Jetconnect - How does it all work?

[Maikha Ly]

G'day all

I thought I might post this to get a better idea of it. I spotted a number of Jetconnect Kiwi registered aircraft today, and upon my curiousity, looked it up and read bits of background about Jetconnect on Wikipedia (See here), however I've become even more curious about this subsidiary now. If I may put some questions forward, I would greatly appreciate a response!

1) As a 'subsidiary' of Qantas, is Jetconnect completely owned by Qantas as a parent company, and all the big decisions and spending is all decided by those in Coward St, Mascot, very much like Jetstar?
2) What is Jetconnect's main core? Is it primarily managing the operation of Qantas flights to/from New Zealand destinations in terms of crews and stuff?
3) What was the reason that Jetconnect was formed in the first place? I would have thought a New Zealand base for locally employed Qantas crews would have been the go, but it seems my knowledge of how the industry works isn't sufficient for this assumption!
4) Same goes with New Zealand registered Qantas aircraft, I can understand being a New Zealand based and registered airline operation, aircraft operating for them would be New Zealand registered, but my question also stems to 1) why an Australian based operation would need Kiwi registered planes.


Pardon if I sound vague with my questions, it is abit late and won't get any better when I start nightshifts tomorrow night. Again, I ask these questions as a genuine curiousity, so I won't expect any animosity then.


Thanks all!

[Ash W]

Simple, it allows them to employ people under different (read cheaper) employment conditions, without there being any obvious difference to the passenger.

In Australia Qantas brought Impulse Airlines, and then used that airline to form Jetstar for pretty much the same reason.

[Matt R]

Originally Posted by Maikha Ly

2) What is Jetconnect's main core? Is it primarily managing the operation of Qantas flights to/from New Zealand destinations in terms of crews and stuff?

Yep. They used to to NZ domestic too, but that's been taken over by Jetstar

I think ZK reg planes need fewer flight attendants, yet another way to reduce costs (along with the cheaper pay rates)

[Gareth U]

Jetconnect, as well as being an airline in it's own right (NZ based 737s and crew), also supplies cabin crew to Qantas Long Haul and Jetstar for it's AKL and CHC bases. These cabin crew fly on Australia-registered aircraft under CASA regulations.

[Maikha Ly]

Are the cabin crew 'pooled' in on the same rosters as the Australian based crew and work alongside them on flights, or being completely separate airlines (Theoretically), they're completely segregated from each other?


Thanks for the responses all!

[Gareth U]

Jetconnect cabin crew that work for QF Long Haul work alongside Australian-based cabin crew and pilots on Australian aircraft for an Australian airline.

Jetconnect cabin crew for Jetstar work with Aussie pilots but form the entire cabin crew compliment for a flight. Theoretically, they can work with Aussie cabin crews given they all operate under CASA regulations (as is the case the Jetconnect crew at Long Haul).

Jetconnect cabin crew that work on Jetconnect 737s (in Qantas colours) can only work on these aircraft as they work under NZ regulations, with NZ pilots for a NZ 'airline'.

[Maikha Ly]

Thanks Gareth, much appreciated!