Qantas and Jetstar flight crew fued deepens
The ongoing feud between Qantas flight crew and Jetstar has deepened with Jetstar CEO Alan Joyce accusing Qantas crew of being overpaid and uncompetitive.
Mr Joyce has also claimed the Qantas pilots’ union is running a disinformation campaign because the Union was concerned that Jetstar pilots had agreed to fly international planes for up to $100,000 a year less than their Qantas equivalent.
Mr Joyce has rejected the claims made by the Australian and International Pilots Association that Jetstar International flying routes that take them up to 180 minutes away from emergency airports would expose the public to “unacceptable risk”, saying, “This was one of several false claims made by the union as part of its campaign against an industrial agreement with the Jetstar pilots”.
AIPA has commenced legal action against Jetstar for refusing to let Qantas pilots continue flying the A330 aircraft being transferred from Qantas to Jetstar International and the Union is concerned that an agreement accepted by the Jetstar pilots, who are not part of the AIPA, to fly for lower salaries will erode Qantas pay and conditions.
Mr Joyce said that the Union’s warning was “purely a salary claim and an industrial relations claim” and not about safety at all, adding, “They’re in a position where they are becoming vastly uncompetitive with the rest of the aviation market”. “The market is changing, there’s been a major reconstruction of the industry in the US after September 11 through chapter 11 bankruptcy.”
Mr Joyce said that he believed that Jetstar was offering pilots salaries that reflected market rates and said this was reflected in that Jetstar had received more than 1000 applications from Jetstar pilot posts.
He also said, “It is true a Jetstar captain can be paid about $100,000 less than a Qantas captain, but we believe a salary of $180,000-plus for a 330 captain is very good, and that it is also the market rate”.
AIPA officials though have said that they had concerns that Jetstar was not experienced enough to gain the 180-minute approval, which is known as ETOPS, extended twin-engine operations and denied Qantas crews were too expensive.
Report by The Mole
John Alwyn-Jones
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