G'day PL, no plans to venture back north in the foreseeable future, Tassie's a great place to live, though one must go where the work takes one, and one is too young to retire. :8

Maybe Cobham isn't getting the two new Jets? :hmm:

No plans to leave Clarrie. Sounds positive for the Tazzie 717 base then, all the best to you and the Hobart guys!

B717 Fleet to increase to 20.
 

Too young???

b.

Qantas has not yet made a decision on who will operate the 2 aircraft coming into service in February.

"If Qantas take over Cobham"......haha, never laughed so hard. Thanks for making my week. has anyone thought that maybe Cobham don't want the B717s.? I'd say it will all go to Qlink. Let us not delude our selves here, Eastern and Sunstate (Qlink) are not and will never be Qantas.

They are going to Cobham, where else would they go?

Last time I checked Network, Eastern, Sunstate, Jetstar, Qantas, Jetconnect, Jetstar Hong Kong, Jetstar Bangladesh DON'T have 717 on their AOC so why would that change in the near future?

Enjoy the extra 2 frames guys!

If these things are going to arrive in Feb next year, then it is a reasonable bet that they are going to cobham, at least in the first instance.

Getting the aoc, whichever one it is, amended to support the 717 is not a quick thing, particularly if you need to build a check and training system from scratch.

Regardless if eastern/QantasLink has an ex Jetstar guy as HOFO, he is only one man and he doesn't wholly embody the experience required in order to successfully establish a check and training system for a new type, let alone transitioning a turboprop operation into a jet one. He may well be the seed from which this experience grows, but he cannot possibly do it all himself, there just isn't that many hours in the day.

Alternatively they might go to mainline, but again they would need to divert resources from the 737 fleet in order to do so. If that project isn't already under way then it is probably too late. The rumour mill is too good to have allowed that to get underway without someone letting something slip I would have thought.

None of this doesn't mean that cobham will keep the operation forever, just that I suspect it is unlikely that in the short term another operator will pick up a couple of stray airframes

Any suggestion that these new frames are going anywhere other than Cobham stinks of management spin!

Which management Ted?

"Which management Ted?"


Whichever one has the most to gain by keeping the staff nervous I spose. Based on that probably Both.

Yes we do, FMC.
Obviously it will be Cobham's addition, eventually being absorbed in toto by Network.

I thought QLink had just 'in-sourced' line and heavy maintenance for the B717?

Is there not a jet rate in the Sunstate pilots EBA significantly below the current Cobham rates?

Whilst Qantas staff have gone through 18 month pay freezes, redundancies and transformation, what have Cobham done?

What makes people so sure that QLink could not 'in-source' the whole lot?

I am not suggesting anything other than to be fat, dumb and lazy on this one would be a very dangerous proposition.

To assume makes an ass of u and me...........

Suggest you take another peep at the jet rate Part121 and this time add in all the extra bits and pieces the Cobham guys don't get. I think you will find the numbers add up quickly, the Qlink contract also includes proper staff travel.

What have COBHAM done you ask? A bloody good job under some woefully unrealistic expectations from up top. Cobham have given quite enough thank you, especially the frontline staff.

Where the next aircraft go is a fait accompli with the decision having been made many months ago (like all of QFs decisions :}). Management are now delighting in their favourite blood sport, that being, watching while people worry about their mortgages-Hunger Games anyone?

All the best :ok:

Heard on the grapevine the next two are going to network......

Just reading between the lines after speaking to a few ppl in the know, it sounds like Cobham is still the preferred jet operator with the additional flying/aircraft ex-SYD and HBA.


Sorry GG, I don't think you'll see them in the west.

Qlinks so called "In source" of line and heavy you say. Well here are the facts. Qlink have in sourced the heavy maintenance and relocate it to Canberra starting first check in October. ALL staff are being employed by Korr under the sham "independent contractor" contract whereby you get no annual leave, no sick leave, no benefits. You may be lucky and get a uniform. Superannuation is part of your hourly rate and you must pay your own. You have to have an ABN. Do a little research and you'll be well surprised how they can get around the fair work laws. The only job that has been advertised by Qlink was the managers job, all others are Korr. There are lots of good people losing their full time jobs in Adelaide as a result. Korr is no different to Sigma, and it really sums up a lot about the ALAEAs priority given that these 2 companies are not on top of their list. Maybe we should ask Bill.

As for line maintenance, Qlink have taken over Canberra only and are training people for Sydney and Melbourne. What's next, who knows. Cobham still have the Part 42 Camo for all B717's so Qlink is in theory working for Cobham whos operating QF leased aircraft. Cobham are often overlooked and passed off as some second rate company but as for what I've seen I'd rather a Cobham engineer over an Eastern or Sunstate one that's for sure.

I can't wait to see the next 6 months play out, how exciting.

I would like to know what the ALAEA are doing too.

This is the EBA which covers Eastern's Sydney, Melbourne and Canberra bases.

https://www.fwc.gov.au/documents/doc...a/AE897608.pdf

It quite clearly states that contractors can only be used for short term peak workloads or to replace permanent Employees absent for a specific period of time.

And those contractors must be employed under the same terms and
conditions of employment as equivalent permanent Employees

Pretty simple and all in black and white - so I don't know how this has been allowed to happen.

ALAEA will only act on your behalf. If there is representation in the work place and you require a submission to FWA disputing the use of contractors against the EA. Those who work for EAA need to instigate the dispute!
If the contractors have an inferior deal, they are undercutting the EA conditions which is bad news for the full time staff!!!

So Korr, Sigma and EA engineers working in a Qantaslink hangar signing for and on behalf of EA on a 71 or a Dash all carrying out the same duties has no relationship???