Qantas BKK Cabin Crew base to close???

[peanut pusher]

Looks like Qantas will finally close the BKK base.

Contracts expire end of this roster and not 1 Thai crew has a carry out duty.

The new bid book shows Aus crew now to do the QF1 and QF2 to LHR and return with full Aus crew compliment.

All other thai crew trips, eg FRA, NRT etc have been given full Aus crew compliment with no spaces for thai crew in the planning.

Also crew were told to start looking for other work this week by base management as they have ben given no answers.

Usually the base gets a contract 30 days before exprirey of old one, but there has been none issued and repeated requests have gone unanswered.

IT will be sad to see our BKK close, they have been great workers and source of many fun times (and a few drama's).

Hope its just another QF oversight and they will be flying again soon.

[ditch handle]

It is so appallingly typical of Qantas management to have treated the Thai based cabin crew in such an offhand, uncaring and disrespectful manner.

Some of whom who's individuals have given outstanding service to the company and it's passengers for something like 10 years.

How have they found out about what appears the imminent base closure????

The new bid books that show they've no flying allocated to them.

____________

Qantas- A great company, still run by genuinely appalling people..........:yuk::yuk::yuk:

[lowerlobe]

Looks like my source was spot on or at least the rumour is....
loyalty |ˈloiəltē|
noun ( pl. -ties)
the quality of being loyal to someone or something
As usual the definition does not exist in the vocab of those at Mascot....

If I was in any of the bases/office/anywhere in the network I would be updating my resume....

To those who said the London base will never shut...think again because anything is possible....

[CabinCrew747]

LHR base will be taking over QF9/10 to/from London to Singapore for the next roster.

[twiggs]

If BKK closes I would say CR for Aust. bases will follow close behind.

[cloudsurfng]

It is so appallingly typical of Qantas management to have treated the Thai based cabin crew in such an offhand, uncaring and disrespectful man

Agreed. Lets hope its not true.

[stubby jumbo]

......if this rumour is indeed true then its an absolute disgrace.

How can these morons get away with treating people with such contempt. The BKK base had its initial critics at start up ( and I was one of them !!) BUT they turned out to be the backbone of the LHR services as time went on.

Hell,.... a group of them came down to the PER base when we first got the CDG patterns to ensure we were up to speed with procedures etc as many of the newies in PER had not operated on a 744.........the Thai crew were a brilliant support.

Now to be told via a pattern book........is mean spirited, inhumane and totally unacceptable.

HANG YOUR HEADS IN SHAME.......CC Management:mad::mad::mad:

I guess you will trot out the usual platitudes about business down turn etc etc. Fine- if you have to shut the base ( and I know what its like to be in a base that is shafted.....thanks to MH )....but do it with respect and dignity and tell people face to face not via a pattern book.......you heartless clowns.

sj

[ditch handle]

Cloudsurfing ,

you are absolutely right.

Stupid and insensitive of me for sullying the thread with off topic comments so both posts that have offended you will forthwith be removed.

I wouldn't for one moment want to deflect attention away from the contemptible actions of Qantas cabin crew "management"....................:yuk:

[funbags]

I was so hoping the thread title was a misprint and it was actually,

Qantas SYD Cabin Crew base to close! :E

[ditch handle]

Oh, and stay on topic by ignoring the trolls.

You know who will desperately want this thread shut down........

[Tidbinbilla]

At the first sign of a bitchfest this thread will be deleted.

Keep it civil, you lot.

[lowerlobe]

Tidbinbilla...

In all fairness this is a clearly labelled cabin crew thread.I'm sure that tech crew or anyone interested in aviation are more than welcome to post constructive information...

However....in just 11 posts we have at least 2 individuals who have made provocative posts designed to start a fight...

One individual in particular makes no posts in pilot related threads and only turns up to start a fight or inflame the situation in cabin crew threads....

Back to the topic and I don't agree with twigss at all.

if the company has closed the Thai base it is more likely to be because there are more crew than there is flying...

By closing down the Thai base they are simply creating more flying for those crew in Australia...It does not neccessarily mean CR in the Australian bases.In fact it means that they don't want to offer CR or VR to Australian based crew because if that was the preferred option they would have offered VR or CR before closing down the Thai base...

[Capt Kremin]

Can I just say, after all the vitriol thrown at the foreign CC bases, that the opinions expressed here so far are not what I expected to see. Rather refreshing actually.

Funbags... poor form.

[lc_461]

I agree with lowerlobe and Cap Kremin. Although it is quite sad for the individuals involved, surely by getting rid of surplus overseas based crew, it means more flying for QAL / QCCA Aussie based crew?

I am no FA but to me it seem like a win for the locally based crew, with perhaps jobs saved and more flying in these economically challenging times.


lc_461

[packrat]

The LHR base only worked well due to the professionalism and work ethic of the BKK base.If that closes the quality of service and indeed the level of service will decline rapidly and markedly.
The LHR base should be closed.The Thai base should stay.
Its not about service its about cost.The Thai base provides the service and the LHR base saves money.In short the LHR base is cheap.Pay peanuts get monkeys

[ditch handle]

No Thais on the A380..........

[CabinCrew747]

I'm sorry, do LHR crew only fly to BKK? Do they or do they not achieve higher satisfaction scores then all Aus crew on ALL 3 of the sectors they operate?

It's time some of you got a grip and move on rather then dedicating your time to slagging your colleagues off. After all, there not going anywhere.

This is a thread to discuss our BKK based friends, not to evoke bitterness towards LHR. Without the cost saving provided by LHR and BKK, the truth is a lot of you would likely be out of a job by now.

[lowerlobe]

The reason I believe that twigggs is wrong is simple and it also shows what motivates the company....

The answer is pure and simple...money.

As far as I'm aware if CR is utilised then it's last on first off....If that's the case and the company has a surplus of crew in relation to the amount of flying then obviously it has to reduce the number of crew.

If it offers CR then it will be the new QCCA crew that will be taking the bullet so to speak......and this is the last thing that the company would want.

So to stop this from happening they (may) have decided to axe the Thai base.This gives more flying to the Australian based crew and helps prevent the loss of jobs here....or more specifically QCCA jobs.

The company desperately wants the QCCA crew because it saves them a fortune...Just as Jetstar tech crew are cheaper than mainline tech crew.

If this theory is right and the base closure is to stop the loss of QCCA crew then I wouldn't want to be in any of the other overseas bases....

I agree with the others that in the main the Thai crew were fantastic workers and if this rumour is true it is a very sad indictment on the way the company works.

If this is unfortunately the case I wish the Thai crew the best for the future and hope they can find a suitable job hopefully with another airline soon...

kòp koon kup ........

[skybed]

it is sad to see the Thais go.:{ they have greatly contributed to Qf developments in Lhr.However it was the last base under Addecco contracts and i cant see any reason to continue handing out money to those arrogant buggers. remindes me of the regional Addecco boss who praised his thai slaves whilst slurping away on vintage champas,etc.in first class on the way to Syd to talk to Qf management. the reason the Syd based Qf crew will do BKK/LHR is that it is cheaper (overtime) for LHR base to do long range sectors LHR/SIN/LHR.
I too can see VR being offered later this year. lets hope this happens as I have spoken to a number of collegues who are seriously waiting for the package.
another rumor is that the A180 is coming off the Syd-Lax run and will do daily Lhr flights. Syd based crew have a lot of 5 day LAX Trips back in the bid book.anyone can confirm this??

[stubby jumbo]

.......not wanting to let a golden opportunity to pass.

I fronted one of our "esteemed" CC managers last night on this issue.

SJ-Question: is the BKK base being closed?

CCM Answer: Oh amm mmmm oh alll mmmmm .....'not really sure......'where did you hear this ? Yes probably -I think.

WHAT .....DOES THAT MEAN YES IT IS ?

For people who do not work in our world.......this is what we are subjected to everytime we set foot on QCC/1 ( our sign on area) These so called " managers" have constant stricken looks on their faces and are always darting in and out of meetings then back behind the glass windshield which offers their only protection from crew wanting answers to serious questions.

Its MANAGEMENT BY FEAR...... the 21st century phenomenon

If AJ is serious about getting the airline ..."back to basics and core business" then he should seriously consider spending some money on development of these poor coots OR sack the lot of them and start again with PEOPLE PEOPLE who have management skills.......with 6% unemployment......I reckon there woukld be heaps out there that could run rings around this lot.:hmm:

[Transition Layer]

No one likes to see people losing their jobs, but let's face it, if closing the BKK base means people in Australia keeping their jobs then I'm all for it.

At the end of the day it's an Australian airline and that should mean as many Aussies as possible interacting with passengers. I still cringe a bit when I hear LHR based CSMs with strong northern pommie accents on the PA.

[roamingwolf]

Yeah I go along with you on that TL.
But it's not what they are doing but how they are doing it that stinks.

[ditch handle]

What do you say to them when they come up and openly ask if you know what's happening with their jobs?

It's truly heartbreaking to see the looks on the faces of these quality people.......

What did I say? "I'm sorry but I just don't know" and, "we don't work for very nice people".

What did I want to say?

We work for filth...........:yuk::yuk::yuk:

[DEFCON4]

While the Thai Crew are a success story constructing patterns for them has always created inefficiencies----- deadheading and pattern length.If the rumours are true and the base closes it will be a great loss.They made the UK base look good.The A380 has problems with service standards because the Thai Crew dont operate on it.

[twiggs]

Perhaps they will be offered positions at Jetstar.
Anyone have an idea of how many BKK base there are currently?
I would guess only about 30.

[roamingwolf]

How about offering them jobs in qcc1.Lots of room there for people who want to work.

[ampclamp]

It will be disappointing if the Thai employees get the punt
My experience with them has been entirely positive.The ones I know and have flown with work damned hard and done so with a smile and taken more than their share of cr@p along the way.

[ditch handle]

Oh, for the record there are 120 Thai cabin crew.

[skylarker]

At the end of the day it's an Australian airline and that should mean as many Aussies as possible interacting with passengers. I still cringe a bit when I hear LHR based CSMs with strong northern pommie accents on the PA.

Your kidding aren't you.
There are more chinese, spanish, german etc cabin crew working out of Australian bases than I care to point a stick at.
Do a PVG or PEK and see how many Aussie sounding crew are on those.
What a stupid statement to make.
I for one will miss the Thai crew if this is true. They do raise the level of service in our airline in all our bases.

[twiggs]

Thanks for that Ditch, I knew you would have accurate information.
HTF you would know is beyond me though.:rolleyes:

Let's hope that their experience in QF opens up many more opportunities for them.

[Transition Layer]

There are more chinese, spanish, german etc cabin crew working out of Australian bases than I care to point a stick at.
Do a PVG or PEK and see how many Aussie sounding crew are on those.

Yes but they are Australian residents/citizens and live here permanently (apart from the odd long-distance commuter). We are very much a multicultural society and these people working for QF are simply a cross-section of that society.

It's not about being "aussie sounding".

What I was referring to with the Thai/LHR crew is completely different.

[lowerlobe]

Originally Posted by twiggsI would guess only about 30.
Just thinking about the number of aircraft that the Thai crew were operating on and how many days a week that is and then how many would be in slip ports or time off at home,holidays etc...30 Thai crew seemed a little light to me ..but then that claim is par for the course...:E
Then we get this which as usual is antagonistic....
HTF you would know is beyond me though
Well,Twiggs if Ditch is correct are you willing to post an apology on PPRune?

[twiggs]

Maybe there will be a few marriage proposals between now and the end of the roster?

[lowerlobe]

Quotes from Transition layerI still cringe a bit when I hear LHR based CSMs with strong northern pommie accents on the PA.
Yes but they are Australian residents/citizens and live here permanently (apart from the odd long-distance commuter). We are very much a multicultural society and these people working for QF are simply a cross-section of that society.

It's not about being "aussie sounding".

What I was referring to with the Thai/LHR crew is completely different.
So what you are saying Transition Layer is that a someone from Northern UK as a CSM is cringeworthy while a CSM who was born the Northern UK but who moved to Australia and taken out citzenship but still has his Northern UK accent is not.....:yuk:

When you've taken your foot out of your mouth I think you should take up your offer on another thread for yourself and funbags not to read cabin crew threads ... especially with your logic.

[ditch handle]

Twiggs ,

HTF you [me] would know is beyond me though

I fly.

..... and then this-

Let's hope that their experience in QF opens up many more opportunities for them.

Official confirmation that the base is closing ???

How about having the decency to actually tell them..........:yuk::yuk::yuk:

[Transition Layer]

So what you are saying Transition Layer is that a someone from Northern UK as a CSM is cringeworthy while a CSM who was born the Northern UK but who moved to Australia and taken out citzenship but still has his Northern UK accent is not.....

You're missing my point lowerlobe. The accent of the CSM is simply an indication that the job is being done by foreign crew when it could be done by an Australian, regardless of what they sound or look like.

[lowerlobe]

The accent of the CSM is simply an indication that the job is being done by foreign crew when it could be done by an Australian, regardless of what they sound or look like
Transition Layer...I think with that contradiction you're digging yourself deeper with every post...

What if you have a naturalised Australian from Scotland,Manchester,Belfast,Berlin or wherever....and they obviously have their native accents...

Are they any different from a local in the London base with the same accent ?

However,I do take your point that jobs that can be done by Australians is a better option than having the job done by foreign nationals....from a purely nationalistic point of view.

Does that mean that you are against foreign bases for Qantas crew that takes away work from Australians,naturalised or not....?

[Transition Layer]

:ugh: :ugh:

In short, no I don't agree with foreign bases (be that cabin or tech crew) if they're made up of almost exclusively foreigners doing a job that could be done by Australians, preferably in Australia.

The idea of Australian nationals based overseas is great, however this was shown to be a failure with the LHR base which started with plenty of Australian nationals but has dwindled down to very few.

Anyway, I've had enough of this lowerlobe... (wish there was a smilie with a white flag!)

[lowerlobe]

Well see Transition Layer,we agree on something......

I have always believed that an overseas base with Australian crew transferred from home is far and away preferable....
The idea of Australian nationals based overseas is great, however this was shown to be a failure with the LHR base which started with plenty of Australian nationals but has dwindled down to very few.
Not exactly true Transition Layer...There have been other bases in London over the years for both cabin crew and tech crew which have worked very well.

This base as all bases saves on accommodation costs,transport costs and meal allowances...

The problem is that this was not enough for Darth.

The problem with this base is that you can't live on the money that you are paid....You have to go on LWOP and forgo your Super....accommodation and other costs of living in the UK are horrendous...and this is basically too much to ask for any Australian crew that are thinking of taking up the offer.

Unless you have relatives who live near Heathrow it really is a huge cost.If you are single and you can share with a few friends it might be worth it for a year or so but......:( it's a big ask.

I could be wrong but wasn't there a similar deal with S/O's moving up to Singapore that turned out to be a lemon because it wasn't very attractive?

[Pegasus747]

Interesting spin at crew voice today ...when asked why the thai crew dont have any patterns next bid period... the responce... wait for it....

" there is currently a surplus of crew and we are putting them on reserve in bid period 266"

[Bad Hat Harry]

Pilots and Cabin crew are a remote workforce.Self monitoring and self reporting.
By having off shore bases that remoteness is amplified but the self monitoring and self reporting is diminished.Diminished because they are not exposed to the corporate culture of the parent company.There is no loyalty.The employees see themselves as alienated.Mix that with cultural differences and you have a recipe for failure.Once the decision to establish an off shore base is made no one in management is prepared to have it closed if it fails.Even then a base's existance is justified in terms of cost
Difficult economic circumstances it appears have initiated the demise of the Thai base.Of the three bases it is the best.As has been stated the work ethic and professionalism of the Thais are hallmarks of this base.The other two bases dont even come close.
Personally I will miss the enthusiasm that they have brought to the workplace

[twiggs]

Well IF they are on reserve for next roster, then there might still be some hope.
I would say it is a better long term solution too whereby they are not taking any rostered Aust. based flying and are able to cover sickness upline in BKK, SIN and anywhere else that is close enough for them to pax to to cover.

[lowerlobe]

I would say it is a better long term solution too whereby they are not taking any rostered Aust. based flying and are able to cover sickness upline in BKK, SIN and anywhere else that is close enough for them to pax to to cover.
Another good idea...............NOT

How much would that cost?

To keep 120 or so crew current in EPs and procedures and base them in BKK just in case someone gets sick....:yuk:

[bulstrode]

Bugger you I'm alright Jack.
The Thai Base will be an enormous loss irrespective of whose bottom they may save

[CaptCloudbuster]

Lastest info is Charlie Q to issue letters outlining the future to all in BKK Base on 25th. Good luck to all affected and at least it will end the speculation and stress...

[lowerlobe]

Of course knowing how the company works someone else in the office will decide after the letters have gone out that they will not only keep the base open but increase it in size.....funnier things have happened before and mini Darth is looking for any ideas to save money.

They could end up in Orange uniforms as well...anything could happen but I wish all the Thai crew the best.

[ditch handle]

Tears have been shed in the back galleys of our 400s as the 120 or so Thai flight attendants have positioned and operated home over the last few weeks to what appears to be an uncertain future.

Reports confirm what all of us who've flown with them would have expected in that they have, to an individual, continued to behave with the utmost grace, conscientiousness and professionalism down to their very last sector.

You will be sorely missed by many of us, in a fashion that is human nature, to not know what you have until it's gone............

[airtags]

Hope some of the more astute CC at least put them in a spare J or P if they were paxing back to BKK.

[skybed]

they are entitled to P/C:ok:

[lowerlobe]

they are entitled to P/C
I'm not sure about the Thai crew but cabin crew are entitled to an upgrade to P/C if space available.....not firm.

[airtags]

oh for goodness sake can you lot stop being so pedantic and painful !!!!

- the somewhat rhetorical point of the comment was simply all about hoping that the Thai crew were given a little TLC.....

[sigh]

[CaptCloudbuster]

... my source informs that Addeco mailed out the letters today with the base contracts terminated in OCT:(

[Pegasus747]

very sad to see any colleague lose their jobs...

[lowerlobe]

Relax airtags....

I'm sure they would have been looked after and ....

If there was a spare seat they would have been in it....

[indamiddle]

sad to see them getting the qantas boot up the proverbial after working their proverbials off for 10 years. nick, will miss you as a drinking buddy. many of the female cc (thai, aussie, kiwi and poms... he never discriminated on race!!) will miss you as well.
som nom nah...'scuse the spelling

[ditch handle]

Nick. Yes quite a character and famous for introducing himself thusly-

"Gday, I'm Nick. I'm the straight one......."

I believed he was always gilding the lily a bit as legend has it there were actually two.

Great people who the loss of I suspect will have wide ranging ramifications.........

[Eden99]

Attention All Long Haul Cabin Crew
BANGKOK BASE CLOSED
The FAAA wishes to advise our members that the Company has decided to close its overseas cabin crew base in Bangkok, Thailand.

It is with a sense of ambivalence that I write this newsletter to you. I was elected Secretary of the FAAA in March 2004, and almost immediately details came to me regarding “Project Hawaii”, which was the code name given by the Company to its then secret preparations for an additional overseas base in London, to supplement bases that were already established in Bangkok and Auckland. At that juncture, the scene was set for a bitter industrial confrontation over overseas bases, which was finally resolved in the negotiations for EBA7, which were concluded in December 2004.

It would be hypocritical of the FAAA to distance ourselves from our long standing opposition to the off-shoring of Long Haul cabin crew jobs. However, issues such as off-shoring are complicated and irrespective of philosophical viewpoints, it is nevertheless true, that there is often a human dimension and face to such issues. In this case, approximately 123 Thai cabin crew have lost their jobs.

These crew have worked with us side by side for many years, formed friendships with us and are dedicated and competent colleagues. It is therefore sad to witness their departure from the Qantas cabin crew group. On behalf of the FAAA and its members, I sincerely wish them well in their future professional endeavours.

To our members, I wish to re-iterate that this announcement of the closure of Bangkok, further demonstrates the serious job security situation for Long Haul crew. What it also demonstrates, is the effectiveness of the FAAA in protecting our jobs and the huge protective features of EBA8, which are operating in such an effective fashion, that no Long Haul member of the FAAA has been made compulsorily redundant.

The FAAA will continue to support measures (even if they are unpopular), that protect our membership from compulsory redundancy (for example the recent further direction of Long Service leave). We will continue to be flexible so that no member loses their job.

This announcement by Qantas, should demonstrate to even those that are most sceptical amongst us, that the current situation confronting all of us is serious and that the FAAA has not and is not overstating the gravity of the situation.

Finally, the decision to close the Bangkok cabin crew base highlights what I have said many times in members’ meetings; that the FAAA makes decisions on a wide range of fronts for valid and cogent reasons, designed to protect our members’ employment, and at times, we are not in a position to publicly canvass those reasons.

It is a sobering thought that had our membership rejected EBA8 and had we pursued senseless confrontational and provocative stances in relation to matters such as long service leave direction, the people being made redundant could well have been our members.


Written and authorised by Michael Mijatov – Secretary International Division

[surfside6]

The Thai Base provided exceptional service.
The LHR base saves money.
Costs over service will win every time with QF.
To all the Thai based crew you are outstanding you will be missed

[twiggs]

We can only hope that AKL is next to go.

[flyergirl]

We can only hope that NO ONE is next to go.....

[Jelly Shots]

We can only hope that AKL is next to go.
That's a very spiteful and catty comment twiggs and I hope you did not really mean it.I'm sure you would not like to lose your job.

As crew I agree with flyergirl We can only hope that NO ONE is next to go.
Once they start closing bases down it could be our turn next.

[Pegasus747]

As i have said before the Melbourne Long Haul base is the most vulnerable and the fact that anecdotally has the lowest percentage of FAAA membership will not help its cause

[twiggs]

I don't want anyone to lose their jobs, but the less O/S bases we have the better, no apologies for that I'm afraid.

[flyergirl]

I would agree with Twiggs (shock horror), that if anyone is to lose their jobs, it should be the overseas bases before any on shore bases(and with no disrepect to those crew, I believe this is the sentimment being expressed?), regardless of FAAA membership numbers in a particular base(I am a member, always have been).

As I said in another thread, even though the Mel base may be considered 'vulnerable', the FAAA (this week) say there are no plans to close it just yet. On the other hand the BKK base closure was rumoured for some time. I guess time will tell, as cost is always the driving factor.....I am well aware anything can happen at short notice (been here a while...:hmm:)

Let us hope, as I just said, that as many jobs as possible can be preserved, especially mine ;) hehe

[A_B_P]

Typical for us to hear it through FAAA and pprune first.

Not a word on qfcrew as yet. Would have been nice if the company had acknowledged the crew they just booted. :ugh:

[Jelly Shots]

There is a difference between sayingWe can only hope that AKL is next to go.
and saying that I hope our jobs are the last to be threatened but this is the same girl who said it was a positive thing if the melbourne base closed.
A very catty and nasty thing to say.
pegasus,how do you decide how much effort to make to protect a base if there are 10 union members in it.Do you try harder if there are 50 union members?

[flyergirl]

An email was sent to OBMs through blackberry...no word yet on whether it will make it to qfcrew....

I just hope I don't get the same email(or thereabouts) with MEL substituted for BKK!!!:} Gotta have a laugh or I'd cry!:\

As for membership, that is an interesting question. I guess the answer would be that the FAAA would work for those 10 (for example) to 'demand' work in an alternate base? Who knows!!!! Lets hope it doesn't happen.....

[Pegasus747]

All FAAA members are of equal value

[flyergirl]

That is exactly what the FAAA has said.

I think what I meant was, for those non members, the outcome may be set, but that the FAAA would fight for its members to remain in employment somewhere in the network, even if, for whatever reason, the particular base (wherever it is) were to close.

As I said, let's hope not!!!!I remain ever optimistic.....:)

[twiggs]

It seems strange that the contract expires on Oct 25 but they seem to have finished flying already.

[Pegasus747]

As i see it the biggest problem with the melbourne base is the culture of dobbing on each other..sounds like a very nasty vindictive place to work with crew constantly in the office dobbing on other crew.

The crew are also suggesting that they dont want to do the MEL/PER flights and whinging to the company and the union. If they give the work back to the domestics you would either have a large percentage of the base on leave burn or a number of redundancies.

The behaviour of some of the crew in the Melbourne base is reminiscent of the Perth crew prior to its closure....

I am just saying you reap what you sow

[flyergirl]

I have been there since it opened. I do not know who these people are, but I suspect the usual suspects, who think that 'dobbing' will reflect well on them, are creating this so called 'culture' to which you refer.

No wonder people like to fly with me!!:ok: Having said that, I disagree that it is a horrible place to be. I must seriously be missing something, as I have not felt this vibe, and stongly suspect some stories get better for the telling. Or maybe its because I am not running into the office 24/7.

Having said that, some crew really push the boundaries of acceptable behaviour, and whilst I can forgive most things once, when it's repeat behaviour....

I do wish certain (again usual suspects) would stop whinging about the flying. Get over it people, I want a job, and if it means doing back to back Perth trips, so be it.

hmmm......

[twiggs]

Perhaps those that are complaining are part of the large amount of people in Melbourne who would rather be in Sydney.
They certainly would have something to gain from the base closing, provided they are senior enough to avoid CR.

[bulstrode]

After being kicked out of the CC forums and numerous warnings from the Mods here we have just had another thread closed down.
1.Stop the bickering
2.Stay on the topic of the thread
3.Use the ignore button for the trolls
4.The usual suspects ..pull your heads in
This forum provides a place for discussion and the provision of information not otherwise available.
Remember these points otherwise we will be booted out of PPrune and forced to look for a less comfortable home.
Before anyone starts I have on occasion been guilty of rising to the bait and sounding off.Well for me I will be following my own advice and ignoring the fools, trolls and those with agendas.I will not post here when jetlagged or under the spell of some excellent Ozzie Cab Sav

[ditch handle]

Point taken and well said.
I'll ignore the trolls and ignore that with an agenda to push.

[Pegasus747]

Qantas has closed its cabin crew base in Bangkok – one of three overseas – leading to a loss of about 123 jobs because of a big slump in demand for international travel.

The airline previously embarked on a large recruitment drive for overseas cabin crew in a bid to cut labour costs and dilute the influence unions have over its 35,000-strong workforce.

But Qantas has ended its contract with the company that employed 123 Thai nationals to work as cabin crew on the airline’s international flights.

The Flight Attendant’s Association of Australia said today that the closure was a stark reminder of the job insecurity faced by long-haul cabin crew.

Qantas has so far resisted cutting cabin crew from its Australian-based workforce, although measures such as leave-without-pay have been introduced. The airline’s international operations are losing money, particularly on the key routes to the US and Europe.

The airline and union struck an agreement several years ago not to have more than 25 per cent of international cabin crew made up of foreign nationals. Qantas employs a total of about 4500 international flight attendants.

The union has a longstanding opposition to the offshoring of long-haul cabin crew jobs.

"I wish to reiterate that this announcement of the closure of Bangkok, further demonstrates the serious job security situation for long-haul crew," the union’s secretary of the international division, Michael Mijatov, wrote in a letter to members.

"This announcement by Qantas should demonstrate to even those that are most sceptical amongst us, that the current situation facing us is serious."

Qantas also has long-haul cabin crew bases in London and Auckland. Crews based in New Zealand’s largest city typically work 30 per cent more hours on half the base pay of their Australian counterparts.

Having already laid off up to 3250 workers in the past 18 months, Qantas last week announced $1.5 billion in spending cuts over three years, including $500 million this financial year. It follows $3 billion in cuts over the previous five years.

Qantas also recorded last week its first half-year loss in six years as it suffered from big falls in demand for premium seats on international routes.

The airline has been pulling almost every lever to cope with a dire short-term outlook, including grounding planes, delaying and cancelling deliveries of new aircraft, and raising $500 million from investors to keep its investment-grade rating.

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[air doris]

Best wishes to all the BKK crew. When I read about the rumours last week I thought it was just that, a rumour. Sadly some things in this forum do come true and I'm very sorry to hear this news. Thanks for your time and dedication, we all know things wont be the same. Love and thoughts xx

[lowerlobe]

Is the group that was running the base in BKK the same as the group running the AKL base or has it changed?

[Pegasus747]

Addecco used to run the AKL base and BKK base. Addecco no longer runs the AKL base. They and LHR are run by Qantas subsidiary companies and therefore part of the "group".

[indamiddle]

twiggs is on my ignore list! the silence is deafening.
back to the thread. with the turnover in LHR and AKL of f/a's there is a strong possibility that no-one will need to be laid off. maybe things have slowed down since the GFC began.
anybody with crew numbers based in LHR and AKL... peg, guardian, eden etc? twiggs may be management but i don't get to see her posts anymore so she can't help me. have crew numbers o/s dropped since employee freeze?

[stubby jumbo]

That crack about the closure of the AKL base by Twiggs is despicable!:yuk:

We're feeling bad enough about our Thai friends and you come up with that.

Sure we've all had issues with inviduals in the AKL base.....BUT they are human beings who have families etc.

You are a cold heartless :mad::mad::mad::mad:

Its all about looking after "Moi".

SHAME

[ditch handle]

This message is hidden because twiggs is on your ignore list.

Ah..............:ok: