Chase my tail with Z-Blood. I thought my points were clear. I will revisit what I see are core issues and patterns with a Branson start up- which despite your dogmatism and contrariness, I believe to be very pertinent to the conditions of sevice for Australian pilots.
Australian pilots are unique. Not just in their self-defeating professional rivalries and petty jealousies ( QF envy a plague on pprune ) but for the following. For every airline position at home there are many, many more occupied abroad by Australians. This is because of a number of the following factors- huge GA, a relatively large military, the 89 dispute which had a large number of pilots move abroad and replaced largely within, Ansett collapse had another large group move abroad, aswell as an unusual situation now where their is attriton abroad from J*, Virgin Blue and QF pilots. Aswell as an artificial feeding of the Singapore market by QF and J* Asia .
So Australian pilots may well be the greatest feeder of the international pilot market. Whenever there has been a critical shortage on the market, since 89, Australians have provided experience. This to the chagrin of other nationalities, who firmly believe without such a large number of Aussies abroad there conditions would be better.
Do Australians affect the international market? Yes by weight of numbers they do aswell as by historically providing high levels of experience during periods of critical pilot shortages.
Do the at home packages of Australians affect Australians abroad and the international pilot market? I believe they do especially when an airline has a large number of expat Oz pilots. Examples- EK and it's professional pilots survey, SQ has very good knowledge and application of Aussie market forces , CX & KA HR staff have been known to interview new hire, former Low Cost Pilots from
VB & J* on their Australian packages.
All of this with a view to see how cheap Aussies are at home to test the viability of basings, aswell to see how cheap they can get away with expat packages, and of course, as a pressure in current package/wage negotiations- have the CX, KA, SQ, EK packages improved in recent?
How does the Branson pattern fit in? I believe it is a serious concern because of the
VB precedent and "new start up" patterns since. Branson will waltz into town with a core of experienced managers ( EK 89ers for pilots maybe ), stimulate rivalry with the evil QF incumbant that will feed a team spirit within the company that keeps them off the trail of their poor relative working conditions. Promises to staff of improved package once the business is up and running.
Virgin International Australia will not want to pay for experience from the market place to facilitate type inducction and smooth start up, it will want to wet lease initially to do what it can to avoid having to entice the market of large numbers of experienced Australians to crew the new airline. Like
VB, a core of experience, but the rest of the pilots inexperienced on type or in whole, who will trundle off to do the cheapest endorsement possible returning without any knowledge or application of their new airline's SOP's in the cheap process. They are now ready for a short burst of line training. There won't be seniority which helps keep costs down too- Direct Entry captains can ensure a pool of inexperienced pilots used for F/O's positions to keep the package way down and ensure rapid expansion without the need to invest in training resources.
The package? Shock, horror, gaspe from the Aussies! Branson has used NJS and J* as a benchmark. Inflation in mind, the new start up pilots ( Capt 130K F/O 80K ) are flying brand new 340's cheaper than not only present day
VB pilots, but cheaper then when the
VB pilots started years before.Upper Pilot Management will be rewarded better with performance deals to keep the general pilot package in check.
The real danger has materialised. Just like every Australian based start up in the last 10 years, Australians have enthusiastically undercut all previous.
What are the consequences to the biggest feeders of the international pilot market? A flap of a bees wings but possibly the following- QF starts a low cost offshoot but it will warm many ppruners ( foolishly ) to see a deterioration of QF conditions. Junior QF F/O's will be forced to take poorer paying positions but promotion in the low cost offshoot. SQ sacks contract pilots based in Aus' but reinstates as many as they can get their hands on based on the new poor Virgin International packages. EK bases pilots in Oz on similar. Other international carriers follow suit. Cheap Oz pilots work for international airliines based in Oz but find themselves based away from home on their respective airline's network for good periods ( days off down route so they really become expats based in Oz on Low Cost pay ).
What can be done? Who knows? But if Branson undercuts again don't foolishly ignore the ramifications.
AIPA & QF could lobby government and regulatory bodies to ensure no cheap shortcuts and no initial foreign wetleases.
VB pilots through EBA's try to get a percentage of international positions- because frankly,
VB wages may well be a victory for a new Branson start up! Probably a lot more could be done too.
If conditions are preserved by Australian pilots that is giving to future generations. If they are lost, sold out for short term reward, that is taking.
Remember, there will never be a pilot shortage in Australian. Remember, the advent of the low cost pilot who pays for training has also slewed the market, whereby attrition does not hurt the carrier, and hence pilots leaving, will not result in improved packages due skilled labour loss, to the extent it would at a an airline that provides training. That in my opinion the greatest folly and ignorance of paying for training.
Take from the profession and sell out the future generation, or give to the profession and preserve?
Z-Blood I am open to either! What choice do we have?
