Gee Wizz Keg, it looks like you've really had your buttons pushed. Not my intention to wind your spring. I'm not anti-QF pilots at all, but I do follow the great Australian tradition of bagging out the bulldust when I see it.
For your responses, I can see that you and many at QF have been under a fair bit of stress lately. Fair enough, all forgiven. Perhaps there is also some in-fighting within AIPA and hence any criticism of your president is to be resoundly squashed. This is a difficult time that your union faces. It's none of my business, so I wont press the point.
As for "jealousies" or "chips on the shoulder" wrt to Qantas, I simply don't have any and why would I? Post Ansett, I've enjoyed career progress, pay, status and satisfaction WAY beyond what would have been on offer had I gone to QF in 2001. I am aware that many of my fellow workmates who did go to QF as 2nd officers have now realised that there are far better options and have moved on. Some of them have moved from SOs at QF to Command position at J*.
I recieved an email from a poster who says that the media release containing the quote in question was writen by
PR people and the AIPA president signed it. I find it believable that this could be the case. In any event, it is a far more palatable explaination for all concerned than he came up with crap like that himself. It probably wasn't the best move to put his name to it though, was it?
Anyway, I do understand the frustrations that you guys feel as J* expands, Tigers lurk, the middle eastern carriers lie in wait and your very own managers threaten the career aspirations of mainline QF pilots; the disgusting manner in which the A330 guys have been treated is a case in point. The industry is changing and from what I've seen, AIPA is not doing a very good job at present of adapting to the the new order of things. I say this joylessly, simply observing. But I am a suvivour, and you must learn to adapt, as I have.
I wish you luck.