Qantas hosties revolt looming
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Qantas hosties revolt looming
Tues "Sydney Morning Herald"
Qantas hosties revolt looming
By Scott Rochfort
March 30, 2004
Tensions between Qantas and its 4000 international flight attendants have risen sharply and are bound to worsen, amid growing talk the airline could face widespread industrial action if it pushes to increase the number of overseas-based cabin crew.
Qantas's enterprise bargaining agreement with its crew expires in December and the airline is keen to increase the maximum 370 overseas-based flight attendants it can employ. That cap was set with unions two years ago.
After establishing cabin crew bases in New Zealand and Thailand some four years ago, Qantas is now mulling over new crew bases, such as South Africa, in a bid to slash wages and cut the hotel and meal allowances expenses for crew rested in long-haul destinations.
The Flight Attendants Association says Thailand-based Qantas cabin crew members, for example, receive about one-quarter the wages of their Australian counterparts.
"If it was true that Qantas was proposing an expansion of overseas places or a lifting of the current cap of those flight attendants, the FAAA and its membership would view that with the gravest concern," said the head of the union's international division, Michael Mijatov.
The speculation was heightened by a hoax press release sent to the Herald last week from the airline's Inflight Services arm.
The "media release", claiming Qantas wanted to base 400-500 crew in London, may have been put out by a disgruntled airline employee or union official.
"It's so obviously phoney we're not going to comment," said Qantas public affairs manager Michael Sharp.
But with morale among Qantas flight attendants very low, there are concerns Qantas will use its new fleet of Airbus 330s as a major bargaining chip.
Despite commencing A330s training programs for its international cabin crew this month, it is understood Qantas might want more foreign crews on the A330s and may even seek different working conditions (ie, longer hours) or non-union Australian flight attendants on the planes.
But one major factor working in Qantas's favour are deep divisions within the FAAA. These were so serious that Qantas flight attendants at one point received two newsletters from rival union factions.
The union's Michael Mijatov claimed the rift was fixed last week, with the more militant arm of the union securing control. He said he was now attempting to soothe the divisions between the FAAA's international and domestic arms, which split last year during enterprise bargaining agreement discussions.
Meanwhile, Qantas and its 18 per cent shareholder British Airways will hold their joint annual board meeting today, amid talk the Flying Kangaroo may seek approval for its plans to set up or invest in a low-cost Singapore airline.
Speculation continued to circle around Valuair as a likely target. The airline is set to commence flights with its two A320s in early May.
There was talk last week that Qantas and Virgin Blue both considered taking a stake in the Malaysian airline AirAsia but Sir Richard Branson yesterday talked down the speculation.
"We talked to different airlines and I'm sure AirAsia would be one of the airlines that we'd be talking to. But whether we'll end up buying stakes in any airlines is undecided at this stage," he said.
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Qantas hosties revolt looming
By Scott Rochfort
March 30, 2004
Tensions between Qantas and its 4000 international flight attendants have risen sharply and are bound to worsen, amid growing talk the airline could face widespread industrial action if it pushes to increase the number of overseas-based cabin crew.
Qantas's enterprise bargaining agreement with its crew expires in December and the airline is keen to increase the maximum 370 overseas-based flight attendants it can employ. That cap was set with unions two years ago.
After establishing cabin crew bases in New Zealand and Thailand some four years ago, Qantas is now mulling over new crew bases, such as South Africa, in a bid to slash wages and cut the hotel and meal allowances expenses for crew rested in long-haul destinations.
The Flight Attendants Association says Thailand-based Qantas cabin crew members, for example, receive about one-quarter the wages of their Australian counterparts.
"If it was true that Qantas was proposing an expansion of overseas places or a lifting of the current cap of those flight attendants, the FAAA and its membership would view that with the gravest concern," said the head of the union's international division, Michael Mijatov.
The speculation was heightened by a hoax press release sent to the Herald last week from the airline's Inflight Services arm.
The "media release", claiming Qantas wanted to base 400-500 crew in London, may have been put out by a disgruntled airline employee or union official.
"It's so obviously phoney we're not going to comment," said Qantas public affairs manager Michael Sharp.
But with morale among Qantas flight attendants very low, there are concerns Qantas will use its new fleet of Airbus 330s as a major bargaining chip.
Despite commencing A330s training programs for its international cabin crew this month, it is understood Qantas might want more foreign crews on the A330s and may even seek different working conditions (ie, longer hours) or non-union Australian flight attendants on the planes.
But one major factor working in Qantas's favour are deep divisions within the FAAA. These were so serious that Qantas flight attendants at one point received two newsletters from rival union factions.
The union's Michael Mijatov claimed the rift was fixed last week, with the more militant arm of the union securing control. He said he was now attempting to soothe the divisions between the FAAA's international and domestic arms, which split last year during enterprise bargaining agreement discussions.
Meanwhile, Qantas and its 18 per cent shareholder British Airways will hold their joint annual board meeting today, amid talk the Flying Kangaroo may seek approval for its plans to set up or invest in a low-cost Singapore airline.
Speculation continued to circle around Valuair as a likely target. The airline is set to commence flights with its two A320s in early May.
There was talk last week that Qantas and Virgin Blue both considered taking a stake in the Malaysian airline AirAsia but Sir Richard Branson yesterday talked down the speculation.
"We talked to different airlines and I'm sure AirAsia would be one of the airlines that we'd be talking to. But whether we'll end up buying stakes in any airlines is undecided at this stage," he said.
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"what is becoming a cheap and nasty product with only one standard: the cheapest."
Sorry, but for once I couldn't hold back.
****su-Tonka if you actually believe what you wrote there, you are completely and totally full of sh!t.
And I would say you are somebody who has not flown with QF in the past 12 months at least.
Sorry, but for once I couldn't hold back.
****su-Tonka if you actually believe what you wrote there, you are completely and totally full of sh!t.
And I would say you are somebody who has not flown with QF in the past 12 months at least.
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mmmbop, is the person entitled to an opinion?! ****su-Tonka has a choice when he flies (sounds like the stewardess landing announcement!), and it sounds like he doesn't choose Qantas. According to you, the customer isn't always right - if he doesn't like what he gets then he must be 'full of sh!t'! Moron. 
I have flown with Qantas on more than twenty occasions in the last 12 months and would agree wholeheartedly with ****su-Tonka. Things have got so bad from a customer service perspective that I will now use ANY other airline in preference to Qantas (but sometimes just have no choice), so I guess that makes me 'full of sh!t as well', eh?!?
I have flown with Qantas on more than twenty occasions in the last 12 months and would agree wholeheartedly with ****su-Tonka. Things have got so bad from a customer service perspective that I will now use ANY other airline in preference to Qantas (but sometimes just have no choice), so I guess that makes me 'full of sh!t as well', eh?!?
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This reminds me of 89, but this time GD has already trained his contract work force. Q has for a number of years now put FA’s on 12 month contracts and then not renewed some; they have a ready made work force out there not to mention the contractors in Asia. I think he would love to go to war just imagine the lies he would come up with, he wants to reduce the number of FA per aircraft as well as their wages and conditions. He already is succeeding with the pilots e.g. Jetstar, Jetconnect, he won’t be happy until each employee works for a bowl of rice!
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mmmbop - whilst on rare occasions the service on QF is excellent, in the majority of cases it is average - and unfortunately it is frequently appalling.
The recent survey conducted by QF and other Airlines reached the same conclusions (Apparently the marketing department were amazed at the results........ [which as an aside shows how out of touch they are]). The current survey being conducted will hopefully show some improvement.
The recent survey conducted by QF and other Airlines reached the same conclusions (Apparently the marketing department were amazed at the results........ [which as an aside shows how out of touch they are]). The current survey being conducted will hopefully show some improvement.
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An article just picked up that may or may not relate:
Tues BBC News
Scandinavian Airlines ready for take-off
By Jorn Madslien
BBC News Online business reporter
SAS is working hard to get itself out of a hole
The airline group SAS has halted its recent gloomy mumbling of downsizing and instead declared bold plans to expand.
Following a series of breakthrough deals with the unions last week, the group is confident that it is about to become one of the most efficient operators in the industry.
By early next year, SAS Group should have reduced its cost base by 45% following a 14bn Swedish kronor (£1bn; $1.8bn) cost cutting manoeuvre, said Soren Belin, executive vice president in charge of airline strategy and coordination.
"Now we're going to expand, we're going to gain market share," Mr Belin told BBC News Online, revealing plans to add more flights to existing destinations, to add new routes, and to buy more aircraft.
Painful journey
For the crisis-hit airline, it has been a rough ride to get to where it is today.
Last week's deals ended months of wrangling with the 39 trade unions that represent SAS staff in Denmark, Sweden and Norway.
"We're the only airline which has so many unions," said Mr Belin.
But their sheer number did nothing to stop the SAS management from forcing the unions to their knees.
Savage pay cuts, longer hours and a virtual eradication of benefits were pushed through with threats of the sale of a slew of SAS units along with mass redundancies.
At some point a deadlock was broken when the management threatened to close down the whole airline and fire all Swedish and Danish staff, then create a new carrier and rehire by offering individual contracts, the Danish newspaper Politiken reported.
In the end, the employees caved in and accepted a deal which the Danish union leader Verner Lundtoft Jensen described as "the worst ever".
==========================================
Tues BBC News
Scandinavian Airlines ready for take-off
By Jorn Madslien
BBC News Online business reporter
SAS is working hard to get itself out of a hole
The airline group SAS has halted its recent gloomy mumbling of downsizing and instead declared bold plans to expand.
Following a series of breakthrough deals with the unions last week, the group is confident that it is about to become one of the most efficient operators in the industry.
By early next year, SAS Group should have reduced its cost base by 45% following a 14bn Swedish kronor (£1bn; $1.8bn) cost cutting manoeuvre, said Soren Belin, executive vice president in charge of airline strategy and coordination.
"Now we're going to expand, we're going to gain market share," Mr Belin told BBC News Online, revealing plans to add more flights to existing destinations, to add new routes, and to buy more aircraft.
Painful journey
For the crisis-hit airline, it has been a rough ride to get to where it is today.
Last week's deals ended months of wrangling with the 39 trade unions that represent SAS staff in Denmark, Sweden and Norway.
"We're the only airline which has so many unions," said Mr Belin.
But their sheer number did nothing to stop the SAS management from forcing the unions to their knees.
Savage pay cuts, longer hours and a virtual eradication of benefits were pushed through with threats of the sale of a slew of SAS units along with mass redundancies.
At some point a deadlock was broken when the management threatened to close down the whole airline and fire all Swedish and Danish staff, then create a new carrier and rehire by offering individual contracts, the Danish newspaper Politiken reported.
In the end, the employees caved in and accepted a deal which the Danish union leader Verner Lundtoft Jensen described as "the worst ever".
==========================================
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The Spirit of Australia/New Zealand/Thailand/South Africa...
It's one thing to do as Cathay & Emirates do, ie. trumpet the diversity of cabin crew as a positive, but another to claim to be one thing (an Australian experience) when you're clearly not.
IMHO it's all or nothing - that is, internationalise the cabin crew and stop claiming to be Australian, or be true to what you say you are and use THAT the selling point.
My first Qantas experience was as a lad in the early-70s coming home from Europe. Getting onto the Rat & hearing those Aussie voices is something I still recall. Not quite as likely now.
Actually I recall hearing of one NZ-based CC member who didn't mind letting it be known that they hated everything Australian & was only working for QF until things turned around at NZ & when they were hiring again, they'd be off...
It's one thing to do as Cathay & Emirates do, ie. trumpet the diversity of cabin crew as a positive, but another to claim to be one thing (an Australian experience) when you're clearly not.
IMHO it's all or nothing - that is, internationalise the cabin crew and stop claiming to be Australian, or be true to what you say you are and use THAT the selling point.
My first Qantas experience was as a lad in the early-70s coming home from Europe. Getting onto the Rat & hearing those Aussie voices is something I still recall. Not quite as likely now.
Actually I recall hearing of one NZ-based CC member who didn't mind letting it be known that they hated everything Australian & was only working for QF until things turned around at NZ & when they were hiring again, they'd be off...
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****su-Tonka:
When the alternative is putting quality before profit (ie Ansett) perhaps its not such a bad result.
the compnay that it has become now is a sad indictment on the brave new world culture of profts before quality.
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Must admit I returned recently from a trip around the world with the OneWorld alliance and flew cattle class in Cathay, British,
Aer Lingus, American and QANTAS. Admittedly the flights with American were domestic but some observations for what it is worth:
- Aer Lingus CHARGED for food on LHR/DUB (90 minutes on a 737) - I thought I was flying Virgin Blue. Soft drinks "served with their compliments".
- American gave you, at best, a packet of pretzels on a near 4 hour flight (DC9). Disgusting. If you wanted more food (it was actually lunchtime) you couldn't even buy it. At least QF feed you on domestic legs - even if it is a ham and cheese sandwich (or today's flavour of the month)
- Flew QF across the Pacific and had was pleasantly surprised to receive the best service on the whole trip - particularly in light of the fact that the route is capacity constrained and every seat was filled. It can't be much fun with a 747 jam packed for near on 13 hours but they kept smiling.
Aer Lingus, American and QANTAS. Admittedly the flights with American were domestic but some observations for what it is worth:
- Aer Lingus CHARGED for food on LHR/DUB (90 minutes on a 737) - I thought I was flying Virgin Blue. Soft drinks "served with their compliments".
- American gave you, at best, a packet of pretzels on a near 4 hour flight (DC9). Disgusting. If you wanted more food (it was actually lunchtime) you couldn't even buy it. At least QF feed you on domestic legs - even if it is a ham and cheese sandwich (or today's flavour of the month)
- Flew QF across the Pacific and had was pleasantly surprised to receive the best service on the whole trip - particularly in light of the fact that the route is capacity constrained and every seat was filled. It can't be much fun with a 747 jam packed for near on 13 hours but they kept smiling.