I49 Air and Space Transport

US unions push back against Australian pilots

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Original article by Matthew Cranston
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 10 : 17-Aug-22

Large US airlines are seeking to hire about 13,000 pilots in 2022 and 2023, and some are offering sign-on bonuses of up to $US20,000. However, unions have objected to moves by airlines to recruit pilots from Australia using the E-3 visa scheme, which was introduced via the free-trade agreement between the two nations. The Air Line Pilots Association alleges that some airlines are abusing the visa scheme, which is only accessible to Australian workers. A number of factors have contributed to the shortage of pilots in the US, including the impact of the pandemic and the mandatory retirement age of 65.

CORPORATES
AIR LINE PILOTS ASSOCIATION

Virgin pledges net zero emissions by 2050

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Original article by Lucas Baird
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 18 : 8-Nov-21

Virgin Australia has committed to a target of net-zero carbon emissions by 2050, with Qantas having made a similar commitment in late 2019. Virgin Australia CEO Jayne Hrdlicka announced its pledge at an International Air Transport Association event, with the Association having voted for an industry-wide net zero commitment in October. Hrdlicka says that sustainable aviation fuels are crucial if airlines are to achieve net zero emissions by 2050, but she adds that there is no sustainable aviation fuel industry in Australia at present.

CORPORATES
VIRGIN AUSTRALIA HOLDINGS LIMITED, QANTAS AIRWAYS LIMITED – ASX QAN

Union scores another legal win over Qantas

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Original article by Robyn Ironside
The Australian – Page: 15 : 22-Sep-21

The Federal Court has rejected Qantas’s push to delay a preliminary remedy hearing with regard to the reinstatement of ground-handling staff whose jobs had been outsourced. The preliminary hearing had been scheduled for 1 October, but Qantas argued that it should be postponed until the carrier’s appeal against the Federal Court’s recent ruling in the case is heard in 2022. The court had found that Qantas’s decision to outsource 2,000 jobs was at least partly aimed at avoiding industrial action; the airline had contended that the move was solely aimed at achieving cost savings of $100m.

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QANTAS AIRWAYS LIMITED – ASX QAN, FEDERAL COURT OF AUSTRALIA

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.

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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.

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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.

CORPORATES
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