Qantas pilots
 

I didn't realize the wage bar was so high! Even with typical journalistic bias on skewing "averages", it is impressive.


QANTAS pilots are mounting a massive inflight campaign justifying strike action - and launching a shareholder revolt - amid revelations some are being paid more than $500,000 a year.

Figures obtained by The Daily Telegraph revealed even the lowest paid second officers are on almost $100,000 a year while senior captains are paid up to $536,000.

Last year some pilots received average pay rises of up to 17 per cent, or $45,000.

But pilots are pushing for further rises and job security guarantees. Their campaign includes scripting announcements for passengers on strike-affected planes and orchestrating a shareholder revolution at Qantas's annual general meeting in two weeks.

Meanwhile, the Transport Workers Union yesterday confirmed Qantas ground crews would participate in work stoppages at all major airports today, including Sydney, from 6-8am and 4-6pm.

Customs officers announced late yesterday they were striking at all major airports, with stoppages from 7-8am, 9-10am and 7-9pm in Sydney, further disrupting international travellers.

The pilots have established a website called qantas shareholders.com to direct disgruntled shareholders - including many pilots themselves - to vote against management plans for a new offshore operation.

At the same time they will deliver stronger and longer inflight announcements to passengers, including a special broadcast for those on delayed flights. It is the most serious action yet from pilots, who have so far resisted total work bans or strikes.

The Australian International Pilots Association said it had been "inundated" with calls from Qantas shareholders and the website would help them "vote against key motions in an effort to make management listen".

Leaked figures reveal even a second officer on an A330 gets almost $150,000 on average and starts on more than $110,000 following an average 17 per cent pay increase in the past year.

The highest paid captain of an A380 gets $536,000 - an increase of more than $40,000 on last year - and the average A380 captain's wage is $415,000.

AIPA president Captain Barry Jackson said Qantas pilots' pay was around the middle of international rates and far less than CEO Alan Joyce's $5 million pay packet.

"It takes decades of training and experience to become an A380 Captain, which is more than I can say about what's required to become a CEO," he said.

sHe also defended the announcements as "brief and positive".

"The aim is put pressure on management in a way that does not disrupt the travel plans of Qantas passengers," he said.

When you consider the tax rate goes up to 40% when you hit AU$130k, those numbers aren't as good as you might think.

That is true, nonetheless, well above the country average. But I would say they earned every penny with the nice save of the A380 near disaster.

BTW, go Wallabies!!!

Very nice pay. Although I've heard Emirates and other foreign carriers are eating Qantas alive in the longhaul market and that is the reason for management's big restructuring(outsourcing etc) plans

I wonder about some of those numbers and what they might include. Very possibly they are including the value all benefits and even then probably have skewed them higher than reality for the average line pilot.

Qantas, the corporation, is on a massive outsourcing program so the pilots have every right to be angry. It started with Jetstar; then Jetstar International; then Jetstar Asia; and now moving more and more flying offshore. All at the expense of Qantas mainline.

The basic fact of the matter though is that Qantas serves a very small market compared to other large international airlines. They are at the end of the line, so to speak, on the Kangaroo route. With only 22 million people as their passenger base in Oz and maybe another 4.5 million in NZ that just doesn't justify such a large airline.

They can't hub and spoke to grow international traffic because their cachement area includes such highly populated areas such as the Antarctic and New Caledonia.

The Australian government has been accommodating to other foreign airlines in order to boost international arrivals into the country. That has certainly hurt Qantas.

I think Qantas management have gone the wrong direction. Instead of diluting the brand so much, they should concentrate on the brand and it's value in the international market. Too late though, they've alienated the unions and employees so now we'll watch the long painful death of a once great airline.



Typhoonpilot

Their raises were 20K more then a lot of FOs make in a year... So cry me a [xxxxx] river.

If they can get it. good on 'em!
fbh

Yep. Remember, everything the public reads in this country is that pilots make 300k and year and work only 8 days a month.

Just because the media totally screws up/misrepresents the FACTS in this country doesn't mean it isn't done elsewhere too.

Ok people QF pilot here who has just read this and is about to lose a night of sleep because people actually believe this rubbish.

Fact: there is a war.

QF has big advertising accounts with the media. Journalists and politicians are the main beneficiaries of the exclusive lounges and perks here, but the royal treatment ceases if you don't publish the company provided spin.

QF hae turned the public against us with massive amounts of LIES and bending the truth. Two journalists in particular have really been difficult.

Maybe a management guy got that pay, but nobody else.

20 years to command plus here now. Heavy crews re 2 SO (lowly paid) 1 FO and 1 CPT. 12 years here now, worked my butt off last year, and to show have just over double the average Australian wage. Our tax here then takes over 40%. I will never get an upgrade here.

CEO believes in transforming us to Ryanair. Google the APA private equity takeover and decide for yourselves if there are any parallels with Enron. After that debacle, most of our board are now private equity specialists, with no aviation background.

When management were asked how muh do they want to guarantee our jobs, the response was along the lines of it doesn't matter how cheap you are, we will always look for a cheaper option.

Will post more tomorrow when I have time. I am leaving flying altogether for more money and Christmas at home maybe. Hopefully people learn where we were screwed and perhaps save themselves the grief.

Then again, there will be a pilot shortage soon here in aus, so if you get the opportunity to come good luck. Do not expect to get rich here however.

The vast, vast majority of that article is complete and utter rubbish. TP and Bandit have covered most of the salient points. If you ever wondered why people say 'don't believe everything in the papers', this is a prime example. The pilots and management are in a fairly large dispute. This story was planted by management in order to sway public opinion their way. Qantas is a failing airline. Sadly, that failure has nothing to do with the good people who actually work at the coal face of the airline and everything to do with the guys in white shirts, pinstripes and ties who work in offices. Bandit says he is leaving after twelve years. I am leaving, to join TP in the sand, after eleven years. I would not be leaving if I had even a small chance of making half a mil a year as a 380 Captain. Reality is that I would be lucky to keep my spot as a 737 F/O and not end up back as a 747 S/O. In a few short years Qantas will be another example of how to make a small fortune in aviation...... :(:(:(