Qantas has just confirmed that flights wil resume by mid-afternoon today, once a return to operations is approved by the Civil Aviation Safety Authority.
CEO Alan Joyce said the decision in the small hours of this morning by Fair Work Australia “would provide certainty for Qantas passengers and all of our employees.
Under the orders there will now be up to 21 days of compulsory negotiations between the parties, and no industrial action can take place during this period. If no agreement is reached, binding arbitration will take place under the control of Fair Work Australia.
“Operations will resume progressively from this afternoon. Our focus is bringing the schedule back to normal as soon as possible. Safety will remain our first priority at all times,” Joyce said.
MEANWHILE Flight Centre also this morning issued a statement, saying it doesn’t expect the Qantas fleet grounding to materially affect its results.
MD Graham Turner said that most affected customers were switched to alternative airlines and continued to travel, while “we believe that most of those who deferred trips are likely to travel in the upcoming months and will now be revisiting their travel plans in light of last night’s ruling”.
Flight Centre shops and after-hours assist teams dealt with around 10,000 enquiries over the grounding, with Turner saying that figure “includes travellers who booked directly or with online travel agencies and who needed help finding options or rebooking flights and other travel requirements”.
AND Tourism Australia md Andrew McEvoy this morning hailed the Fair Work Australia ruling as a breakthrough for the tourism industry.
“Australian tourism is open for business and we need to ensure whatever existing damage to our industry can now be minimised,” he said.
More information in today’s Travel Daily.
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