Visa crackdown for foreign crew working domestic flights

[markis10]

The federal government is reviewing visa arrangements for airline crew to make sure foreign staff on international flights aren't working on domestic trips.
Currently crew for foreign airlines are able to get a special-purpose visa which streamlines their entry into Australia when they arrive on flights from overseas.
Immigration Minister Chris Bowen said these visa arrangements needed to keep pace with contemporary business and crew rostering practices.
With airlines increasingly combining their international and domestic services, rostering has become more complex.




Read more: Crackdown on foreign crews flying domestic routes

 

[Simo]

This could make it very hard for LCC such as Jetstar who does a CNS-DRW and onto SIN

 

[munitalP]

Worse, it could have serious implications on JQ35!

 

[harvyk]

The way I read the article, they are more concerned with say a foreign crew who flies in on an international flight and then works a purely domestic flight which will not continue outside of AU (eg a SYD(T2) - MEL (T1)). Things like JQ35 probably won't count as it's actually a dom leg of an international flight first and foremost (we simply use it for F-Lounge access, but I wonder how many people chose JQ35/36 over dom options who don't have lounge), and in some ways it's intention is not much different to the UA SYD-MEL-SYD flights in that it's giving a nice simple way to connect 2 AU cities to an OS city.

 

[markis10]

Things like JQ35 probably won't count as it's actually a dom leg of an international flight first and foremost (we simply use it for F-Lounge access, but I wonder how many people chose JQ35/36 over dom options who don't have lounge), and in some ways it's intention is not much different to the UA SYD-MEL-SYD flights in that it's giving a nice simple way to connect 2 AU cities to an OS city.

JQ35 will certainly count, as the crew do 36 up and 35 back as a shift.

 

[mannej]

JQ35 will certainly count, as the crew do 36 up and 35 back as a shift.

I guess what makes the JQ runs different is the fact that they can indeed pick up domestic passengers.

How many airlines run these domestic add on legs?

I can think of UA, MH, CX, QF, JQ and that is about it.

However what probably makes QF and JQ different is that they are able to fly passengers domestically without them flying the international leg. I don't think the others can (I tend to remember where the UA leg was available for purchase through some Star awards, yet passengers were refused boarding).

Interesting to see how this one will work.

 

[seanpodge]

The article is a bit ambiguous, sadly. I think the real issue is if foreign crews are working on domestic flights which the airline in question is allowed to sell tickets for purely the domestic leg, thereby gaining an unfair advantage over competing airlines and ripping off workers. If they are, then they are (despite whatever flag of convenience may be painted on the side of the plane) working in Australia and should be covered by Australian labour laws. If this is what Jetstar are trying to avoid with JQ35/36, then I hope that the government/Fair Work Commission throws the book at them.

This wouldn't (or at least shouldn't) affect services such as UA840 since United can't sell fares for the MEL-SYD section. Interestingly (to me at least) I had a bit of a chat to a couple of the flight attendants on the MEL-SYD section when I took this flight in May and they said that on that day they were just doing the MEL-SYD section and heading to a hotel once the plane landed at SYD. One suspects that this is an insurance against a delay causing staff to go over their maximum hours, but it must cost United a bit putting up a full 747 crew in Melbourne and Sydney hotels!