Ahead of this weekend’s announcement of a revamp of Qantas international operations, chief executive Alan Joyce has been explaining why jobs will be lost if all pilots across the airline group receive the same rate of pay.
The Australian and International Pilots Association, which is taking industrial action for the first time in 45 years, wants pilots flying on Qantas affiliates such as Jetstar and New Zealand-based subsidiary Jetconnect to receive the same wages and conditions as Qantas mainline pilots. 


Joyce responded, “To pay Qantas rates to Jetstar pilots would simply drive up ticket prices, set precedents for other staff salaries and make Jetstar unviable.â€
Joyce said for Qantas to survive and prosper, staff must embrace change and the airline must embrace the “massive, emerging Asian market”.
“Jetstar’s enormous growth pointed the way to how Qantas – or a Qantas-owned, Asian-based carrier – could tap into the Asian market for business and mid and upper-market travellers.
“We have enormous opportunity to leverage Qantas excellence in brand management, aviation safety and other skills,” Joyce told the Aviation Outlook Conference in Sydney.
