I thought i'd let the dust settle before i add my two cents worth. As I've said in previous threads, The operation has to change for it to go forward. It will survive (again) but be downsized a little......for now. I believe it to be a temp fix. The big changes will come late to early next year . Our EBA will no doubt become an AWA once it expires in December. We will have no choice.
As for the extra crew we have after this restructure, London maybe, MAM, JQ, who knows. Qantas should show its hand by end of May.

Hang in there just a little bit longer!

Read between the lines. A "restructure" of Qantas operations in Cairns means Jetstar will be the group's international airline operating out of Cairns. Australian Airlines will no longer be required. They are not going to waste money operating two bases in a port that is so comparatively small. Remember for a moment the Perth L/H base.... didn't last. Those flights to Asia are departing Perth now full of S/H MAM crew. It would be completely Inefficient to operate a base of crew for a couple of B767 flights a day (which, up until July 2006 were operated by crew from BNE or SYD anyway). Let's just hope for the crew's sake we are redeployed to other positions that aren't a bitter pill to swallow.

And another thing Assist, you thought you'd wait for the dust to settle. You're way too early - the sandstorm is on it's way.

I have to go along with flitegirl as this is far too early for any crystal ball interpretations.JB may have been in Cairns to make an anouncement and the rug may have been pulled out from beneath him after the SMH article.

The one thing I do know is that the company does not know the meaning of the word loyalty no matter how much you have done for them.

There is the impending or rather final decision as to the takeover going ahead.With the change in conditions for APA they probably will have to change a few plans as the amount of interest they will have to pay is increased dramatically.

For the number of years that Darth has had his policy of sustainable futures etc... he has only managed to saver around $1 billion yet APA has said they will want to recoup more than 4 billion in the first year.

Unless the company has a little safe somewhere with a few billion stashed away for a rainy day I can only surmise where they intend to get their 4 billion from.

I only hope that the Federal election is one of change and that it is in our favour.The one thing I do know for sure is that if Howard stays in power the life expectancy of a permanently employed cabin crew is not much...

People, this is only the begining. Look at the low cost carriers around the world today and you can see the effect they are having. Qantas will slowly transform itself to a low cost carrier just like the others. At the end of the day, jetcrap offers a budget service that people want and employees hate. Its happened in europe spread to the US and now its in australia and asia.

they are going to borrow it increasing leverage from 25% to 75%

Yes. You can own a $1,000,000 house with a $400,000 mortgage. So your equity is $600,000 and your gearing is 40%.

But if you want, you can suck $300,000 out (via refinancing with the bank) and spend it on toys or beer. So you still have the $1,000,000 house but now your debt is $700,000 and the gearing 70%. That's a fair bit of interest now.

That's the QF deal as I understand it. At least the interest payments are tax deductable, although that shouldn't impress the citizens of Australia. And you can argue it's not always wise to suck out your equity and spend it on toys.... You might need to inject the equity back in one day when the going gets tough....

and there is more
 

word is APA looks at on selling some of the 787 firm orders/option to get some quick extra cash. :ugh:

the waiting list for the 787 grows longer it is may be the reason the leasing firm allco is in apa,the leasing of the large qantas order including options may be the jewel in the crown

Understanding
 

I completely understand where you are coming from. Jobs are at risk, but please think about the people you are calling names - "Scatstar" I do believe going back to 2001 yourselves were doing your job, that some Qantas cabin crew were not happy about. I am also Employed in the Qantas group and a fellow AO crew member, just do your best and try not to be bitter.

As posted by halfmoon

"People, this is only the begining. Look at the low cost carriers around the world today and you can see the effect they are having. Qantas will slowly transform itself to a low cost carrier just like the others. At the end of the day, jetcrap offers a budget service that people want and employees hate. Its happened in europe spread to the US and now its in australia and asia."





Sorry sport don't agree.
Qantas won't go Low Cost, that's what JetStar is for.
Qantas will go Low Wage , that's what JetStar is for.
How they do this will be WorkChoices ,and that's what JetStar is for.

Mate if everyone wanted a budget service the hotel industry would be full of backpacker hostels and Formule One Hotels!
There is still a place for a quality product that will attract a premium.
Unfortunately I don't think Qantas management have worked this out yet ,unlike other airlines in Europe and America.

I guess I'm saying nothing no-one already knows. But in blunt terms QF upper management are nothing short of dead set, A grade, first class, purse carrying, nancy boy CARNTS. Borghetti, Dixon, Jaxon, Manning - all a total bunch of criminal farkers who have no idea about family pain, stress, unemployment, constant relocation, job insecurity - they don't give two roots about the average hard working company minded employee who is giving his/her all to the company, who is trying to feed his family, educate his/her kids, provide a stable and stress free life for QF familys. All they give a fark about is their own wallets. Don't be fooled - they don't even give a rat's about the shareholders. Every morning these prix wake up with a jolt and shout "BONUS."

All that glossy media drivel -
"no decision has been made yet" ie, but we will and it won't be good
" we regret the inconvenience caused to the employees" Pigs bum - they do the same crap over and over again and couldn't care less. Ask the boys at Southern about the condolence lines they were fed in Launceston and Melbourne. Ask all the NJS guys and girls at the east coast bases that were opened/closed/opened again/closed again etc etc, especially Canberra. "We regret... yadda yadda yadda" Yeah spare me the sorrowful lecture you flogs.

These clowns have no understanding of family pressure of the average man/woman/child. And no care.

To all you Cairns folk - when I lost my medical and was shoved out the door by these dropkicks, and then in dealings with God's accident (Manning), my life was a mess. But you pick up, move on, promise your precious little kids the best, and it DOES work out.

All the best to you my friends.

Rodney Rude (Rude for a GOOD CAUSE)

Briefing On Wednesday 25th April
 

A close friend based in Brisbane (L/H QANTAS) told me a manager came into their briefing last week and did the usual "what's happening in the company" talk, and told them AO cabin crew had all been offered redundancies OR Jetstar International CNS base?!? I asked if it was a gossipy CSM, but she said "it was management on the ground letting everyone know what is happening in the company". I haven't heard anything from anyone - so find it hard to believe someone in management would announce it to mainline crew, before AO crew had been informed.

It hasn't been announced in the Cairns Post yet (usually the bearer of all the news), but this is from my best friend so I know she isn't the one creating the gossip.

Has anyone received anything officially that this would be the choice? Redundancy or Jetstar International????

Your friend is not creating gossip, but does not have the right information either. It sounds like "the manager" was just quoting what was written in the SMH last week which was untrue.

I wonder how many L/H BNE base will take VR. I'm sure there will be some big payouts from that base!
As for JQI CNS base. Their recruitment drive has already been done. About 5-6 AO crew made it through, out of around 10 who applied.
May 4th is the final call for the APA bid. They need 50% control to extend the deadline for a further 2 weeks. Once that gets sorted out, should find out our final outcome.

www.news.com.au
 

Daryl Passmore
April 29, 2007 12:00am

CAIRNS: Cairns is one of Australia's busiest regional airports. The number of domestic and international passengers rose from 1.5 million in 2002-03 to 1.87 million in 2005-06.

Tourism Tropical North Queensland chairman Stephen Olle said Japan, Britain, Europe and the US were still the main sources of international passengers.

But it is keen to develop the emerging markets of China, India and Korea by increasing direct flights in the next few years.

Cairns' relative proximity to Asia could make it attractive to low-cost operators such as AirAsiaX looking to break into Australia.

A $140 million redevelopment of the domestic terminal is under way to improve check-in and baggage claim facilities and $40 million has been earmarked to expand the international arrivals hall and retail areas.

And - surprise - when AO sinks in CNS there's....

JETSTAR.

Yes, you can have your job back.... but you work harder for less!

It's the key sinker on all this IR stuff for me. There may be more jobs, but who wants to work all their weekends and for peanuts!

Interestingly ,when we were on one of our last flights and slipping in Cairns I met one of the chaps in the tourism/business groups for FNQ.He was not in a good mood at all because in his words QF had led them to believe that AO would be operating in conjunction with QF in Cairns and not replacing us.

They were told that QF crew(cabin and tech) would still be slipping in Cairns and there was no mention that QF would basically be leaving.Then they found out that AO was basically taking over from QF instead of being additional services.He was under the impression that QF would fly the existing routes and AO would do holiday destinations.

Now the same is happening with AO and J*.If you read about the takeover the same thing is happening with lack of info about profit forecasts and so on.The bottom line is that the company does whatever it wants and we are merely disposable items to be used at will.

If they are able to set up another airline that is even cheaper than J* they will do the same thing all over again as well.If you look at the latest "C" contract casuals in S/H I am led to understand that they are only entitled to 3 days off per month.

...And meanwhile, the economy of Cairns is to a large extent dominated by tourism..which is heavily influenced by the ready availability of reasonably priced direct air travel.

And Cairns was doing fine back in the old days of Ansett and TAA well before advent of VB and J*.

The hotel we stayed in as well lost a considerable source of revenue.