QF staff travel

[borro]

Is this true
QF set to make 3 million yearly from new staff travel improvements ?

[Average Joe]

What were they making before? Way more than all other airlines I'm sure. A friend of mine at United flew to Australia in J class for $26 or whatever the outbound passenger tax was. And I saw the United Staff Travel website. It was amazing. Real-time updates, and no chance to be screwed over when check-in want to onload their friends first. You could see the first initial and the first three letters of the surname. It also showed which commercial pax could affect you with planned/actioned upgrades. Qantas' Staff Travel is so old.

[capt.cynical]

Not off this post 12 year retiree !!!!!!!


How would you like to be on staff travel in Bali right now.

[LeeJoyce]

Don't know how, last email said free business upgrades and refunding upgrades if not used, also reducing many fares.

[Snakecharma]

I wonder how Qantas survives with staff "diluting" the business class product....oh hang on, that only happens at a different airline.

[borro]

West coast East coast now $ 99.86
Yesterday $78.96.
I guess that's a positive improvement. Well positive as in its now more expensive.
Keep in mind people this is an empty seat which is why staff travel was always kept at a low cost

[BNEA320]

think what QF is getting at, is to push more staff onto flights that never fill.


In the scheme of things $3 million isn't that much.

[startingout]

Makes short trips away more of a planned exercise... Just saw the increases in J to HK and Singapore and they aren't pretty. $4 less then EK on the BNE-SIN route

[TBM-Legend]

Why should the normal punters subsidise staff???

Also the airlines get a big fringe benefits tax bill...:ooh:

[Snakecharma]

In every Australian organisation I have seen the staff member pays the FBT bill.

[Boe787]

Also pays to bear in mind, that Qantas continues to enjoy the ongoing services of a large number of skilled and experienced staff, who remain with the airline for one reason only.................staff travel!

So imagine the turnover and training costs QF would incur without staff travel!

Its a benefit enjoyed by the staff at most major Airlines,some with more generous schemes than QF, some not.

[Fonz121]

Why should the normal punters subsidise staff???

How are they subsidising staff?

[BNEA320]

subload(standby) travel is just that, however, have seen staff, get someone else make a firm booking on flights they want to go on (big no no if caught, but hardly ever caught).


Have also been on long haul flight where captain has put on freight, rather than subload pax, so above doesn't always work.


Believe QF is actively discouraging staff travel in peak periods, ie school holidays. Bad luck if you have school age kids.

[C441]

With late upgrade opportunities for commercial passengers, the chances of upgrades for staff passengers on Qantas international services has significantly decreased.

On all 3 recent sectors to and from DXB and LHR, there were 25 - 30 First & Business class seats 3 or 4 days out from the flight. By the time the flights departed there were 2, 4 & 3 seats remaining.

The dilution of business & first class is not due to staff. What is now happening is commercial pax are accepting upgrades for a far smaller premium than had they purchased the higher class outright. A number of pax are now buying the lower class fare and using seat availability information thats easily available online, gambling that they'll be offered an upgrade a few days prior to the flight.

[Capt Fathom]

subload(standby) travel is just that, however, have seen staff, get someone else make a firm booking on flights they want to go on (big no no if caught, but hardly ever caught).

Does that guarantee you a seat? Where did you see staff doing this? What happened to the ones who were caught?

[Jetsbest]

Have also been on long haul flight where captain has put on freight, rather than subload pax, so above doesn't always work.

Utter rubbish!:} Captains don't add freight; load control does. No company likes leaving freight, & therefore revenue behind. If maximum revenue means a flight is at maximum take-off weight then 'subload' stuff (pax & freight) gets left behind.

In the case of adverse winds or bad weather at the destination, the requirement for extra fuel can mean freight is left behind. If the captain's instincts suggest that more fuel is needed than the take-off weight allows then load control is consulted to have some weight removed; usually freight.

What I can also say though, is that I've seen captains try really hard to avoid leaving staff behind if there is any way to avoid it!:ok:

[Boe787]

BNE 320

Agree with Jetsbest, my experience has almost always seen the Captain, offer the jump seat to staff, and do their best to upload as many staff as possible in tight situations weight wise!

[Ida down]

Agreed. In the heady days of flying to Zimbabwe, and only one flight a week, and ground staff to lazy to care, the distress of being left behind for staff when there were seats on the A/C was palpable. Till one FSD/CSM, did his lolly, raced up to the flight deck after pushback, which in turn made the Skipper do his lolly, and returned to the arm demanding staff be rounded up, seats counted, staff counted, and heads would fall if they matched. They did, and a grateful staff were brought on board after the skipper let a couple of broadsides into the air at the ground staff leaving them in no doubt how he felt. Meanwhile sitting in 1A is the Australian Attorney General. Now deceased. He in turn calls the Captain out on unneccessary delay, he had a flight out of Perth to DRW which was urgent. By now the F/O, the flighty, and myself, settled in to enjoy it all, as our red faced Skipper ( a former Pom) suggested to the AG, he ran the ship, made the decisions, and he was not leaving staff behind when there were seats available. The AG then suggested he would contact Sir Lennox Hewitt, and make a complaint, the Skipper suggested as to what he could do with Hewitt (nobody liked the bloke anyway, or the AT for that matter) the doors were closed, the F/O was handed the gig, as the Skipper contemplated his life outside QF. Halfway through the flight, the AG, asked if he speak to the Skipper, the now calmed down Skipper was feeling a little queasy to say the least, but off he went, as we discussed what the outcome would be. Ten minutes later, he returned beaming, all was well, a handshake offered, and a mutual friend discovered. I never heard another word about it, except the next time I flew with him, he talked about his mate the AG! He must have forgotten I was on the flight. He has now passed, a good bloke he was.

[Flyboat North]

Yet more tall stories by Ida

All AG who this could have been are actually alive, & Hewitt left Qantas in 1980 , would Lavarch have even known who he was ?

Ida did you actually work for QF as you claim, my contacts at QF don't recall a 50 plus year old working as a SO in the 90s early 2000s as you claim

Really why an earth would QF employ a 50 yo SO when mid 90s dearth of GA talent around after a slow down, it just sounds all a little well .....implausible

Have QF ever employed a 50 year old SO ? , were any 50 year old SOs employed when hiring commenced 1994/5 onwards, I think not

The oldest ever QF SO and the youngest ever Jet Pilot for TAA hmmmm...

[The Green Goblin]

Not a tall story.

I work with his kids.

I only wish I could have shared a flight deck with this gentleman

When you fly with someone of Teresa's background, you are flying with someone from the pioneering days of jet aircraft. You are also flying with a man taught by the guys who cut their teeth with people shooting at them.

That experience and those practical interpretations are priceless.

Bugger off boatboy. I suppose it is school holidays though......

[Flyboat North]

Give it up mate , QF doesn't hire 50 year old SOs they didn't in the 1980s and the 2000s and they sure didn't need to in the 1990s

[Ida down]

You still here. I thought you had been put off. Who cares what you think?

[Ida down]

Thanks mate. I think he gets around in Cessna, somewhere. Flying those days was interesting. If you didn't see my post, there is great book out at the moment called ' Take To The Skies, by Jim Eames. Anybody who flew from the sixties on, would recognise mates or themselves more likely then not. Best bought on line, for a better price. Cheers.

[Wunwing]

FBN.
They did and clearly you weren't there or you would know that.
Over the years the older S/Os were ex Navs, ex FEs ,those pilots that never upgraded and ex RAAF senior officers. That covers most situations from about 1975 to about 2009

Wunwing

[Savage175]

There were certainly a number of 50 year old SO's when I joined in 95. Quite a few (ex RAAF especially) were employed around 85-89 (when they were a little younger). When the music stopped around 89, they remained SO's until the next hiring boom from 1994.

[Sprite]

Just bought the book, Ida. Great suggestion!

[BNEA320]

Quote:
subload(standby) travel is just that, however, have seen staff, get someone else make a firm booking on flights they want to go on (big no no if caught, but hardly ever caught). Does that guarantee you a seat? Where did you see staff doing this? What happened to the ones who were caught?


No it doesn't guarantee you a seat, but it may stop punters from being able to buy tickets.


Saw it in BNE OPS.


It was obvious, what was occurring. Every time, certain staff tried to fly, certain travel agency made bookings which got cancelled. Staff member involved, was warned it shouldn't happen again, but as couldn't be proven, wasn't sacked.

[BNEA320]

Quote:
Have also been on long haul flight where captain has put on freight, rather than subload pax, so above doesn't always work. Utter rubbish!:} Captains don't add freight; load control does


ok it was load control, but check in staff said captain.