Qantas: Pilots' protest angers flyers

AN industrial campaign by Qantas pilots to win over the public with in-flight announcements is annoying them.

A survey of 300 Gold and Platinum Frequent Flyer members by Acuity Research & Insights shows six out of 10 believe the union announcements should not be allowed.

That compares with three out of 10 who believe they should and one in 10 who say they are not sure.

Staff are at war with Qantas over offshoring plans, pay rates and travel perks, with actions ranging from strikes to protests, such as engineers only working left-handed, pilots refusing to wear a hat and the unauthorised announcements.

In one case, a customer complained to cabin crew he did not pay $800 to hear a lecture from the pilots. Another said it was not appropriate nor professional and in another case a disembarking passenger screamed at cabin crew he did not appreciate the announcements and stormed off.

In another complaint to the airline, a passenger said: "I believe it is entirely inappropriate your staff should subject customers to blatantly political, union-related matters. This is made all the more inappropriate because passengers on a plane are in effect a captive audience, who have no ability to ignore such audio announcements. As such, I believe these actions are in effect an invasion of privacy. I don't voice my political views to your staff and I deeply resent your pilots forcing me to listen to theirs."

Qantas group executive Olivia Wirth said: "We have had a number of complaints from customers and it's clear they don't want their flight disrupted by unprofessional union announcements over the PA system."

The survey, which questioned only frequent flyers, contradicts a poll by the Australian and International Pilots Association showing 56 per cent of respondents strongly or broadly supported the overall campaign, compared with 16 per cent for management.

The AIPA claims the company wants to offshore pilot jobs but Ms Wirth said: "The union's claims are misleading. All Qantas-operated domestic and international flights are flown by Qantas pilots. This won't change.

"The pilots' union wants all Qantas Group subsidiaries, including Jetstar, to provide the same premium pay and conditions as Qantas. This would lead to job losses, increase the cost of airfares and make the business unsustainable."

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