Wow, experience doesn’t count?

Why then the push for diversity of experience in the Flight Deck?

Let's be honest, for the most part Australia is a pretty easy place to operate. Yes you can get difficulties like anywhere, (storms, **** infrastructure, long distance to alternates, TIBA or the many CTAFs we love to fly jets into etc). Whilst experience is a huge factor (you can't know everything) I find it's the personality of the person that plays the biggest role. A good training system (I think JQ does a very good job with this) and the right attitude, someone can be a perfectly safe and capable 320 captain after a 4 years in the right seat.
The only thing I've personally noticed is that SOME of the ex cadets can be a little less inclined to say no to the company about MELs and fuel compared to the ones that did GA, regionals etc.
But 90% it's the person.

Umm, the Chinese, for 1

Is it known yet when the PER base will re-open in 2024?

As a side note, I see JQ Asia/3K have just put a 12yr old ex Scoot/Tiger A320 into service, with another from the same source joining the fleet. There’s whispers that some VH registered ones will soon have a Singaporean rego slapped on them.

Why is it QF group always seem to dredge the bottom of the barrel when making acquisitions? The incoming NWK A319’s are ex Spirit and are 18+ years old, although referred to a ‘midlife’. The next 3 AAE A321P2F’s are ex BA Med x 2 and ex Dragonair. The Dragonair one is msn 1695 and is 21yrs old!

Apart from all the brand new A321, A220 and 787 aircraft? The issue they have is that the demand for capacity is outpacing their ability to acquire new aircraft. Consequently if they want additional airframes they have take what’s available on the market right now. Inevitably there is a balance between paying premium lease rates for newer aircraft (of which there are fewer available) against the more readily available, much cheaper, supply in storage.
With the freighters, cargo is returning to its pre-Covid yields, this type of flying has always traditionally been served by older airframes as they are cheaper to acquire. The conversion market uses aircraft that have served a life in airline service and they will be high-hour, high-cycle airframes.

The new Perth services are due to start in August, it would make sense for that to coincide with the new basing arrangements.

How do you expect them to acquire new aircraft when the CEO walks away with all the money….

Because the genius’ in head office order dozens of options for brand new aircraft, then in order for short term book gains cancel the whole lot. Then two years later desperate for aircraft reorder the same aircraft for a couple of billion more than the options were but can’t get them for years due to going to the end of the cue. Net result is they have to trawl the second hand market for anything that flies.

And at the moment it is a seller's market for second hand A320ceos, given hundreds of GTF-powered neos will be grounded at any one time over the next couple of years. Lease rates and values are moving up on a monthly basis, and all that's on the market at the moment is some of the older stuff. Qantas can afford to outbid others, but in this market beggars can't be choosers.

I wonder how long it will be now before Qantas goes to the state government seeking funds to build an MRO facility for the A320s, only to shut it down a few years later when they realise (again) they can just send them up to Seletar cheaper?

https://newsroom.jetstar.com/jetstar...-pride-livery/

So glad we are spending time and money on this rather than running on time, not cancelling flights and reducing our enormously high sick rate by rostering people what they want and not working them to the bone. :ugh:

The Joyce ethos is so entrenched in management it will never change whilst any of the his minions are left in the group. Window dressing and talk fests are all that's happened since the changing of the guard, no major strategic initiatives. Next big news will be another share buy back to to pump the stagnant share price, it's not like the money could be used elsewhere.

I would think the reopening of the Perth base with 4 NEOs based there and the opening of new routes from PER would be considered as a major strategic initiative.

Precisely. Lets pour more into the worst performing segment of the group (per 2023 annual report operating margins). That's not a new strategy. Can't operate to CGK or JNB with mainline from Perth but no issue with international ex Perth for Jetstar. Go to Qantas.com and will see Jetstar flights listed as options, not the same on jetstar.com. Why do Jetstar have so many flights to same destinations as Qantas within 20mins or so. Gotta keep propping it up somehow. Can't wait to see the jetstar PER-SIN schedule, should be good for taking passengers off the QF71/72.