Rex suspends maryborough services too
 

http://www.asx.com.au/asxpdf/2007110...lxndzhblwk.pdf

But it is STILL not REX's fault! it is all the other nasty airlines who don't have their own pilots.

to quote the WIGGLES .... "WAKE UP GEOFF!"

Media Release
5 November 2007
REX ANNOUNCES SUSPENSION OF MARYBOROUGH SERVICES DUE TO
PILOT SHORTAGE
Australia’s largest independent regional airline, Regional Express (Rex) today announced the
suspension until March 2008 of its recently commenced Brisbane – Maryborough services due to
on-going pilot shortages.
Rex Managing Director Geoff Breust said, “We are extremely disappointed that we have had to take
this drastic action given our major commitment to the new Maryborough service and the great
support received from the Maryborough City Council, Brisbane Airport, the Queensland Government
and of course our customers.
“However, given the pilot shortage, we are faced with the choice of suspending some of our regular
services to build up a reserve buffer or cancelling ad hoc flights each time a pilot calls in sick. We
believe that the former is the more responsible course of action and provides greater certainty to our
customers. Rex has traditionally been the airline with the lowest cancellation rates in Australia and
we intend for it to remain that way even in these very trying circumstances.
“This suspension is the result of a network review to identify the routes that have the lowest load
factors so as to inconvenience the least number of regional travellers and follows similar initiatives
that we have undertaken on the Cooma and Wagga Wagga services in New South Wales. We do
not foresee any further suspension of services but we will monitor the situation very closely,” said Mr
Breust.
Giving further details of its pilot situation, Mr Breust said, “Rex has the full complement of pilots for
its flying schedule but 15% of them are in the final stages of their two month ground school and
simulator training. These pilots will progressively join Rex’s flying ranks between now and
Christmas. This has resulted in a thinning out of our normal pool of reserve crews to meet
contingencies like last minute illnesses.
“The shortage of pilots has even been described by the chief pilot of Qantas as being even more
catastrophic than the collapse of Ansett and obviously we and all other airlines are badly hit.
However at Rex we are confident that the problem will be only a temporary set back. To date, we
have over 700 applicants for our pilot cadet scheme and the first batch of 20 selected candidates will
commence their 32 weeks of training at the Rex pilot academy on 10th December 2007. The first
few intakes will be exclusively for Rex cadets before the Academy is opened to private students and
cadets from other domestic or foreign airlines.
“We call on the other major airlines in Australia to train their own pilots instead of simply poaching
massively from the regional airlines and the pilot training schools. So far, besides Rex, only Qantas
seems to have made any plans in this direction,” said Mr Breust.
The Brisbane to Maryborough services have been suspended as from today and will resume from
Sunday 16 March 2008. All passengers holding reservations for travel are requested to contact the
Rex Customer Contact Centre on 13 17 13. Flights can be held in credit and used for travel beyond
the 16 March 2008, or alternatively a full refund will be provided.
Rex is Australia’s largest independent regional airline operating a fleet of 35 Saab 340 aircraft on 1,300
flights weekly to 25 destinations from Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide and Brisbane. The Rex Group of
companies comprises of Regional Express, air freight and charter operator Pel – Air Aviation and Dubbo
based regional airline, Air Link.
-

Terrible state of affairs..... share price has taken a tumble today....

Everyone's share prices have taken a tumble today but yes, 5% is probably worse than most others! :ok: :}

"poaching", is this bloke serious??

I have to laugh at this comment, does he know where his pilots are coming from?? I guess whats good for the goose is good for the gander as long as you dont ask about it!

I think a better term would be progression, but hey, let the "poaching" continue until they realise that until T&C's are improved nothing will stop them.

Just out of curiosity does anyone know what the bonds being applied to the guys/girls doing the rex cadet scheme? Will that stop them walking after a few years............

Hope that it works out for the employee's of REX, it would be a shame for the worst to happen

Horsefeathers! The other airlines are NOT poaching REX pilots or any others for that matter. Poaching occurs when a potential employer actively approaches a prospective employee (often when having received a lead from a current employee), and offering inducements to leave their present employer. As far as I'm aware all the movement in the industry at the moment has been at the initiation of the employee, so how can it be poaching??:confused:

Poaching may be minimised by the making of a counter-offer by the current employer to prevent the employee leaving. It happens all the time in the IT industry, but never in the airlines.:hmm:

Reckon the airlines will stop "poaching" REX pilots about the same time REX stops "poaching" pilots from the GA operators who operate the Kingairs, Navajos, 402's, Barons etc etc.

So REX/Mr Breust when will you show leadership by action and cease poaching other operators pilots??

Viable Routes
 

Call me a cynic if you like but is there a possibility that the routes REX are withdrawing from are not profitable and very politically sensitive?

Does the "Pilot Shortage" provide some cover when REX are inevitably questioned by State and Regional Local Governments as to why they are choosing to withdraw from certain routes?

Perhaps those in the know can enlighten the rest.

I reckon a chartered C208 would fill the gap.......:}

When does charter become RPT.....thats not been tested before in Qld now has it???:suspect:

GaryGnu


Good question, incredibly well put, but damned if I know! :D

FACTS:

• Maryborough is in the Wide Bay electorate. Federal Member is Warren Truss MP Deputy Leader of The Nationals
  
• Wagga is in Riverina. Federal Member is Kay Hull, MP, Chief Whip of The Nationals
  
• Cooma is in Eden Monaro. Federal Member is Gary Nairn, Liberal Party, Special Minister of State.

Hmmmmm. Anyone care to comment?

GaryGnu, I think you may be on to something here, like many others on this site i know well qualified pilots who Rex will not even look at.
As a share holder I would be asking questions at the next AGM.
Something just does not add up!:confused:

Just saw the leading stories for Sydney's Channel 10 5pm news.

The Rex pilot shortage is headlining.

Should be interesting..

Yes, there would be a political argument to stop these routes during the election.

Also, they keep using the word "Poach", this too has political overtones especially with the ACCC.

If it can be shown that a competitor, QF, Virgin, Porn* etc are forcing you out of business by "Paoching" all your qualified staff, their may be recompence through the ACCC.

We live in interesting times

Rex pilots being poached ha ha
 

About time GB started to question his magnificent pilot management staff ie CH & MN,
A large number of his senior pilots just had a gutfull of their b******t and have retired early. They are too old to be of interest to the majors but would have been willing and able to continue in REX if GB would just get rid of the second rate management pilots and that includes a few of those check and training types who have been there too long.
When will minor airlines like REX learn that they do need experience, these new trainees will not be ready for commands for years, REX needs captains now.
Extract the diget Geoff, those management pilots you have are wrecking what used to be a good little airline, get rid of the dead-wood up top and it might go some way to retaining experienced pilots, then add a realistic pay packet or you'll loose the lot.

Xr dont seem to have problems with retaining their crews, me thinks it might have something to do with T&C's.

JarJar

When does one person's career ladder (GA-Regional-Mainline) become another person's game reserve?

Whether it's by poaching or natural migration, the cream will eventually rise to the top!

If the local companies tried to prevent that process, they would merely be inviting pilots to emigrate.

Welcome to the cause and effect relationship of market economics, Geoff.

????????
 

"the cream will always rise to the top" ????
Sounds like arrogance to me. Who can establish where the top is?

You've gotta love the way they try to spin things! Aside from the "poach" comment which has been met with incredulity since it was first used weeks ago, apparently Rex are cancelling routes with the lowest load factors "so as to inconvenience the least number of regional travellers" (rather than to limit revenue loss)!

I also like their use of the word "initiative" here. In my book, taking initiative would indicate some measure designed to get the organisation back on the attack. Sorry, but cancelling services simply doesn't qualify under this banner.

The last sentence could be more simply stated as "we won't cancel anything else unless we have to". Comforting. I wonder whether the other regional carriers have started to notice an influx of customers who would normally travel with Rex, but who would prefer a degree of certainty in their plans. Once that happens, watch the incipient become an unstable spin!

Two cents poorer,

Icarus

"I reckon a chartered C208 would fill the gap.......:}


way ahead of ya there.but not with a 208

Bizz

Why doesn’t REX just speak the truth! The numbers on BNE-MBH do not and will not support a Saab. Every other operator has linked MBH/HVB; it’s the only way to make it work. MBH alone has always been low numbers and mostly business traffic.

So what happens to the REX pilots who have just moved to BNE?

Another route bites the dust!

In my previous posts on the REX canels Cooma service thread, i made a few points of view from my experiences of which Shapeshifter took it upon himself to carefully choose a few of - twist them - give it a shake and shift them - then try to make himself look all cool by stating that their recruitment team got it right when they knocked me back!

Problem is Shapeshifter - unless they had a crystal ball prior to and during my interview, they wouldn't have possibly known that i was to convey my own experiences about them - because, i hadn't actually experienced them up to that point.

Shapeshifter - you are probably a REX pilot that is trying to defend the indefensible! Poor you.

Main points being that they are disorganised, cannot understand why their pilots are leaving in droves, cry fowl falsely and mask it as a massive pilot shortage (in the hope that Government listen and open the migration floodgates and hence keep wages and conditions at an all time LOW!) when this is not the true case!

You and GB do not realise, or are dumb or stupid - that when his pilots call in sick at the last minute, they are actually attending job interviews with other airlines.

He needs to wake up and realise that he would not be in this position if he had better T's&C's. Pilots are leaving REX in bigger numbers first because they have the WORST pay and conditions compared to other regionals in their calibre.

Unfortunately for me at my experience level, REX was just another entity at which i would have to apply - to get the experience, to climb the ladder.

Fortunately for me however, i did not place all my eggs into one basket, secondly i was rejected by REX and thirdly - i was accepted into QF Link for their course the following week.

BTW - read GoNorth's post about the pay after 10K for endorsement Shapeshifter. Learn from this. And next time you think about writing real drivel, think twice about the 'KNOB' factor and how one perceives you.

Bo!