Qantas shook up shareholders, the aviation industry and financial analysts across Australia with its staggering full-year loss of $2.84 billion announced on Thursday. But travellers shrugged their shoulders, marketing experts say.

Already worn out by past Qantas dramas such as the grounding of the fleet in 2011 and squabbles with the government, consumers could not care less, said marketing academic Paul Harrison from Deakin University.

"There would have been a time when people did care. The [financial] result is a frightening headline, but for most people there wouldn't be that initial shock and sadness for the brand the way it might have when you actually felt like it was a closest friend," he said.

Chief executive Alan Joyce during his announcement said Qantas had hit record customer satisfaction levels, and the future was looking brighter.

"While we are aggressively cutting our costs we are creating even better experiences for our customers, because our customers are at the heart of everything we do at Qantas," he said.

But Bryan Lukas, chairman of marketing at the University of Melbourne, said the promises most likely fell on deaf ears.

"There have been a series of events where Qantas had decided to play hardball with the government and often at the expense of customers and their convenience," he said. "All people have seen is the whinging."

The Qantas annual report said it was "optimising its network and fleet", adding it could cut costs and improve travel experiences at the same time.

Professor Lukas said no one had seen real changes in the service and cabins. "They're just seeing cutting, cutting and cutting and no investment, investment."

At the service front-line, the major loss had no impact on the general travelling public, Australian Federation of Travel Agents chief executive Jayson Westbury said.

"The minute they step on to a Qantas plane when they head home, they still get shivers down their spine. That's what I know for sure."