Get ready for delays, travelers! As school holidays kick off in New South Wales, thousands of Qantas passengers will be facing disruptions due to an extended strike by the airline’s engineers. The strike, which began on Thursday, will continue on Monday, with engineers walking off the job during peak morning hours from 7am to 9am in each time zone. This means major airports in Brisbane, Sydney, Canberra, Melbourne, Adelaide, and Perth will likely experience significant delays.
The Qantas Engineers’ Alliance, representing the AMWU, AWU, and ETU, is pushing for a 5% annual wage increase and a 15% first-year payment. This demand comes after three and a half years of frozen wages and a breakdown in communication with Qantas management during negotiations for new enterprise agreements.
The union has warned travelers to expect significant delays and immediate impacts on flight schedules. The strike adds to a recent string of disruptions caused by staff shortages and bad weather. While the airline attributed some of the delays to weather, the engineers’ strike is sure to exacerbate the travel woes for many Australians.
