JFK Dispensation
At the end of the day you’re a fool if you vote no to this dispensation. Neither the company nor the general public give a rats who does the flying. If the kiwi’s get this flying we lose a lot of valuable LAX patterns a long with it. Not only that, New Zealand based crew will be taken off undesirable patterns such as Johannesburg and Mumbai in order to cover the New York shuttle flying. Have a think about the amount of long range and overtime pay that will be lost, not to mention $US allowances. I have operated one of these shuttles and let me tell you it was a lot easier then an LAX-SYD or a SIN-LHR sector. The flights are never full and the whole 7 day trip added up to over 10 hours overtime which equals a pay packet of well over $2000. Comparing us to US based carriers is absolutely pointless they are either bankrupt or on the verge being so. If the duty stretches to beyond 17 hours then you vote no and stay in New York, it’s not rocket science. If you don’t want to do them, then don’t bid for them! As for this setting a precedent to perform longer duties (i.e. MEL/SIN/MEL) that would be a total breach of CASA regulations and would be illegal regardless of how many crew were on board(check the regulations if you like). Yes the company will be purchasing ultra long range aircraft that can fly up to 19 hours (single sector) So when the company starts flying SYD-JFK, SYD-DFW or PER-LHR, what are going to say ‘nooo too long for us give it to short haul’ and gee do you think they’ll take it?! I’ve worked in a number of different areas in this company where I’ve had to work a lot harder and a lot longer then I am now and I wasn’t even getting close to the kind of money I’m earning now in Long Haul. We need to protect the flying we have by making sensible decisions and by looking at each and every case on its merits. We have lost enough great flying with the opening of the LHR base, let’s not lose anymore!