More international flights and itineraries being offered by Q Antas will bring down rates, but the airline is also being accused of hiring foreign employees for infrastructure and positions.
A million additional tickets will be available on flights to popular locations over the course of the next 12 months, the airline stated today.
Increased frequency will be seen on a number of routes, including Australia to Los Angeles, Tokyo, Singapore, Dehli, and New Zealand.
At the end of October, the revised flight schedule will go into effect.Additionally, Sydney-Shanghai flights will return after a hiatus of more than three years.
“The rebound in demand for international travel since borders reopened has been incredibly strong, and this boost to our network will add hundreds of thousands of seats in time for the busy Australian summer holiday period,” CEO Alan Joyce said.
The more flights, he continued, will force airfares lower.
After Qantas agreed to lease two Airbus A330s from Finnair to be flown by the airline’s own pilots, the Australian and International Pilots Association (AIPA) accused the company of outsourcing pilot employment to foreign employees.
For the first two and a half years, the flights will be operated by Finnair pilots and cabin staff.
The Finnar A330s will be flown by Qantas pilots and cabin staff for three years starting in 2025.
The plane will be utilised for trips to Shanghai and Hong Kong.
We have more seats for our passengers and more opportunities for Qantas crew as we boost our own flights, Joyce added, thanks to more of our aircraft returning to service, new 787s joining our fleet, and our deal with Finnair.
Captain Tony Lucas, the president of AIPA, stated that they are “disappointed and frustrated” by Qantas’ choice to lease the foreign aircraft and use its own personnel.
He claimed that with better management choices, “Qantas’ decision to wet lease two Finnair aircraft is shocking, bitterly disappointing, and could have been avoided.”
The fact that Qantas is outsourcing the Spirit of Australia while also transforming two of our own A330 passenger planes into freighters is incomprehensible.
In light of the decision to fire a number of employees during the epidemic, Lucas noted that the outcome is disheartening for Australian pilots.
He declared, “This is a sad day for our fantastic airline.”
Source: 9news