I flew QF56 from LAX to BNE last Friday and encountered one of the more bizarre crewing arrangements. The A330 used has no crew rest area, so once the flight had taken off, the Kiwi crew (because apparently Australian crews refuse to fly such routes on them) laid cushions down on some of the centre seats and put a curtain around them and this becomes the crew rest area.
Apart from wondering if this meets OH&S requirements, I felt sorry for the Kiwi crew as it is pretty undignified for them to have to rest on some padded seats with just a curtain around them for privacy. Anyone else encounter this on other routes?
I flew BNE-LAX (Return) in August. The last window seat behind me was curtained off for rest. There is a start contrast between the aussie crew and NZ crew, in regards to attentiveness, courtesy. However, i do feel for them. This is a perfect example of big corporations getting around international set up.
When it comes to QF, money comes first (along with safety i suppose). corporations do what is needed to make the shareholder (s) happy. I hope the new CEO does not follow in these foot steps and make QF more americanized.
There are rather too many industrial relations issues at Qantas these days. Those blocked out seats raise the prices for everyone else on board.
It would be much better if Qantas could use lower cost Asian crews for all of their domestic and international routes. In my experience they provided infinitely better customer service, cost less and need much less rest than the old & lazy crew who are part of the furniture elsewhere on the network.
Crew who are paid differently and on different awards/contracts. Qantas likes to think if you won't do it, someone else will happily do it... and for cheaper also. It's like landing your "dream" job with a company, but then said company sets outs conditions, and you think to just suck it up just so you can work in your "dream" job.
A QF A332 with a full load of passengers & luggage (no freight) could not do LAX/BNE nonstop. They would have to stop somewhere for fuel, eg. Fiji. Another option would be to leave some luggage behind. For BNE people returning home, it would make getting out of the airport faster, as no bags to wait for. Bags could be delivered later. Last time I looked, my bags didn't care which route & how long they took to come home.
There are rather too many industrial relations issues at Qantas these days. Those blocked out seats raise the prices for everyone else on board.
It would be much better if Qantas could use lower cost Asian crews for all of their domestic and international routes. In my experience they provided infinitely better customer service, cost less and need much less rest than the old & lazy crew who are part of the furniture elsewhere on the network.
QF cannot fill an A332 LAXBNE without a fuel stop (unless they leave a lot of luggage behind) A332s aren't designed for legs over 11 hours.
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Qantas A330 LAX - BNE - Strange Crewing Approach
RedBaron
RedBaron
Member since 23 Mar 2016
Total posts 4
I flew QF56 from LAX to BNE last Friday and encountered one of the more bizarre crewing arrangements. The A330 used has no crew rest area, so once the flight had taken off, the Kiwi crew (because apparently Australian crews refuse to fly such routes on them) laid cushions down on some of the centre seats and put a curtain around them and this becomes the crew rest area.
Apart from wondering if this meets OH&S requirements, I felt sorry for the Kiwi crew as it is pretty undignified for them to have to rest on some padded seats with just a curtain around them for privacy. Anyone else encounter this on other routes?
patrickk
patrickk
Qantas
Member since 19 Apr 2012
Total posts 737
This has been an industrial issue for Australian crew, for all of this hence the NZ crews. A shortage of 787s is the reason.
tommygun
tommygun
Delta Air Lines - SkyMiles
Member since 16 Oct 2017
Total posts 291
Why do the Kiwi crews put up with this? imho it's an industrial relations rort by QF that can easily be remedied with some good old Anzac solidarity.
hakkinen5
hakkinen5
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
Member since 20 Aug 2014
Total posts 207
This has already been discussed at length here and on other forums. It's not new. It's been going on for months.
mspcooper
mspcooper
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
Member since 09 May 2013
Total posts 457
I flew BNE-LAX (Return) in August. The last window seat behind me was curtained off for rest. There is a start contrast between the aussie crew and NZ crew, in regards to attentiveness, courtesy. However, i do feel for them. This is a perfect example of big corporations getting around international set up.
When it comes to QF, money comes first (along with safety i suppose). corporations do what is needed to make the shareholder (s) happy. I hope the new CEO does not follow in these foot steps and make QF more americanized.
greg959
greg959
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
Member since 15 May 2019
Total posts 64
There are rather too many industrial relations issues at Qantas these days. Those blocked out seats raise the prices for everyone else on board.
It would be much better if Qantas could use lower cost Asian crews for all of their domestic and international routes. In my experience they provided infinitely better customer service, cost less and need much less rest than the old & lazy crew who are part of the furniture elsewhere on the network.
highflyer
highflyer
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
Member since 10 Apr 2012
Total posts 186
Crew who are paid differently and on different awards/contracts. Qantas likes to think if you won't do it, someone else will happily do it... and for cheaper also. It's like landing your "dream" job with a company, but then said company sets outs conditions, and you think to just suck it up just so you can work in your "dream" job.
regular flyer
regular flyer
Member since 13 May 2020
Total posts 31
A QF A332 with a full load of passengers & luggage (no freight) could not do LAX/BNE nonstop. They would have to stop somewhere for fuel, eg. Fiji. Another option would be to leave some luggage behind. For BNE people returning home, it would make getting out of the airport faster, as no bags to wait for. Bags could be delivered later. Last time I looked, my bags didn't care which route & how long they took to come home.
Flyer86
Flyer86
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
Member since 30 Mar 2018
Total posts 5
I have flown for many airlines and this is quite standard not limited to Qf ( kiwi crew only)
regular flyer
regular flyer
Member since 13 May 2020
Total posts 31
Originally Posted by greg959
There are rather too many industrial relations issues at Qantas these days. Those blocked out seats raise the prices for everyone else on board.
It would be much better if Qantas could use lower cost Asian crews for all of their domestic and international routes. In my experience they provided infinitely better customer service, cost less and need much less rest than the old & lazy crew who are part of the furniture elsewhere on the network.