Southern....GONE...!
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Not good news for the Southerns Drivers - sorry to hear, but if it's any help at all , Qantas are already looking at 10 additional B717's for "possible" delivery after July according to a recent media release.
Hopefully with these extra jets some of the SAA guys & gals could get slots with VQ down the not to distant track. Nothing concrete but if they come they will be needing quite a few drivers and FA's.
Vince
Hopefully with these extra jets some of the SAA guys & gals could get slots with VQ down the not to distant track. Nothing concrete but if they come they will be needing quite a few drivers and FA's.
Vince
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I think a lot of QF's reasoning for the closure of SAA and merging with Eastern is the fact that both Airlines are heavily affiliated with the AFAP big into seniority and the like, wheras NJS and Impulse a not closed shops no union card no job. I think that Longjohn was correct when he said that seniority is a noose around your neck as I feel that the AFAP are a noose around your neck as well, there days have to be numbered surely?
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NineMSN
Regions lose under Qantas plan
Qantas Airways Ltd stepped up it trans-Tasman flights at the same time as it began streamlining services to regional Australia.
The addition of nine extra return flights a week to New Zealand angered unions concerned about regional services.
Qantas, which makes much of its outback beginnings, said 23 positions were under review at the headquarters of its Southern Airlines subsidiary in Mildura, Victoria. Other staff face forced transfers.
Southern and Eastern Airlines will merge with Qantas' National Jet operations in what is believed to be a long-term plan to rationalise the five regional airlines operating under the QantasLink banner - Southern, Eastern, AirLink, Impulse and Sunstate Airlines.
The Australian Services Unions (ASU) accused the airline of ignoring employees' welfare to improve profits.
"This isn't about getting a bigger market share, Qantas already have 95 per cent of the regional market. All they're interested is making more and more money," ASU national secretary Linda White said.
"They're going gangbuster everywhere."
The Flight Attendants Association of Australia (FAAA) is negotiating with Qantas on a deal for its 60-odd members involved with the regional airlines, with a response expected early next week.
The larger-than-expected trans-Tasman expansion steps up pressure on Air New Zealand by taking the Australian carrier's total number of return flight between the countries to more than 100 a week.
Six of the additional flights - three each from Sydney and Melbourne - will travel to Christchurch on the South Island, where business leaders have been angered by recent service cutbacks by Air NZ.
The Qantas flight will use Boeing 767s, which have a much larger cargo capacity than the 737s currently used by Air NZ.
In addition, Qantas will operate an additional two return flights a week from Melbourne to Auckland and an extra Sydney-Auckland flight on Fridays, which will return on Wednesdays.
Air NZ, still reeling from the Ansett collapse, has faced increased competition from Qantas in its home market, with the Australian carrier expanding to claim about 20 per cent of the NZ domestic market.
Merrill Lynch aviation analyst Simon Gresham said Air NZ was having to carefully consider the services it offered on particular routes and Qantas had stepped into the breech.
"They (Qantas) appear to have seen a market need, particularly for the larger aircraft and you can only assume that they're doing that rationally," he said.
The move will fuel speculation that Qantas is aiming to run down Air NZ in order to make the NZ government sell its stake in the national carrier.
Last year Qantas proposed to buy a a 25 per cent stake in Air NZ but was blocked by the NZ government.
The government instead took the equivalent of $A475 million in new equity, in addition to an earlier $A244 loan, convertible to preference shares to keep its flag carrier in the air.
"We all know that Qantas has an agenda to gain a stake in Air NZ but whether there's a link between the two I wouldn't want to hypothesise," Mr Gresham said.
Air NZ chief executive Ralph Norris recently said the airline was looking at options to provide a third daily return service from Christchurch to Sydney as a matter of urgency.
Regions lose under Qantas plan
Qantas Airways Ltd stepped up it trans-Tasman flights at the same time as it began streamlining services to regional Australia.
The addition of nine extra return flights a week to New Zealand angered unions concerned about regional services.
Qantas, which makes much of its outback beginnings, said 23 positions were under review at the headquarters of its Southern Airlines subsidiary in Mildura, Victoria. Other staff face forced transfers.
Southern and Eastern Airlines will merge with Qantas' National Jet operations in what is believed to be a long-term plan to rationalise the five regional airlines operating under the QantasLink banner - Southern, Eastern, AirLink, Impulse and Sunstate Airlines.
The Australian Services Unions (ASU) accused the airline of ignoring employees' welfare to improve profits.
"This isn't about getting a bigger market share, Qantas already have 95 per cent of the regional market. All they're interested is making more and more money," ASU national secretary Linda White said.
"They're going gangbuster everywhere."
The Flight Attendants Association of Australia (FAAA) is negotiating with Qantas on a deal for its 60-odd members involved with the regional airlines, with a response expected early next week.
The larger-than-expected trans-Tasman expansion steps up pressure on Air New Zealand by taking the Australian carrier's total number of return flight between the countries to more than 100 a week.
Six of the additional flights - three each from Sydney and Melbourne - will travel to Christchurch on the South Island, where business leaders have been angered by recent service cutbacks by Air NZ.
The Qantas flight will use Boeing 767s, which have a much larger cargo capacity than the 737s currently used by Air NZ.
In addition, Qantas will operate an additional two return flights a week from Melbourne to Auckland and an extra Sydney-Auckland flight on Fridays, which will return on Wednesdays.
Air NZ, still reeling from the Ansett collapse, has faced increased competition from Qantas in its home market, with the Australian carrier expanding to claim about 20 per cent of the NZ domestic market.
Merrill Lynch aviation analyst Simon Gresham said Air NZ was having to carefully consider the services it offered on particular routes and Qantas had stepped into the breech.
"They (Qantas) appear to have seen a market need, particularly for the larger aircraft and you can only assume that they're doing that rationally," he said.
The move will fuel speculation that Qantas is aiming to run down Air NZ in order to make the NZ government sell its stake in the national carrier.
Last year Qantas proposed to buy a a 25 per cent stake in Air NZ but was blocked by the NZ government.
The government instead took the equivalent of $A475 million in new equity, in addition to an earlier $A244 loan, convertible to preference shares to keep its flag carrier in the air.
"We all know that Qantas has an agenda to gain a stake in Air NZ but whether there's a link between the two I wouldn't want to hypothesise," Mr Gresham said.
Air NZ chief executive Ralph Norris recently said the airline was looking at options to provide a third daily return service from Christchurch to Sydney as a matter of urgency.
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Spinout not first post different name prefer Promotion on ability attitude then number.
Caynine not naive just been in the game for 25 years and seen it all before.
Feel for the Southern guys the whole aviation scene is so turbulent at present, lot of talented guys in SAA sure QF will find places for them somewhere.
I really can't believe that guys would turn down an opportunity to fly jets for NJS in preference to Crash 8's.
Anyway go the Lions.
Caynine not naive just been in the game for 25 years and seen it all before.
Feel for the Southern guys the whole aviation scene is so turbulent at present, lot of talented guys in SAA sure QF will find places for them somewhere.
I really can't believe that guys would turn down an opportunity to fly jets for NJS in preference to Crash 8's.
Anyway go the Lions.
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I really can't believe that guys would turn down an opportunity to fly jets for NJS in preference to Crash 8's.
Also some of the SAA guys have already done the NJS thing.
Crashies mean QF job + benefits (whatever they are worth, staff travel bites but shares and bonuses are nice, where are my NJS shares?)
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They might not "prefer" to fly the D8 over the 146, but they would prefer QF and the lifestyle/stability/conditions it might offer.
Last edited by triadic; 13th Apr 2002 at 12:43.
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What happens if QANTAS purchase that part of National Jet that services the Airlink contract and merges them with Impulse.. one jet operation/one Dash 8 operation...
CRAVENMOREHEAD you must think that you are better than the people you work with, i think as long as people are passing their checks etc then they meet the grade, some better than others maybe but all just as good so the only way of promoting people is on years of service... by the way why did you have to change your name? did you used to work for Ansett sounds like the way Ables like to promote people....
CRAVENMOREHEAD you must think that you are better than the people you work with, i think as long as people are passing their checks etc then they meet the grade, some better than others maybe but all just as good so the only way of promoting people is on years of service... by the way why did you have to change your name? did you used to work for Ansett sounds like the way Ables like to promote people....
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Canberra Times 12/4/02
Southern staff furious at closure
By ROBERT MESSENGER
Southern Airlines staff members broke their silence yesterday, saying the airline as an entity no longer existed and all 65 of those based in Canberra had been told to apply for jobs elsewhere.
Staff were given two weeks' notice of their move to Canberra from Launceston last October 28 and those who contacted The Canberra Times yesterday said they were furious that shift had now proved to have been in vain.
Flight attendants have been told by Qantas management to apply for 104 positions with Impulse,which management told Wednesday's meeting with staff at Canberra International Airport are about to become available in Hobart, Sydney and Melbourne.
Pilots have been told some have a possible future with National Jet, which is contracted by Qantas. Impulse and National Jet are a part of Qantas's AirLink operations.
All 65 Southern Airlines staff will have to quit their Canberra jobs, less than six months after moving here. Many have brought families with them.
Southern Airlines will maintain an engineering presence in Mildura, but nothing here. "We've been retrenched, sacked, call it what you like," one staff member said. "But effectively it looks like many of us will be without a job for the immediate future."
Some Southern Airlines flight attendants have won full-time recruitment to Qantas, but staff have been told there will be no Qantas recruitment until the Southern Airlines restructuring is completed.
Another staff member said Southern Airlines' dismantling as part of Qantas's regional review process had been "pre-empted" and was "shallow", because Southern had remained a profitable and viable business to the end. "Southern is by far the more cost effective part of what now becomes a merger with Eastern Airlines. But it's all about political points scoring, and the lives of people and their families are being played around with.
"At a time when Qantas has the market to itself, this is not cricket. Southern staff had gone the
extra mile for a long time in Launceston, where they turned around profits for the group, but had also accepted the move here. They just did it, got on with it, when asked.
"Now their lives are being uprooted again."
Southern staff furious at closure
By ROBERT MESSENGER
Southern Airlines staff members broke their silence yesterday, saying the airline as an entity no longer existed and all 65 of those based in Canberra had been told to apply for jobs elsewhere.
Staff were given two weeks' notice of their move to Canberra from Launceston last October 28 and those who contacted The Canberra Times yesterday said they were furious that shift had now proved to have been in vain.
Flight attendants have been told by Qantas management to apply for 104 positions with Impulse,which management told Wednesday's meeting with staff at Canberra International Airport are about to become available in Hobart, Sydney and Melbourne.
Pilots have been told some have a possible future with National Jet, which is contracted by Qantas. Impulse and National Jet are a part of Qantas's AirLink operations.
All 65 Southern Airlines staff will have to quit their Canberra jobs, less than six months after moving here. Many have brought families with them.
Southern Airlines will maintain an engineering presence in Mildura, but nothing here. "We've been retrenched, sacked, call it what you like," one staff member said. "But effectively it looks like many of us will be without a job for the immediate future."
Some Southern Airlines flight attendants have won full-time recruitment to Qantas, but staff have been told there will be no Qantas recruitment until the Southern Airlines restructuring is completed.
Another staff member said Southern Airlines' dismantling as part of Qantas's regional review process had been "pre-empted" and was "shallow", because Southern had remained a profitable and viable business to the end. "Southern is by far the more cost effective part of what now becomes a merger with Eastern Airlines. But it's all about political points scoring, and the lives of people and their families are being played around with.
"At a time when Qantas has the market to itself, this is not cricket. Southern staff had gone the
extra mile for a long time in Launceston, where they turned around profits for the group, but had also accepted the move here. They just did it, got on with it, when asked.
"Now their lives are being uprooted again."
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This is unfortunately the end of an era. The last true Airline people have been displaced. The MEL staff I am told got stuck right into the twit from QF Human Remains that came to tell them their fate (and didnt have any real answers what it actually was) but the MQL staff bit their tongues in their respect for Tony Matthews who the would and have walk over broken glass for. He deserves every bit of that respect too. Tony would be the only pilot I have ever met that was capable of running an airline.
I tried in my little way to change things, but the accountants can only see numbers.
Quel domage.
Rough translation - sod it.
EWL
I tried in my little way to change things, but the accountants can only see numbers.
Quel domage.
Rough translation - sod it.
EWL
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What happens if QANTAS purchase that part of National Jet that services the Airlink contract and merges them with Impulse.. one jet operation/one Dash 8 operation...
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EWL.. Afraid need to correct part of your previous post... The MEL presentation was by the General Manager Regional Airlines. The HR lady was there, not as part of the presentation but to hopefully help pick up the emotional pieces after the presentation, which I understand she tried hard to do at all 3 meetings. Neither coped with the response from staff very well. The GM Subsidiary Business was brought in to do the CBR meeting (see previous post from Canberra Times) as a result.
Your comments re TM are spot on.
Your comments re TM are spot on.
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PD,
agree,they wont go down the Impulse track again,it becomes an uncontrollable mess,seniority wise etc.(ie.Impulse staff wanting QF seniority etc.).I doubt that QF would purchase the NJS operation because they would lose control of the cost structure that a contract company provides(contract=fixed costs=profits).
I sincerly feel for the Southern guys going through this re-structure,and wish everyone the best outcome,but WHY cant QF guarntee the jobs of LOYAL staff within the Qantaslink system,I am sure that they really dont need to reduce the number of staff,just offer re-allocation within the system.Only my opinion though!
agree,they wont go down the Impulse track again,it becomes an uncontrollable mess,seniority wise etc.(ie.Impulse staff wanting QF seniority etc.).I doubt that QF would purchase the NJS operation because they would lose control of the cost structure that a contract company provides(contract=fixed costs=profits).
I sincerly feel for the Southern guys going through this re-structure,and wish everyone the best outcome,but WHY cant QF guarntee the jobs of LOYAL staff within the Qantaslink system,I am sure that they really dont need to reduce the number of staff,just offer re-allocation within the system.Only my opinion though!
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A few hard truths!!
Fact 1:
About 18mnths ago a ballot was held within the then 3 QF regionals. The subject to be voted on was one of amalgamation. A national seniorority number with base protection so the three airlines could present a united front to the parent company.
The results from Qld and NSW were overwhelming in favour of some kind of merger. The Vic counterparts voted overwhelmingly to remain independant. I wonder if they are regretting that decision.
Fact2:
Trying to get on time performance out of YMML following an overnight is impossible. To get any asisstance at all from any of the ground services is like pulling teeth. Just to be marshalled on to a bay would appear to be asking to much from the person sitting on the tug watching you taxi in!
I dont think you have to look too far to see in which direction the problem lies.
It is indeed an unfortunate event but perhaps the writting was on the wall.
Fact 1:
About 18mnths ago a ballot was held within the then 3 QF regionals. The subject to be voted on was one of amalgamation. A national seniorority number with base protection so the three airlines could present a united front to the parent company.
The results from Qld and NSW were overwhelming in favour of some kind of merger. The Vic counterparts voted overwhelmingly to remain independant. I wonder if they are regretting that decision.
Fact2:
Trying to get on time performance out of YMML following an overnight is impossible. To get any asisstance at all from any of the ground services is like pulling teeth. Just to be marshalled on to a bay would appear to be asking to much from the person sitting on the tug watching you taxi in!
I dont think you have to look too far to see in which direction the problem lies.
It is indeed an unfortunate event but perhaps the writting was on the wall.
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Just to be marshalled on to a bay would appear to be asking to much from the person sitting on the tug watching you taxi in!
Sunstate and Southern don't require marshalling.
I believe that the Southern engineers were told by Eastern Flt ops that they did not have to marshall Eastern aircraft in Melbourne due to staff shortages.
Remember that the Eastern way is only one way to do things, not necessarily the right way.
Also the only Southern staff you will encounter on the tarmac are the engineers, everything else is handled by Qantas - traffic, bags etc - so following on from that I guess we should shut Qantas down as that is where the problem lies?
Last edited by Pimp Daddy; 15th Apr 2002 at 00:22.
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Have heard that Dixon didn't know anything about the 'options' outlined for the Southern guys. Heard also that he's putting a temporary halt to pilot & F/A recruiting until this mess is sorted out properly. Could this be a glimmer of hope, particularly for the 146 guys/gals? A case of the left hand not knowing what the right one's up to perhaps...
Bottums Up
I would have thought that IR laws would require that QF offer retrenched employees first right of refusal for any flying positions within the organisation.
That being the case, those at Southern should be offered mainline positions ahead of other applicants from the wider flying fraternity.
Shouldn't they?
That being the case, those at Southern should be offered mainline positions ahead of other applicants from the wider flying fraternity.
Shouldn't they?