Originally Posted by
Asturias56
"I'm curious why you think that Qantas should have ordered more aircraft by now"
1. Pilots love new aeroplanes - just like spotters (and aircraft manufacturers)
2. New types mean retraining - which adds interest & skills
3. New types means you can try and extort extra cash
4. You can hold up your head with those who have shiny new new types rather the being the girl/guy at the BBQ who has to admit they're flying an airframe that's older than they are.......
I agree with PF (new) - if you are making money why would you take on more debt etc just to have a shiny out of the box fleet? Pay yourself more, retire the debt you have , pay the shareholders and even throw a bone to the whining mob who fly the things
Alternatvely:
1. Many pilots are over the age of 12, and realise that a jet is just a tube with some wings & engines. I think most QF 767 and 747 drivers would’ve been very happy for them not to be retired. New jets are nice, but other things are more important.
2. Who honestly wants to do yet another training course?
3. ‘New types mean you can try and extort extra cash’ - what, like the 30% productivity that was given up on the 787?
And note that Tino says he wants even more concessions beyond that 30%, if he’s to buy any more 787s. There may be extortion going on here, but it’s not from the pilots.
4. See 1.
So why take on debt for a shiny new fleet? Because your existing fleet burns a heap more fuel than more modern alternatives. Because your existing fleet starts costing a lot of money to keep in the air, and may eventually just run out of cycles and hours. And because eventually your passengers might notice that your competition is flying stuff that isn’t 20 or 30 years old. But by all means hang onto your ageing fleet and use the money on share buybacks, $24 million CEO salaries, and to pay QF Angels to write sh1t on the internet. It just mightn’t be the healthiest choice in the long term.