QantasLink Canberra Base Closure

[Wing Root]

It's been announced the Canberra base will close on 27 February 2009.

The company has made assurances that every Canberra based Sunstate pilot will be accommodated in either Brisbane or Cairns.

[aphexau]

wow, that sucks....i have a few qantaslink friends who call canberra their home.

[dizzylizzy]

So the choices they've been given were BNE or CNS? Not SYD or MEL? Didn't want to sign a new eba?

Lets face it, we all knew CBR wasn't going to last.

[cold]

So being all Q400 crew, will Q400 positions be offered in BNE and CNS?

Or will it be 'back in the seniority line'?

[newsensation]

Is it now time for a combined seniority list?

[vigi-one]

Whilst the Pilot groups and middle management were telling the gurus it wasnt going to work the gurus kept telling the pilot group and CBR based pilots the base would not close. This is going to get very messy as some CBR Capts may have to go back to classic FO's due seniority as will possibily a 400 CBR based sim instructor. This is purely and soley a management cock up that very one else could see, it should have remained an Eastern centre. Would love to know the cost of all this.

[Hugh Jarse]

We had an unprecedented agreement in principle back in Feb, Newsenstation.

The company, in its wisdom rejected it outright. That shows you just how much they care about you, and how determined they are to keep the 2 labour groups separate

CB Base has been sick since the day it opened. I hope everyone's life there isn't too disrupted, but based on history of the handling of Southern, the Adelaide Base etc - they'll be spivved once again.

Good luck CB Crew.

[Icarus53]

The AFAP is talking about the combined seniority list as a matter of of urgency following the closure, but would it be a help for the pilots concerned? The base protections that have been discussed in the past suggest that to transfer to SYD the CBR pilots concerned would lose seniority anyway? Anyone understand how it would work?

I suppose the question that will drive pilot placement will be aircraft placement. If the two aircraft that were effectively CBR based remain in the NSW network, they will struggle to man them with SYD pilots at the moment. Q400 Captains are already working pretty hard so covering a couple more lines could take it to breaking point; even with three months to train new crew they don't seem to be coming through quickly enough. Perhaps one aircraft will relocate to QLD and make room for a couple of CBR crews?

I also wonder whether the company will bother having the Q400 put on the EAA AOC? Now that all Q400 aircraft in NSW will be operated, managed and crewed exclusively by EAA staff, does it make any sense that EAA won't even have the type on the AOC?

For the record, I think a lot of the other EAA crew would agree that the CBR crew have been a great bunch to work with both on the flight deck and in the cabin. I know some are taking the news hard and I sincerely hope that everyone finds a good solution. It would be great to have some in SYD to continue the dreaded triple CBR.

[missing link]

Actually Icarus - there is a world outside of Sydney and NSW, Melbourne have the capacity to take on 2 of the 400's and operate ML-SY via CB.

[vigi-one]

Hi Hugh

i hear the QLink combined seniority list is working very well at Virgin.

[Howard Hughes]

there is a world outside of Sydney and NSW

Are you sure?

[Icarus53]

Oops! Sorry MEL crew! I'll refrain from posting until after my morning coffee in future!

And how could i forget given that you've got your own Facebook group and everything!

[mates rates]

It's time to realise that pilots are a licence and a suitcase to management.That's all!!

[blow.n.gasket]

What about the vaseline?

[Wing Root]

Is the Mildura base next?

[brown_hornet]

Is the Mildura base next?

Something that I know has played on the minds of all the crew in mildura for quite some time! I wouldn't think it would be on the cards (or certainly not in the near future) given that they held interviews for mildura based flight attendants in the town itself only a couple of months back. I think the company knows they would potentially also lose quite experienced guys who would rather stay in mildura than relocate to wherever the company chose (offered) to send them, though with the pilot shortage being not so short now who knows what QLink management may be thinking!

[aviator's_anonymous]

Any chance the Q400's will be relocated to Adelaide to take over the QLink flights to Prominent Hill and Olympic Dam currently being operated by the Alliance F50's? The F50's OTP are a bit of a shocker with breakdowns and rumor was that Alliance were looking at selling their operation?

[Marauder]

Can Q400s operate on dirt PMH or 23 m central 18m sealed OLD ?

[mostlytossas]

Where do you get this nonscence from? The airservice to OLD and PMH by Alliance is not a Qantaslink service. They are contractors to BHP Billiton around OZ to supply fly in fly out services to their operations. Alliance has also the contract for PMH with Oxiana. The reason they fly to OLD with a Qantas flight number is due to a deal they struck with Qantas to allow the non BHP employees in the town of Roxby Downs ie medical staff, teachers,shop owners etc to use the service and able to book via internet or travel agents etc since Rex pulled out. I guess it is good for Qantas too for onward traffic. The above does not apply for the PMH service as that has no town. That is also why Alliance aircraft are not painted with the red tail like National Jet.

[fritzandsauce]

since Rex pulled out

Rex were thrown out as they didn't win the contract also B4 Qantas Alliance used to get Virgin Blue to do their ticketing and stuff for OLP flights.

now back to CBR .....