Not too many complainers from what I can see.

Most who applied just tried their luck for BNE/SYD. Didn't happen so they'll stay put.

Pretty hard to pack up the bride and kids and move to HBA,CBR, DRW.

CBR is still a sore spot for a few in QLink.

Or they've just spent the last 10 years moving around the country, sick of living in towns they don't want to be in, with people they don't know and just want to get back to somewhere they want to live. Or the Mrs has you under the pump to get back home.

Believe it or not, not every pilot wants to be journeyman their whole life, nor do their significant others. You certainly do not get paid enough to move at your own expense every 3 years your whole life. And once people start having kids etc it becomes both difficult and expensive.

And for those who have been around 10+ years this is just history repeating on the whim of some manager who thinks he knows everything but hasn't read the history books.

Then why express in interest? The EOI is base specific.

The problem they are having with crewing the new bases is partly people putting in an EOI for bases they were only "sort of" interested in anyway. The rest is due to Cobham. They expect you to submit an EOI for a base (several months ago) then tell you nothing until a few weeks before you are expected to move, at you own expense, at Christmas time. I would be inclined not to sign any base transfer paperwork too.

As for the turbo-prop guys and girls: throw your hat in the ring, like the rest of us and take whatever base you are given, like the rest of us. If you have so many other good options available to you, be my guest.

Sorry maybe I miss read the post.

I read it as they applied for a DRW/CBA/HBA and were given one of those bases. Then they decided they no longer wanted the position.

This is from the QantasLink Trainee website. I didnt realise there were bases in DRW/CBA/HBA.

John, you're looking at QantasLink as the QF owned & operated section of the business. QantasLink also has an arm of jets operated under contract by Cobham. It's still QantasLink but the jet bases (BNE, CBR, CNS, DRW, HBA & PER) aren't crewed by Qantas employees.

To the best of my knowledge when Cobham advertises for pilots, it's not generally for a specific base, but as needed in any of the bases.

Taken from the Cobham website, add HBA to that list from mid next year.

Cobham supply B717 crew to QantasLink.

Cheers for clearing that up for me

Much appreciated

and that, is exactly what is wrong with this bloody industry.

Showing my ignorance here, why is this such a bad thing?

It depends on whether you think - or are so disposed to believing- that you are ticketed to fly with QANTAS.
Meaning QANTAS ....
..... as in QANTAS

Can't make it much simpler than that ....... And no, I'm not putting **** on Qlink crew.... just saying

it must just warm the hearts of qlink crew to see a qlink branded jet taxi past, knowing that it is operated by 'contractors'

it must just warm the hearts of qlink crew to see a qlink branded jet taxi past, knowing that it is operated by 'contractors'


I dare say those jets were being taxied around by same 'contractors' long before most qlink crew ever worked there..... If they don't like it, leave. Simple as that.

Contracted labour is the way things are going in many industries. Not just ours.

Stop whining about it and get on with life

Hang on a minute.....
Who's saying the Qlink brand is especially Sunnys/Eastern?
It's all a feeder or a regional or a charter sub of Big Gay Al's machine
You blokes should get over the in-fighting
Sunnys don't own the 'Link brand, so don't bitch about 'contractors'
..... A Dash taxiing past a QANTAS 744 doesn't evoke hatred or sourness
What's next? VARA guys upset about the VA Tripple blokes stealing their flying?

As I understand it, Airlink is a QF subsidiary company, set up ostensibly to run Qld coastal runs, using BAe146 because of the high cost of operating DC9 & B727, which operated at a loss on those routes and were subsidised by the profitable part of the network (same as now probably).

Airlink owns no aeroplanes, employes no flight crew or engineers, it uses contracted providers. NJS/Cobham being the contractor for some 22 years.

QantasLink is a relatively recent "innovation" employed to provide the travelling public with a seamless regional experience. It just happens to utilise the equipment of Sunnies, Eastern and via Cobham, Airlink.

Cloudsurfing, taking your quote a step or two further, it must gall the Mainline Domestic guys to see an A330/B744/A380 trundle past, and vice versa because of course Australian Airlines (TAA) was sold/merged into QF back in the 90s.

The industry isn't what it was, and if not for the advent of LCC and contracting, who's to say if there would be as much activity, and thus pilot etc jobs as there is. It could be better than it is had the status quo from the halcyon days of the two airline agreement lasted. But then again it could be a lot worse.