Jetstar crews 'drunk with tiredness'
- Samantha Maiden
- From: Sunday Herald Sun
- June 12, 2011 12:00AM
THE pressure to drive down flying costs has left Australian crews complaining they are so fatigued they are "drunk with tiredness" and falling asleep on the job.
And foreign air hostesses are working for budget airline Jetstar for half the pay of Australian workers to deliver cut-priced flights.
Air workers have warned the risk of fatigue and communication difficulties with foreign crews could pose a safety risk to passengers, claims that Jetstar strongly rejects.
The behind-the-scenes fallout of Australia's love affair with cheap air travel has been documented in a major Senate investigation of aircraft safety, fatigue and pilot training in Australia.
The
Sunday Herald Sun can reveal Thai cabin crew are working in Australia for base salaries of just 14,000 Thai baht or $430 a month, rising up to $30,000 a year with overtime and allowances.
After hearing evidence on the practices of Qantas, Tiger Airways and other carriers, a Senate inquiry is expected to this week call for a major shake-up, including a new focus on fatigue risks by the Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) and an overhaul of pilot training.
The Senate inquiry has already uncovered an email warning to pilots to "Toughen Up, Princesses" over claims they are suffering fatigue.
But in an official safety complaint known as an OSCAR, obtained by the
Sunday Herald Sun, Jetstar crew have also complained they are "drunk with tiredness", posing a safety risk to passengers.
The crew, forced to fly to Bali and return the same day in a 15-hour marathon, complain they are suffering "slurred speech and can't keep their eyes open while landing".
"If things don't change it is only a matter of time before people get seriously injured, if not killed, driving home or on board, by silly mistakes," the safety report says. In response, Jetstar said: "Safety is our No.1 priority and we have an open culture of reporting issues. If a member of our crew is too fatigued then they should not operate the flight and we openly communicate this."
Jetstar said the use of foreign-based crew was entirely legal as the "international" flights originate from Australian cities before flying overseas.
International "tag flights" between Darwin, Cairns and Melbourne also allow foreign crew to fly in Australia without any special work visas.
Australian crew are paid up to $50,000 plus allowances, compared with 14,000 baht ($430) a month for Thai crew plus "generous allowances", and $20,000 a year plus allowances for Singapore-based crew.
"Cabin crew based in a particular country are remunerated and pay tax within that country," Jetstar spokesman Simon Westaway said. "All cabin crew on Jetstar services must demonstrate their (English) proficiency. At Jetstar, safety is our first priority and is central to everything we do. Being part of the Qantas group, safety is part of our heritage."
Jetstar chief executive Bruce Buchanan said the airline did not compromise on safety and staff salaries were appropriate.
"The truth is two thirds of our staff are still in Australia," he said. "Those sorts of salaries - $20-$30,000 a year - in those countries are actually enormously high and we are getting the cream of the crop."
He said the airline closely monitored fatigue and responded to feedback by making changes to routes when appropriate, including Bali.