The Agreement reached with Qantas Airways Limited (the Company) and Qantas Cabin Crew Australia to capture A350 flying for onshore Long-Haul Crew provides several significant benefits to cabin crew.

Some of the changes are included as part of an Enterprise Agreement variation that crew will be voting on, and others are agreed and particularised in side-agreements with the FAAA. The vote will be on amending the Flight Attendants’ Association of Australia, Qantas Airways Limited and QF Cabin Crew Australia Pty Limited Enterprise Agreement 2022 (EBA11).

We would like to take you through the benefits of the Agreement reached.

One of the biggest issues that have faced International Cabin crew is the decision of the Company to operate labour hire arrangements like QF Cabin Crew Australia. Your current FAAA team is committed to reversing such arrangements and tried in both EA10 and EA11 negotiations to have the Company cease using labour hire arrangements. We are delighted to say that we have negotiated for QCCA employees to be offered employment directly with Qantas Airways Limited, as a part of the Agreement.

Offer Of Employment With QAL For QCCA Employees

Qantas and QCCA have agreed to the FAAA request that employment with QAL be offered to all employees of QCCA. The parties intend that this will take effect no later than 1 July 2025, subject to implementation timelines.

Pay

As part of reaching agreement around access to the A350 aircraft and in consideration of the Labour Government’s Closing the Loopholes legislation, the FAAA and the Company discussed the likely outcome of a Regulated Labour Hire Arrangement Order (RLHAO).

The estimated uplift to the Domestic Crew through applications currently on foot before the Fair Work Commission is close to a 26% increase in wages bill for the Domestic Operation of Qantas mainline.

As we have discussed in our Zoom meetings and through social media, the outcome of a RLHAO for International Crew is less certain than the applications we have made for Domestic labour hire and casual employees.

Both the FAAA and the Company considered the Closing the Loopholes legislation to negotiate an outcome that both the parties consider is fair and reasonable, and that recognises the differing and competitive positions of the Domestic and International markets, and to gain access to the A350 aircraft. The pay outcome will mirror the same uplift cost that the business will incur in the Domestic operation as a result of the RLHOA by the FAAA.

The outcome reflects a material increase to the cost base of the International Operation but one that doesn’t jeopardise the ongoing viability of the onshore operation.

New Salary Table For QCCA Crew & QAL Crew Employed After 17 December 2007

This is the new pay scale that will take effect from the first full pay period after 1 November 2024 or the first full pay period after the EA11 variation comes into effect.

	Current rates	Rate from 1st November 2024*	Rate from 18 June 2025
Trainee Flight Attendant	$46,358.00	$62,910.68	$64,798.00
Flight Attendant Entry	$52,634.40	$67,056.48	$69,068.17
Flight Attendant	$52,634.40	$68,424.72	$70,477.46
Customer Service Supervisor	$80,768.44	$95,306.76	$98,165.96
Customer Service Manager	$102,796.97	$119,244.49	$122,821.82

As part of the EA variation there is provision for existing crew who are Flight Attendant – Entry to be moved to the Flight Attendant rate from the first full pay period after 1 November 2024 or the first full pay period after the EA11 variation comes into effect.  

Employees classified as “Flight Attendant Entry” on the date the variation is effective will be reclassified as “Flight Attendant” and will be paid the rate of pay applicable to that classification when the new rates of pay come into effect, including any periods of backpay applicable.

Hourly Rate For QCCA Crew (And QAL Crew For Courses, AHP, OT and RSP)

	Current rates	Rate from 1st November 2024*	Rate from 18 June 2025
Trainee Flight Attendant	$29.72	$40.33	$41.54
Flight Attendant Entry	$33.74	$42.98	$44.27
Flight Attendant	$33.74	$43.86	$45.18
Customer Service Supervisor	$51.77	$61.09	$62.93
Customer Service Manager	$65.90	$76.44	$78.73

Overtime

The Company and the FAAA have agreed to an additional rate for overtime, applicable for Ultra Long Range flying (ULR). To give effect to this, a new provision for Triple time is inserted into the EA.

“When an employee’s actual flight duty exceeds twenty hours, in addition to the payments outlined at clause 3.7(a) and 3.7(b) [Time and a half and double time] an additional payment of 30 minutes for each hour that the flight duty period exceeds twenty hours, prorated for time less than one hour at the applicable rate will be paid.” (Triple time)

Elapsed Time Credit

Prior to EBA11, Part 1 crew (QAL) had the benefit of an elapsed time credit (ETC) in the calculation of whether the sum of the flight duty credits applies, or an elapsed time credit applied. ETC is where you get credit for the hours that you are away from home base and where you could be away for 7 days for example and if only the flight duty credit applied it could be the same FDC as a trip of 4 days.

ETC will be inserted into the agreement which will recognise time away from home base at the rate of one hour for each four hours, prorated for time less than one hour of the time away from base of a pattern. This is a significant win and will make a huge difference for our crew’s time off at home and days away.

Flight Duty Limitations For ULR Flying

As well as achieving access to the A350 inserted into the Long-Haul EA, we have negotiated a range of protections. One of these is the limitations and the rest provisions that flow from ULR flying. ULR flying will be defined as flying planned in excess of 20 hours. For clarity, this means sectors that are planned at or over 20:01, as the existing provisions of the EA cover flying up to 20:00 hours planned.

Currently duties can only be planned to 20 hours. To facilitate the operation of the A350 and sunrise flying the flight duty limitations need to be increased.

• Planned ULR Duty Period limitations of up to and including 24 hours; and
• Unplanned Duty Period limitations of up to and including 26 hours.
• For pure deadhead flights, the duty limits will remain unchanged at 24 planned hours and 26 unplanned hours.

One of our significant challenges in the EA 11 variation negotiations was securing increased rest and RSP provisions for Sunrise Flying. As a result of these negotiations, the rest provisions upline and at home base will now be altered to reflect ULR Flying.

Upline Rest

• The minimum planned rest following a single-sector ULR flight will be 60 hours.
• The minimum unplanned rest following a single-sector ULR flight will be 44 hours.

Home Base Rest

• Any pattern that includes a single-sector ULR flight will have planned 4 calendar days of home base rest.
• In unplanned circumstances this can be reduced to 96 hours

Rest Breaks Inflight

Prior to EA10 negotiations you will recall that there was no provision for blocks of rest other than the 20-minute break in the first 6 hours and 20-minute breaks every 4 hours thereafter.

We included a provision in EA10 for CSMs to manage a 3-hour break, where practicable, considering service and operational requirements on single-sector flights planned to exceed 15 hours.

A clause will be inserted into the EA that captures inflight rest for ULR flying.

The clause will be like the one where a 3-hour block of rest is provided on flights over 15 hours but for ULR flying a clause will provide for a 4-hour block. At this point we don’t know what the service is going to be like, nor do we have guidance material for CSMs but this will be managed by the CSM and our procedures and WHS representatives will be providing guidance material to assist.

Reserve, AV Spans, And Standby

Standby Call out

When we first started contemplating ULR flying, other than rest upline, inflight and at home we also turned our minds to how standby would work for ULR flying. One of the things we certainly wanted to knock on the head was any concept of airport standby.

We have reached a position where we think we have the right balance. It is our view that being called out for a ULR flight during a 12-hour standby is hard enough, but being called at the tail end would be impossible.

We have therefore negotiated an outcome that will be inserted into the EA, that provides that you can only be assigned a ULR flight from standby within the first four hours of the standby and for flights that depart no later than 6 hours from the commencement of your standby period.

If four hours of your standby have passed, you will not be called for a ULR flight, but you will remain available for the remainder of the standby for callouts to other duties.

In addition to this, we have agreed with the company to discuss adjusting the current start and finish times of 12-hour standbys to ensure coverage for ULR flights and to manage employee fatigue.

AV Spans

The Company have agreed to allow crew to bid for two AV spans in succession (back-to-back) without other duties between the AV spans.

The Company will NOT assign two AV spans in succession within the same Bid Period unless the employee has requested this.

Pay Protection And Reassignable Hours

Following consultation with the company around 56-day rosters we were able to get some soft rules implemented around pay protection from infringed duties when assigned a duty from a standby or from reserve or AV Span.

We are delighted to inform members that as part of the settlement of these negotiations that the soft rules will now be contained in the EA.

FIXED PAY PROTECTION

The Company has agreed to amending EA11 to provide for Fixed Pay Protection in the following circumstances. Fixed Pay Protection means you get paid the hours but don’t have to offset the pay protected hours by bidding for work or waiting to be assigned work.

1. Any pay protection that arises because of operational changes, that is less than 5 hours will be fixed. This does not apply to any pay protection that arises because of personal or any other form of leave. (This does not apply to the hours credited to your line as part of AV span build)
2. Any duties that are infringed because of being assigned by Operations during a standby or AV/Reserve span will attract fixed pay protection.
3. Any assignment of a duty against offsetable pay protection which results in any residual hours of less than 5 hours, will have Fixed Pay Protection applied, excluding for AV spans.

Transport Arrangements And Parking

For decades, those crew who choose to commute from other bases have not had the ability to utilise home transport provisions where they are domiciled.

During the EA Variation negotiations, we have been able to secure a change to transport provisions by side agreement that is a game changer for our members who commute from other International Bases.

If you meet the criteria for an entitlement to home transport where you are based, if the EA variation is voted up you will be able to access that in the International Base where you are domiciled rather than based.

We are incredibly excited about this significant enhancement as it will mean that you are entitled to home transport within the applicable transport boundary contained in the EA.

PARKING

Likewise, we have crew who are domiciled at other international bases compared to the base that they work out of. We have been able to secure agreement for crew to choose one parking location in one of the three international bases. If you commute from Brisbane to Sydney for example, you can either have access to parking in Brisbane or parking in Sydney.

This again is a significant win for the FAAA and our members.

Whilst not contained in the EA it is something we have by side agreement and will attempt to insert in the EA12 negotiations in 2026.

SYDNEY NORTHERN TRANSPORT ISSUES

With the introduction of Uber, there has been significant feedback from those north of the Sydney Northern Transport Boundary that the Uber coverage is particularly poor. Whilst we continue to work through the Uber issues, including availability elsewhere and the exemption program, the Company have agreed to an additional entitlement for those crew in Sydney who are living north of the transport boundary.

The company will add the RYDO App (or another similar App) that the pilots use, in addition to the Uber App. This will be available to those who register with the company through a process that will be implemented.

Opt Out Preference For ULR Flying

ULR flying and the destinations being talked about are of considerable interest to many of our members. But however, we also recognise that some members may not wish to do this flying all the time or potentially not at all.

We have negotiated an outcome where crew will be able to express a global preference each Bid Period as to whether they wish to opt out of ULR flying. This will be achieved by the global preference provisions of the bidding system.

We are confident that there will be sufficient crew who want to do this flying that you shouldn’t be assigned this work if you opt out. As an additional protection, if there are insufficient crew who don’t OPT OUT you will only be assigned 1 pattern during roster build of 56 days subject to operational requirements.

In addition, you may be assigned ULR flying on Reserve/Standby. We have already commenced discussions with the Company around how we can manage standby and preference those that want to do ULR flying.

Onshore Protection For A350 ULR Flying For Crew Employed Under EA11

Onshore crew to get majority of ULR Flying on the A350

The Company have amended the EA to include the provisions for rest, duty limitations, access to work and a range of other benefits attached to ULR Flying.

We have also reached agreement with the Company around their commitments to their onshore employees. The Company will provide the FAAA with a side agreement particularising that onshore crew will have the majority of A350 ULR flying.

Onshore Redundancy Protections

The EA contains provisions that are essentially last on first off in the case of Compulsory Redundancy.

We have also secured a commitment from the Company that will be particularised in a side letter that provides additional protection for onshore crew.

The letter will particularise that in circumstances where compulsory redundancy is being actioned in a worst-case scenario (after voluntary options have been exhausted) that the Company will make sure that the number of crew made redundant is shared across all Australian and overseas bases that have been affected by the circumstances which have resulted in the requirement for compulsory redundancy and:

The Company will not take into account the relative employment cost of Australian-based crew when determining the number of Australian based crew to be made redundant.

In addition, no Australian based crew member will be made redundant as a result of any decision to open or operate an overseas base

Re-Introduction Of Minimum Pattern Gap On Specified Routes

The Company has agreed to provide the FAAA with a side letter that specifies minimum pattern gap requirements for flights to a maximum of two destinations departing from the East Coast of Australia.

For example:

East Coast of Australia To	Minimum Pattern Gap (MPG)
Johannesburg	4
India	3
Santiago	4

MPG is a roster building tool that provides clear days off at a roster build following such duties.

The Planning and Scheduling Committee will have the capacity to review the two applicable destinations and the above are just samples of where discussions are currently looking.

ULR Flying, Crew Meals And Uniforms

The company has agreed to review and discuss uniform items for ULR flying with the FAAA, using existing options, as well as crew meals specifically for ULR flights.