Qantas basing in Asia? . . . lets give up a lunch to help Qantas staff fight
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Qantas basing in Asia? . . . lets give up a lunch to help Qantas staff fight
Disclaimer : I'm foolish in love with flying and in numerous posts have been attacked for loving it so much. I'm the sort of pilot whose makes up poems on loving flying when flying and when not flying recites them to myself to remind me how lucky I am to be a flyer.
With some bad weather here I moved out of the comfortable GA forum to check the world of the lovely shinny jets and was stunned shocked and then angered by reading through post after post describing Qantas almost self destructing. Especially interesting was how Qantas is portrayed in the media by GT etc and then comments about Qantas basing in Asia. If you care to read on I have some small Asian experience at the other end of the runway from which may be of interest . . .
However first things first . . .
THANK YOU QANTAS ENGINEERING
Had repeated problems with my undercarriage. Paid three engineers to fix it all to now avail. It was only when an elderly ex-Qantas engineer checked it over that the problem was solved. Thank you Qantas for training him and giving him the skills experience and knowhow. A computer can count beans but a monkey can't be a grease monkey.
SUPPORT YOUR COMMUNITY
Community is essential for a sense of well being and happiness. In the form of your unions exisits a community to protect your engineers and pilots. In their hearts management is both fearful and jealous of the strength of your solaridity. It seems that the engineers and pilots claims seem more about ensuring job security and continiutiy than just extra pay the narcotic of management. I hope that your sense of community will strengthen and prrotect your work place community in the growing struggle to come.
OPERATING AN AVIATION COMPANY IN ASIA
I've lived 10 years over there and by myself set up an aviation company amongst the inscrutables. To that end I have some insights that I hope the Qantas board is aware of:
1) You need extremely skilled bilingual staff that have worked with you for many many years to conduct your buiness negotitions and to run your company. If you try to set up in asian countries using English as a 'common' language you will be screwed. To find Asians that are more loyal to your company than their fellow country is nigh impossible. If you hire 'locals' you will as sure as hell be hiring moles for your competitors. You need hard nosed, intelligent Australians fluent through years of sacrifice to represnt you. Please note the success and linguistic skills of Air Asia's Tony Fernandes. Is Alan Joyce fluent in any asian languages?
To set up my tiny Piper Supercub banner towing business I had to pass numerous tests and get myself able to not only listen and speak but of course read and write. In meetings my language skills were repeadtily tested and I had to read through maintenance manuals, official documents etc and on occasion write replies on the spot. In asia as a white man in business, espcially in aviation, the vultures are always flocking to shoot you down. It took me 4 yours of late night self study doing a masters degree in advanced translation by correspondence while living in a camping car to reach the language skills necessary to fly and run a tiny aviation company.
2) I'm not proud of this but you need to work over the years to build up a network of influential locals to support you. Being dirt poor, see camping car comment above, this basically meant drinking drinking drinking with old men. I've sung enough karaoke kamikaze songs to sink the Enterprise. If Qantas hasnt been inserting dozens of staff in asia for years doing similiar things I wonder as to the likelyhood of your success. I was a laughable curioustity and so didn't have to pay bribes. I wonder how Qantas accounts for bribes in their records? Remember they are out to entice you and swallow you unless you endear yourself to enough powerful old men who will curb the young tigers.
3) They'd protect their sworn enemy rather than help a foreigner. To start up I had to permission, wrtitten permission, from my two nearest geographical aviation rivials to start up. Now have a think about that. Imagine starting a restaurant and needing permission from your two cloeses rivals to open your doors. Yet more drinking and free English lessons for one and all. I wish Australia would protect itself as much as Asia does. Dick Smith is right when he says in effect your government is letting the hordes in and selling out aviation in Australia industry to the wolves.
If you can't talk the talk (I mean an Asian language with all the years of relationship building required) don't walk the walk because Asia loves to invite the lamb in, feed it, share it and then slaughter it.
PROPAGANDA WAR
You are involved in a propoganda war with management trying to break you and base overseas. Once they accomplish that all those greedy directors and managers will be long gone enjoying their golden handshakes while you learn how to say Kashikomarasu in polite Japanese/Chinese etc to your new supervisor. Why don't you contact the TV stations and offer an airline union representative to balance the claims of GT? It would be great for you to start winiing back some of the hearts and minds of the public. Tell the stations that it would increase their ratings too as every aviation clip would have the excitement of a union rep versing an 'aviation expert' - drama sells.
People WILL pay more to get Aussie pilots flying Aussie maintained aircraft. Let them know thats what's at stake.
FIGHTING FEE TO HELP QANTAS
I struggle to survive with my baby seaplane and have so little income that all the salaries you guys mention are in the clouds for me. That said though if I skip a meal I can donate some money to your cause to help you fight your management and regain control of your national icon. If such a fund exists please do say as I'd like to contribute. I'll gladly drink water for a meal or two in return for the nice feeling of having helped our aussie cousins. Although I know he wasn't a Qantas man, I'm sure Smithy would have helped out had situations been reversed. Grandad adored him and raised me to help others like he did.
Sorry for going on like this, just wanted to voice my support to the Qantas engineers and pilots.
It seems like you're losing the war to incompetent self serving leadership and biased media.
Why don't you remember the ANZACs and get out of the trenches?
Fight 'em.
God Bless and God Help Qantas - christ this from a kiwi too!
With some bad weather here I moved out of the comfortable GA forum to check the world of the lovely shinny jets and was stunned shocked and then angered by reading through post after post describing Qantas almost self destructing. Especially interesting was how Qantas is portrayed in the media by GT etc and then comments about Qantas basing in Asia. If you care to read on I have some small Asian experience at the other end of the runway from which may be of interest . . .
However first things first . . .
THANK YOU QANTAS ENGINEERING
Had repeated problems with my undercarriage. Paid three engineers to fix it all to now avail. It was only when an elderly ex-Qantas engineer checked it over that the problem was solved. Thank you Qantas for training him and giving him the skills experience and knowhow. A computer can count beans but a monkey can't be a grease monkey.
SUPPORT YOUR COMMUNITY
Community is essential for a sense of well being and happiness. In the form of your unions exisits a community to protect your engineers and pilots. In their hearts management is both fearful and jealous of the strength of your solaridity. It seems that the engineers and pilots claims seem more about ensuring job security and continiutiy than just extra pay the narcotic of management. I hope that your sense of community will strengthen and prrotect your work place community in the growing struggle to come.
OPERATING AN AVIATION COMPANY IN ASIA
I've lived 10 years over there and by myself set up an aviation company amongst the inscrutables. To that end I have some insights that I hope the Qantas board is aware of:
1) You need extremely skilled bilingual staff that have worked with you for many many years to conduct your buiness negotitions and to run your company. If you try to set up in asian countries using English as a 'common' language you will be screwed. To find Asians that are more loyal to your company than their fellow country is nigh impossible. If you hire 'locals' you will as sure as hell be hiring moles for your competitors. You need hard nosed, intelligent Australians fluent through years of sacrifice to represnt you. Please note the success and linguistic skills of Air Asia's Tony Fernandes. Is Alan Joyce fluent in any asian languages?
To set up my tiny Piper Supercub banner towing business I had to pass numerous tests and get myself able to not only listen and speak but of course read and write. In meetings my language skills were repeadtily tested and I had to read through maintenance manuals, official documents etc and on occasion write replies on the spot. In asia as a white man in business, espcially in aviation, the vultures are always flocking to shoot you down. It took me 4 yours of late night self study doing a masters degree in advanced translation by correspondence while living in a camping car to reach the language skills necessary to fly and run a tiny aviation company.
2) I'm not proud of this but you need to work over the years to build up a network of influential locals to support you. Being dirt poor, see camping car comment above, this basically meant drinking drinking drinking with old men. I've sung enough karaoke kamikaze songs to sink the Enterprise. If Qantas hasnt been inserting dozens of staff in asia for years doing similiar things I wonder as to the likelyhood of your success. I was a laughable curioustity and so didn't have to pay bribes. I wonder how Qantas accounts for bribes in their records? Remember they are out to entice you and swallow you unless you endear yourself to enough powerful old men who will curb the young tigers.
3) They'd protect their sworn enemy rather than help a foreigner. To start up I had to permission, wrtitten permission, from my two nearest geographical aviation rivials to start up. Now have a think about that. Imagine starting a restaurant and needing permission from your two cloeses rivals to open your doors. Yet more drinking and free English lessons for one and all. I wish Australia would protect itself as much as Asia does. Dick Smith is right when he says in effect your government is letting the hordes in and selling out aviation in Australia industry to the wolves.
If you can't talk the talk (I mean an Asian language with all the years of relationship building required) don't walk the walk because Asia loves to invite the lamb in, feed it, share it and then slaughter it.
PROPAGANDA WAR
You are involved in a propoganda war with management trying to break you and base overseas. Once they accomplish that all those greedy directors and managers will be long gone enjoying their golden handshakes while you learn how to say Kashikomarasu in polite Japanese/Chinese etc to your new supervisor. Why don't you contact the TV stations and offer an airline union representative to balance the claims of GT? It would be great for you to start winiing back some of the hearts and minds of the public. Tell the stations that it would increase their ratings too as every aviation clip would have the excitement of a union rep versing an 'aviation expert' - drama sells.
People WILL pay more to get Aussie pilots flying Aussie maintained aircraft. Let them know thats what's at stake.
FIGHTING FEE TO HELP QANTAS
I struggle to survive with my baby seaplane and have so little income that all the salaries you guys mention are in the clouds for me. That said though if I skip a meal I can donate some money to your cause to help you fight your management and regain control of your national icon. If such a fund exists please do say as I'd like to contribute. I'll gladly drink water for a meal or two in return for the nice feeling of having helped our aussie cousins. Although I know he wasn't a Qantas man, I'm sure Smithy would have helped out had situations been reversed. Grandad adored him and raised me to help others like he did.
Sorry for going on like this, just wanted to voice my support to the Qantas engineers and pilots.
It seems like you're losing the war to incompetent self serving leadership and biased media.
Why don't you remember the ANZACs and get out of the trenches?
Fight 'em.
God Bless and God Help Qantas - christ this from a kiwi too!
Last edited by weloveseaplanes; 14th Jul 2011 at 04:03.
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Thanks Seaplanes... No need for money... Just spread the truth to all you know... and hopefully they will do likewise... so that enough people, and hopefully some polies (won't be holding my breath there...), will finally see what is happening to a once proud Aussie icon! 
"Live long and prosper..."
"Live long and prosper..."
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I too, tip my hat.. If only the individuals nestled deep within the aviation regulator and airline management shared your passion, determination and depth of vision, the long-term viability of our industry here in Australia would be significantly improved..
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People WILL pay more to get Aussie pilots flying Aussie maintained aircraft. Let them know thats what's at stake.
A brilliant post, I too spent seven years in Asia and completely understand where you are coming from with,
You need extremely skilled bilingual staff that have worked with you for many many years to conduct your business negotiations and to run your company.
The Australian public appear to also be tiring of the corporate thuggery inflicted of staff labour costs which in many cases stress the limits for staff to provide services to the fullest expected by the full paying customers. (eg. Qantas mainline) Bit by bit the current managers have cut costs (to feather their own nests) by way of bonuses, effectively degrading the overall service experience that can be provided. Q's market share has eroded because of poor management practices. The business community in Australia is beginning to show signs that Qantas management has gone too far and risks losing greater chunks of it's corporate market to Virgin's revamped product now on par with the Qantas offerings. JB at Virgin has done a much better job with staff relations, simple as that really. I personally wished that JB was running Q instead of AJ,
Dare I say it, here goes, AJ's image, "that little Irishman" is not doing the image of Qantas any good at all with the Australian public when it is raised in conversation, I hear it more and more every day from all walks of life as I am sure we all do on here.
His image has damaged the "Australianism" that goes with brand Qantas, protected by the few at the top, who appear to be more on a banking path than airline one. If JB was CEO of Qantas and AJ left to still run J* things may have been in much better shape today at Q group. The image of J* suits the "little fella" but not the Q group as a whole. In Asia, we need managers who understand Asia, sadly this criteria is lacking at Q a bit like what happened at Tiger in Singapore and Australia.
Again, thanks for the great post, I too will do all I can to support the pilots, engineers and staff at Q.
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Bravo that man;
- "O, good old man, how well in thee appears
The constant service of the antique world,
When service sweat for duty, not for meed!
Thou art not for the fashion of these times,
Where none will sweat but for promotion."
- William Shakespeare, As You Like It, 2.3
- Tailwinds and and all the very best.
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Gice AJ a break, they only lost 100M the other day.
The carrier suffered revenue losses of nearly 100 million Australian dollars (US$107 million) in the past six months because of natural disasters and events including the March 11 earthquake and tsunami in Japan
Im just wondering if he has a relative working for the ministry of finance over in the home country
He sure is a numbers man.
Give him the respect he deserves
The carrier suffered revenue losses of nearly 100 million Australian dollars (US$107 million) in the past six months because of natural disasters and events including the March 11 earthquake and tsunami in Japan
Im just wondering if he has a relative working for the ministry of finance over in the home country
He sure is a numbers man.
Give him the respect he deserves
