Like every good story there is an element of truth in the “we wont order 787 threat”
He is absolutely correct in so much as if every pilot in the qf group said “we will not fly the 787 for anything less than a million a year and unicorns for everyone” then obviously they wont order 787’s.
But that is obviously a stupid and extreme example - not EVERYONE wants a unicorn
but the point is without a reasonable chance of achieving a negotiated set of terms and conditions upon which they can build the ongoing business case for the fleet on then the risk associated with ordering a squillion dollars worth of aeroplanes is high BUT that is not where they are at.
Some HR knob has decided, in his/her wisdom, that pilots, being pilots, will want to fly the shiney new jet and be prepared to do so on the cheap and if threatened will cave.
They have not looked at the flip side and realised that without new aircraft the airline will wither and die.
Fuel will eventually kick up again and the operating cost of old fuel inefficient aeroplanes will bite, maintenance - both costs and reliability will be impacted and again these will cause the airline to wither and die.
So, in my opinion, the threat to take their bat and ball and go home is merely a negotiating tactic to divide the pilot group and get a sense for what the mood of the group is.
Undoubtedly some HR intern is reading these posts and reporting back letting them know that the collective mood is “up yours” and they will adjust the rhetoric appropriately.
The other thing is Andrew said they wont order 787’s but didnt say they would not order 350’s....it is all in the detail and he can make the threat without his nose growing like pinnocio because they have a latest generation aeroplane they can order whilst still being truthful about the threat.
But to be clear, the choice to maintain the current fleet and not move, at some point, into more fuel and maintenance efficient aeroplanes is as destructive to executive bonuses as it is to pilot promotional plans.
Same applies to the other mob who have 777’s coming up on 10 years old and a small fleet of 330’s with no new aircraft orders in place, admittedly that is driven by the lack of money than pilot negotiations.