarding via a set of stairs on the apron is something you'd expect from a "low-cost carrier", often at terminals and ports where gate leasehold prices are lower due to sparsely equipped facilities (like aerobridges being unavailable).

Qantas is a "full service" carrier, and at most ports-- given the premium you are paying for a QF airfare-- you generally would not expect to be required to walk out into the elements to board the aircraft.

Domestic QF flights are usually narrow-body (single aisle) aircraft, and it doesn't take an unreasonable amount of time to embark all passengers onto the plane through a single aerobridge at the gate.

That being said, there are some domestic ports where Qantas has no option but to board from the tarmac, and in these cases they do indeed board from both ends (e.g. Gold Coast Airport).

And I just realised I clicked on a "related questions" post from 2012. Ooops.

Four years on and QF does board from both the air bridge and rear now - I'm always glad i sit at the front of Y when I see this happening.  I can do stairs but, call me a snob, there's something 'Jetstar' about this practice.  Air NZ also does it in NZ at the majors when their larger planes are hooked up to air bridges but I can't recall any of BA, AA or KLM doing this on a recent trip to their respective ports.