Qantas cost cutting... this time on the A380

[Jason Le]

I wondered how long it would be before the A380 got the chop with crew numbers. A full A380 with one less cabin crew will hit hard... why is Qantas so cheap when they crew it with QCCA anyway?

Cabin crew prepare for disbanding on prize flight
Matt O'Sullivan
October 6, 2010
QANTAS will cut the number of cabin crew on its flagship A380 aircraft even though unions have raised fears about an ''inferior service'' due to a heavier workload for staff.

The airline plans to cut flight attendants on the double-decker aircraft from 22 to 21 late next month. The announcement comes a week after Qantas cut cabin crew on its A330-300 aircraft from 10 to nine.

The international flight attendants' union says the cuts are likely to increase stress among cabin crew faced with ''already challenging service requirements''. The cuts raised ''potential safety implications'' and could lead to an ''inferior service on board'', it said.

The A380 is the centrepiece of the Qantas fleet. The airline recently said it was ''so successful it is effectively a destination in its own right''.

The Flight Attendants Association of Australia said ''a desire to obtain cost savings in the face of a difficult international flying environment'' was the main reason for reducing staff on the aircraft, which fly international routes. The union has been arguing against the cuts for months.

A380s are seen as giving Qantas an advantage in the lucrative business travel market on routes to Los Angeles and London. Singapore Airlines has cabin crews of 23 on each of its A380s.

A Qantas spokesman said the changes were ''above or in line'' with Civil Aviation Safety Authority requirements and had been ''planned so they will not impact our high in-flight customer service''.

Qantas cut the number of cabin crew on its 747 jumbos about four years ago from 16 to 15. About a year afterwards it returned some services to destinations such as South Africa to their former staffing levels.

[URL="http://www.smh.com.au/business/cabin-crew-prepare-for-disbanding-on-prize-flight-20101005-16666.html"]

[Andrew M]

The A380 cabin crew are paid very low wages, so even if they were cutting 50 of them, that's not even $2 million a year.

[Andrew P]

so your saying a A380 crew member earned a base salary of less than $500 per week?

[Lee G]

I guess it's also the associated costs - not just wages. It's a saving of one hotel room per person per night, one less meals allowance, one less uniform, one less superannuation deduction - it all adds up when you expand the numbers by multiple people.....

[Andrew M]

Originally Posted by Andrew P

so your saying a A380 crew member earned a base salary of less than $500 per week?

Pretty much!

Following the successful completion of training and your appointment to the position of Flight Attendant by the Company, you will be paid an annual salary of $33, 475 (AUD). The same salary will apply for work undertaken in the first, business, premium economy and economy cabins.

The annual salary includes all payments and allowances other than those specified in the EBA. The annual salary covers all allowances for grooming, uniform maintenance, language utilisation (where applicable), miscellaneous expenses and shift and public holiday loadings. Annual leave loading is also included in the annual salary.

+ Incidentials
+ Overtime

But it's pretty much a minimum wage job on the A380. Hence the generally less than stellar service when compared to the business and first crew on the B747.



Lee - Yes good point about the hotel rooms and other costs!

[Brendan Lawrence]

Andrew I think you are generalising and making quite a sweeping statement by classing the service in Business and First on the A380 to be 'less than stellar' compared to the B747.

Infact it is well known within Qantas that the A380 is receiving much higher customer satisfaction results across the board compared to the 747, including for cabin crew. I've just been through initial training for Qantas and the A380 and have been run through all the latests results and feedback, etc. This is not to say that there aren't some fantastic people on the 747 though, just that customer feedback about service levels on the A380 have been even more positive, and rating higher.

I think you'll find that because crew on the A380 are dedicated to that aircraft-type only Qantas has been able to 'breed' a somewhat different culture and work ethic amongst the many new crew who have been recruited to work on it and the willing/enthusiastic crew who have opted to come across to it from the 747. The 'new blood' that recruitment over the last few years at Qantas has brought in has been exactly what customer service levels and crew attitudes/morales has been crying out for! Add in the fact that I think if you have cabin crew operating on a brand-new, flagship aircraft with great new product then they tend to exhibit some pride in that through their work - which I have observed and is commented on by management.

And regarding pay/income for QCCA crew on the A380; I certainly don't feel like I'm earning minimum wage. The base salary for a Flight Attendant is $36,579 - however, if you include overtime, block-hour payment and meal allowances (overnights), this puts overall yearly income anywhere between $55-62,000. For a Customer Service Supervisor you can add $23,000 to that figure, and for a Customer Service Manager you can add $40,000... Hardly what I'd call a minimum wage job.

I'm happy that I have the job with Qantas here in an Australian base, albeit on a more 'flexible/market-competitive' contract, rather than it have been given to someone based in some offshore (most likely Asian) port that would have otherwise been more financially viable.

[Jack B]

QCCA and Qantas Domestic crew make more than V Australia crew. I believe Virgin Blue earn slightly more than Qantas Domestic, probably in line with QCCA?

There are crew at Qantas Long Haul, and possibly short haul, who make a VERY generous income, and it is apparently many of those crew who deliver "less than stellar" service. I don't think it is quite as easy to make a career as a Flight Attendant now, however if the dedication is there I'm sure that it's still very do-able.

And regarding the A380, for now at least, the service from Cabin Crew is considered, for the most part, superior to that on the 747/A330/767intl fleet

[Andrew M]

Originally Posted by Brendan Lawrence

Andrew I think you are generalising and making quite a sweeping statement by classing the service in Business and First on the A380 to be 'less than stellar' compared to the B747.

Infact it is well known within Qantas that the A380 is receiving much higher customer satisfaction results across the board compared to the 747, including for cabin crew.

Several flights I have taken on the A380 in business have had poor service by the majority of the crew. Generally slow, un-professional and well just sloppy.

The two flights in first on the 747 with an "older crew" were far superior. Granted the cabin was 1/2 full and granted it was in first.

The A380 will ALWAYS receive higher satisfaction results, as it's new, along with a much nicer experience, better IFE, fully flat bed, nicer toilets etc etc.

While the crew are getting better, as also mentioned it's harder to receive good pay now as a F/A. The good old days are over, but at least air-fares are cheaper

I wish you luck with your career and hope you move up the ranks ASAP

[Dave Powell]

Regarding the labour cost - don't forget it's not just the employees' salaries and hotels etc that the employer is up for - there are also on-costs such as payroll tax, annual and long service leave provisions, superannuation, workers compensation costs etc etc.

In some organisations I have worked in, these on-costs are of the order of >50% of the employees salary.

So lets say your salary is $40k (gross) - the cost to the employer would be more like $60k (i.e 150% of base)

FWIW

Dave

[Andrew M]

Ah yes payroll tax... I love that one.....

So with the A380 crew cut, where is the 1 crew member cut from ?

Business ? Econ ? Prem Econ ?