Qantas pilots have today commenced in-flight announcements over the PA system as part of their industrial campaign for a Qantas flight/Qantas pilot clause included in a new enterprise agreement.

Australian and International Pilots Association Vice President Richard Woodward, said the aim was to make passengers aware of why Qantas pilots are engaged in a dispute with management for the first time 45 years.

“The aim of the announcement is not to argue any point to passengers, it is to gently remind them that Qantas pilots are currently fighting to stay in the cockpit of Qantas flights,

“We’re not trying to ram any particular point home here, because when Qantas passengers find out what management is trying to do they typically decide for themselves that it is out of step with what they want from their airline.”

“Quite simply, Qantas passengers do not want to see their Australian Qantas pilots replaced on Qantas flights with outsourced alternatives working to Asian conditions and standards.

“We hope that this action spreads awareness of what management is up to and puts pressure on them to reconsider.”

The low-key industrial action, which begins Friday, is the first by long-haul pilots in four decades.