I49 Air and Space Transport

Virgin to reward the fully vaxxed

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Original article by Robyn Ironside
The Australian – Page: 15 : 2-Sep-21

Virgin Australia will offer incentives for both staff and customers to get COVID-19 vaccinations. Virgin wants all of its frontline staff to be fully vaccinated by 15 November, and they will be given the opportunity to win prizes such as business-class flights and a holiday on Hamilton Island, as well as extra annual leave. Virgin customers will in turn be offered rewards such as business-class flights and Velocity frequent-flyer points. Winners must have proof of vaccination to claim a prize.

CORPORATES
VIRGIN AUSTRALIA HOLDINGS LIMITED

Pressure on airlines to vaccinate workers

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Original article by Robyn Ironside
The Australian – Page: 17 : 20-Aug-21

Alliance Aviation’s Scott McMillan expects more airlines to adopt a policy of mandatory COVID-19 vaccination for their employees. Alliance will require all staff and contractors to be vaccinated by 15 November; Qantas recently announced that it will also enforce a ‘no jab, no job’ policy. Michael Tooma, the managing partner of law firm Clyde & Co, says that mandatory vaccination is a "lawful and reasonable direction" for sectors such as aviation under occupational health and safety laws. He agrees that other airlines are likely to implement such a policy.

CORPORATES
ALLIANCE AVIATION SERVICES LIMITED – ASX AQZ, QANTAS AIRWAYS LIMITED – ASX QAN, CLYDE AND COMPANY LLP

Get vaxxed or leave, Qantas chief warns

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Original article by Robyn Ironside
The Australian – Page: 13 & 17 : 19-Aug-21

Qantas is the latest Australian company – and the largest so far – to require mandatory COVID-19 vaccination for its staff. CEO Alan Joyce contends that vaccination is necessary for the safety of the airline’s employees, customers and the destinations to which it flies. Joyce has advised that all frontline staff must be vaccinated by 15 November, and he has warned that those who do not have valid medical grounds for refusing a vaccination will need to look at career options in other industries. A survey of Qantas employees has found that 75 per cent of them support mandatory vaccination.

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QANTAS AIRWAYS LIMITED – ASX QAN

Empty flights cast an air of doom

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Original article by Robyn Ironside
The Australian – Page: 4 : 7-Jul-21

The Board of Airline Representatives of Australia’s executive director Barry Abrams has warned that the nation’s coronavirus-induced lower caps on inbound passenger numbers means that some international flights to Australia will no longer be commercially viable. Two-thirds of flights into Sydney will be restricted to no more than 26 passengers, while no passengers will be permitted on the remainder. Likewise, most flights into Melbourne will be restricted to a maximum of 13 passengers. The impact of reduced passengers loads may be partially offset by strong demand for air freight.

CORPORATES
BOARD OF AIRLINE REPRESENTATIVES OF AUSTRALIA INCORPORATED

International airlines may be forced to suspend flights to Australia after arrival cap halved

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Original article by Matilda Boseley, Royce Kurmelovs
The Guardian Australia – Page: Online : 5-Jul-21

National cabinet recently agreed to reduce the number of international arrivals from 6,070 to 3,035 a week, with the cuts to take effect as from 14 July. Board of Airline Representatives executive director Barry Abrams says the cuts will make it hard for international airlines to maintain their current frequency of flights to Australia, while he has rejected suggestions airlines are trying to take advantage of the cut in arrivals by price gouging.

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BOARD OF AIRLINE REPRESENTATIVES OF AUSTRALIA INCORPORATED

Virgin to give away business-class flights

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Original article by Tom McIlroy
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 5 : 24-Jun-21

Virgin Australia has announced it will give away free business class flights and Velocity frequent flyer points to encourage passengers to get vaccinated against COVID-19. It will also be encouraging its staff to get vaccinated, offering them flexible work arrangements to help them make appointments, along with extra annual leave, lounge memberships and business class flights. Sixty-five per cent of its flight crews and airport teams have been vaccinated against COVID-19, while 58 per cent of its corporate teams are already vaccinated or have made an appointment.

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VIRGIN AUSTRALIA HOLDINGS LIMITED

Jobs lost as Qantas earnings nosedive

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Original article by Robyn Ironside
The Australian – Page: 13 & 20 : 21-May-21

Qantas CEO Alan Joyce said on 20 May that it had lost $16 billion of revenue since early 2020, and that it was likely to post a full-year loss of over $2 billion. The airline will be making more staff redundant, while imposing a two-year wage freeze on management and staff. Joyce called for Australia’s COVID-19 vaccination to be accelerated so that Australia’s international borders can be opened "sooner than later", but only when it is "safe to do so". Unions were not impressed with the airline’s wage freeze plan, while Transport Workers Union secretary Michael Kaine queried why the federal government still kept giving Qantas financial help when it continues to cut jobs.

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QANTAS AIRWAYS LIMITED – ASX QAN, TRANSPORT WORKERS’ UNION

Qantas plans US, UK flights for July, subject to borders, vaccines

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Original article by Karen Sweeney
The New Daily – Page: Online : 6-Jan-21

Qantas has begun selling tickets for overseas flights for as early as July, despite increased COVID-19 rates overseas. A Qantas spokesman noted that the resumption of international flights was dependent on vaccine rollouts and border reopenings, while Deputy Prime Minister Michael McCormack has observed that it will be the government that decides when international travel can resume; he noted the government is working on travel arrangements with countries that have low infection rates.

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QANTAS AIRWAYS LIMITED – ASX QAN

Australian travel reboot off to a flying start

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Original article by Robyn Ironside
The Australian – Page: 5 : 23-Nov-20

Melbourne Airport CEO Lyell Strambi says he is very excited about the reopening of the New South Wales border to Victoria, with flights between Melbourne and Sydney increasing from just four a day to 42. Strambi says Melbourne Airport will reach around 33 per cent of its normal activity level in December, having been down to less than one per cent at one point. Qantas Group CEO Alan Joyce says the reopening of the NSW-Victoria border is a "big milestone in Australia opening back up", while Virgin Australia pilot Robert Ricketts undertook his first flight since May on 22 November.

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MELBOURNE AIRPORT, QANTAS AIRWAYS LIMITED – ASX QAN, VIRGIN AUSTRALIA HOLDINGS LIMITED

Don’t vote down Bain out of spite: unionist

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Original article by Robyn Ironside
The Australian – Page: 15 : 10-Aug-20

Virgin Australia CEO Paul Scurrah said recently that it would retrench a third of its workforce to help it return to profit and to survive the COVID-19 pandemic. Australian Licensed Aircraft Engineers Association secretary Steve Purvinas says he is concerned to hear talk that some of those who will lose their job have indicated they plan to vote against the airline’s deal with Bain Capital. He contends a ‘no’ vote would amount to spite, while Purvinas says backing an alternative proposal to Bain’s that has been put forward by bondholders would not help employees.

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VIRGIN AUSTRALIA HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX VAH, AUSTRALIAN LICENSED AIRCRAFT ENGINEERS’ ASSOCIATION, BAIN CAPITAL LLC