[Will T]

QANTAS REACHES AGREEMENT WITH ALAEA

SYDNEY, 18 July 2008: Qantas said today it had reached an in-principle agreement with the Australian Licensed Aircraft Engineers Association (ALAEA) on a new four-year enterprise agreement for the airline’s 1,500 licensed engineers.

The Chief Executive Officer of Qantas, Mr Geoff Dixon, welcomed the agreement which was reached last night.

“Both parties approached yesterday’s negotiations in good faith and with a determination to reach an agreement that was acceptable to the airline, the union and its members,” Mr Dixon said.

“The terms of the agreement remain confidential until next week, but they are within the framework of our wages policy.

“Importantly, the union ceased its industrial action last night, which will be welcome news for our customers.

“It will, however, be several weeks until all of our aircraft are available to operate our normal schedule.

“As a result, some flight disruptions will continue in the short term and we will continue to cancel some flights as necessary, with customers accommodated on other services.”

The agreement will come into effect when it is voted on by Qantas’ 1,500 licensed engineers.

http://www.asx.com.au/asxpdf/2008071...6057whq5n4.pdf