oicur12. .. . </font><blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica">quote:</font><hr /><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica"> exactly what the Howard Government wanted. A lower cost carrier with less union muscle that will provide QF the bargaining power to lower labour costs and increase shareholder returns.. .</font><hr /></blockquote><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica">Pray tell, exactly what union muscle did your ex airline have ?

My two cents worth..... .. .VB have bought in to the AUS market with low pricing. So have the aircrew. Given VB is raising fares (reducing Discounting is it??) will managment allow the crew the same? I think not.. .. .Ask A QF pilot is a VB captain earning the right money he will say " hell no, too cheap". . .. .Ask a guy flying a chieftain and ha will say " i will do it for less". .. .I see a time where VB guys will stop to smell the roses and we may see a trickle of pilots from VB to QF. Better money, better conditions, better job security, Bases all along the east coast, (perth? I dont know). As well as a chance to fly any toy you want. 737, 767, 747, A330, (A380???).. .. .Would a QF 744 S/O earn as much as a VB Captain??

A lot of them would earn more (and probably in the vicinity of 15-20% more!) but thats OK because those at the top end of the scale earn more than 767 F/Os in the same company! <img border="0" title="" alt="[Eek!]" src="eek.gif" />

Many of the Virgin Blue Captains left jobs that paid FAR in excess of what VB pays - personally I know 2 of the guys who left the same job that I'm (currently) in. . .There's more to a job than just the $$'s, and communicating with the VB pilots they are PROUD of their Company and those who work WITH them.. .That's not to say that they wouldn't knock back any extra bucks offered, however they have accepted their position for what was offered. . .Virgin Blue's runaway success has as much to do with the positive staff attitudes as it has to do with Ansett falling over. The staff WANT VB to succeed, because they know that what's good for the Company will eventually be good for them.. .. .I'm pretty sure that the team at VB are fully aware of QF's "low-cost" (read low wages) start-up that is due to kick off soon, and their need to stay lean, mean, and competitive, and to kickass by limiting the number of "non-revenue producting employees", and overall outgoings to survive.. .. .Anyway I almost completed a Doctorate in medicine - and I'm HAPPY to do it at less than my local G.P. (by about 50% <img border="0" title="" alt="[Eek!]" src="eek.gif" /> ) - so I'm looking for any nurses who have a St John's Ambulance Award to help out....at 1/2 the Award of course, if you're happy to help! <img border="0" title="" alt="[Big Grin]" src="biggrin.gif" />

Someone made a comment on another thread recently, and he or she is right.. .Until pilots decide that unity through Association is the way forward, then everyone will be ground down to the poverty line.. .An earlier comment by someone else, that the crew ( meaning pilots) cost per seat/km is 14% is exaggerated. It will be closer to less than 1%.

In New Zealand an AIRLINE is worth the future of Secondary School education. <img border="0" title="" alt="[Mad]" src="mad.gif" />

yeh yeh