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Jetconnect

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For the low-cost arm of Indian carrier Jet Airways, see JetKonnect.

Jetconnect
IATA ICAO Call sign
QF QNZ QANTAS JETCONNECT
FoundedJuly 2002 (2002-07)
Commenced operationsOctober 2002 (2002-10)
Ceased operations2018 (2018)
Operating bases
Frequent-flyer programQantas Frequent Flyer
AllianceOneworld (affiliate; 2002–2018)
Destinations7
Parent companyQantas
HeadquartersAuckland, New Zealand

Jetconnect Ltd. was a wholly owned subsidiary of Qantas with its head office located in Auckland, New Zealand.[1] Originally established in July 2002 as a New Zealand–based airline, the company stopped operating as an airline in 2018 but continues to employ pilots and cabin crew based at Auckland and Wellington airports. Crew employed by Jetconnect operate Qantas flights on Trans-Tasman services between Australia and New Zealand, with cabin crew also operating on Qantas long-haul flights alongside Australian-based crew.

History

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Jetconnect was established in July 2002, commencing operations in October the same year as a New Zealand-based airline. It operated domestic services within New Zealand until 10 June 2009, when these services were taken over by Jetstar Airways, another Qantas Group airline. Jetconnect then operated Trans-Tasman services between New Zealand and Australia under the Qantas brand with New Zealand-based crew.

From mid-2001 to early 2004, JetConnect operated a code-sharing agreement with Origin Pacific Airways. When this ceased, Origin lost 60% of their business.

In 2018, Jetconnect transferred its fleet of Boeing 737 aircraft back to Qantas and ceased to operate as an airline, though the company continued to employ pilots and cabin crew to operate trans-tasman services for Qantas.

Destinations

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International short-haul

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Jetconnect short-haul pilots and cabin crew operate the majority of Qantas-marketed flights from Auckland, Christchurch, Queenstown and Wellington to Australian east-coast destinations.[2]

Domestic

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Jetconnect operated domestic flights in New Zealand until 9 June 2009. The final domestic service was QF2728 from Wellington to Auckland. Domestic services included routes between Auckland, Wellington, Rotorua, Christchurch and Queenstown.[3] Services between Auckland, Christchurch, Queenstown and Wellington have been replaced with Jetstar services. Services to Rotorua were discontinued.[4]

Fleet

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Jetconnect Boeing 737-800 at Sydney Airport
Jetconnect Boeing 737-300 at Sydney Airport in original basic Qantas livery

As of November 2018 all former Jetconnect aircraft had been transferred to Qantas.[5]

Jetconnect previously operated the following Boeing 737 series aircraft:

Aircraft Total Introduced Retired Notes
Boeing 737-300 13 2002 2009
Boeing 737-400 4 2006 2011
Boeing 737-800 8 2009 2018

Industrial relations

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On 17 May 2006, the union representing Australian Qantas pilots, the Australian and International Pilots Association (AIPA), lodged an application to the Australian industrial relations commission Fair Work Australia, seeking to alter its eligibility rules to enable the enrolment of Jetconnect pilots in the union. On 23 May 2007 the commission ruled against the union, declining to consider the question, considering it inappropriate for the AIPA to be able to enrol New Zealand–based Jetconnect pilots, as they were already eligible to be members of the New Zealand Air Line Pilots' Association.[6]

In December 2009 the AIPA took Jetconnect parent Qantas to Fair Work Australia, accusing the company of deliberately driving down wages and conditions, by undermining the spirit and intent of the Australian Fair Work Act.[7] The AIPA accused Qantas of paying Jetconnect pilots 40 percent less than Qantas pilots, who six months earlier had been flying the majority of the airline's trans-Tasman services.[8] Qantas was confident that it would win the case, stating: "These are New Zealand pilots operating New Zealand-originated services flying New Zealand-registered aircraft operated by a New Zealand entity".[9]

In May 2010 Fair Work Australia president Justice Geoffrey Giudice agreed to convene a full bench to hear the application,[7] and in July 2010 the Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU) was granted leave to intervene in the case after the ACTU argued that the outcome would have major ramifications for labour hire practice in Australia.[10][11] The ACTU made its final submission regarding the case in March 2011,[12] and in a majority decision handed down in September 2011 Fair Work Australia dismissed the AIPA's application.[13]

In June 2011 the ABC program Hungry Beast produced a parody television advertisement for Qantas, highlighting the use of Jetconnect for its trans-Tasman flights.[14]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Directory: World Airlines". Flight International. 3 April 2007. p. 98.
  2. ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 15 July 2014. Retrieved 10 June 2009.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  3. ^ Qantas Fact File. Archived 27 September 2011 at the Wayback Machine Jetconnect information is on Page 5, NZ Domestic route information is on Page 34. Retrieved: 18 November 2008.
  4. ^ Bradley, Grant (17 February 2009). "Jetstar offering $1 fares for NZ debut". The New Zealand Herald.
  5. ^ NZ CAA list of Jetconnect Boeing 737-800s retrieved 15 October 2018.
  6. ^ Australian Industrial Relations Commission (23 May 2007). "Application by the Australian and International Pilots Association (D2006/58) - s.158(1) RAO Schedule - Application for alteration of eligibility rules". airc.gov.au. Retrieved 20 August 2011.
  7. ^ a b Ewin Hannan (22 May 2010). "Qantas to face court over NZ pay levels". The Australian. Retrieved 20 August 2011.
  8. ^ "Qantas pays JetConnect Kiwi pilots '40 per cent less'". The Australian. Australian Associated Press. 21 December 2009. Retrieved 20 August 2011.
  9. ^ Ewin Hannan (21 December 2009). "Pilots union to launch legal action to fight for Kiwi pay equality". The Australian. Retrieved 20 August 2011.
  10. ^ "Qantas offshoring pilot jobs to NZ: ACTU". The Age. Australian Associated Press. 27 July 2010. Retrieved 20 August 2011.
  11. ^ Ben Schneiders (27 July 2010). "Offshore job deals to be put to test". The Age. Retrieved 20 August 2011.
  12. ^ Steve Creedy (18 March 2011). "ACTU hits out over Qantas offshore jobs". The Australian. Retrieved 20 August 2011.
  13. ^ "DECISION: Australian and International Pilots Association v Qantas Airways Limited and Jetconnect Limited". Retrieved 2 April 2014.
  14. ^ "Jetconnect". Hungry Beast. 1 June 2011. Archived from the original on 10 August 2011. Retrieved 20 August 2011.
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