Setting up a cheaper operation is not as simple as just getting a cheaper group of pilots. Eventually the group of pilots want to be paid what their counterparts overseas are being paid, or they start leaving. The exception is a small market such as NZ, where they have limited success.
QF are smart enough to know this, and they know that they can get the 787 crewed for market rates (current somewhere between 767 & A330 rates would be a good guess). They know they need to pilots to crew it, although exec management are not feeding much information down the chain to those who set establishment levels. QF currently have the benefit of being able to use pilots leave balances with twofold benefits : 1) they reduce their liability, 2) they get to hang on to the crew they need down the track. Why would they make pilots redundant if they can reduce leave balances whilst keeping a sufficient level of crew for a probable future expansion plan.
They would have gotten rid of pilots by now if they didn't need them on an ongoing basis and both we and they know that if they did try to crew it cheaper, it would be a very expensive fight with little longer term gain.
Qlink do a great job at what they do and where they fly. I don't know if they will end up getting small jets, but I'm pretty confident they won't become a long haul operation overnight sometime in 2016.
Last edited by OneDotLow; 28th Apr 2013 at 09:13.