Qantas boss to outline big international shake-up

[James R]

AKL-LAX has been long mooted for JQ as they have NZ-based staff don't they? Either that or they'll be ops by SIN-based staff doing SIN-AKL-LAX and return.

Wouldn't be surprised to see QF dropping off EZE, HNL and BOM as per the SMH article, perhaps BKK too if they can feed more LHR traffic through other ports.

How long until all the JQ aircraft are then repainted in QF colours, staffed by pilots and crew on much lower wages with less conditions?

[Will H]

I was always under the impression LAX-JFK was great for cargo. Maybe not anymore?

Keeping JNB is a no-brainer.

[Anthony T]

How long until all the JQ aircraft are then repainted in QF colours, staffed by pilots and crew on much lower wages with less conditions?

Not long to wait now, QANTAS group management has lost patience with the unions at QF mainline and will do their own thing, if the mainline employees want to come along for the ride, all well and good, if not they will have to find another airline to work for.

[Andrew Johnson]

Originally Posted by Will H

I was always under the impression LAX-JFK was great for cargo. Maybe not anymore?

Keeping JNB is a no-brainer.

So guess this frees up an A330 ?

Can Qantas/Jetstar A330's operate AKL/LAX & LAX/AKL without weight restriction ?

[Montague S]

could start with working on QF8...joke of a service this is.

[Andrew Johnson]

Obviously HNL will go. Can;t work out why it's lasted so long.

The big question is how long will QF INT last & how soon QF will only be BNE, SYD, MEL, CBR & PER & rest will be given to JQ.

[Stefan Perkas]

Originally Posted by Andrew Johnson

how soon QF will only be BNE, SYD, MEL, CBR & PER & rest will be given to JQ.

What about ADL in that list? They wouldn't drop all routes from ADL.

[Zac M]

how soon QF will only be BNE, SYD, MEL, CBR & PER & rest will be given to JQ.

This is wrong on so many levels....

[Bernie P]

A 'sign of the times' perhaps - no longer paying any Royalties..???

QANTAS has begun replacing its "cringe-worthy" in-flight safety video that stars John Travolta.
Travolta, who owns a vintage Qantas Boeing 707-138B jet, starred in a controversial three-minute demonstration video played before take-off on every domestic and long-haul Qantas flights since earlier this year.

Fast forward five months and the video is disappearing from in-flight sceens. The Saturday Night Fever and Grease star is thought to be a casualty of an ongoing industrial dispute between Qantas and the Australian and International Pilots Association (AIPA).

The airline has confirmed it is replacing the Travolta video but insists it was only a "temporary feature". However, the union says there is another motive at play, with the video's message similar to their own.

In the video Travolta, who is also a Qantas ambassador, says: "There's no one I'd rather have at the controls than a Qantas pilot".

This is the same motto that the AIPA uses in its campaign against Qantas sourcing pilots from overseas... and paying them less.

"The seemingly common-sense message has now earned the Hollywood star the sack from the Qantas in-flight video," an AIPA spokesperson said.

"With Qantas management under Alan Joyce preparing to announce moves to replace Australian Qantas pilots with outsourced and offshore alternatives on August 24, Travolta’s message has been deemed inappropriate for the times."

When the safety video was released earlier this year there was outrage about the use of Travolta in the clip.

Cabin crew argued that a "real pilot" like Captain Richard de Crespigny, credited with saving 466 lives on a crippled flight from Singapore, should deliver the message.

The video opens with Travolta, named the airline's ambassador in 2010, dressed in a pilot's uniform and hat, announcing, "This is your captain speaking - well, maybe not today.

"But I can guarantee that the guys on the flight deck and the greater team care just as much about aircraft safety as I do.

"I've been flying over 40 years as a pilot and I can tell you, there's no one I'd rather have at the controls than a Qantas pilot," he added.

"Who better than the genuine aviation professionals who saved QF32?," said one Qantas staff member.

One Qantas flight attendant, who did not wish to be named, described the video as "corny" and "tacky."

Source: News.com.au

[Grahame Hutchison]

When I returned from Cairns last Friday with QF, they played the Travolta Safety Video as usual, however when we landed in Sydney and were taxiing to the terminal, the Captain came on with an announcement outlining the planned changes by Qantas. The Captain's message was right to the point, "Qantas Pilots in Qantas aircraft", and asked everyone to support the pilot's cause.

All that was missing was the final, "This announcement by Qaqntas pilots, was written and spoken by" .....

The QF pilots have a great platform to get their message across to the travelling public, so that they understand what is going on.