Pilot boast giving Qantas cabin fever
The ongoing industrial dispute between Qantas and its 1650 long-haul pilots has claimed its highest profile victim to date. The airline confirmed yesterday that it has started replacing a pre-flight safety video starring John Travolta.
Just five months since installing the clip hosted by the Saturday Night Fever star on its jets, Qantas has argued that it was never meant to be a permanent fixture.
"John Travolta's introduction to the in-flight safety video was an initiative to help draw attention to this vital safety information, building on his established relationship with Qantas,'' said an airline spokesman.
''It was always intended as a temporary feature and we are looking at working with other Qantas partners on similar initiatives in future."
But the pilots union sees another motive at play, given the similarity between Travolta's message in the video to its own.
In the safety video, Travolta says: ''There's no one I'd rather have at the controls than a Qantas pilot.''
The Australian & International Pilots Association's motto in its industrial campaign against Qantas sourcing lower-paid pilots from overseas is: ''When you board a Qantas flight, you expect a Qantas pilot.'' The association's vice-president, Richard Woodward, said: "Admittedly, the John Travolta in-flight video had its fair share of detractors, but the one line I think everyone agreed with was that there was no one you would rather have at the controls than a Qantas pilot. In simpler times, this would be an uncontroversial remark,
but with Alan Joyce now eager to outsource Qantas pilot jobs overseas, well, suddenly Travolta is out of step with the chief executive officer.''
It is unclear whether the Qantas CEO Alan ''Tony Manero'' Joyce could star in a future Qantas safety clip.
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Pilot boast giving Qantas cabin fever