Qantas hits more turbulence
Qantas engineers are calling for a one-hour strike on Friday and threatening more industrial action if its wage claims are not met.
Qantas is also in dispute with its members of the Transport Workers Union and its pilots over wage and productivity issues.
The threat of disruption to its services comes at a time when Qantas has been damaged by a number of midair emergencies, and a growing perception that the Qantas brand is being dumbed down to save on costs and promote its budget airline, Jetstar, which has much lower costs to operate.
The potential for damaging union action also comes at a time when rival Virgin Australia is moving into the domestic business class space and rebranding its international operations.
Aviation analyst Kevin O’Connor says Qantas is the most expensive airline in the region and must improve productivity to counter rising competition.
Qantas meets the pilots’ union this week over stalled talks on a new deal with its long-haul pilots.
By TravelMole Asia
Bev
Editor in chief Bev Fearis has been a travel journalist for 25 years. She started her career at Travel Weekly, where she became deputy news editor, before joining Business Traveller as deputy editor and launching the magazine’s website. She has also written travel features, news and expert comment for the Guardian, Observer, Times, Telegraph, Boundless and other consumer titles and was named one of the top 50 UK travel journalists by the Press Gazette.
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