As Qantas continues with its ambitions to expand into the lucrative Asian market it has been reported that the airline is making application to trademark the name RedQ. The moniker is believed to be the one favoured by the flag carrier for a new premium airline which will specialize in flying business travellers to China.

Other names the carrier is reportedly attempting to register include OneAsia, RedSky and RedQ Executive Express. According to branding experts, Qantas is attempting to retain its heritage while signalling that there is a new airline entering the market. The choice of the word red is entirely deliberate as it is the colour which represents good fortune in China.

It has still not been announced where the new airline will be based, but it is likely… Read the full story

by Mia Harris on September 13th, 2011

In an indication that it is serious about continuing to operate in Australia despite recent, well publicised troubles, Singapore based Tiger Airways has appointed a new boss. Formerly a senior executive with Virgin Blue, Andrew David will now take over from outgoing chief executive Tony Davis. Mr Davis’ departure from the position was made public a fortnight ago and he will officially finish at the company on 1 November.

Mr David is due to take the helm on 17 October. He was originally one of the Virgin executives tipped for the top job at the carrier, but lost out to current boss John Borghetti when he took over from Brett Godfrey two year’s ago.

Mr David was one of a number of top executives who made the decision to quit… Read the full story

by Riley Walker on September 12th, 2011

Lost luggage is regularly at the top of the list when it comes to passengers’ complaints about airline travel. However, new technology could now allow customers’ to keep track of their bags in real time on social media websites and mobile phones. The tracking system is being developed by SITA, an airline technology firm, and IT company Amadeus.

The tagging method, which could be rolled out to the public at some point next year, will mean that passengers will have the ability to keep an eye on their baggage, wherever it is in the world, from the time when it is checked in to the moment it arrives on the carousel.

The BagMessage system created by SITA is already utilised at airports and by airlines around the world. Amadeus said… Read the full story

by Aadyn Taylor on September 9th, 2011

Qantas unions have voiced their anger at chief executive Alan Joyce’s $5 million pay package as the airline plans to cut up to 1,000 jobs. Captain Barry Jackson, president of the pilots’ union, called Mr Joyce’s pay rise of 71 per cent abhorrent as around 200 pilots face having their jobs axed or are moved over to budget offshoot Jetstar. The redundancies have been announced as part of the airline’s plans to streamline international operations.

According to Captain Jackson, pilots have come up with productivity initiatives, but want job guarantees from Qantas in return, including assurance that Qantas pilots flying with Jetstar will still receive Qantas wages. So far, Qantas pilots have limited their action against the airline to appealing for passenger support.

The carrier is currently experiencing disruption from… Read the full story

by Isabella Robinson on September 8th, 2011

As part of its effort to improve operation efficiency and reduce the amount of CO2 it produces, Singapore Airlines has announced its commitment to the Sustainable Aviation Fuel Users Group. The body was set up in 2008 with the aim of better developing and commercialising bio-fuels within the aviation industry.

According to Ng Chin Hwee, executive vice-president of operations and human resources at Singapore Airlines, the carrier has been committed for some time to finding ways of making its operations more efficient and lessening the effect of greenhouse gasses on the environment. He added that although it was likely to take time to produce alternative fuels which met with civil aviation safety standards and were viable in a commercial sense, aircraft manufacturers and airlines brought together by the SAFUG were… Read the full story

by Lily Thompson on September 7th, 2011

The ongoing dispute between Qantas and its engineering staff is likely to cause travel chaos for thousands of passengers as weekly walkouts are set to take place from now until the middle of December. The strike action, which took place for an hour on Monday, has already resulted in the cancellation of two services between Brisbane and Sydney and meant delays on another 15, according to reports.

The industrial action is set to take place every Monday up until 16 December. The walkouts will continue to take place at Brisbane airport and involve around 40 of the flag carrier’s engineering staff.

According to Steve Purvinas, federal secretary of the Australian Licensed Aircraft Engineers, there is still hope that an agreement over job security can be reached with Qantas. The dispute… Read the full story

by Mia Harris on September 6th, 2011

Australia’s newest airline has revealed its new livery as Brisbane-based Strategic Airlines is set to become Air Australia. The carrier, which was launched in 2009, currently flies on domestic and international routes and has announced that it will be adding a Melbourne to Brisbane service in December as well as direct flights to Honolulu from both Brisbane and Melbourne.

According to Strategic Airlines’ chief executive and group managing director, Michael James, the task of rebranding the airline was given to CumminsRoss and the carrier’s marketing team. Between them they came up with a new look using green as the primary colour.

CumminsRoss Executive director, Sean Cummins, said they had also used silver-grey and a hint of gold in the design which represents gum trees, grey kangaroos and koalas. The symbol… Read the full story

by Riley Walker on September 5th, 2011

Figures released for July show that Qantas passenger numbers were up by 6.2 per cent on the previous month. The statistics were given a boost by budget arm Jetstar’s continued expansion, and were also helped by the Australian air safety authority’s decision to ground the entire Tiger Airways fleet.

On domestic operations, Jetstar saw an increase in passenger numbers of 21.2 per cent. Capacity rose by 21.5 per cent, and the carrier’s domestic load factor increased to 84.5 per cent after recording 3.7 percentage points boost. On its domestic operations, Qantas recorded and increase in passenger numbers of just one per cent and a drop in revenue seat factor to 82 per cent, a fall of 1.1 points.

Other parts of the business also grew in July. QantasLink was up by 4.7… Read the full story

by Aadyn Taylor on September 2nd, 2011

A study by the Federal Aviation Authority into the competency of airline pilots suggests that many are too reliant on the aircraft’s technology. The research indicates that many pilots are forgetting their basic training and are not adequately prepared for when something goes wrong. Because many regulators and airlines actually prohibit pilots from disengaging the autopilot many pilots are not being given the opportunity to maintain their skills by flying an aircraft manually.

The FAA study looked at independent pilot reports, assessments by safety officials who had flown in the cockpit to observe the pilots at the controls and a number of accident reports. It found that approximately 30 per cent of all serious incidents and 60 per cent of all accidents were directly attributable to pilots not understanding the… Read the full story

by Isabella Robinson on September 1st, 2011

An investigation has been launched to determine what caused a Virgin Australia passenger jet and a Qantas jet to come within a few meters of colliding with each other on 29 July. The incident occurred over Coolangatta as both a Virgin 737-8FE and a Qantas Boeing 737-838 were travelling to Brisbane from Melbourne. According to reports, the crew on board the Qantas jet noticed that the Virgin Australia plane was within a 300m minimum separation zone and radioed air traffic control to make them aware of the situation.

According to Thomas Woodward, a spokesman for Qantas, air traffic controllers quickly told the Virgin jet that it needed to put more distance between itself and the Qantas craft, an instruction which was reportedly complied with immediately. Woodward added that at no… Read the full story

by Lily Thompson on August 31st, 2011