But wait... there's more... the DFO strikes back.
Speaking from her spectacular villa in Tuscany, the DFO confirmed that her villa was available for rent on the 6 weeks of the year she did not use the property.
When challenged with the suggestion that Cathay was becoming a training airline for Qantas, she robustly replied, “It is not just Qantas, but UPS, Fedex, Jet 2, AirNZ, any airline really.” She rejected the rumour that 30 pilots had already joined Qantas this year and said “Cathay pilots would not join Qantas as they are qualified on the A50, which Qantas does not operate”. She went on to say that, “once our brushwingers wear their new equallettes and fly out jets, which are far bigger and shinier than Qantas’s jets, they remain loyal to us. Besides, we have most of them financially bonded and they are on South African passports, they are going nowhere.”
At this point the GMF, himself a South African, said, “Look, I have no opinion on anything, I am just here to see how far I can climb the greasy management totem pole”.
Another Cathay manager, Mr Yosef Bin Had, said. "I spent many years in the Cathay Fuel Hedging Team and now that I am a pilot manager, I stake my reputation on fact that there is not a pilot shortage. Qantas are over-reacting. I understand markets and the time is right to cut pilots' salaries".
A HKAOA representative, who referred to himself as El Presiligo, agreed to speak on strict anonymity and said that he was still shocked that HPE did not deliver concessions to the Company. He rejected the thought of escalating Industrial Action as he felt all issues could be resolved by interpretive dance. He went on to say, “Management are very vulnerable to a dance-off as they recently lost one of their best dancers, particularly in the shirtless category. The pilots are not confrontational, they just want to make concessions to get rid of the Training Ban, so I can return to Training and perhaps pick up a job in the Fleet Office and be with all my friends, who let me call them by their first names."
Qantas reported an interim record profit today and their shares are trading near peak whilst Cathay shares languish near their base.