As if a plane could do without two pilots! I still think they should have navigators and flight engineers. Hell, I’m worried about the safety reduction in not having a radio operator.

Wonder why we don’t have them?

It doesn’t even need to be AI, what’a one of the things you do when there’s an engineering fault? Call ground engineers who have up to date info on aircraft systems. You could very easily have a ground pilot to assist with workload for those first 5 mins.

Agreed. As the ‘pandemic’ continues to bite into company profits I would say that things will get to a point where AJ doesn’t have many rocks left to overturn looking for pennies. And with limited options left with a dwindling profit base and a huge ego to maintain he will bail with his giant nest egg.

Agreed. The next few years will be very lean for all involved in airlines.

There is an ex Australia Post CEO floating around that could fill the impending gap.

WATCH this space!.

MCD

No way is the job of Qantas Group CEO going to somebody who's not only from outside the airline but has no experience in the airline industry. Yes, I know this doesn't apply to all airlines, eg Air New Zealand has done well with its current and previous CEO picks, the idea is that the CEO needs to be a great exec and leader although still understand the people below them to 'get' the actual airline business.

But I have no doubt that Gareth Evans will follow Alan Joyce as CEO. Evans was former CFO, and Qantas seems to hold command of numbers in very very high esteem, then he moved to be CEO of Qantas International so he could get actual 'operating an airline' experience, then he moved over to Jetstar CEO which is where he is today so that he could show ability to run an entire airline and 'self-contained' business. And I can bet that Evans popped the champagne when Jayne Hrdlicka upped and left after moving from Jetstar CEO to Qantas Frequent Flyer CEO, when she headed off to NZ for A2 Milk, because she was chomping at the bit to be a CEO, but her leaving took Evans' only real internal competitor off the board.

So my take is that Alan Joyce will be followed by Gareth Evans, Olivia Wirth will move from being CEO of Qantas Loyalty to running either QF Cargo or JQ as a way of getting actual airline experience , and sure, former OzPost CEO Christine Holgate could be drafted in as CEO of Qantas Loyalty do 'introduce' her to the Qantas machine, but she'd still need to get actual running an airline experience before the Qantas board would offer her the CEO's chair.

That was an attempt at humour.

I obviously need to re calibrate my material.

MCD

One thing that I did notice about Christine Holgate is the high esteem in which the 'shop floor' seem to hold her, people in Post Offices all over the country had put up signs "We stand with Christine". She must have made a decent impression. Not saying she's ready to be an airline CEO but some of that appeal and decent relationship building with the people who actually do the work wouldn't go astray in Qantas I feel.

No, I think that was to do with the timing of her dismissal and events that embattled the PM around the same time. I won’t list them I’m sure you all could look them up.

I agree 100% and the exact same 'shop floor' support seemed to apply to Paul Scurrah, he seemed super popular across the ranks at Virgin Australia, certainly much more so than John Borghetti. Qantas could certainly do with a big dose of that 'bringing people together' spirit from its next set of leaders.

Someone who isn't a screeching , boastful attention seeker & big noter
And who doesn't think he has an entitlement to make relentless demands for tax payer cash from both Federal & enumerable State Govts
& who doesn't think he is worth $10 mill a year, when he has lost $1.8 Billion since becoming CEO
Really running QF isn't that hard a job , it makes a profit on domestic as Govt/Corporate's sewn up & has had to see off two competitors over the last 25 years - both of which have
been directionless deadbeats
International where there is real competition , torn apart by CX/SIA in SE Asia , so weak didn't even bother contesting in China (largest tourist market), did OK to Nth America where the US carriers have never seriously competed on. QF International has been a sh*thouse outfit in a commercial sense for a long long time - & management & QF staff just whinge whinge whinge about how unfair it all is - having to actually compete in the Wide open world. If you couldn't make a buck in V strong economic times pre-Covid re: QF International - well you might think its all going to be a bit of challenge in the Covid era

Whereas when they effectively have a cartel with FF/Cred Cards & tie up with banks , Woolies etc to form "loyalty" - apparently this is some kind of f*****n brilliance.

Go figure hey ? I thought they were running a friggin airline , taking pax from A to B , but just not to China - too hard too hard boo hoo

Why have so many of the Australian Airline CEO's been smarmy showmen, with their accompanying funkster hairstyles ?, big talkies but the delivery side of the equation just doesn't go so well

Don't we have an Australian version of someone like fmr ANZ CEO Rob Fyfe - maybe someone should give Rob a tingle ?

Thats a really good analysis,you could probably add 'a spoilt little brat who throws a tantrum every time someone opposes him or challenges his opinion'.
He is the head hauncho of the back slappers club who have no problem in telling everyone how good they are & how they care & understand,the only thing him & his hangers on forget to say is that their feelings only apply to themselves.

I think you’re looking at a different set of stats than the rest of us. QF is in an excellent financial position. They will dominate the region post COVID.

AJ is doing a good job, TBH there would be no other CEO you (I) would want in this current time. Ppl forget he is the boss and a lot disagree with the boss just because some things don't go their way. But hey, lets swap him out for JB, MM, PS or even JH if she stayed.......hell no to all! If GE gets the call up, he will be a good choice and considering what he is doing at JQ which I think is good he will lead the group and we will still have careers in the future thats if the Government does not kill the economy. The next couple or so yrs will be difficult for any operator in Australia and VA with their secret squirrel books now are not doing any better, there is an impending recession coming and it will hit hard Australians have no idea I remember PK speech very well in '1990, and who remember those interest rates! The world is getting on with business they cant afford not to Australia needs to also, waiting for arbitrary percentage vaccination rate that there is no uniform agreement on is pointless. U.S.A didn't have this why do we.

Speaking of management changes..... Rumour on the Street today...is that a former AIPA President has completed his WK/ CM training, and has been newly promoted to the lofty position of "QF Group Industrial Relations Manager".. anybody care to confirm?

Yes, that is correct. However, there are a dozen others with a similar title in the company including the Oldmeadows. I know this will be an unpopular opinion but here we go. Their job is to make a **** sandwich taste ok. They are another minion implementing cost initiatives from above. Having someone who knows pilots and the agreement is good and bad. Personally, I couldn’t care less what title he has. I’d suggest his next involvement is Jetstar.

Finally, I wouldn’t be seen dead doing what he is doing. Why pilots continue to avail themselves to work on the HQ side amazes me. Just don’t come back to a pilots seat and then moan about HQ. You won’t have my ear.

The cabin crews (on no pay for the last 2 years) have been asked to take on 23-hour duty periods, to allow BN-Singapore-BN without a stopover. This is in the A330 which does not have a proper crew rest area. How will a crew member cope with an emergency evacuation after being awake for some hours, then doing a 23-hour shift?

But it saves the cost of an overnight allowance, so give yourself a pat on the back, and take yesterday off.

I’m sure that’s not the motivation. Quarantine relief, travel bubbles. Sometimes we think everything is about screwing us over. Now don’t get me wrong, the issues about crew rest and duty length are valid and something to sort out. If scoot and sing air do all the flying then we would all still be throwing stones.

you can just check his LinkedIn profile. It’s all there.

Ascend Charlie, you’re posting BS as usual. The 23 hour tour of duty request for cabin crew is for single sector duties only, not returns. Get your facts straight.

They got it in the mid-80s when John Menadue came along - things changed really quickly in terms of what in modern management speak 'engagement'. What he did was simple, but seems to elude most current management - he just asked the people that do the work "What works and what doesn't work and you do the job so you tell us how to best do it".

IMHO JB was incompetent. People were running around making dumb moves and decisions not based on logic but because 'he' wanted it that way. I am aware of the supposed basis of some of the decisions he made and they were incorrect. I cannot see that anything that John Thomas did was worthy of his departure, except that he disagreed with the mail room boy. From all accounts Scurrah was very quickly able to establish a good rapport with the coalface and I liked that he slaughtered a few of the MRB's sacred cows such as emphatically refusing to ever have positioning Tech Crew in J Class but thinking that his a-rse was somehow required to be there.

The right CEO can keep a business profitable while motivating the people very quickly. It's not hard to do, it just takes forthrightness and doing what you say you're going to do. The problems of VA were always subjected, when someone came up with a good idea, the response 'there's a project underway to look at that' - which of course, there never was, it was just a fob-off.

It will be good to have someone in there who will understand the pilots point of view.
Thats not to say we will get our way but at least someone will understand the language.
I see it as a positive.

Me too - never had an issue with AIPA guys moving to the company.

"Understand our Language"...as in sign here, or we will set up a Contract Company?

I'm sure you meant 'and' instead of 'or'...

Touche...works domestically, why not give international a go...

Are QF stopping the Alliance E-Jets doing ADL - ASP - DRW now that the 737s aren’t working flat out? The original media release said:

“The use of E190s will also free up Qantas’ Boeing 737 aircraft to be redeployed across the domestic network.”

I assume the 737s that are unable to fly to SYD or MEL due lockdowns will take back their original routes again?

I’m sure QF management wouldn’t stand down 737 and 717 (isn’t their head office in ADL?) crew while a contractor was flying under the Qantas call sign?

Think the chances of that happening are about the same as the chances of ASP or DRW having snow today.

It's pretty despicable that contractors are allowed to take this kind of work in Australia. Why don't we have scope clauses in our contracts like in the USA? Anything bigger than a Q400 should be flown by mainline pilots to stop this continuous undercutting.

Brakerider…
 

You must be new here.:}

Pilots & contracts in the USA got ‘scope’ clauses in the ‘60s. By the time pilots in Oz realised that it might be a good idea, management had the firmly-entrenched mindset that ‘scope’ would NEVER be countenanced here! I’ve been told that Qantas pilots, in the ‘90s, once offered substantial offsets to gain ‘scope’ and were firmly rebuffed at the time.

One could say that we now know why.:rolleyes:

Would make a good article in the newspaper:

“Contract Pilots Flying Kangaroo Routes Whilst Qantas Pilots Stood Down”

Adding to the theme of scummy behaviour, 3/5 of the 717 bases are being stood down from tomorrow whilst 14 new pilots continue to be started this month on full pay.

But in the interests of providing the whole story:

Those pilots wont actually be line training. They are starting ground/sim training and will stood down if required as happened to new hires last year.

New starts are on training pay?

Not sure how you can justify an addition of new staff AFTER standing down other existing staff within the same company. There is no training pay they start on the same as pay as a checked to line FO.

Because existing line pilots do not need to do ground/sim training over the coming weeks/months.
Halting new starts would do nothing to help the existing line pilots who have no/minimal line flying to do.

Now if initial line training was being conducted while leaving existing crews stood down that would be a concern, however I am led to believe that's not the case, nor was it last year.

Lapon the company has already indicated that if there is some flying to be done in Melbourne or Brisbane then these new hires will remain stood up whilst other bases and pilots within those 2 bases are stood down. Sounds like you are drinking too much Kool Aid

Airlines are looking at the world and seeing exploding growth of flights. However the issue here is they may never get that opportunity as the State Governments do their best to destroy the country and bankrupt everyone in the process.

Covid has only served to accelerate the demise of Mainline. Qantas goal in the last 30 years is to destroy Union influence, outsource as many Services as possible, casualise the workforce and if they are unable to do these things, grow external entities to "consume" what was operated under Legacy Conditions (think Swissair/ Menzies/ Alliance/ Network).. The Cost Savings achieved have not been re-invested in the Mainline Product- eg the last mainline aircraft order was December 2005 (787)- and not even returned to shareholders, but has been used to en-richen the Elite Management few, and has been used to in injecting funds into the Jetstar Asia/ Vietnam/ Japan. (return on capital anyone?).
Post covid, with the long term reduction in business travel, it will only be worse. Despite the Company spruiking that the 737 will "be redeployed to other services" the Alliance operated ADL-ASP-DRW is the thin edge of the latest wedge.The VX 737's are over 20 years old, they will NOT be replaced one for one, there will be a small order of 73 Max or A320/ 321 mix to replace around 35 aircraft, who knows when and you only have to look at the quote by the COO to wonder who will operate them.
As for long haul the A350 will be ideal in the post-covid world, but the longer they at least commit to an order..
A380..who knows, but if it doesn't operate again there will be a massive RIN, and probably another VR (hopefully no CR..)
Add into the mix the requirement for an A330 replacement in the next 5-10 years (can anyone confirm that 4 are to be made freighters??).

Anyway, if 30 odd years in QF has taught me anything- management will look after themselves (apparently the current 737 could have been avoided, but AD/AJ insisted) and for the rest of us..the future is as clear as koolaid.

Look after yourselves people, ring/ text your mates, because as the Yammer episode shows- the Company couldn't give a stuff.

I'd be quite happy just to get CR'd now and get out of the place.

Not going to happen but if jetstar offered me something reasonable then my ASIC, Ipad and Hi-vis would be handed in and I would be out the door quicker than a paratrooper on D-Day.

Reasonable….and what would that be for you sir? Long time QF pilot it might not be up your ally.