Qantaslink Staff Travel Benifits
 

Does anyone know any details about the staff travel benifits that the Qantas Link pilots enjoy? I've looked briefly through work aggreements for both eastern and sunstate and can't find much about it. Also are the benefits IF ANY! available on Qantas mainline flights?

Any info from current or past crew would be great!!!!:ok::ok::ok:

Qlink staff travel
 

It's pretty much the same benefits that mainline crew get. If you're a First Officer you get domestic economy class tickets upgradeable to business class, and for international flights economy only. Once you've been with the company for 7 years or if you get a command you get business class international flights. This is across all of the Qantas network, including Jet* although the arrangements for Jet* are slightly different. You also have access to cheap fares with a bunch of other airlines around the world.

All staff travel is essentially standby travel, so you have to keep an eye on loads to see what the chances are of getting on your chosen flight. You have to have been with the company for 6 months before staff travel privileges are granted and if you go to Jet* or mainline your staff travel benefits are 'reset'. In other words you have to do the 6 month wait in your new job and the 7 year count starts all over again.

Staff travel benefits extend to your nominated travel companion (wife, boyfriend, whatever), as well as your parents and children.

I've heard a few people suggest that it's great for international flights, but domestically it can be a headache. I haven't used it a lot but it seems to work pretty well and I appreciate the opportunity. There is definitely some strategy required to use it effectively as it's not uncommon for people to be left stranded in some strange part of the world while they wait for a seat to become available.

That's a pretty quick and simple look at it. Hope it helps.

Negative on the transfer

If you move QFLINK to J* or Mainline, you do NOT have do wait another 6 months.

Refer Staff Travel Manual, change of jobs under the STAR policy. Many guys myself included have transferred without having to wait.

Same applies to long service leave (LSL) it transfers automatically also.

Adam,

If you TRANSFER from Qlink to mainline or Jetstar then yes you are correct, no resetting of 6 months required. This sort of opportunity typically is available to cabin crew, ground crew?, or management staff.

There is a system available for pilots to transfer from qlink to mainline but the numbers that have used that system are so low that it's hardly even worth mentioning....you could count them on one hand.

Most pilots going into mainline from the link are going through the direct entry scheme....which requires them to RESIGN from qlink then take up a position with mainline. This means that all benefits such as staff travel, seniority number based on start date etc are reset.

It's a dumb way to do it I know, but that's the way it is.

Is it 100% free, or do you still pay a certain percentage of the airfare? And what about taxes, fuel surcharge etc? Do you need to pay for that?

So, do they get to travel on their own, or do your staff travel benefits only cover your family when they're traveling with you? (BTW, does it include nieces and nephews as well?)

Turbantime
 

Turbantime,

Don't know where you get your information but the 4 QL people on my course at Mainline kept their staff travel, including myself. But our date of join for staff travel is our Mainline start date. Also QL time counts for years of service. We were all direct entry applicants.

It's not free and the percentage is off the full fare economy rate....which is not cheap. SYD-MEL return is running at $125 economy inclusive of taxes ($48 without them! :rolleyes: ). SYD-Canberra staff travel fare is just $12. Fees and charges bulk that up to $54. :eek:

Sydney to London is about $1K. Keep in mind that's standby and the aeroplanes are pretty full so you can spend 1-6 nights waiting to get on. You have to pay all fees and charges and these are generally included in the price that we get.

They can travel on their own although the kids need to be a particular age obviously. Parents in QF travel on 'QEB' fares which means that they're paying double what a worker is paying. With the deals out there these days you'd be pretty nuts to go QEB anywhere. $2K return to London? Pay a bit extra and get a few nights accommodation thrown as well and not have to suffer through standby travel.

Nieces and nephews don't get it, just immediate family. I think brothers and sisters can get it until they're aged 26 if you haven't nominated a travel partner- wife, boyfriend, girlfriend, concubine, significant other, friend, etc. Been a while since I looked at that side of things so I may be wrong.

Does the QF manual have that little catch all clause "When using staff travel, being unable to find a seat is not sufficient excuse for returning late from annual leave."

You can spend a miserable week at LHR trying to get home, watching the loadings every day if you are flying sub-load.

ALLICEDUP,

Fair enough then, it's the way it should be...maybe it was the earlier starters that had to give up their benefits? Ie The ones that went through before the current mass exodus?

A few weeks ago I flew to BNE, and bought a commercial ticket on DJ. With the beer and nuts purchased, it was still cheaper than QF staff travel.:eek:

I don't know if that's a reflection on DJ yield management, or QF staff travel!

Sunny. Absolutely. Warnings abound about ensuring that you're back in time for work. Buyer beware.

Still, being able to bring the missus and kids to London with me on an extended layover trip for $2.5K was worth the concern of leaving them behind in LHR and HKG southbound. It would have been even less without the BS extra charges!

my post from a similar thread
 

Staff travel at QF

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Firstly, you will need to wait for six months to be eligible.
Generally, you can nominate a travel companion, or spouse and children. Parents, and brothers and sisters if no companion nominated, get reduced benifits. The 10% fare sounds great until you realize that it was based on the full economy fare, and then had taxes and fuel levies added.
You may find that you can get a positive space seat retail for very little more than a subload staff travel one. For example BN to SY, ML or CS is about $65 one-way After seven years, or with a command, you will be able to list for business class international. So don't hold your breath.
Sorry if this dampens your enthusiasm, however staff travel is not quite as good as it used to be.