Qatar Airways to acquire 25% of Virgin Australia

[twinaisle]

I travelled in Business on a VA flight this morning and the lead FA on the flight was quite talkative.

One part of the conversation was relevant here - the gist being they are going to move to Doha for a year on secondment to Qatar Airways to train/be trained on QR 777 aircraft and then ply the routes to/from Oz.

They're not flying exclusive on the Australian routes. It's the entire network. Secondment has been done before with VS/EY so don't know why they're acting like it's new.

 

[serfty]

They're not flying exclusive on the Australian routes. It's the entire network. Secondment has been done before with VS/EY so don't know why they're acting like it's new.

I never indicated it was new, I simply posted relevant stuff for this thread.

They did mention Etihad and another carrier (didnt quite catch, maybe it was VS) had been done.

 

[henrus]

They did mention Etihad and another carrier (didnt quite catch, maybe it was VS) had been done.

Would have been Virgin America back in the day.

 

[RooFlyer]

One part of the conversation was relevant here - the gist being they are going to move to Doha for a year on secondment to Qatar Airways to train/be trained on QR 777 aircraft and then ply the routes to/from Oz.

I’ll listen out for the accents on my upcoming QR flights (4)

 

[justinbrett]

I’ll listen out for the accents on my upcoming QR flights (4)

Aren’t there already a stack of Aussies working for Qatar? How will you tell the difference?

Is there a particular VA twang you’re accustomed to?

 

[RooFlyer]

Aren’t there already a stack of Aussies working for Qatar? How will you tell the difference?

Is there a particular VA twang you’re accustomed to?

Can't say I recall hearing any Aussie accent on my many past QR flights. Think the closest I got was NZ once. I don't think it would be so much a VA 'twang' (is there such a thing? ) as an Australian one.

 

[justinbrett]

Can't say I recall hearing any Aussie accent on my many past QR flights. Think the closest I got was NZ once. I don't think it would be so much a VA 'twang' and an Australian one.

It was a joke, my point being is you won't be able to tell if they work for VA or QR just because they have an Australian accent.

I don't have stats but it seems every second YouTuber is cabin crew for a ME3 airline.

 

[twinaisle]

I never indicated it was new, I simply posted relevant stuff for this thread.

They did mention Etihad and another carrier (didnt quite catch, maybe it was VS) had been done.

I was referencing the crew, not you! Nothing like the crew talking about something and spreading wrong information.

 

[serfty]

I was referencing the crew, not you! Nothing like the crew talking about something and spreading wrong information.

No worries, thanks for clarifying. To be clear the person I heard this from was the one going to Qatar. I am not sure they were spreading wrong information; it is likely I misunderstood in relation to activities during the secondment.

 

[I love to travel]

I travelled in Business on a VA flight this morning and the lead FA on the flight was quite talkative.

One part of the conversation was relevant here - the gist being they are going to move to Doha for a year on secondment to Qatar Airways to train/be trained on QR 777 aircraft.

Timeframe for when they were moving?

 

[serfty]

Timeframe for when they were moving?

Soon .. but actually when, unknown.

 

[twinaisle]

No worries, thanks for clarifying. To be clear the person I heard this from was the one going to Qatar. I am not sure they were spreading wrong information; it is likely I misunderstood in relation to activities during the secondment.

The only thing they've done were information session so they haven't even taken applications for the secondment so I highly doubt they are going to Qatar

 

[kevrosmith]

Maybe they were manifesting their future…

 

[twinaisle]

Maybe they were manifesting their future…

We call it "delulu" at work

 

[clifford]

No worries, thanks for clarifying. To be clear the person I heard this from was the one going to Qatar. I am not sure they were spreading wrong information; it is likely I misunderstood in relation to activities during the secondment.

I couldn't imagine that any Australian female would really want that (if they knew what might be in store).

A few years ago I was flying from DXB to LHR on Emirates and my seatmate was an Australian woman who had just finished a stint as a nurse in the UAE. She was so frazzled and glad to be leaving that she mentioned this to a female FA (before take off) and she was immediately brought 2 glasses of red wine to calm her nerves. Nothing for me unfortunately (until we were airborne).

 

[clifford]

Getting back to reality, I just think that QR will milk VA2 for all it's worth and leave it as a dead carcase, as did NZ, SQ, et al with VA1. All this posturing with an enhanced FFP will become a millstone (if indeed one was actually needed).

QR has no need for VA apart from the use of its Australian status to run the extra flights. Once QR has worked around that....

I hope I'm wrong, but I just have this feeling. Time will tell, I guess.

 

[jase05]

I couldn't imagine that any Australian female would really want that (if they knew what might be in store).

A few years ago I was flying from DXB to LHR on Emirates and my seatmate was an Australian woman who had just finished a stint as a nurse in the UAE. She was so frazzled and glad to be leaving that she mentioned this to a female FA (before take off) and she was immediately brought 2 glasses of red wine to calm her nerves. Nothing for me unfortunately (until we were airborne).

I think that is a tad harsh. I know of a couple of Aussie women who packed up and moved to Qatar with one of them employed by QR and they both absolutely love it over there. Over the years I’ve engaged in conversation with many QR female crew and one even took us out for dinner last trip and the common theme was that they do like their jobs and believe QR looks after them.
As to Qatar itself Mrs Jase has flown on her own to the UK with QR and had a two day stopover in Doha and said she feels safer walking around at night in Doha than she does walking around Adelaide at daytime

 

[RooFlyer]

Getting back to reality, I just think that QR will milk VA2 for all it's worth and leave it as a dead carcase

You think that's 'reality'? . How do you think QR would get its (reported) $1 billion back if it destroyed VA2? Oh, and you think Bain would be OK with that?

 

[clifford]

I think that is a tad harsh. I know of a couple of Aussie women who packed up and moved to Qatar with one of them employed by QR and they both absolutely love it over there. Over the years I’ve engaged in conversation with many QR female crew and one even took us out for dinner last trip and the common theme was that they do like their jobs and believe QR looks after them.
As to Qatar itself Mrs Jase has flown on her own to the UK with QR and had a two day stopover in Doha and said she feels safer walking around at night in Doha than she does walking around Adelaide at daytime

Fair enough. I don't doubt it is safe(ish) until something unexpected occurs.

As a male I have few qualms about wandering around Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Qatar or Muscat (obviously observing the local customs and conventions), but issues can occur at the drop of a hat, and unfortunately females tend be be regarded in a different light in these places.

Sorry, but as you well know, it's just a fact of life that has to be taken into account in these places.

 

[JessicaTam]

[mod hat]
Back to the thread topic please. Vis, QR's purchase of a stake in VA.
[/mod hat]