Would You Chance Flying Jetstar To Melbourne (Avalon)?

[soak01]

Reported on ABC Radio - The World Today program that Jetstar pilots are being forced to fly in and out of Melbourne (Avalon) despite the control tower being unmanned. Qantas pilots apparently are refusing to fly into Avalon on maintenance flights unless the tower is manned.

http://www.abc.net.au/worldtoday/con...7/s2010754.htm

I think I'll stick with DJ or if I have to QF when flying ADL to MEL. At least I land at a proper airport (Tullamarine).

[Greatfox]

and you then have to drive more than an hour to get to the city from the airport, jetstar is the worst budget airline to fly into melbourne

[UMD]

and you then have to drive more than an hour to get to the city from the airport, jetstar is the worst budget airline to fly into melbourne

And yet, Skytrax voted it to be the best low cost carrier in the world! Have you seen the ad on TV lately????

[KeithMEL]

And yet, Skytrax voted it to be the best low cost carrier in the world! Have you seen the ad on TV lately????

I laughed at the bit about skytrax being a "prestigious" survey.

[captnick_qf]

Hey all,

First post. AirservicesAustralia are planning on updating numerous control towers across Australia over the next decade. This include airport such as Canberra and I think growing airport such as Avalon.

The arrangement is no different to airports such as Ayers Rock, where there is no control tower. I understand movements in Avalon are greater than Ayers Rock, but it is only a temporary measure.

Australian pilots are in a situation where they can make these demands due to an inherent shortage of pilots in the very near future.

N

[KeithMEL]

Welcome to SQTalk, captnick_qf!
Are you a QF captain as your handle suggests? If so - what a/c type?

[nykelaz]

Okay, I know nuts about navigation and flying. But can a plane still land safely without a control tower to direct them?

[captnick_qf]

Not a QF capt as yet.

My current a/c is the piper warrior, but QF in roughly a years time for me!


A plane can land safely without ATC, but for airport with high traffic levels (i.e. most international airports), it is deemed unsafe to perform without them. For example, there have been calls in the past year to make Bankstown a tower-less airport (to save some cash), but due to the high traffic rate, and the variety of aircraft, this plan was scrapped.

N

[KeithMEL]

My current a/c is the piper warrior, but QF in roughly a years time for me!

Congrats in advance, and good luck in the meantime.

[Greatfox]

are you a QF cadet captnick? I can understand why there's a pilot shortage impending, I've been put off a pilot career for good by the awful people I've encountered that run the flight schools

[captnick_qf]

I soon shall be applying, but not this year, waiting for personal reasons.

Qantas is aniticipating around 600 positions becoming available in the next 3 years for pilots for the entire Qantas group.

The people who run the flight schools, in my opinion, do have some serious sour graps concerning airline flying. Some were in line for Qantas, but the Cadet programme messed them around and they found themselves remaining in GA for too long. Don't be dismayed by those people, however. Regardless of what you do, people will have positive and negative things to say. The reason why they are flying is because they (like all pilots) love their jobs, and the fact that they manage to put down the industry so much has always baffled me.

N