Latest reaction to the Qantas dispute

Here’s some of the reaction to the move by Qantas to ground its fleet – and the decision by Fair Work Australia to order the Qantas planes back into the air pending fresh talks with unions in dispute with the airline.

“Alan Joyce’s logic is the elegant reasoning of a terrorist.

“If the result of his massive disruption of the Australian transport system is the further shredding of the Qantas brand, which began under Geoff Dixon and which has accelerated rapidly under his Irish successor, and leads to further service cuts as Australians turns their back on the airline, that’s fine.

“It will merely expedite his plans to offshore-by-stealth Qantas, wrecking the Australian-based operation while he sets about establishing lower-cost, more competitive foreign-based services.”

-The Stump, Crikey.com

“My opinion of Quantas (sic) has plummeted – outrageous to ground flights cos of disputes. Wish I’d booked BA.”

A tweet by actress Joan Collins

“Expect to see some creative strategies by VA (Virgin Australia) to take advantage of the situation and assist them to increase their market share.

“I wouldn’t be surprised to see emerging tactics such as a points for points deals offered by other airlines to take advantage of the dissatisfaction that customers will have with Qantas.”

Deborah Edwards, Senior research fellow, University of Technology, Sydney

“The termination of all industrial action at QANTAS by Fair Work Australia means that QANTAS workers now have their main bargaining power quashed.

“QANTAS has got what it wanted. After 21 days (or such extension as given) there will be arbitration and the result will be much less than the workers want, and certainly won’t guarantee job security, because FWA is, like Alan Joyce, part of the one percent.

“It will be, if you like, a Workjoyces decision.”

John Passant, senior lecturer , University of Canberra on The Conversation website

“Regardless of the outcome, reputations will be damaged in the boxing match featuring Qantas vs the unions.

“It remains to be seen whether the pot, or kettle, emerges with their name more blackened.

“Both the unions and Qantas are likely to suffer some tarnish to their reputation given actions by both mean they are failing to deliver on basic service, let alone the brand promise.

-posted on the Financial Services PR blog

“Qantas management cannot be prevented from making radical decisions if it’s hell-bent on it, but the federal government cannot allow it to withdraw an essential national service in the process.

“By allowing a shutdown, the government condoned social, business, economic and reputational damage on a national scale. It was a strategic partial isolation of an island continent.”

Sydney Morning Herald political editor Peter Hartcher

“The man all Qantas shareholders should be afraid of is James Hogan – the chief executive of Etihad.

“According to people who know him, Hogan has been predicting the demise of Qantas since Alan Joyce took on the Qantas pilots earlier this year.

“Hogan, of course, had no advance warning of the Qantas lockout but, within hours of Qantas’ shock move, Etihad was announcing plans to come to the rescue of Qantas passengers.

“Given that Qantas planes will be flying later today, that rescue will not be as necessary as it looked yesterday.

“However, the speed with which Hogan acted shows that he plans Etihad to be the main beneficiary of future Qantas problems and he will be looking for market share gains.”

– Robert Gottliebsen, Business Spectator

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