Jetstar NZ flights cancelled due to one pilot calling in sick?
 

Just watched a report on 3 News where J* pax were delayed all around NZ last night when "a pilot fell ill". According to the telephone voice from Melbourne "we tried to call in pilots on their days off but none were able to assist"
Well I guess another case of what goes around, comes around. I'd be in no rush to come to work on rostered days on that contract, let alone my days off!! Are manning levels so critical at J* NZ that one pilot being sick can bring the schedule to a grinding halt?
Typical interviews with annoyed passengers who had not been advised of delays or cancellations despite having provided J* with their mobile numbers when making bookings. Apparently those not able to be rebooked on Air NZ flights were given accomodation and "a voucher" and rebooked on another flight this morning.
Be interested to hear the real story behind this...I know that whatever the media say is partial truth at best. What say you J* NZ pilots?

Jetstar cancels flights after pilot calls in sick - Business - Video - 3 News


It is both unfortunate and regrettable that Passengers were inconvenienced in this way.

The medical standards pilots have to meet and the necessity that you must feel that you are 'fit for duty' before piloting an aircraft would suggest that this could be quite a common thing. Calling in sick is something that everyone understands that happens sometimes but perhaps they do not realise that in terms of air crew, flying with something as minor as a common cold can cause problems.

I am sure that those on their days off would have been more than happy to work if able to, but given it was the weekend and their day off I would have thought that most would have had an alcoholic drink or two and not been able to satisfy the strict criteria with regards to the minimum period of consuming alcohol prior to departure.

Despite the headline I am sure that the public will hopefully recognise that it is the Company's poor contingency planning that has lead to this situation and not the actions of the pilot.

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The Kelpie

i think we will see alot more of this into the future......

crew numbers across the board are drastically short especially in NZ (because they cannot find anyone to accept their disgusting conditions) and they'll be even shorter now the cadets are going to be based in oz...

what a monumental fark up by all corcerned that it has come to this. A certain manager who initials are Matt B needs to be sacked asap. he has no concept of carrying sufficent crews in the low periods let alone the busy ones!

When this NZ contract was set up, crews were rostered 8 days off per month. If a captain were exceedingly company-minded they could sacrifice one of these precious days off, and be called into work for the princely sum of and extra NZ$250 pay. This clearly did not work, and has since improved somewhat - they negotiated 9 days off pm and a higher payment to work on a day-off. The work rate is high...also FOs are only on 50% captains pay.... it does not take many neurons to work out that the boys and girls in nz will not be keen to give up their valued days off when someone else canot work.

Ohhh ha hahah he heheh:{:E:{:E:{ ohhhh hahahahah

Reap what you sow my friends.

Turns out there was never a Captain rostered for the duty in question. No pilots on standby. Only one pilot on a single day off who must have decided it was going to remain a day off.

Resource problem? Gosh thats a hard one, let me think about it for a bit.

Jennifer Timm: Jetstar Corporate Comms Adivisor stated on 3 news that it was due to pilot sickness.

Excuse me Miss Timm, will you now retract you're statement and tell the travelling public the truth.

Jetstar cancels flights after pilot calls in sick - Business - Video - 3 News

Just a tad ironic that Ms Timms was based in Melbourne while the company is trying to move pilots to NZ contracts.

Sorry, forgot to ask if she was paid NZD ,has a NZ contract or has ever flown to NZ to open a bank account/get a tax file number.

These corporate offices must be getting very confused as to who is who in the zoo.Then again Melbourne office probably paid massive bonuses and get P class blankets supplied for free.

Limitedrisk

fraud   
–noun
1.
deceit, trickery, sharp practice, or breach of confidence, perpetrated for profit or to gain some unfair or dishonest advantage.

If I ran a catering business and happily accepted your full payment for my services in a month's time, knowing that I did not have the resources to fulfil said 'contract'; but I was of the hope that the good will of my overworked & underpaid staff to make up my short comings would be fruitful when required, however, that idea - the very day of the job - proved wrong; would that not be tantamount to the above.

I have taken your money knowing I can't do the job. "But I was hopeful your Honour!"

Running a business using the good will of staff may work if you treat your staff with some respect. And if you pay lip service to the very elements that that industry is built on, well really, what hope have you got...

The contagion has spread to the Gold Coast..... or is Mr Westaway being his usual economical with the truth?

When a major airline says it cannot crew its flights due to crew shortages, for whatever reason, why do journos refuse to enquire further?

Australian airlines dodge radiation risk

Lol. I'm not sure that's a better answer. The way I see it:

1. J* didn't have enough crew rostered for the flight to start off with- doubtful but possible- in which case they're incompetent, or

2. They did have crew rostered for the flight but some told them to jam it and they 'didn't have enough people to crew the flight' after they tried to call in replacements.

Either way they look like a bunch of clowns for either being incompetent or basically lying.

It's a drum up for the enquiry about the pilot shortage.

So with 4 aircraft on a typical days schedule, how many crew are rosteded on for a given day and how many are on standby. If its only one on standby then it would only take two to go sick before this situation occured.

Also if the crew were CHC based were they earthquake affected. NZ apparently replaced some Atr-72 services with 733 because of a shortage of Atr-72 crew who are CHC based.

I think you are being a trifle optimistic:ok:

Ever the optomist A37575 :ok:

first jetstar flight out of christchurch this morning cancelled with passengers finally being told the truth... that there were no pilot(s) available to crew it.

what an awesome company........

Is the good Senator reading this?

If they put the pay up to $155,000 base for captains to match PB & forgot about the stupid retention bonus, they may get a few more applicants.

Come to think of it, if they put the pay up to the equivalent of an Oz based JetStar pilot, they would probably be knocked down in the rush.

I guess cancelled flights & ticked off pax are more cost effective. I wish I could get a look at that all elusive 'big picture' that management have in their private viewing area. It must be something really special!

I hate reading a whole thread and then realising most of it is 6 months old... :ouch:

Sounds like the Asian Slayer is going real good then :rolleyes:

What a disappointing airline , Tried to fly with them on 16th from MEL to Christchurch and was told they canceled the flight because of weather, I checked the weather, and 1hrs holding, Auckland as an Alt or delayed departure by 2hrs would have sufficed. Seems they are way too keen to cancel flights. I got to Auckland and the 7am flight the next morning to Christchurch was canceled due to weather again, there was no weather requirements at all on Christchurch then. I hate being lied too. I was told by some woman who's first language was obviously not english that the flight was canceled because of weather and this was a security risk? They cant even get there lies to make sense. Most of the passengers seemed to believe them, until they noticed that Air NZ was still flying. They treat passengers like idiots, but Im sure most are smarter than they are given them credit for.