There is a rumour that JC will be shut down. The pilots brought over as contractors in their rank, for a fixed period. After which they will apply to QF etc....... the same set up as the Ansett 737 (767?) pilots deal in 01/02.
AKL base seems very unlikely, but stranger things have happened.
Only rumours, but it been done before.
It would depend on how long the 'fixed term' was for. If QF want to move the frames back, they will do it, without considering the welfare of JC crew. Just look at their history. I can't see any mainline pilot accepting anything longer than that. From talking to AIPA reps, anything like this would have to be negotiated. Its the pilots that own seniority, not QF, and with the intricacies in the SH/LH award/seniority etc there would have to be some form of agreement. Nothing personal against JC crew, if you're good enough to fly a ZK QF 737, then you should be given a straight path to mainline (as should QLink/JQ etc etc) without jumping through the bull**** HR hoops. But with the 'lost decade' at QF, many of us are keen to see our careers progress, and any arrangement like this would need to be watertight as to not detrimentally effect mainline pilot careers (again)
300,000 seats is a lot of lost capacity. I thought with the initial QF/EK deal, the trans tasman market was one which the ACCC stipulated that capacity needed to be maintained?