'Unbelievably moronic' Qantas

It seems Qantas just can't get a break. Aussie comedian Corinne Grant is their latest disgruntled passenger, taking to Twitter to vent her frustration at the "moronic" and 'idiotic' airline that left her stranded on the tarmac.

Grant was among other Sydney-bound passengers who found themselves stuck on the tarmac this morning because the plane they had already boarded was deemed unsuitable to fly.

Grant tweeted: "Apparently u don't check the hydraulics for oil leaks until the plane is boarded & about to leave. Have I mentioned how much I hate qantas? "2nd time in 2 wks I've been on a Qantas flight they've discovered at the last minute isn't flight worthy. No wonder staff are striking Fri."

To make matters worse, Grant reported that all passengers were made to sit on the aircraft until they were found other flights. "Unbelievably moronic - they've decided to make us all sit on the aircraft while one by one they find us other flights," she tweeted. "If they'd just let me off the bloody plane I could go to another carrier. But no - we're trapped here & being found planes 1 by 1. Idiotic."

One of her followers is daring enough to suggest that she switch to a Virgin Blue, to which she responds: "I've asked to swap over, but so many companies use Q that it's hard to change their habit. Wish I was flying with anyone else!"

Grant's outburst comes on the back of the announcement by Qantas aircraft engineers that they will strike on Friday over wage discrepancies.

Australian Licenced Aircraft Engineers Association (ALAEA) federal secretary Steve Purvinas said concerns about job security had not been allayed by Qantas. "Our wage claim is modest - less than inflation in fact," he said. "What interests us more is job security, and for aircraft engineers that means simply being able to carry out aircraft maintenance in Australia."

But what does Grant think about the proposed strike? "Yes--I support them striking on Friday!!"

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Trainee pilots in the cockpits with Jetstar's domestic flights

JETSTAR passenger services are being flown by trainee pilots with as little as 200 hours experience, according to the pilots' association. The cadets are employed on part-time contracts which guarantee just $57,600 a year - with no pay rise for six years - and require them to pay the airline $10,500 a year for on-the-job training costs. If they wish to resign after less than six years with Jetstar, their contracts require they pay up to $10,000.

Trainees under the program are currently co-piloting Airbus A320s between Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane. Most are unable to legally fly to New Zealand, where the requirement for commercial pilots is 500 hours experience.

Australian and International Pilots Association vice-president Richard Woodward accused Jetstar of trying to make young pilots "financial prisoners of the airline". "This program is putting a person with about the same number of hours it takes to drive a car in the right hand seat of the cockpit," he said. "Jetstar is creating a 'B scale' for pilots because they're part-time employees."

Jetstar denied the claims and said the program provided an "excellent career opportunity. In the past, becoming a pilot has been extremely expensive and has taken many years of flying in general aviation," a spokeswoman said. "[It] makes becoming a pilot more accessible."

Jetstar said the program, launched late last year, would "deliver enhanced safety outcomes as it is based on ensuring pilot competency, with the pilots trained in Jetstar procedures ... from day one."

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Qantas AGAIN!

Loud bang shakes mine workers' Qantas FIFO flight

A QANTAS flight carrying about 100 mining workers from Perth has been turned back after a loud bang shook the plane. Flight QF1820 took off from Perth Domestic Airport at about 5.40am (WST) today carrying fly in-fly out mine workers to Newman in Western Australia's Pilbara region.

A mining worker on board said the plane had just begun to level out after take-off when the captain told passengers they had experienced a problem with the left engine and would be returning to Perth.

"Shortly after take-off we did experience a bit of a bang. We heard it and felt it as well, and not long after that we dropped a little bit in altitude," Tim Williams told ABC Radio. "We did notice a little bit of instability in the plane in the flight."

Mr Williams said the Boeing 717's take-off seemed normal. But, he said the subsequent drop in altitude caused concern among passengers and cabin crew. "There was quite an uneasy reaction. Everyone sort of stopped what they were doing, had a look around, thought about it for a second and tried to be calm," Mr Williams said. "Just to watch (the crew) was a bit worrying, to see them fumbling themselves, not knowing what to do, but they were quite calm and handled it well."

He said a member of the cabin crew let passengers know what had happened, but "you could hear she was a bit shaky".

"At first, I didn't realise what had happened, but as we dropped in altitude I knew what was going on," the mining worker said. "I was a bit worried, a bit scared, had a little prayer in my head and that was it. It was out of my hands, there was nothing I could do."

The flight landed safely at Perth Domestic Airport.

Many of the mine workers on board were headed to BHP Billiton's Mt Whaleback mine, the biggest single open-cut iron ore mine in the world.

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Jetstar: Terrible service

My wife and newborn child recently had to fly Jetstar to get from Melbourne to Singapore. We lined up to check in for over an hour, then when were told that she couldn't board the flight unless she had her itinery for her onwards flight to Colombia. I let them know that this was incorrect because my Dad is a Singapore PR so all they need is an address and to tell them that she is catching a bus onwards, or that she will fly out shortly and they will let her in. They didn't care.

Not wanting to waste time arguing with someone who hadn't been trained correctly I had the idea to purchase a flexi-ticket and get it refunded a few days later. I did this, the girl who did it for us, informed me that I (as in, me personally) could call up in a couple of days and get the refund. So, I purchased the ticket for my wife and son and they boarded the plane.

Two days later I called up, using the number on the tax invoice that the girl behind the counter handed to me (not my wife who wasn't even nearby when I purchased the ticket) and they told me that since I hadn't been listed as a contact on the ticket I wasn't able to get my refund! I let them know that I was the one who purchased the ticket, I used my debit card, the money came out of my account, I was never asked if I wanted to be a contact (honestly shouldn't this be assumed? I mean how dumb are these people?) yet they wouldn't give me my refund.

Then, after much hassle, I got my wife to call them up and list me as a contact. She did, but when I called in to get my refund, they told me that nothing had been noted down and that I STILL couldn't get my money back.

This is possibly the worst customer service I have ever had to deal with. I don't care how cheap they are, that doesn't mean they have to hire utter morons. All I want is my money back, the money that should have even needed to be spent in the first place.

Will NEVER be flying jetstar again. Won't even consider it, wouldn't even do it if they paid me to. I have since filed a formal complaint with the ombudsmen and will take this to court if I need to. Nobody should have to deal with this level of incompetence.

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Luggage? Who needs it!

Many Jetstar and Qantas passengers were facing a weekend without fresh clothes after they arrived at their destinations on Friday to find the carriers had left their bags behind.

Bentleigh's Damien Arundel was on one of 18 Jetstar flights to leave Tullamarine without most of their passengers' bags on board.
"We touched down in Hobart and it's freezing cold, I'm wearing shorts and thongs and then Jetstar casually informs us that our luggage isn't there," Mr Arundel said. "It's disgusting really. It totally ruined the first day of our holiday."

Jetstar spokeswoman Andrea Wait blamed a broken baggage belt for the fiasco, which also hit passengers on 17 Qantas domestic and international flights.

The airlines were scrambling to deliver the passengers' luggage to their hotels and homes after placing it on later flights.

Qantas spokesman Luke Enright said "almost all" baggage left behind was put on the next available flight.

But an airport source said staff had endured a "horrendous" weekend. The source said "a computer glitch" left entire flight-loads of passengers without their baggage.

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Grounded in Maroochydore

Nothing prepares you for Jetstar

Recently, it was essential for my husband to be in Melbourne the next morning for business, so he booked a Jetstar lunchtime flight from Maroochydore, reasoning that if there was a delay, he could catch either of the next two flights or he would have time to drive to Brisbane and pick one of the many Melbourne flights from there.

He arrived early and was told there was a delay because of a computer failure. He boarded the rescheduled flight for 3pm but after sitting on the tarmac for an hour, passengers were offloaded because staff had overrun their allowable flying time. Not to worry, extra staff were on their way from Brisbane and the new time was 5.15pm.

It got to 5.30pm without any announcements when one passenger accessed Jetstar's website and found the flight had been cancelled. Soon after, an announcement was made: come back tomorrow morning, we are offloading your luggage. My husband had to wait another 20 minutes for his luggage and rushed home to book the last flight from Brisbane.

His extra expenses were $200 for another flight, $200 for an extra night in a hotel to enable him to see the clients he missed, $120 for a taxi at 1am as his pre-arranged car had gone, $100 car parking in Brisbane and petrol.

Told he would get a refund, my husband phoned after a month and was informed he had to wait 15 days. He explained it had been more than that.

The refund finally came through but not the full amount. No mention was made of the Jetstar charter that promises $50 if the airline fails to deliver a service. Glad I stumbled on to it, because it is going to hear from me now.

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Jetstar bans wheelchair-bound pair from flight

The "f*** you" airline again

BUDGET airline Jetstar has been criticised after two disabled passengers were not allowed to board a flight.

Tanya Black and Dan Buckingham, who are television presenters of New Zealand disability show Atttitude - were told that they were not allowed on the plane without their carers, the Dominion Post reported. This is despite the fact that the pair, who were due to fly from Auckland to Wellington, were accompanied by an able-bodied colleague.

New Zealand Disability Issues Minister Tariana Turia said that Jetstar's treatment of the pair was "unacceptable".

The pair said that they were forced to wait at the aircraft's door and after 20 minutes decided to fly with Air New Zealand instead.

They claim that they were later told they could get on the plane if they did not go to the media. However the pair, fed-up with their treatment by the airline, declined.

Jetstar said it will be apologising to the pair and refunding their air fares. A spokesperson for the airline said that the concern was over how they would get to the toilet.

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And Qantas maintenance fails again

Fuel system problem forces Qantas landing of flight QF50 from Auckland

A QANTAS flight has made a priority landing at Sydney Airport after experiencing a fuel system problem. The Boeing 737, flight QF50 from Auckland, landed safely about 7.45am (AEST) today.

"The flight crew on board QF50 from Auckland to Sydney requested a priority landing at Sydney Airport as a result of a fuel system fault," a Qantas spokesman said. All passengers disembarked the aircraft safely, he said. Paramedics had been called to the airport as a precaution but were not required to treat anyone.

The spokesman said the fault was not thought to relate to the aircraft's engines. Engineers will now examine the aircraft to determine the exact cause of the problem.

The Qantas spokesman said a fuel transfer valve was being replaced on the aircraft, which is expected to be back in service by this afternoon.

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Jetstar and Qantas both unhelpful

After years of collecting Qantas frequent-flyer points, we finally had enough for our family to fly to Bangkok return. We paid an additional $50 a ticket to book over the phone to ensure we had everything right.

Imagine our horror 10 months later at the Jetstar check-in counter at Sydney Airport when we were told we could not fly because our passports needed six months' validity and the children's passports were eight days short.

I know it's our fault but you'd think they could give you this useful advice over the phone.

On the day of check-in, we received rude treatment from a Qantas staffer who said it was Jetstar's problem, despite the itinerary clearly being titled Qantas and the flights being booked on Qantas frequent-flyer points. With no help from them, we secured two new passports that day, thanks to two wonderful staff at the Sydney passport office, and flew to Bangkok the next day.

All this was aside from the irritation of having to pay for food and inflight entertainment on Jetstar over nine hours and where a blanket costs $8 to hire. In one experience, I have gone from Qantas advocate to critic.

- Stuart Cohen

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The "F*** you" airline again

Jetstar bans a mother and her toddlers from flight -- and still no apology direct to her

JETSTAR has been blamed for giving a mother wrong advice that left her stranded with two young children at an airport. The airline reportedly told Ashley Taipari and her infant twin boys that they would not be able to fly from Auckland to the Gold Coast because she needed another adult to accompany one of her sons, the Papakura Courier,reports.

But Ms Taipari claims she had called Jetstar twice before booking the flight three months ago and told she would be able to travel alone with her children. Ms Taipari says she was told to book only one infant seat, so one twin could sit on her lap while the other would be able to sit in a car seat. She was also told that the car seat would be provided for her so she wouldn’t have to bring her own to the airport.

However, Ms Taipari said she was taken aside when she checked in and told she could not fly. Ms Taipari was told she was only eligible for a refund for the child fare, which would take 10 days to process.

Stranded at the airport since Sunday, Ms Taipari was eventually able to transfer her flights and a friend will accompany her on the way to Australia on Saturday.

Jetstar spokesman Gerard Blank today apologised through the media, saying the company places the highest priority on the safety and security of all its passengers.

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Toughen up, tired Jetstar pilots told

An amazingly dangerous attitude. Tiredness greatly reduces alertness and can lead to serious error

A SENIOR Jetstar manager told pilots to "toughen up princesses" after complaints about fatigue on the budget airline's Perth to Singapore route. The instruction was contained in an email admonishing the airline's pilots, tabled in a Senate committee hearing today in which Qantas and Jetstar executives were questioned about safety standards. In it, pilots were told: "Aeroplanes don't make money sitting on the tarmac, they need to keep flying".

The January 7 email opened with the warning: "If you are easily offended then delete this email and read no further. Toughen up princesses! You aren't fatigued, you are tired and can't be bothered going to work."

However the author, a Perth-based pilot manager, admitted that overnight flights on the Perth to Singapore route were a "horror shift". The pilot manager acknowledged in the email that when he flew the shift, he operated below his normal standards.

"By trial and error, I have worked out what works for me so I can manage the shift," he said. "I can say I hate the shift and I definitely don't operate to my normal standard. I am tired throughout the shift, feel terrible, but I would not call it fatigued."

He concludes the email by saying he was not speaking as a base pilot, but "as a pilot who hasn't lost touch with reality and who wants to make this Perth base work".

Qantas chief executive Alan Joyce said the surprise tabling of the email, by South Australian independent Senator Nick Xenophon, made it difficult for management to respond properly to the issues raised about its airline subsidiary. He said it was in the airline's interests to hear safety complaints, but those with information should go through the proper channels.

"That document should be sent to the regulator for the regulator to have a look at it," Mr Joyce said. "That's what should be happening with the process. And we are very happy to cooperate with the regulators - we do - to have a look at these issues when they arise."

Jetstar chief executive Bruce Buchanan said there was an incorrect perception the airline pushed its crews to the limit. “Our pilots are working on average, 18 hours flying a week, where you have a compliance maximum of 25 hours a week," he told the Senate's rural affairs and transport committee. “I look at the averages of worked hours across all the bases and I can't see any of them getting close to the limits at the moment."

Senator Xenophon said the email raised serious concerns over safety and the management culture at Jetstar. “Fatigue is a serious issue and can have an impact on the ability for pilots and crews to effectively navigate a plane," he said. "The intimidation in this email is alarming and indicates that there may be a bullying culture among pilots."

But Mr Joyce said he was concerned the email was being taken out of context. "I'm worried about this note that we've got now from a pilot, that this is not a misrepresentation." he said.

Mr Joyce said the Qantas group took a comprehensive approach to fatigue management to ensure pilots were fresh and ready to fly. But he said pilots also had a duty to manage their own levels of tiredness. "It's up to the pilot to identify ... if he's not comfortable and shouldn't be flying. And we rely on that as well as the system," he said.

Jetstar was last year forced to reinstate a whistleblower pilot who was sacked for airing his concerns about falling safety standards. Joe Eakins was fired from the budget airliner in late November after speaking out about a range of cost-cutting measures which he believed compromised safety, including a push towards using foreign-based cabin staff.

He was given his job back and apologised to his employer in an otherwise confidential out-of-court settlement. "I never intended my comments to bring into question the sound and proactive safety culture that exists within Jetstar," Mr Eakins said.

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Qantas flight turns back due to smoke

A Perth-bound Qantas flight has returned to Adelaide after smoke entered the cabin from a malfunctioning oven. The Boeing 737 carrying 124 people turned back on Saturday in line with the airline's safety policy, a Qantas spokeswoman said. 'It was just smoke coming from the oven,' she told AFP. 'The crew turned the oven off but we took the plane back to Adelaide.'

The incident comes just days after a cockpit fire caused by an electrical fault forced a Qantas Airbus A330-200 bound for Manila from Sydney to make an unscheduled landing. In that instance, the pilots used an extinguisher to douse the fire and diverted to the nearest airport at Cairns where they landed safely.

Last November the airline temporarily suspended flights of its Airbus A380 superjumbos after an engine on one exploded after taking off from Singapore, damaging the plane.

Then in January a flight bound for New York made an unscheduled stop in Fiji after the Boeing 747 developed a problem with a fuel valve supplying one of its engines.

Soon after, another Boeing 747 suffered mid-air mechanical trouble after taking off from Bangkok and was forced to return to the Thai capital.

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Grounded Jetstar flight leaves stranded passengers fuming at Adelaide airport

HUNDREDS of Jetstar passengers were left stranded at Adelaide airport last night after a crew member fell ill. Flight JQ775, scheduled to depart Adelaide to Melbourne at 9.40pm was delayed and then cancelled. The ill crew member was not a pilot.

Many passengers missed international transfers in Melbourne.

Jetstar gave many passengers hotel vouchers and a flight booking for early today, but one passenger said they were very angry. "There must be over 200 people here," he said. "They are all really p...ed off."

A Jetstar spokeswoman said it was rare for a flight to be cancelled by a sick crew member. "It is very unusual," she said. "We have arranged replacement flights for early (Saturday) morning and have overnighted passengers who require accommodation."

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Qantas plane catches fire during flight

And it was nearly an hour before it could land

A QANTAS Airbus flying from the Philippines to Sydney has made a forced landing in Cairns after a fire broke out in the plane's cockpit.

Qantas says the Airbus A330 was forced to land in Cairns yesterday afternoon after an electrical fault caused smoke and small flames to appear near the left-hand windscreen of the cockpit.

The airline praised the pilots for reacting calmly to the fire, saying they showed quick thinking in donning oxygen masks and extinguishing the flames, while diverting the Sydney-bound flight to the nearest airport.

"There were no ill effects or injuries experienced by any of the 147 passengers or 11 crew, and all passengers were accommodated on other domestic services to complete their journey to Sydney," a Qantas spokesman said in a statement.

He said the pilots were being praised for "their calm response to the incident."

A 56-year-old passenger on board the flight described the incident as "scary." "There was a burning smell in the cabin that was very strong, and then the captain came over the loudspeaker and explained an electrical problem meant there was a serious risk of fire," the man told Fairfax media. "Later he explained flames had come back for a second time and they'd had to use a fire extinguisher in the cockpit. "Whenever you hear a pilot talk about a fire on a plane it's truly scary. Clearly the incident could have been catastrophic."

The passenger also praised the captain for his calmness during the situation. "He was very composed over the loudspeaker and when the plane landed he took the time to walk back and talk to the passengers," he said.

The fire broke out at 3.35pm (AEDT) and the plane arrived in Cairns 50 minutes later. Qantas said the incident would be investigated, and that the Australian Transport Safety Bureau had been notified.

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Qantas overloaded aircraft

An overloaded Qantas Airbus A330 flying from Sydney to Hong Kong was a risk to flight safety, air investigators have found. A breakdown in the flow of paperwork controlling pallets of freight loaded on to the passenger aircraft led to it being overloaded, exceeding its maximum structural take-off weight by almost a tonne.

As a consequence, pilots configured the plane's flight computers for take-off based on the wrong data about the aircraft's weight and centre of gravity, which "had the potential to affect the safety of flight", investigators with the the Australian Transport Safety Bureau found.

A delay in notifying the error resulted in the aircraft making another 10 flights before maintenance checks for any damage were undertaken. The delay "presented a risk to the ongoing airworthiness of the aircraft", investigators said.

The safety bureau also trawled its records and found 28 freight load control incidents at Qantas in the 2½ years to last August, with the most recent being on July 8 last year. The investigation also uncovered a lapse of quality control at the airline.

Qantas had not reviewed its Sydney freight loading centre for quality assurance in the 22 months before the incident on March 6, 2009. These reviews were supposed to be carried out by senior Qantas management personnel every six months. The last review was conducted in May 2007, investigators found.

"The investigation could not discount that, had those quality assurance reviews been carried out, this occurrence might have been avoided," the bureau's investigators said.

No damage was subsequently found to the aircraft and Qantas has since made changes to the way it loads and checks freight into aircraft, reports incidents and has revamped its staff training, the bureau said.

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