Qantas Intl To 'abandon' Oz For Asian Hubs

[gobbledonk]

No real surprises, for mine, in the announcement that QANTAS will sack a thousand locals in favour of:

 

- a joint partnership in Japan wearing the 'Jetstar' brand and offering that (miniscule) level of service in exchange for cheap tickets.

- a new 'premium' airline based in one of the big hubs - possibly KL - initially servicing Asia but possibly extending to Oz in future.

- Qantas will still fly to places like London, but with a reduction in the number of services, and some destinations which were 'non-stop' will now be re-routed to include a stopover.

 

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/aviation/qantas-review-to-affect-1000-jobs/story-e6frg95x-1226115773957

 

Its been no secret that Jetstar has outperformed Qantas Intl for some time, and the bosses clearly had to do something - based on the hordes I've seen at LCCT every time I've been there, they might be onto something with 'Jetstar Asia', but there are plenty of rumblings from the unions. ABC TV reported that Thai flight crew on Jetstar's international flights get a real 'take it or leave it' deal on pay and working conditions : obviously management would be keen to see more of those contracts drawn up and less of the locals on the payroll.

 

Personally, I think its just the way of the world, but I still prefer Air Asia to the Jetstar flights I've been on, even taking into account the age and condition of KLCCT - they should have the new 'Air Asia' terminal opened within 12 months and hopefully it will be better equipped to cope with the phenomenal crowds.

 

Edit: not sure if I can believe the pay rates revealed here:

 

http://www.cnngo.com/sydney/visit/fly-jetstar-budget-airline-we-overwork-cheap-thai-labor-575955

 

So what do they get paid?

 

AU$258 a month, plus an extra AU$7 an hour when they’re flying. By Australian standards, marginally above what the average Australian would earn in a single day’s hard yakka. (That would be an eight-hour day, by the way).

 

But, in comparison, fairly good wages for the average Thai.

 

I guess it comes down to the number of hours they have to spend in the cabin of a claustrophobic aircraft, surrounded by fat, smelly Farang. Something to think about the next time I ask myself why I get out of bed on a Monday morning