Qantas flying again after court ruling

Australia’s Qantas is operational once again after a ruling via an independent tribunal.

Travel Insurance News - 31/10/2011

<< Thailand fears tourism slump following airport closure | Travel News | US carriers face fines over stranded passengers >>

he news follows Saturday’s unprecedented move by the flag carrier’s chief executive Alan Joyce, who chose to ground the company’s entire fleet when he said there wasn’t an end in sight to Qantas’ escalating standoff with Australian labour unions.

But flights are back in the sky after the carrier said it was given permission to resume services by the Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) and following Fair Work Australia’s order that the two sides must reach an agreement in the interest of the nation’s economy and infrastructure. Prime Minister Julia Gillard called the ruling a ‘win’ for the nation’s flying public.

The ruling came after Fair Work Australia listened to case presentations from the Australian Government, as well as Qantas and from three labour unions: the Australian Licensed Aircraft Engineers Association (ALAEA), the Australian and International Pilots Association (AIPA) and the Transport Workers Union (TWU).

Qantas and the unions have been battling since August and related strikes have forced thousands of passenger delays and in excess of 600 cancelled flights. Qantas said in a statement last week that industrial action was costing it some AUD $15 million (£12 million) each week. The dispute began when the airline announced plans to shift its international division’s focus to Asia, which will amount to some 1,000 job losses in Australia.

<< Thailand fears tourism slump following airport closure | Travel News | US carriers face fines over stranded passengers >>