strike disrupts

Long Qantas strike disrupts Pacific services

Hundreds of passengers were stranded in the United States, Europe and Australia when all

Qantas jets were grounded

from November 25 after the company’s 430 pilots went on strike over operational and pay

disputes.

THE strike continued through December, and although it ended officially on December 22 it was expected to be at least two weeks before services were back to normal.

Qantas passengers rushed other world airlines for seats, without much luck in most cases. The busy Sydney-London air routes were soon booked out on all planes. By mid- December these routes were fully booked out two weeks ahead. There was a backlog of two weeks of all freight in London and Sydney but Christmas mail was given priority.

The seat shortage reached a climax on December 18 when 30 people slept at Sydney’s Mascot airport just on the chance there might be a vacancy on a flight to New Zealand.

Many brought blankets and made makeshift beds in the terminal waiting rooms. Some had seen a dozen New Zealand-bound planes

take off with not a spare seat on of them.

Many tried without success to on a 9 o’clock flight that night;

Boac.

By late December there was three-figure waiting list in Sydney people after seats to London , hundreds were trying to reach N Zealand, or cross the Pacific.

Norfolk Island was virtuu isolated (see p. 136). Some Sa Pacific Games athletes and visitors Noumea were hard put to find plane home and dozens of pec were delayed several days trying: get in and out of Nadi airp( especially from Sydney.

The Australian Federation of Pilots, which began the str imposed a ban on all extra overs flights. The Federation lifted ban on December 19, and the sa day the Australian Minister of C Aviation, Mr. R. W. Swartz, gran overseas airlines permission to : up to 24 extra flights in and outl Australia—mainly across the Tasnr

Extra flights

Air NZ immediately organii six trans-Tasman flights with DC and Electras. Extra flights betwc South-East Asia, Britain, Europe s the US were approved for Lufthan UTA, KLM and Air India.

Two overseas charter airlines w\ permitted special freight flights shift the backlog of freight betw* Britain and Australia.

Many passengers on UTA flig through Noumea to Los Angeles 1 to disembark at Noumea because DOS’s were booked out fr Noumea. All BOAC flights w\ heavily booked but the airline co< not start extra flights because didn’t have the planes. Air Ini carried a record load of I passengers on a Boeing 707 fr Sydney into Nadi on December (many children sat on adults’ knee Canadian Pacific was booked i on its Sydney-Vancouver rou Alitalia, which flies twice a week; Rome from Sydney, had a back: of 150 passengers.

One Sydney man caught in NI York finally got home for Christo: by flying to Tokyo, Hong Kong a Singapore, and connecting with an a India aircraft to Sydney via Pen He considered himself lucky.

Many others were stranded by t strike and had to spend Christnr away from home.

The 27-day stoppage cost Qanr an estimated sBm. to slom. foreign exchange and presumably w mean the first annual loss for t airline in 40 years of operation.