A320 with Sharklets I bet. :D

Any bigger before or after the additional aircraft for last years NEW Brisvegas base?

Would the extra 717s coming soon be deployed to CBR flying as a replacemnet for 734 retirements.

As per newsensations post above.

The new 717s will be used to push the Qlink product on certain new routes/contractual flights and some mainline routes where they no longer operate entirely. I can see them furthering the route structures so when either Qlink or Network are in a position to start taking over said routes or contracts they will.

As per Newsensations post, the flying can be changed at the stroke of a pen. Why would they want to pay a contractor long term when they can have a subsidiary that they own in whole where they will make more of a return. But these kind of changes do not happen over night and im sure that strategy is their long term plan pending results in the short term.

Remember Qlink is just getting Jet Procedures set up in their manuals, Network is about to add RPT to their AOC and the announcement of a new jet type will not be far away. Ever so slowly the above operators will just take back some of the routes operated by Cobham 717's over time if the parameters are right. They have the contract til 2018 so it will be a slow process. Again due process has to take place and mark my words these changes will happen it will just depend on all of the above and some (economy local and world, commodity prices, qantas direction, and lets no forget these spineless managers trying to bid each other against everyone to have "low unit cost") The race to the bottom!! But Qantas are not going to throw away a low cost contractor (cobham) unless they have something set up to take its place in whole or in part.

All pilots in the QF Group need to stand together when these changes come along. If anyone has read the new Virgin agreement you will see their job security clause and career progression clause. Virgin are doing the best to protect their pilots from the industry and each other IMO. Something similar needs to happen in QF Group to weather this kind of shift if and when it occurs.

For exactly the same reason airlines love to "outsource" to "contractors" roles such as ground handling, check in, cleaning, catering etc that they could easily DO in house.

Yup, then they can cut them away whenever it suits the bean-counters.

Not necessarily. This is all about creating as much competition for operation of your product as possible. It is the easiest way of keeping down costs and especially labour costs. If one company's pilots organise a good payrise the work just goes to next cheapest, the work dries up and the pilots have to now work for the operator who has the work available and so they surrender their long service leave/sick leave etc and have to start from scratch for the cheaper provider.

You create as many suppliers to your brand as possible who then compete amongst each other for your business.

It has already happened in the US and that's how guys ended up flying jets claiming food stamps.

However this system doesn't work when there is a shortage of labour.

Not really they have 4 AOC's whom 3 will be branded as Virgin. Same idea really where they go with it is up to the management. Would not be hard to shuffle aircraft over to the Skywest AOC or for Tiger to takeover particular routes etc

-the 5 new 717's to get business class
-SYD/CBR, BNE/CBR, MEL/CBR later this year
-Cobham is in the process of recruiting additional crew to help meet requirements
-'we' are in discussions with your pilot representatives regarding potential opportunities for Eastern and Sunstate pilots.

So why then are qlink (read dash 8 operators) hiring a traing and policy development specialist with 50 tonne jet time in a car217 organisation?
Seems awfully strange they'd do that to develop their dash 8 fleet.

How would you describe a 38.5% fleet expansion then? :}

What do you call that Luv ?

:D:D:D

Well done Cobham !!

just saw the company email from the CIA

717 operation growing from 13 to 18 over the next year with east coast base expansion to come. Well done Cobham

Apparently a PIA ballot is no barrier to getting business class seats put in the front of your jet :p
http://www.pprune.org/pacific-genera...ssion-fwa.html

Another way fro QF to move flying to cheaper labour and therefore avoid paying mainline pilots!! The race to the bottom continues!!

I particularly enjoyed the FM blog sign off. QLink are getting jets, taking some more flying...'Cheers'

Far q QF:mad::mad::mad::mad::mad:

Well done for what? Being some of the cheapest Jet pilots in Australia? :confused:

Capt Claret, you guys should be getting a 38.5% pay rise, not getting excited about 38.5% expansion! :=

I have been long gone from NJS, but I remember Sunnies pilots telling us around 1995 that they were getting the jets for the East Coast ports, and that we better start looking for new jobs.

It looks like some things never change! :O

I call that requirements written around the person they want in the positions resume.

50 ton? Those boys didn't come out of the sand-pit then

Well then... are we still only talking about Sunstate and Easterns!? :E

Seems your jets have been put on hold for a few years yet! But the good news is that you can go to Cobham to fly your QLink jet!

FMC

Fmc. I agree with you. Although those few years will be hard to bear knowing the guillotine is on order.