31 December 2008

Strife for Qantas over Mumbai route

SYDNEY Ã¢â¬'There are reports today that Qantas is considering axing its loss-making Sydney-Mumbai service after a disagreement with its pilots' union over meal allowances.

The Australian says the airline will be forced to divert today's flight through Melbourne after the Australian and International Pilots Association refused to renew a concession that allows pilots to fly beyond hours outlined in their enterprise agreement.

The concession's end on Wednesday means Qantas must now change crews in Melbourne before continuing on to Mumbai instead of flying non-stop from Sydney.

However, an airline source told the newspaper this would increase losses on the route and was likely to be the final straw for the service.

The A330 concession had been allowed to continue despite the overwhelming rejection in a pilot vote last year of a new enterprise agreement.

AIPA said pilot dissatisfaction had increased since then because meal allowances had not been updated for three years and were now significantly lower than those received by cabin crew.

The pilots' association accused Qantas of using the allowance disagreement as a smokescreen for other reasons for pulling out of Mumbai.

Qantas began flying to Mumbai in 2004 and the service gained notoriety in 2006 when British actor Ralph Fiennes and a female flight attendant were reported to have had sex in an A330 toilet.