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...... :(:(:(

While good salaries, pilots at the Q aren't making 500k a year. The most senior chief pilot might, but not bread and butter. Have heard at leat 300k for Captains but that would be like earning 150k in the States,which is a pretty common legacy Captain salary.

Well put FR8DOG.

All I know is that before Allan Joyce took over from Geoff Dixon QF made profits in the half billion dollar range for many years running. He's managed to absolutely kill that company, but for some reason thinks it is OK to use the quality of the pilots to sell the product, while doing everything he can to shaft them. SO's by the way do not do that well (I was one at Air NZ, starting pay on the 777 was about $40K US at the time), and it takes forEVer to progress, as has been pointed out.

I work down here (ex N American) and all I can say is that I find the numbers in the article "interesting". I've seen managements take on employee demands (all employee groups are in the same boat by the way and the pilots are about the only ones not on work stoppages) in the press, however yeterday in the Sydney Morn Herald the issue was a 2.5% pay increase and job security (pilots contract current sticking points), which was pretty much what the other QF unions were looking for. . . not much of an ask really is it.

Meanwhile QF has lost another 20 million this past week due to the problems and they have the entirity of Oceania ticked at them; is that good management?

Mostly good comments here, but some people perhaps should show a little respect for their compatriots who are working to keep our profession professional. What happened in the US is a shame, the situation at USAir is terrible and hey, if you look at the papers it's all about the greedy pilots isn't it?

QF staff, in this case I believe, are not the ones systematically destroying the reputation of a world renowned brand. And considering I fly for Brand X (well, brand V as it were) down here I think that's saying something.

And a bit of a thanks to Vagabond for what looked like a reasonable bit of editing. Well done.

Would you consider taking a job at brand V showing Qantas pilots respect considering they are one of the factors bringing pilot pay down in that part of the world?
When telling people to show respect one should look at his own choices.
I think that Qantas pilots are doing what they need to do, but there is also a point when you need to think about how much is to much.

Well mate, from the way you put it you don't think the QF pilots are not doing much of anything but making out better than you.

The T&C at V are actually quite good, so perhaps you should check your facts before spouting off.

Apologies for the tone to everybody else, but your post from before was poor to say the least.

And it's too much, not to much. Normally I wouldn't care, but since it's you. . .

Really? Are you sure about that? Who was it that received the raise? Or are you spouting BS you heard somewhere?

V is definitely NOT the problem for Qantas pilots. Their CEO was quoted yesterday as saying the difference in pay between a QF 737 pilot and a Virgin 737 pilot was single digits.

So how much is 'to' [SIC] much? What is it we're after in our EBA negotiations? No, didn't think you knew.

If anyone is interested in facts, I'm happy to converse and even argue the point. Please don't spread BS. Thanks;)

Haha me too! Small world eh?

Absolutely, im as skeptical as the next pilot (6yrs in N. American aviation) but so far ive been treated quite well, enjoy my 6 weeks off a year, decent schedule and great equipment.

Ya know your 100% right... Bad Mood and nothing good to say lately.
It was a poor post... Im out for a while.

One of the things that amazes me about most pilots here in the US is how little we know about working conditions and T&C's at other jobs abroad, I don't think PCL meant to be disrespectful, he believes that the "V" brand pays the same in all their subsidiaries as they do in the states, when in fact V America pays the lowest salary of all the companies under their brand. What is happening at QF is appalling, I just can't believe that their contract doesn't have more solid scope language on it (speculating that is the root of the problem, correct me if I'm wrong) it is sad to see the destruction of such an iconic brand

Dom,

Scope or "job protection"as it's referred to down here, is indeed the root of the problem. Qantas has been systematically eaten from the inside out by Jetstar. I still remember when QF bought Impulse and rebranded it, Jetstar. I kept thinking, why can't they see what a bad sign it is that QF A330's are being moved to Jetstar???

Unfortunately, the horse has well and truly bolted and while I take absolutely no pleasure in saying this, I think QF Intl are well and truly screwed. At some point in the next 3 years Jetstar will be rebranded the "New" Qantas and QF management will have destroyed an internationally recognized brand and they'll finally have their b-scale pilots.

Until then, i'm pretty sure I'm safe on saying that QF pilots have the full support of us at V.