Qantas De-Crewing
QANTAS will cut the number of cabin crew on its flagship A380 aircraft even though unions have raised fears about an ''inferior service'' due to a heavier workload for staff.
The airline plans to cut flight attendants on the double-decker aircraft from 22 to 21 late next month. The announcement comes a week after Qantas cut cabin crew on its A330-300 aircraft from 10 to nine.
The international flight attendants' union says the cuts are likely to increase stress among cabin crew faced with ''already challenging service requirements''. The cuts raised ''potential safety implications'' and could lead to an ''inferior service on board'', it said.
The A380 is the centrepiece of the Qantas fleet. The airline recently said it was ''so successful it is effectively a destination in its own right''.
The Flight Attendants Association of Australia said ''a desire to obtain cost savings in the face of a difficult international flying environment'' was the main reason for reducing staff on the aircraft, which fly international routes. The union has been arguing against the cuts for months.
A380s are seen as giving Qantas an advantage in the lucrative business travel market on routes to Los Angeles and London. Singapore Airlines has cabin crews of 23 on each of its A380s.
A Qantas spokesman said the changes were ''above or in line'' with Civil Aviation Safety Authority requirements and had been ''planned so they will not impact our high in-flight customer service''.
Qantas cut the number of cabin crew on its 747 jumbos about four years ago from 16 to 15. About a year afterwards it returned some services to destinations such as South Africa to their former staffing levels.