717's to Launceston

[wingnutundone]

Have you heard that Qantas will be flying 717's into Launceston before Christmas? I heard today that the 146's and crew base at Launceston will be moving real soon to make way for such changes. A move from up north to Launceston will be a change in climate for the 717 drivers.

[Ramrod]

I also hear that Canberra is looking good as a new crew base. This will allow the 717 to operate the CB-BN-CB, CB-ML-CB and a few CB-SY-CB flights.
It will be a big change for the CG based crews if they go to LT. Many of these pilots were BN based before moving to CG.

[dingo084]

I heard a different slant on this yesterday, basically, yes the 717's to LT by christmas and the 146's to PH (Airlink).

This is in line with something I read here on PPRuNe about 4 months ago. At that time there was also some speculation as to the future need of an 'airline' infrastructure simply to look after the remaining 3 Dash 8's. It would seem more appropriate to intergrate them into a larger Dash 8 operator based in SY?

ding

[Ramrod]

dingo,
The 146's to Perth for Airlink could be very close to the truth. Qantas have said they will continue to operate the Perth-Newman and Perth-Port Hedland routes. Both routes will be operated by 146 aircraft.

[Eastwest Loco]

Somewhere in the reshuffle at least one DH8 will be freed for the BWT DPO run and I guess the multi million dollar AMD at LST is big enough to cope with 717s - similar height - just the length to worry about.

Yet another new world order.

Just hope my friends at MQL are in the loop.

EWL

[CAYNINE]

Well yes you are all almost right! The 146's will be leaving LT by the end of October and taking up residence in CB the Airlink 146's will redeploy to PH and operate the routes there that were vacated by AN WA. The 717's will be going to LT and also replace the 146 services to HB and SY that the 146 currently does. The route structure out of CB is basically what NJS were doing before the sudden move to PH. The 146's are still here to stay (sorry Dingo your EAA brothers will still have something to bitch about!!!)nd there is a real possibility that the operation may even expand if the returns are as good as they are predicted. The choice of the 717 into LT will be interesting to sat the least given that the market was marginal with the 146 in the winter with low yeilds and seasonal loads. Will VB start operating into Tas? This could prove a problem when you are committed to a 117 seat A/C.
Anyway these are interesting times we work in at the moment and will be intriging to see the outcome of these plans in the future.

Happy Flying in the West NJS and EAA well, I guess you are still the countries biggest Dash operator, enjoy.

[kuldalai]

The following Press release from Qantas issued this morning 10-10-01 ......

Qantas Boosts Capacity On Hobart And Launceston Routes
Hobart, 10 October 2001 :
Qantas will operate larger aircraft on its Hobart and Launceston routes and boost
capacity between Tasmania and the mainland by 26 percent under a new schedule
to be introduced from 28 October in time for the peak summer season.

The airline's Executive General Manager Subsidiary Business, Narendra Kumar, said
today that 115-seat Boeing 717 jets, under the QantasLink brand, would operate
all flights between Hobart, Launceston and Sydney and Melbourne offering 32,200
seats each week.

"This represents an increase of about 6,600 seats each week compared with the
schedule operated by QantasLink before the collapse of Ansett in September.

"The flights will provide a range of discount air fares, including Frequent Flyer
benefits, and customers will be offered meals or refreshments," he said.

The new Tasmania schedule includes:

- Eleven return flights each day between Hobart and Melbourne
- Five return flights each day between Launceston and Melbourne
- Twice daily non-stop return flights between Hobart and Sydney and an additional
afternoon service on Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday
- A daily non-stop return service between Launceston and Sydney with an
additional flight on Monday, Wednesday and Friday.

Mr Kumar said the new schedule also involved the relocation from Tasmania to the
mainland of three aircraft currently operated by the Qantas subsidiary, Southern
Australia Airlines.

He said 20 Southern Australia pilots and 36 flight attendants would be relocated
from Launceston to operate QantasLink services for Canberra.

"These changes will bring benefits for tourism in Tasmania. It is regrettable that this
will result in staff being relocated.

"There will be no change to the schedule of the QantasLink services, operated by
Southern Australia Dash-8 aircraft between Devonport, Burnie and Melbourne," he
said.

Issued by Qantas Public Affairs (2526)
Media Contact:
Des Sullivan - Telephone [phone]
Email: [email protected]

[djembe56]

Poor old Lonnie - first of all the Ansett Call Centre and now the Southern crew about to depart. The loss of 50 or so crew and their families from a region that is struggling under the twin burdens of high unemployment and population decline will be felt. Jim Bacon and the rest of the pollies won't be able to complain about lack of capacity shortly with VB (apparently) trying its hardest to get to Launceston earlier than its scheduled 1 Dec start. And if Ansett Mark II expand, can't imagine they'd leave Tasmania off the map. Where's that going to leave the 717s? Who cares.

Bring back the 146s.

[bentandtwisted]

So will Impulse open a crew base in LST and move the OOL crews there or will the crews be based in SYD and MEL and over-night in LST when required?

[Kiwiconehead]

It's all very nice the press release but makes no mention of the 7 Southern engineers in MEL who still don't know if they will have a job after this shuffle.

[Eastwest Loco]

A tangled mess at the moment - and QF in MQL are a little bemused. As are we bug-smasher fillers. However capacity is being returned to markets that on figures dont really deserve consideration. The uproot and moves is a mqajor problem for those affected - but goes with the territory - been there - done that. Just hang on guys and gals - and roll with it. There is not a thing you can do to the contrary.

EWL

[CAYNINE]

Well it may be OK to say roll withit but there are alot of peoples lives being effected.

Question, if the 717 LT exercise all goes pear shaped when winter and increased competition happens are the SAA people goning to be told "Oh by the way we are redeploying you back to LT next month so the leases you have on your homes and the commitments you have within your family have got to change again" gee there's a considerate set of circumstances!!!!

There are 56 personnel in LT currently with another 5 or so in Melb that may have to be relocated(If the AFAP get their way) that represents around $300 - 400 thousand dollars in moving costs alone coupled with a months accommodation in a hotel for all transferred staff, add around $200000, plus allowances $150000, not bad is it, around $700000 just in direct personnel costs makes you wonder doesn't it?

[ 10 October 2001: Message edited by: DEFJET ]

[canexpectholding]

"There are 56 personnel in LT currently with another 5 or so in Melb that may have to be relocated(If the AFAP get their way)"


Defjet, what have the AFAP got to do with it? It's my understanding that they're not the one's requireing the move, I thought it was QANTAS.

[CAYNINE]

Well the Feds were trying to get a spill of all 146 positions in Melbourne as they believed that a sucessful bid into a base actually meant squat if others wanted your position if their base location changed, well thankfully everyone else other than those we pay our 1% to believed in base protection. Personally I think the attitude of the Feds stinks to say the least and if you are going to make a statement about a Companies pilots then you would think that that statement would be made sensibly not by some pathetic lose interpretation of an award that was so badly written 13 years ago.

[ 11 October 2001: Message edited by: DEFJET ]

[Eastwest Loco]

DEFJET - Have been redundat 3 times with airlines - I do not say it lightly at all and know how those in the barrel feel.

The good ones will always rise to the surface and continue to shine.

I just wish some decisions were made and soon so the remaining airlines can plan with some future.

EWL

[cogwheel]

DEFJET.. If (?) your $$ numbers are correct or even near the mark, in the big scheme of things they are diddly-pop to the accountants that have (we hope) done their sums on it all. Certainly sad that so many have to move. Just like GA! (except you get paid)

[CAYNINE]

True but at the end of the day the issue is will the pilots in CB be there for a while or sent somewhere else?

Feds are looking less and less interested in the Regionals as they get their big fish goggles back on with looking after the "real Airlines" like VB.

[canexpectholding]

Defjet, if it was so badly written some 13 years ago, what did YOU DO to get it changed?
Probably nothing. That's the problem these days, everyone loves to complain when something goes wrong, but is not prepared to do anything about it before it happens. I know the Feds have put in base protection for other regionals, why was it different in this case?

[CAYNINE]

Good question why don't you ask the Feds why it wasn't included in the last EBA?

[TurbTool]

DEFJET, I was hoping to see your post on what you had done to have the award properly written. Did you suggest base protection be include in the EBA?

I was wondering what view you have on seniority, and if you support seniority is it Company wide or only base wide. You know for promotions, demotions transfers etc.

It seems to me that a base closure affects the whole Company and not just those in that particular base.