QF Cabin Crew Singapore Base

[LionKing]

Other than not offering a greeting (which I would argue is consistently inconsistent for all races), what sort of "racist" behaviours are you encountering?

That happened to my recent journeys on Business Class:
1. I adhered to the Business Class carry on limit and they shouted me of you need to put one of the bags under you seat (when it is lie flat Business)
2. There was absolutely no courtesy towards Business Class passengers and seems like they are ordering me to fill in the menu card instead of greeting me.
3. Qantas defintely been very selective to celebrate Christmas by sending out Christmas PJs when I couldn't find any Lunar New Year slogans and red pockets on lounges, no CNY greetings on board whilst every single other Australian business are doing that.

 

[mbe1510]

"I still call Australia 51% home"
Will the plan eventually be to shut the London base for Singapore crew on QF1/2?

Never good when the self-described "flag carrier" outsources cabin crew to other countries - always great to get Australian-based crew after a bit of time abroad, but its a sign of the times with labour laws. One thing for sure is the savings won't be passed on to the punter with cheaper air fares.

 

[TeaKozy]

I question whether establishing a cabin crew base in Singapore is actually going to significantly lower their cost base at first glance as Singapore has a mandatory 17% contribution by the employer to the equivalent of Australia's superannuation in Singapore (known as the CPF account). In addition, salaries in Singapore are not considered low by any measure so there probably are other factors at play here with this decision.

I wonder if they have bigger plans for a hub there (than they do now) ...

Probably more of a long-term play to rid themselves of staff on the legacy EAs.

 

[FlyingKangaroo]

I welcome offshoring jobs away from Australia, in particular Australian labour laws and so called "values" are making us extremely uncompetitive and driving cost of living up so much.
I cannot see a future of a country where those "values" are turning us away from the reality, and making our country more expensive, and unaffordable to all.

There are plenty of ways to legislate policies that are more competitive and control costs without taking jobs away from Australians, including these roles to Singapore. I'm not interested in debating politics and to do so is against the forum posting policy anyway.

I think it's a shame there will be 120 fewer QF roles in Australia particularly from our wildly profitable "flag" carrier, it's par for the course for QF's old tricks under Joyce, and I'm not convinced service for pax will improve; on the contrary in this case. Cheers.

 

[Aussie_flyer]

That happened to my recent journeys on Business Class:
1. I adhered to the Business Class carry on limit and they shouted me of you need to put one of the bags under you seat (when it is lie flat Business)
2. There was absolutely no courtesy towards Business Class passengers and seems like they are ordering me to fill in the menu card instead of greeting me.
3. Qantas defintely been very selective to celebrate Christmas by sending out Christmas PJs when I couldn't find any Lunar New Year slogans and red pockets on lounges, no CNY greetings on board whilst every single other Australian business are doing that.

Hmmm maybe you are just looking for ways to be offended ?

 

[DejaBrew]

That happened to my recent journeys on Business Class:
1. I adhered to the Business Class carry on limit and they shouted me of you need to put one of the bags under you seat (when it is lie flat Business)
2. There was absolutely no courtesy towards Business Class passengers and seems like they are ordering me to fill in the menu card instead of greeting me.
3. Qantas defintely been very selective to celebrate Christmas by sending out Christmas PJs when I couldn't find any Lunar New Year slogans and red pockets on lounges, no CNY greetings on board whilst every single other Australian business are doing that.

With the greatest respect, I'd suggest it's disingenuous to label any of that "racist". I'd agree the first two (potentially) fall into the category of delivering poor customer service/experience, but I think you're drawing a long bow in suggesting that Qantas is being racist for not wishing you a happy Lunar New Year or offering red packets in lounges.

 

[CaptJCool]

While the cabin crew base might physically be in Singapore, will the payroll ?
In light of the Thai and Indo wages being barely A$2.50 per hour, it’s clear this is being done to get around the same job, same pay laws

 

[elanshin]

I wouldn't really speculate on the Singapore based crew yet until we see it in action.

Singapore based can be great or bad, it really depends on what QF mandates, what training they're put through and the standards expected.

I find the staff at SIN lounge great and many of them are there for quite a while (i see the same faces year after year).

Ill take this as it is in face value. Unions here going to be mad, Singapore will be established as a base.

The speculative side would be, would they look to apply for more 5th freedom and use SIN as a hub to other places. Perhaps not as a direct challenge to SQ but more as a challenger to SQ for Aussies. A 787-9/10 from SIN - FRA or maybe SYD-SIN-ATH. Quite a lot of possibilities this may set up for the future.

 

[Quickstatus]

Every other Australian business are doing that.

No CNY greeting on MH either
Some CNY decorations in MH lounge
No CNY greeting in any shops in KL or HCMC where they have their Tet holidays at the same time.
Every single Aust business doing a CNY greeting?. Where?

Offshoring?. It's been happening al over the place. Nothing new and much ado about nothing as many people don't care who is operating the aircraft

 

[FlyingKangaroo]

While the cabin crew base might physically be in Singapore, will the payroll ?
In light of the Thai and Indo wages being barely A$2.50 per hour, it’s clear this is being done to get around the same job, same pay laws

Without discussing the merits or lack thereof of said laws, QF has been doing this since long before same-job-same-pay laws. In fact, QF's behaviour was widely regarded as one of the driving catalysts for them.

This is just the latest iteration (and perhaps demonstrates a loophole that was entirely predictable, if not further incentivised). Still, a shame.

 

[serfty]

That happened to my recent journeys on Business Class:
1. I adhered to the Business Class carry on limit and they shouted me of you need to put one of the bags under you seat (when it is lie flat Business)
2. There was absolutely no courtesy towards Business Class passengers and seems like they are ordering me to fill in the menu card instead of greeting me.
3. Qantas defintely been very selective to celebrate Christmas by sending out Christmas PJs when I couldn't find any Lunar New Year slogans and red pockets on lounges, no CNY greetings on board whilst every single other Australian business are doing that.

I have had the first two of those happen on many Qantas flights - abrupt advice regarding bag placement and the seeming need to fill out the breakfast card ASAP.

As for the third, it is irrelevant. Other Oz companies may embrace LNY more than Qantas but the cynic in me advises that is revenue based.

Australia simply does not celebrate Lunar New year in the manner it happen in South East Asia - case in point being last night woken in my KL hotel room by 1:30am fireworks!

 

[FlyingKangaroo]

I feel this side discussion is starting to veer off-topic but to the extent it genuinely relates to service levels between Singapore vs. Australia-based crew (and agree any empirical analysis is a fool's errand especially until we know who QF uses to fill those roles), it does raise an interesting question.

If a Singapore-based crew of Asian descent were to commit the actions cited above to a pax of Asian descent, would this also be considered "racism" in the same way those actions committed by an Australian-based crew (presumably white) against a pax of Asian descent is being offered up as proof of "racism" that in part supports offshoring these roles to Singapore?

Anyway, well-timed issue as I've just sat through a morning conference about the radical idea of governments eventually legislating rules around "human" quotas in the age of AI, not much unlike the idea of legislating home geographic quotas when being based in a given jurisdiction. What a time to be alive/a human.

 

[AuSammy]

That happened to my recent journeys on Business Class:
1. I adhered to the Business Class carry on limit and they shouted me of you need to put one of the bags under you seat (when it is lie flat Business)
2. There was absolutely no courtesy towards Business Class passengers and seems like they are ordering me to fill in the menu card instead of greeting me.
3. Qantas defintely been very selective to celebrate Christmas by sending out Christmas PJs when I couldn't find any Lunar New Year slogans and red pockets on lounges, no CNY greetings on board whilst every single other Australian business are doing that.

My partner is SE Asian. Loves Qantas crew and refuses to fly SQ after last years trip as much dislikes it. YMMV

 

[AuSammy]

no CNY greetings on board whilst every single other Australian business are doing that.

As in common with all your posts hypobole and exaggeration.

Makes one read all your posts with a grain of salt.

 

[tanahflyer]

I wouldn't really speculate on the Singapore based crew yet until we see it in action.

Singapore based can be great or bad, it really depends on what QF mandates, what training they're put through and the standards expected.

I find the staff at SIN lounge great and many of them are there for quite a while (i see the same faces year after year).

Ill take this as it is in face value. Unions here going to be mad, Singapore will be established as a base.

The speculative side would be, would they look to apply for more 5th freedom and use SIN as a hub to other places. Perhaps not as a direct challenge to SQ but more as a challenger to SQ for Aussies. A 787-9/10 from SIN - FRA or maybe SYD-SIN-ATH. Quite a lot of possibilities this may set up for the future.

this announcement was the most interesting to me out of everything that’s happened today (go figure!)

would take a lot of new aircraft to grow a new scissor hub to European destinations out of SIN though!

is the long term target of 650 crew in line for current ops between SIN and various AU destinations + LHR? or does this hint at more?

 

[ANstar]

I guess this is a direct result of same job same pay... crew costs in Australia are very high compared to their competitors.

 

[JimmyJ]

Qantas previously operated a Bangkok cabin crew base back in the day during 1990's - mid 2000's if I recall correctly. Bangkok had flights to London, Frankfurt, Rome, Athens, Melbourne and even Singapore from time to time.

The Qantas international cabin crew EBA also used to have a cap on foreign based cabin crew with a maximum of 30% cabin crew based outside of Australia. Potentially the biggest threat could be to Auckland and London bases which have often struggled to recruit and retain flight attendants longer term.

 

[moa999]

Also a function of Aus Govt policy handing out air rights to almost everyone (other than Qatar).

Suspect it's only the NZ, South Pacific, Indonesian, HK, South African and US markets where QF has 30+% market share.

And Indonesia would change if they ever got their safety record right.

 

[Peasant]

welcome offshoring jobs away from Australia, in particular Australian labour laws and so called "values" are making us extremely uncompetitive and driving cost of living up so much.
I cannot see a future of a country where those "values" are turning us away from the reality, and making our country more expensive, and unaffordable to all.

As someone who has lived in Singapore and employed and led teams there, Singapore's labour laws are not lax. Singapore's Ministry of Manpower has plenty of safeguards and it's not without its own industrial relations challenges. It's also not a cheap place to hire people, with average annual salaries being about $70k, plus 17% compulsory CPF (super) contributions that the employer must make. If I recall correctly, no more than 35% of headcount in the services industry can be foreign, meaning the vast majority will need to be Singaporean too.

Where they may get some good savings is on reducing the hotel bill in Singapore, with the majority of crew being put up in in the Swissotel/Fairmont for many years.

 

[AuSammy]

As someone who has lived in Singapore and employed and led teams there, Singapore's labour laws are not lax. Singapore's Ministry of Manpower has plenty of safeguards and it's not without its own industrial relations challenges. It's also not a cheap place to hire people, with average annual salaries being about $70k, plus 17% compulsory CPF (super) contributions that the employer must make. If I recall correctly, no more than 35% of headcount in the services industry can be foreign, meaning the vast majority will need to be Singaporean too.

Where they may get some good savings is on reducing the hotel bill in Singapore, with the majority of crew being put up in in the Swissotel/Fairmont for many years.

And SGD70,000 = AUD78,000