Skip to main content

Unlike the new batch of Year 12’s business students and their teachers, there has been no summer break for Qantas.

On the financial front, Qantas half-year results are due out in mid February and the airline is anticipating posting another strong result. First quarter results showed an impressive 6% rise in total revenue.

On the operational front, Qantas has been named the worlds safest airline by an online safety and product website, www.airlineratings.com. Qantas was also named the most punctual airline in Australia and NZ by flights analysts OAG. Qantas flights were judged to have left on schedule 86% of the time ahead of Virgin Australia’s 78% and Air New Zealand’s 77%. The result meant Qantas reached 6th place in the world for on-time flights, third for the Asia Pacific region.

Perth airport has taken Qantas to court over $11 million in unpaid invoices for fees it charges Qantas for access to runways and other airport infrastructure. The previous agreement had expired in June last year and with no agreement reached the airport has been billing Qantas its new proposed rates with Qantas refusing to pay the increase.

On the marketing front, the ACCC has taken Qantas to court for misleading consumers about their rights to refunds when a flight is delayed or cancelled. Jetstar were in fact fined nearly $2 million for stating in its terms and conditions that Australian Consumer Law doesn’t apply to some of their flights even though the law states that services like flights come with automatic consumer guarantees that cannot be excluded. Qantas has agreed to amend their refund policies as part of the enforceable undertaking with the consumer watchdog.

On the human resource front, Qantas engineers in Brisbane have taken the airline to court seeking about $600,000 in backpay, claiming they were shortchanged when being paid out for rostered days off that were never taken. Under the EBA the engineers can choose to cash in the RDO hours they are owed at the end of the year. The Australian Aircraft Engineers Association claims that the hours should have been treated as overtime on double pay rather than the standard hourly rate. The case goes to the Federal Court on February 1st.

Source: Perth Airport takes Qantas to court over $11m in unpaid runway fees by Patrick Hatch SMH

Dec 17th, Qantas share price faces new headwind from unfair consumer practices by Brendon LauMotley Fool Dec 17th, Qantas Australia’s most punctual airline in 2018 by Lucas Baird AFR Jan 4th, What’s a day off worth? Qantas court case set to find out by Patrick Hatch SMH Jan 14th,