Did QF overcook the VR process
 

With the rapid return of international aviation demand post Covid 19, the Qantas VR process now appears to have been a little over aggressive.
A quick ramp up of Qantas operations could be assisted by a re-call of expertise and experience provided by selected personnel, contracted specifically in the short term to assist in the recovery of the Qantas business. Not unprecedented, this occurred post 9/11 and gave Qantas a major competitive edge without disrupting career path expectations.

Over the weekend I spoke to a former employee (not recently VR'd) who still has many friends in the company. She indicated that the loss of experience in non-operational areas of the company has lead to significant problems in ramping the operation back up. Where former experienced staff have been shunned for positions pre-Covid, that policy has been overturned as they seek experience to expedite the regrowth of the operation.

The problem with Qantas is they live in the ‘present’. No forward thinking.
If they do plan ahead, they don’t want to pay for it.

I friend who had taken VR has been told VRed pilots are being offered positions..

Probably at all levels and likely to be worse with outside contractors. QF is still an employer of choice and will be able to attract applicants, however subcontractors with lesser T&Cs who retrenched staff might find it difficult to get them back if they've found better jobs.

Flight may be canceled if for example, no one is qualified to operate the pushback tug at an outstation. The previous employee isn't interested in coming back as he's got a mining job on twice the pay. Finding and training up a replacement takes time and money. Margins have been screwed down and don't leave much in the budget to offer an attractive pay rate and cover the cost of training and certification.

They’re welcome back, as SO’s at the bottom of the seniority list.

not eligible for re employment for 2 years.

Oh no………………………..

Hahah… cloudsurfing isn’t wrong though.

God forbid time before initial command promotions might start to move a bit further south of 2 decades.

Neither myself nor any of my VR'd colleagues that I've spoken to have been approached by Qantas, or any other operator, to fill any role…..
That's not to say that others haven't sought positions rather than waiting for one to be offered.

I've occasionally watched an airliner pass overhead and think of being back up the front, but then I get on with playing my next shot!

Which airline? I suspect it's a long way from Oz. The above statement is mischievous at best.

Yes, in furious agreement and why would anyone want to go back?
Most of us who took VR joined at a time when promotion was running hot, let's acknowledge our good run and let those who stayed get on with restoring their careers.
Safe flying ladies & gents and may the promotions run thick & fast.

Well said C441, good luck getting that handicap down.

* my correction

Qantas. Just what I was told.

The only pilots who might be offered a ‘position’ would be a former TRE who might find their skills in demand in the short to medium term- depending on fleet, projected training demand, etc. There are also some legal hurdles to overcome in terms of having been made redundant only to return quickly as well as some internal decisions about how quickly someone who was made redundant can return to work for the group and on what conditions.

A redundant Captain returning as a line Captain? Nup. Not going to happen.

Did QF over cook it? Not really. The A380 fleet is at the right numbers for five jets which is all that is projected for the next 12 months. The A330 they may have let a few too many go but the flow on from promoting people to A330 captain has ‘right sized’ other categories such as 787 F/O and absorbed the RIN.

Where the only time we’ll be really sure if they’ve overcooked the VR/ER is if they decide they want all 10 A380s back by the end of 2022. But who would have picked that as a likely scenario in August 2020 when they launched the VR/ER process.

Thanks as always Keg. What have you heard re recruitment numbers?

Is it possible that some TRI/TRE who took VR could come back as Contractors to work in the sim only?

Nothing at all. All I have is my own (sometimes very hazy) crystal ball. Sometimes I’m right (but so is a broken clock twice a day) and sometimes I’m not.

I should point out to in my previous example that if QF got to the stage where it would considering offering a former TRE a gig it would only be as a TRI-SI on the relevant terms and conditions. It’s NOT going to be returning to a flying job.

Irrespective of the company position on returning crew, wouldn't anyone who took a VR and then returned have issues with the tax treatment of their VR payment? It would have been taxed at a much lower rate and the ATO would be looking to get their dollars back if it was within a certain timeframe. That might skew decisions for those who may be offered a return.

Flyer517, it's 12 months if you have received a concessionally taxed redundancy payment.

Well they probably wouldn’t.

But there are former TREs in other bases where there are now (or soon could be) sims and a demand for training capacity who might be open to the offer if it was made. Can an offer be made? Does it need to be? Will it be? That’s stuff I guess we won’t know for a little while.

I agree with your comment about pilots returning to flying roles though. No chance. Zip. Zilch. Nada. Not going to happen.

Look, as long as the pilots that are all pre Ansett are all looked after. They’ve really had a tough trot.
and I’m thinking yes, re run the training slot allocations.