Make a Donation to Virgin Australia’s Movember Team

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One of my fellow pilots was diagnosed and treated for Prostate Cancer about two years ago. Thankfully, he was successfully treated and now juggles a line flying role and a demanding management position. For at least the second year in a row, he is participating in Movember in aid of prostate cancer research and awareness [...]

One Qantas Pilots Perspective on the Qantas Dispute

Owen-Zupp

Owen Zupp is an accomplished journalist and author that has written for some of the worlds leading aviation publications. He maintains an active interest in General Aviation when he’s not commanding a Qantas 737. Owen recently posted a message to family and friends on his personal Facebook page addressing their concerns for him during Qantas [...]

FULL AUDIO of the Qantas Press Conference: 31st October 2011

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The following audio was recorded this morning at Sydney’s Qantas Press Conference. Alan Joyce responds to the Fair Work Australia ruling that terminated all Qantas protected industrial action. The decision was made under section 424 of the Fair Work Act which states, in part, that “… FWA must suspend or terminate protected industrial action if [...]

Qantas to Resume Operations – Industrial Action Terminated by FWA

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Qantas are set to resume services as early as this afternoon after Fair Work Australia ruled to stop both sides from engaging in industrial disputes. The decision, announced at 2am, requires that both Qantas and the unions resolve their differences in the next 21 days. Failing successful resolution, a further 21 days can be applied [...]

Alan Joyce audio from the Qantas Press Conference (grounding the airline): 29th October 2011

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Following is the audio from yesterday’s Qantas press conference in Sydney. It supplements the transcript we provided yesterday. Introduction At 5pm AEST on the 29th October 2011, Qantas CEO Alan Joyce held a press conference in Sydney where he announced the immediate grounding of all airline operations – both international and domestic – in response [...]

Qantas Grounds its Domestic and International Operations

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In an unexpected and completely unprecedented move, Qantas CEO Alan Joyce has shut down all of Qantas’ airline operations until ongoing industrial disputes with its staff are resolved. As of 8pm on Monday night, the airline will “lock out” all staff involved in its industrial dispute (those that are managed by contracts ruled by the [...]

Virgin Australia ATR Trip Report

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There is a new way to fly around regional Australia, and like with most new things lately, it is with Virgin Australia. Well, in this case, Virgin Australia and Perth-based Skywest. The two announced their partnership in January and in February announced an order for ATR72-500s and -600s. The -500 and -600 are relatively the [...]

First look at Virgin Australia’s new Print Campaign

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Virgin Australia will today launch a national print and billboard campaign that gives us some indication of what we can expect from the brand in the future. Unlike the more flamboyant “flygirl” campaigns we’ve come to expect from the Virgin brand, today’s launch is far more subtle and focuses on what the company claims is [...]

Royal Jordanian Join the (Social) Space Race

Royal Jordian on Facebook and Twitter

I don’t know what’s more disgraceful: the fact Royal Jordanian have only just launched their Facebook and Twitter presence, or the fact I’ve only just found out about it. On May 14th, the social media company of TheOnlineProject hosted what they initially believed was the world’s first official aircraft tweet-up on board the airline’s newly [...]

Virgin Australia Unveils its New Brisbane Lounge

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Virgin Australia revealed its new airport lounge today at Australia’s Brisbane domestic terminal. Designed by renowned architect Tim Greer from Tonkin Zulaikha Greer, the 200-seat lounge is the ‘next step’ in Virgin Australia’s re-branding and game-change program, and its launch precedes additional plans to revamp all Virgin services at Brisbane Airport. Martin Daley, Virgin Australia’s [...]

[Video] Jetstar Employee assaults passenger

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This video shows an Auckland SkyCare employee (as a service representative to Jetstar) repeating hitting New Zealand radio personality Iain Stables multiple times in the head after a checkin dispute. Stables claimed that he arrived at the counter three minutes after Jetstar’s three-minute check-in rule. When told he was unable to fly, the employee allegedly [...]

Southwest. What’s said in the cockpit stays in the…

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In March of this year, a Southwest pilot inadvertently broadcast a homophobic tirade of foul mouthed litter from the apparent sanctity of a closed cockpit where he criticises the disproportionally large number of homosexuals working for his airline. He also targets overweight and less youthful cabin crew in a rant that seems to be motivated [...]

[Video] Qantas – Our National Outsourcer

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The industrial unrest within the Qantas group is no secret. The long-haul pilot body, engineers, refuellers and baggage handlers are all looking at their own independent and simultaneous protected industrial action as what can only be considered to be a serious indictment on the current company CEO. While this suggests inevitable grief for the travelling [...]

Slats Drive Go-Around

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When I arrived at V Australia in 2008 I discovered that what was missing was the institutional knowledge that an established airline develops over time, but never writes down … so I did. Eventually it became the SOP Guide : Practices & Techniques document. This blog series documents the continual growth of this training resource. [...]