First Qantas A220 revealed

[TasFf_13]

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March timeline for the first 2025 arrival aligns with the Darwin Singapore A220 Route then.

 

[Saab34]

I see my upcoming two flights have been changed to a 737.

By all reports they have significant HR issues in the flight deck.

 

[Harrison_133]

I see my upcoming two flights have been changed to a 737.

By all reports they have significant HR issues in the flight deck.

Yesterday had at least 7 A220 flights cancelled. One aircraft didn't operate at all. Another flew just a single sector. Another was 2-3 hours late all day and the final aircraft mostly on time.

Not as many cancellations today, but a lot of flights are already running behind.

There have been many Q300 substitution flights recently too, including an almost 3 hour CFS-MEL flight yesterday and today.

 

[RooFlyer]

By all reports they have significant HR issues in the flight deck.

What could that mean?

 

[markis10]

What could that mean?

Nowhere near enough pilots because the pay rates are below market in the hope pilots will like shiny new metal. A pilot whom I went to school with ended up being a RAAF top gun and later a CX check pilot on the A330/350 is now an A220 training captain, I imagine he hasn’t got much work given from next week starting 18 Nov, half (12 out of 26) of the 220 on MEL-HBA have already been subbed for 73H.

 

[Saab34]

What could that mean?

Just another Qantas subsidiary who are not offering a decent deal to flight crew. The same is occurring over in Network aviation in Perth, currently in court.

 

[RooFlyer]

Where have all the pilots gone?
Pay rise passing
Where have all the pilots gone?
Not long ago
Where have all the pilots gone?
The company screws them, every one
Oh, when will they ever learn?
Oh, when will they ever learn?

 

[clifford]

I see my upcoming two flights have been changed to a 737.

That can only be a good thing, IME. The Qantas 220 might be a shiny new wizzbang thing, but its a poorer experience for pax, and it would appear to also be the case for aircrew.

I don't believe that Qantas could survive as it is anywhere other than Australia.

 

[TasFf_13]

I see my upcoming two flights have been changed to a 737.

By all reports they have significant HR issues in the flight deck.

Same. Disappointed.

 

[nancypants]

They have an additional hurdle which is it’s basically an orphan type (somewhat similarly to the 717 and the F100), whereas learning to fly something like an a320 means you have airbus experience and things like access to a common type rating- much more employable if you wanted to go elsewhere. Qantas appears to have spent a bit of time managing this by blocking NJS staff from transferring onto other fleet-> solution, leave the country entirely
Back when it was truly NJS the bases in unusual places did a fair bit to make it attractive- CNS, HBA, DRW for example. Now it’s just an underpaid job on an inconvenient aircraft living in an expensive capital city which is not exactly attractive

 

[servicerequired]

They have an additional hurdle which is it’s basically an orphan type (somewhat similarly to the 717 and the F100), whereas learning to fly something like an a320 means you have airbus experience and things like access to a common type rating- much more employable if you wanted to go elsewhere. Qantas appears to have spent a bit of time managing this by blocking NJS staff from transferring onto other fleet-> solution, leave the country entirely
Back when it was truly NJS the bases in unusual places did a fair bit to make it attractive- CNS, HBA, DRW for example. Now it’s just an underpaid job on an inconvenient aircraft living in an expensive capital city which is not exactly attractive

The way they’re going it’d might as well be all Dash 8s and 737s.

 

[markis10]

In case you’re wondering……

 

[Saab34]

From the little that I’ve read, the issue is apparently, pilots going from the 717 to the 220 are taking a pay cut because a whole raft of allowances are no longer being paid.

I guess the 2% factor is another issue, plus comparable aircraft E190 Captains are on a base of $240k. Even then A220 is a bigger aircraft also.

 

[eastwest101]

From the little that I’ve read, the issue is apparently, pilots going from the 717 to the 220 are taking a pay cut because a whole raft of allowances are no longer being paid.

I guess the 2% factor is another issue, plus comparable aircraft E190 Captains are on a base of $240k. Even then A220 is a bigger aircraft also.

Interesting, as well as the perception that its an 'orphan aircraft type rating' plus the obvious lower pay, do you think it might be something about the bases for A220 pilots? All their bases of SYD BNE CBR HBA and MEL have all seen astronomical price rises in real estate and are expensive cities to live in compared to other places elsewhere.

As others have said - money talks and the market is telling NJS that its A220 salaries are way out of whack with its numerous competitors, many of which - ironically are Qantas group entities! So with pilot shortages, the IR genius of slicing and dicing its workforce into different contracting companies isn't looking so clever anymore.

 

[nancypants]

The bases definitely feeds into it

We were sold as a "lifestyle" job, fair enough when the bases were CNS, DRW and PER, flying long sectors, no back of the clock.

Now those bases are all closed, replaced by SYD, MEL, CBR, BNE and HBA, none of them are cheap places to live in, SYD/MEL/BNE can turn into 2 hr commutes at the wrong time of the day depending where you live.

 

[clifford]

Looks like Qantas forked this one up, but over time they will have to fix it.

However, I'm a glutton for punishment and have just booked a reward ticket SIN-SYD in J. Not your average routing, but SIN-DRW-ASP-SYD. I wanted to try the 220 Internationally, and also have a look at ASP (where I've never been).

Call me stupid....

 

[Flyfrequently]

Someone had to say it @clifford


Looking forward to a trip report though

 

[Scarlett]

I hope you’re able to choose the extra legroom seats or have chosen to pay for them @clifford. Even just on the short hop CBR-MEL the standard seating pitch (10A) felt VERY tight, with my knees squashing the seat pocket metal top rod in a normal seating position.

If not, you’re stupid!