Qantas Link 717 cancellations
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Ultimately it can always be brought in house which is what happened to a lot of the US outsourced flying.
- Unlimited supply of pilots (which no longer applies)
- No impact on cash flow to terminate the contract (the question to ask is can Qantas afford the impact?)
- Ready supply of trained 'strike breakers' to step in?
If what some posters suggest that the 737 flying program is at capacity, the training system clogged and brand new recruits being offered 737 Perth then I would strongly suggest that there is neither the supply of pilots nor any real remedy. There is substantial execution risk to push much harder, particularly with the festive season approaching.
That's the dream Neville. They wanted the 717 in house but Cobham made them an offer that they could not refuse and Cobham are now suffering because of it. They dramatically undersold their product (pilots).
Unfortunately for Qantas, 717 pilots are not in large supply so the cost of setting up another in house operation is ridiculously cost prohibitive.
The 737 can't cover it. The F100 can't nor can the Dash. As much as some guys might not like it, the 717 has a place in the Qantas fleet. It's cheap as to own/lease and run and is perfect for the thinner, longer routes.
The best option would be to take the operation back, pilots and all. 717 crew would be happier and all this nastyness may just be resolved.
Unfortunately for Qantas, 717 pilots are not in large supply so the cost of setting up another in house operation is ridiculously cost prohibitive.
The 737 can't cover it. The F100 can't nor can the Dash. As much as some guys might not like it, the 717 has a place in the Qantas fleet. It's cheap as to own/lease and run and is perfect for the thinner, longer routes.
The best option would be to take the operation back, pilots and all. 717 crew would be happier and all this nastyness may just be resolved.
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The best option would be to take the operation back, pilots and all. 717 crew would be happier and all this nastyness may just be resolved.
It's cheap as to own/lease and run and is perfect for the thinner, longer routes.
The past 12-18 months has seen what can only be described as an exodus from the 717. Pilots are flocking to mainline, Virgin, Jetstar and numerous overseas operators. The feedback has been very positive from all, even at low cost operations where the pay and conditions are more favourable.
The word on the street says most operators can't get pilots to attend interviews, let alone accept an offer. I personally know of some pilots who attend multiple interviews with various airlines as "practice" for the one they want!
Whether airlines like it or not, pilots are starting to pick and choose the best fit for them based on the very thing the IR boffins are using to denigrate the profession. No longer do we have to go cap in hand to an interview hoping we're good enough. Contract companies with the lowest pay and conditions are the first to suffer.
The word on the street says most operators can't get pilots to attend interviews, let alone accept an offer. I personally know of some pilots who attend multiple interviews with various airlines as "practice" for the one they want!
Whether airlines like it or not, pilots are starting to pick and choose the best fit for them based on the very thing the IR boffins are using to denigrate the profession. No longer do we have to go cap in hand to an interview hoping we're good enough. Contract companies with the lowest pay and conditions are the first to suffer.
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I guess it's relevant to this post that the Qlink boss just announced busses for networklink, and also bringing the Jetconnect regos back to VH. Who will crew them? Who knows. I know that CaSA allow Eastern pilots to operate the Q400 on Sunstates AOC, so maybe the Jetconnect pilots will be allowed to operate the 737s on the qantas AOC.
The same email said that Jetconnect crew will operate the 737’s as VH- Tails.
Is there anything to stop those pilots then flying any domestic routes in the same aircraft as part of a pattern of flying?
It might help with the shortage of 737 crew at QF.
Is there anything to stop those pilots then flying any domestic routes in the same aircraft as part of a pattern of flying?
It might help with the shortage of 737 crew at QF.
Well if he can get another contractor to do it for less, why not? Especially if the current ones can’t fullfill their obligations. Ultimately it can always be brought in house which is what happened to a lot of the US outsourced flying.
Which goes back to why industrial action as a contractor is futile.
Which goes back to why industrial action as a contractor is futile.
It will be interesting to see how the pilot shortage here (USA) shakes things down over the coming years. Many predict that regionals disappear as the supply of pilots eventually dry up. Time will tell.
Only today a contract addendum to one of the Delta wholly owned regionals passed a massive pay increase (relatively speaking), it’s only a matter of time before the regionals pay rates increase to a point where having multiple certificates and management infrastructure are no longer relevant. Once again only time will tell.
Qantas passengers vent their frustration amid a spike in flight cancellations - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)
Qantas passengers vent their frustration amid a spike in flight cancellations
BY NATIONAL RURAL REPORTER BRETT WORTHINGTON
UPDATED ABOUT 7 HOURS AGO
QantasLink, the regional arm of Qantas, has cut the number of flights it operates in a bid to combat cancellations and increasing customer frustration.
Passengers who have been left stranded in airports, have vented their frustration on social media after last-minute flight cancellations.
QantasLink has experienced an almost doubling in flight cancellations in recent months.
The latest figures from the Department of Infrastructure and Regional Development show QantasLink cancelled 500 flights last month, which was almost half of all domestic airline cancellations.
Qantas said the bulk of cancellations had been on Canberra, Hobart and regional Queensland flights.
But frustration with the airline has not been restricted to these areas.
QantasLink cancellations in Tamworth, in regional New South Wales, have also been cause for concerns for locals.
Tamworth Regional Council councillor Juanita Wilson said while she appreciated the services QantasLink offered her region, locals could no longer rely on them.
"We're at a mindset now where you book a flight and hope it'll happen," she said.
"Another impact is that individuals and businesses are booking flights earlier than they need with the anticipation that one might be cancelled."
Pilot shortage and aircraft maintenance to blame
Qantas attributes the cancellations to crew shortages.
It said illness and training were responsible for a lack of available pilots among its reserve crews.
The company also attributed the cancellations to unexpected maintenance of planes, which required parts to be sourced from overseas.
Cr Wilson while every industry and every business had its issues it was up to industry to manage the situation.
"If the availability of pilots in Australia is an issue, and it seems to be, then perhaps government [at] all levels needs to look at how that can be resourced and solved," she said
Cr Wilson said the cancellations meant people had missed weddings, international flights and medical appointments.
Reduced flights to improve reliability
QantasLink chief operating officer Jenny Chamberlain, in a statement, said the airline had reduced flight numbers to combat the cancellations, changes that would remain in place until March.
"The higher rates of cancellations and delays is disappointing and falls well below the standards we set for ourselves and our customers," she said.
"We've said we are taking active steps to improve overall reliability by making some adjustments to our QantasLink network and schedule over the next few months.
"The changes will see us reduce the overall number of flights but instead use larger aircraft to maintain capacity."
However, Cr Wilson said she feared there could be unintended consequences from fewer flights.
"Bigger flights don't always meet the business needs," she said.
"We need to be able to do business in Sydney and get back, or do business in Melbourne and have flights that will [allow] us to get back in a day," she said.
Tasmanian businessman Stuart Liddell travels interstate, particularly to regional Victoria, for work most weeks.
Qantas has cancelled his Hobart flights twice in recent weeks. The Qantas Club member said he was annoyed at the lack of communication from the airline.
"I said 'why has the flight been cancelled?' and all they did was shrug their shoulders," Mr Liddell said.
"I started to get really annoyed because I had commitments in Hobart. That was blown. I had to call up and cancel all those business commitments.
"And nobody [at Qantas] gave a toss about it."
Flight cancellations amid industrial action
Passengers have also vented their frustration at Cobham Aviation Services, the contractor that provides pilots for QantasLink's Boeing 717 planes.
A new 10-year $1.2 billion deal was struck between Cobham and Qantas last year.
Cobham has for months been negotiating a new enterprise bargaining agreement (EBA) with its pilots.
The Australian Federation of Air Pilots filed for protected industrial action in August.
That action is ongoing but Qantas says the dispute is not the primary cause of cancellations and delays in its regional network.
Cobham's public relations firm refused to comment on the effect the industrial action was having on flights, and instead referred questions to Qantas.
Cobham, in a statement, said EBA negotiations were ongoing with the union.
The Australian Federation of Air Pilots also declined to comment, saying staff were unavailable.
The irony of cancellations in Tamworth isn't lost on Cr Wilson.
Her federal MP, until he was kicked out by the High Court, was former deputy prime minster Barnaby Joyce, the federal government's chief advocate of decentralising agencies to regional areas.
"Businesses who are competing with metropolitan business have costs inflated because they've had to reschedule flights or stay overnight in Sydney," she said.
"That puts them at a disadvantage."
BY NATIONAL RURAL REPORTER BRETT WORTHINGTON
UPDATED ABOUT 7 HOURS AGO
QantasLink, the regional arm of Qantas, has cut the number of flights it operates in a bid to combat cancellations and increasing customer frustration.
Passengers who have been left stranded in airports, have vented their frustration on social media after last-minute flight cancellations.
QantasLink has experienced an almost doubling in flight cancellations in recent months.
The latest figures from the Department of Infrastructure and Regional Development show QantasLink cancelled 500 flights last month, which was almost half of all domestic airline cancellations.
Qantas said the bulk of cancellations had been on Canberra, Hobart and regional Queensland flights.
But frustration with the airline has not been restricted to these areas.
QantasLink cancellations in Tamworth, in regional New South Wales, have also been cause for concerns for locals.
Tamworth Regional Council councillor Juanita Wilson said while she appreciated the services QantasLink offered her region, locals could no longer rely on them.
"We're at a mindset now where you book a flight and hope it'll happen," she said.
"Another impact is that individuals and businesses are booking flights earlier than they need with the anticipation that one might be cancelled."
Pilot shortage and aircraft maintenance to blame
Qantas attributes the cancellations to crew shortages.
It said illness and training were responsible for a lack of available pilots among its reserve crews.
The company also attributed the cancellations to unexpected maintenance of planes, which required parts to be sourced from overseas.
Cr Wilson while every industry and every business had its issues it was up to industry to manage the situation.
"If the availability of pilots in Australia is an issue, and it seems to be, then perhaps government [at] all levels needs to look at how that can be resourced and solved," she said
Cr Wilson said the cancellations meant people had missed weddings, international flights and medical appointments.
Reduced flights to improve reliability
QantasLink chief operating officer Jenny Chamberlain, in a statement, said the airline had reduced flight numbers to combat the cancellations, changes that would remain in place until March.
"The higher rates of cancellations and delays is disappointing and falls well below the standards we set for ourselves and our customers," she said.
"We've said we are taking active steps to improve overall reliability by making some adjustments to our QantasLink network and schedule over the next few months.
"The changes will see us reduce the overall number of flights but instead use larger aircraft to maintain capacity."
However, Cr Wilson said she feared there could be unintended consequences from fewer flights.
"Bigger flights don't always meet the business needs," she said.
"We need to be able to do business in Sydney and get back, or do business in Melbourne and have flights that will [allow] us to get back in a day," she said.
Tasmanian businessman Stuart Liddell travels interstate, particularly to regional Victoria, for work most weeks.
Qantas has cancelled his Hobart flights twice in recent weeks. The Qantas Club member said he was annoyed at the lack of communication from the airline.
"I said 'why has the flight been cancelled?' and all they did was shrug their shoulders," Mr Liddell said.
"I started to get really annoyed because I had commitments in Hobart. That was blown. I had to call up and cancel all those business commitments.
"And nobody [at Qantas] gave a toss about it."
Flight cancellations amid industrial action
Passengers have also vented their frustration at Cobham Aviation Services, the contractor that provides pilots for QantasLink's Boeing 717 planes.
A new 10-year $1.2 billion deal was struck between Cobham and Qantas last year.
Cobham has for months been negotiating a new enterprise bargaining agreement (EBA) with its pilots.
The Australian Federation of Air Pilots filed for protected industrial action in August.
That action is ongoing but Qantas says the dispute is not the primary cause of cancellations and delays in its regional network.
Cobham's public relations firm refused to comment on the effect the industrial action was having on flights, and instead referred questions to Qantas.
Cobham, in a statement, said EBA negotiations were ongoing with the union.
The Australian Federation of Air Pilots also declined to comment, saying staff were unavailable.
The irony of cancellations in Tamworth isn't lost on Cr Wilson.
Her federal MP, until he was kicked out by the High Court, was former deputy prime minster Barnaby Joyce, the federal government's chief advocate of decentralising agencies to regional areas.
"Businesses who are competing with metropolitan business have costs inflated because they've had to reschedule flights or stay overnight in Sydney," she said.
"That puts them at a disadvantage."
"If the availability of pilots in Australia is an issue, and it seems to be, then perhaps government [at] all levels needs to look at how that can be resourced and solved," she said
Unions need to get onto the front foot and be cold calling MP's from these regional towns and explaining the truth, not what QF wants MP's to hear.
sick of this country.
Well I saw the advert in yesterday's Australian which is a sign that there is not a big fat hold file full of qualified applicants.
The amount of recruitment going on at present is quite amazing and good to see. Even more amazing given the economy is quiet at present, world wide. What is going to happen when the economy picks up and travel is booming again?
The amount of recruitment going on at present is quite amazing and good to see. Even more amazing given the economy is quiet at present, world wide. What is going to happen when the economy picks up and travel is booming again?
Well I saw the advert in yesterday's Australian which is a sign that there is not a big fat hold file full of qualified applicants.
The amount of recruitment going on at present is quite amazing and good to see. Even more amazing given the economy is quiet at present, world wide. What is going to happen when the economy picks up and travel is booming again?
The amount of recruitment going on at present is quite amazing and good to see. Even more amazing given the economy is quiet at present, world wide. What is going to happen when the economy picks up and travel is booming again?
Cobham 717 FOs all bases.
"An exciting opportunity."
This ad has been on their website since July 2015...
http://www.cobhamaviationservices.co...-opportunities
"An exciting opportunity."
This ad has been on their website since July 2015...
http://www.cobhamaviationservices.co...-opportunities
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The whole thing is a mess, QLink and Cobham. Time to change management and bring everything under one roof.
- Subsidiary flying
- Contractors flying
- Less than good faith bargaining
Whilst I agree with the sentiments, the beast is well entrenched.
Please
And how exactly will that help?
The dash 8 cancellations have been high for a looong time, hence the Tamworth CR complaining about Tamworth reliability, ( no 717s to Tamworth, and the places listed are both DHC8 and 717 routes, no mention of routes covered almost solely by 717 I.e. WA and NT). As for the 717’s, the delays/ cancellations sky rocketed when QF changed the maintenance provider. They are so far behind with 717’s parked outside the hangar in Canberra they may well have to send some maintenance back to Cobham. I suspect the reduction in flights (717) is to allow the maintenance to catch up and lack of crew (QF determines the numbers). The decision to change maintenance etc was made “in house” and it has been proven to be a poor decision, short term at least.
The whole thing is a mess, QLink and Cobham. Time to change management and bring everything under one
The dash 8 cancellations have been high for a looong time, hence the Tamworth CR complaining about Tamworth reliability, ( no 717s to Tamworth, and the places listed are both DHC8 and 717 routes, no mention of routes covered almost solely by 717 I.e. WA and NT). As for the 717’s, the delays/ cancellations sky rocketed when QF changed the maintenance provider. They are so far behind with 717’s parked outside the hangar in Canberra they may well have to send some maintenance back to Cobham. I suspect the reduction in flights (717) is to allow the maintenance to catch up and lack of crew (QF determines the numbers). The decision to change maintenance etc was made “in house” and it has been proven to be a poor decision, short term at least.
Last edited by RENURPP; 3rd Dec 2017 at 01:07.