QANTAS - Australia II
 

QF executives have a good look in the mirror
 

Thank you Tightslot for declaring the first innings closed........(9 for 602....what a great score!)

Now let the games continue..........Have you seen the QF Cityflyer TV ad showing some dropkick w@nker hosting a business meeting and boring the people in the room with spintalk so much that one of them connects to the internet to book a flight so that he does'nt have to put up with the BS any longer? Well it's time QF executives had a good look in the mirror!!!

Another flight and the worst IFE problems I've ever experienced......will they ever get this fixed??!! By the way check out the Singapore Airlines website and take a look at what they're about to have onboard their new 777s. Check out all classes..........mindblowing!!

Every dog has its' day, so enjoy yours!!! - thank you for that totally gratuitous and sadistic reminder of what will no doubt prove to be only a temporary glitch in Englands' seemless progress towards world cricket domination.



I'm sorry - I just wanted to see if I could get the words "England", "Cricket" and "domination" into the same paragraph without crying - I can't...

:{ :{ :{

Ashes to Ashes
 

Thanks Tightslot but we have'nt won this test yet........but it sure looks good!!! ....... and you have the consolation that the Poms still hold the Ashes...........at least until the end of this series :ok:

Tightslot,

Ian Botham was being interviewed this afternoon (Australian time) and reminded the audience that although we look as if we have this one in the bag , we won the first test last time as well but look what happened after that.The wheels fell off that one so I hope it doesn't happen again.

So here's hoping it's a good summer and may the best team win.

And back to reality ,it looks as though the company that leases a number of our aircraft to us is /maybe /wants to be part of the consortium trying to buy us.

One minute we're leasing aircraft from them and the next thing you know they are thinking of buying us and leasing us out....Just a touch of irony there .

Qantas compete, give me a break
 

Shlonghaul,

Check your schedules mate, internationally QF flies to about about a dozen destinations in its own right, domestically, the capital cities except Hobart, in fact it does not fly to Tasmania at all. Regional services are done by subsidiary airlines, all one class, no choice. No first class to Japan, Honolulu, Mumbai, Johannesburg, Manila or Djarkarta. Most of the mentioned destinations will be "served" by Jetstar in the near future, again no choice. First class round trip from SYD to JFK $20000+, business class $16000+, who do Qantas compete with, no-one. Thai Airways can operate two flights a day to Sydney from Bangkok, Qantas one, Brisbane three times a week, Qantas none, Perth three times a week, Qantas none, Cathay, Cairns to HKG three times a week, soon to be six, Qantas none. Anywhere in the South Pacific, Qantas none, same in South America, same in Europe except FRA and LHR.

Qantas has become a ferry service for Australian passengers from SYD to those places where QF management feel safe and to bring them home again. It does not compete with anyone. Thai Airways International and Singapore Airlines, in their First Class cabins are still doing what QF used to do ten years ago, caviar, lobster, foie gras, oysters, silver service, experienced cabin crew, sublime luxury. The accommodations in QF P/C set a new "park bench" mark in comfort and the cuisine is nothing more than sidewalk cafe food. GD's cost cutting has set a new high in mediocrity. Economy class is not worth the mention and J/C is not much better.

Sorry for the rant, but it irks me that a formerly great airline has been reduced to a rump for the personal financial gratification of its management.

Ditto :ok:

Tropicalchief,

"GD's cost cutting has set a new high in mediocrity. "

Anywhere else and that statement would be a contradiction in terms but QF has made it a motto with the exception of remuneration for board members of course.

Blue Blankets Block Brascos
 

Hi all.

Does anyone know anything about blankets being flushed down aircraft toilets? The QF64 from JNB was delayed almost 24 hours earlier this week because the toilets were not working. Engineers initially found that a blanket had been flushed down the toilet, then, on further investigation, 3 (or 4?) more blankets were found flushed down other toilets. Big repair job - big delay. This was fact.

Now, the rumour I have also heard from a ground engineer upline is that there were about 4 aircraft grounded for the same reason.

I think this is probably a case of chinese whispers, but I am wondering if anyone else has heard anything about this...

From what I know it's no Chinese whispers. Aircraft in LAX last week multiple blankets in toilet system , The QF 64 in JNB 20 hours late same defect and OJP (kangaroo fleet) being fixed same defect on Friday night in SYD.

CC as a whole (hole) are blamed for Sabotage.
You guys are your own worst enemies because any sypathy for your plight flys out the window when havoc is created and someone else has to clean up the mess..

Yeah, that sounds kind of like what I heard. And I agree with your comment. I am hoping that CC are not responsible for this. As much as I despise what is currently happening in our once great organisation, this kind of action is alarming and not something that will win any friends.

There must be some pretty upset people out there if it has come to this, though. And it could be anyone - if these aircraft were "sabotaged" before they left Sydney, the culpit could be anyone! There are a LOT of unhappy QF staff out there, from all departments in the company. CC are not the only ones with access to aircraft...

Bolty........
How do you know its CC.
There is no reason why CC would want to delay a departure of an a/c such as QF64 its a long enough tour of duty as it is, why would you want to make it even more punishing?
you should be careful about making such outrageous statements.
What proof do you have that it was CC.
SHAME ON YOU!

CART
I made no such allegation nor do I have proof.
I merely relayed the sentiment of the engineers on the front line whom have to remove these blankets from the toilet system. A very ****ty job. The fact that this happened across 3 aircraft in a week would make anyone suspicious. And there are other cases of sabotage which have been going on for months, the way the drains are blocked by a certain object (which I won’t name here) We engineers often find a dozen of these objects in drains system when the Y class galley drain blocks up.

Cart I am sure you would speak for your self in saying that you would do no such stupid act but can you speak for every single LH CC.
I have only written what many are thinking based on circumstantial evidence, you have a right to be outraged but if you look at the same “incident” happening thrice in a week it would appear that it was planned.

QF keep a record of all operating crew and details.
It would be quite easy to Cross reference the flights and see if they are manned by the same persons.
Although at first it may seem obvious that it is a CC, that may not be the case.
Don't forget bolty that a lot of CC are ex engineers and some of the stories they have divulged to us do not make our engineering staff being above certain questionable acts!
lets not get into a slanging match as it serves no purpose!
The individuals involved may be the last people we suspect!
Even though we may have some bad apples amongst us I doubt very much that we could have someone so irresponsible to do that,we spend most of our time apologizing and fixing toilets and equipment not sabotaging it!
The individual or individuals concerned in this act are obviously very sick and need help.........like a boot up the @rse the sack and fined.

3 in a Week
 

3 a/c in a week suggests a group of individuals...bastards.
The QF 63 (OJP)leaving sydney on thursday had 6 toilets U/S 3 hours out of JNB.
Find the culprits and crucify them.
Bugger the Company but dont hurt your colleagues.
Personally I dont think its CC...but it bloody well needs to stop.
In LAX , a few months, ago multiple interphones were being damaged (for awhile) causing delays of several hours

be warned you scurvy dogs
 

[quote=cartexchange;2986494]QF keep a record of all operating crew and details.
It would be quite easy to Cross reference the flights and see if they are manned by the same persons.
Although at first it may seem obvious that it is a CC, that may not be the case.
Don't forget bolty that a lot of CC are ex engineers and some of the stories they have divulged to us do not make our engineering staff being above certain questionable acts!
lets not get into a slanging match as it serves no purpose!
The individuals involved may be the last people we suspect!
Even though we may have some bad apples amongst us I doubt very much that we could have someone so irresponsible to do that,we spend most of our time apologizing and fixing toilets and equipment not sabotaging it!YES THEY DO KEEP RECORDS AND YES THEY ARE CROSS REFERENCING CREW/FLIGHTS WITH TOILET /BLANKET ISSUES, SO TO THE BUNG HOLE BANDIT WHOEVER SHE/HE MAYBE , BE WARNED CENTRE LINK MAY AWAIT

Hey, look on the bright side - at least it is keeping some engineers in a job ;-) Imagine if nothing ever broke down or went wrong... Ummm, no? *JOKE* Oh, that's right - no jokes or I get a clause 11! Woops.

Sounds like the STR campaign has started again.

Rumour verification
 

'have heard from a VERy reliable source that this rumour is indeed CORRECT.

There is a full on investigation taking place as we speak !!!

They ( Management) have 1 suspect, after pulling rosters apart.

Stay tuned for more updates.

Sure we all bitch and winge on here at times, but this act is the lowest of low.:mad:

This individual...... if prooven guilty should be booted with no representation .

No wonder Management thinks we're all scumbags.

Fuel to the Fire ....
 

The rumour mill is in overdrive at the moment about the blanket down the toilet affair. At least it gives us all something else to talk about instead of job security.
From what i've heard it appears the blanket was stuffed on the outbound SYDJNB sector QF63 and caused a large leakage into the hold of the aircraft on the return sector QF64 when the pipes burst... will let you all imagine what i am talking about there.
And yes, there is a full investigation going on and i think someone will be losing more than just there staff travel benefits. *(Speaking of which have you seen the great NOT deals on offer to us with JQ International)*
Also ...
This aircraft OJP arrived in on friday as QF64 and was supposed to operate as the QF31 that afternoon/night. Subsequently this flight was cancelled and 300+ people overnighted in hotels or sent home in cabs for the following day.
On Saturday OJP operated the QF1 which left the terminal and returned due to engineering. Again overnighting of almost 400 passengers and departing sunday morning. A good decision for those passengers who had chosen this flight instead of the QF31 delay flight. A complete nightmare from what i heard and it even made the Sunday Telegraph today (although how the newspaper says the aircraft came from CHC i dont want to know).
Can you imagine how those passengers felt who were booked on QF31 (fri) and then QF1 (sat) felt. Luckily OJP successfully operated the QF1 (sun).
:O Well there is my spiel for the night. Hope you all get your kicks from it :O

"the blanket" was more than one. The spill into the bilge of the bulk cargo area was not caused by burst pipes, the collection tanks had to be opened from the bottom at the outlet because they could not be emptied (blankets in the tanks).

Now, it is my opinion that the only way to get a blanket to flush down a vac lav would be to do it at altitude. On the ground the blower in the system just doesn't have the guts. The genius responsible is not helping the cause and deserves what they get. It is not funny when you are the poor sod elbow deep in crap fishing these things out of a half full toilet tank.

It may seem like the perfect way to ground an a/c (no crappers) but is mindless vandalism at best. The cc has drawn the ire of the engineers in Sydney base over this, so don't be surprised if the shoulder is a little cool. Find the imbecile and stop them.

Twiggs,

Ok I'm curious so I'll bite.

What do you mean by a STR campaign or what does the acronym STR stand for?

By the way this sort of behaviour by whoever is insane and does not do one iota of good especially as tightslot said for the people at the business end of fixing it not to mention the cost of the delays both to the customer and the company and our reputation.

I totally agreee with Tightslot. There is potential for this to be a criminal offence and as far as i am concerned, whoever is found to be the culprit needs to be prosecuted to the full extent of the law.

If it is found to be aircrew or cleaning or engineering then as far as i am concerned no airline should have an employee like this on the payroll and the matter should be referred to the appropriate legal authorities and not the Qantas Keystone cops who have a habit of cocking up most investigations.

Cabin Crew should not have to put up with this sort of mindless vandalism that borders on an act of terrorism as far as i am concerned. I find it hard to believe that a cabin crew member could behave this way but if proven to be any sort of crew...then no flight attendant would have any sympathy for the person concerned.

To suggest that Cabin Crew as a community would receive any cold shoulder from Engineering of anyone else in the Airline Community would be an unnecessary over reaction. No flight attendant would condone this behaviour and i am sure when the culprit is found then the rest of the Cabin Crew would be glad to have him/her out of our ranks

Qantas flies to HBA.

whereabouts on the map of tassie is Hobart?

ps....As Pegasus has said be under no misunderstanding the act of doing anything that is destructive to property IS a criminal act.

I think......

STR = Screw The Roo.

Correct?!

I find Redstone's comment about cabin crew receiving the cold shoulder totally out of line, how could you possibly blame all CC for this act of vandalism by given them the cold shoulder.

I find that line totally incomprehensible.

Lowerlobe,
do a search in pprune/cabin crew for "screw the roo".
You will see how some QF crew behaved on here in 2004 leading up to EBAVII and the LHR base.

Just recounting the general mood Friday night Cart, I know 99.99% of CC are totaly professional and do an excellent job under difficult conditions, hence your reaction. It is frustrating and beyond belief. If only the culprit or culprits knew (where ever they come from) that these sorts of acts do not upset "Qantas" the airline as such but the poor slobs who have to clean up the mess.

A cut and paste from todays "Australia", OINK OINK OINK
 

Conflict concern over Qantas boss stakes
Richard Gluyas
November 27, 2006
REPORTS that Qantas management could take a 1 per cent stake in any takeover of the national airline have aroused concern among investors about possible conflicts.
A consortium featuring Macquarie Bank, US-based Texas Pacific Group and Canada's Onex is believed to be preparing to lodge a bid valuing Qantas at up to $11 billion.

While the carrier has said the approach is confidential, incomplete and under investigation by the company, the consortium is already conducting due diligence ahead of putting a proposal to the board.

There have been reports, furthermore, that Qantas management, including chief executive Geoff Dixon, could get around 1 per cent of the airline, worth $110 million, as an incentive.

Mr Dixon has played down the reports, releasing a brief statement on Friday saying he had had no discussions with any member of the consortium on his "future role, remuneration or equity in any new company".

This was in line with protocols set up by the Qantas board, he said.

Australian Shareholders Association chairman Stephen Matthews said there was a question surrounding the sufficiency of any protocols, given Mr Dixon's critical role.

"The CEO is key to both sides -- the bidders as well as the board, some of whom might want Qantas to remain a listed company," Mr Matthews said.

"But Mr Dixon might also have an interest in getting Qantas out of the public spotlight to achieve some of his targets in cost reduction. It's unclear how that's all going to be dealt with."

If the takeover bid proceeds and is successful, Qantas is expected to take a more aggressive approach to reducing costs, including changes to the working conditions of staff.

As a legacy airline, pay and conditions for Qantas workers are superior to those at Jetstar, the airline's no-frills start-up.

One industry expert, however, predicted Qantas's heavily unionised workforce would fight a concerted battle against reduced pay and conditions, regardless of whether the airline was in public or private ownership.

Twigs,

Thanks for you info but I am sure that 99.99999% of crew who feel the need to vent their unhappiness with the company by vocally supporting the STR campaign would not condone nor involve themselves with anything that involves any damage or sabotage to anyones property.

Crew might talk loosely about this and that but to actually do something along the lines of this latest discussion I believe to be limited to an individual at worst ( I hope).

I'm sure you would agree that crew as a group would not lower themselves to a criminal act no matter how unhappy they are with the company.

This sort of sensless act does nothing to address our feelings with the company but only makes life difficult and unreasonably so for the people who have to rectify the damage.

If a person is found guilty of this act then as well as being sacked they should be made to clean out aircraft toilets for a 3 month period if not longer instead of going to the slammer.

Can we get off commenting on Twiggs posts every 5 minutes and stay focused on the topic at hand? It's getting very tiresome.....

Jet * int......"feedback"
 

Have heard some rather ordinary feedback on the airline of CHOICE.

Apparently the SYD-HKT ( Phuket) flight last week was a "nightmare".

Anyone ( QF- L/H ) who has previously operated the A-330-200 to PER would understand exactly what happened.

SYD-PER flight time is 4.40 hrs TOD.
SYD-HKT flight time is 8.50 hr TOD.

For those who have done the Math.....this is double the flight time.

At the end of PER flights, there was no room in the bins,toilets stunk,galleys congested,pax all over the place and no where to go!!!

The Jet * HKT flight had all the hallmarks of the above plus more. As most pax in the Y/C cabin brought on a mountain of food-naturally where do you dispose of all the rubbish. And yes -it was freezing-$15.00 per blanket.Only 1 problem.......not enough blankets.

Sure, its only very early days. And yes they will probably get their act together over time.....due to their hard working energetic crews. Lets hope their 787 is more suited to an International operation.

But.....be warned, SQ have made it known that there SQ and Silk Air ( ex SIN) operation will match Jet * any day PLUS you get a meal, movie and blankey for nix !!! :ouch:

Faaa Newsletter
 

28 November 2006 ID70-06

Attention all Qantas Long Haul Flight Attendants

LARGE QANTAS MEMBERSHIP MEETINGS RESOUNDINGLY SUPPORT FAAA DIRECTION

Members would be aware that the recent series of 21 FAAA Qantas members’ meetings concluded on Friday 17 November.

The attendance at these meetings was an all time record, apart from the strike meeting in 2003. A total of 814 members attended this series of meetings indicating that cabin crew are interested in the challenges and issues that will have a huge impact on them in the coming year or so.

These meetings had a twin objective. Firstly, to brief our membership in Qantas Long Haul about the Howard Governments draconian anti-worker industrial laws and secondly, to discuss the industrial stance that the FAAA should adopt to deal with the serious challenges confronting Long Haul.

The following resolution was put at the meetings “ THIS MEETING ENDORSES A PRAGMATIC FAAA INDUSTRIAL POLICY WHICH WILL AIM TO PROTECT THE JOB SECURITY AND WORKING CONDITIONS OF OUR MEMBERS WHILST RECOGNISING THE CURRENT INDUSTRIAL CIRCUMSTANCES”.

The voting result was as follows:

FOR - 810

AGAINST-1

ABSTENTIONS – 3

I thank the membership for this overwhelming support and I also take the opportunity to thank many of you for your individual statements of support and your kind comments about how the meetings were conducted.

The FAAA will now try to achieve an EBA 8, which will attempt to produce conditions conducive for growth, promotion and job security in Long Haul. Clearly, our members have understood the realities that face us, and that serious and difficult decisions must be at least contemplated if we are going to have a secure future.



20 Ewan Street Mascot NSW 2020 Tel 61 2 8337 1111 Fax 61 2 8337 1122 Emergency Contact 0414 894 192


In relation to the hostile anti- worker industrial laws; the message is simple; the Howard Government must be “sacked” consistent with its laws that have made it easier for employers to sack their employees.

The FAAA will intensify the campaign against Howard leading up to the federal election. We will ensure every cabin crew member in Long Haul and Australian Airlines understand that voting for Howard = destruction of working conditions and job security.

Once again, thanks to all of you for your tremendous support. In these difficult times it is personally heartening and encouraging to see that we are all sticking together in an unprecedented way and that the FAAA International Division’s elected officials have such strong support from the membership.


Written and authorised by Michael Mijatov – Secretary International Division.

Disneyland
 

Latest CC News makes a small mention of the "Engagement Survey" Results
!.Employees have a strong loyalty to the brand
2.There has been a significant improvement in the relationsgip with managers.
Note..managers...not management.
Which managers?...onboard managers perhaps but certainly not the"Visiting Management".
The management who has yet to have any of their Clause 11s validated by a court.
Good Lord these people live in Fantasyland
On a happier note... there is a rumour that is gathering momentum that the Black Widow is soon to be moved sideways and down

Mr moderator
 

Tightslot,

What happened to some of our posts ? We were talking about the political situation in Australia and I’ve come back and they appear to have been deleted!

When I last looked there was no abuse or possibility or risk of litigation or complaint so I assume your guidlines were being met especially compared to other instances.

.......which bank?
 

Darth and the boys must be breathing a sigh of relief over their Chardies tonight , knowing that the Comm Bank has jumped first and taken some heat off the launch of the AWA's.

Everyone hates the banks.........so it just runs straight off them-hardly newsworthy or surprising.

BUT, now the REAL game is soon to begin.

The Equity Group machinations will give the Board the mandate they need to roll out ( sorry -OFFER!!!) AWA's.

My prediction is that its all going to happen sooner rather than later.:uhoh: