Jetstar considers January flight cancellations to deal with pilot strike

Jetstar is preparing to make major flight schedule changes through January in anticipation of pilot strikes continuing into the new year, as it braces for pilots to walk off the job this weekend. The brewing industrial dispute comes as the Qantas owned budget carrier was hit by lengthy delays and cancelations on Tuesday due to an IT outage that affected its check-in counters at multiple airports across the country. On top of the disupute with pilits, 250 Jetstar baggage handlers and ground crew will hold two two-hour stopwork meetings at various times on Friday at Sydney, Melbourne, Avalon, Brisbane, Cairns and Adelaide airports. Australian Federation of Air Pilots members, who make up around 80 per cent of Jetstar's mainline pilots, will walk off the job for four hours on Saturday and Sunday amid stalled wage negotiations. Sources said Jetstar management was planning changes to its January flight schedule by moving or not operating services to minimise disruptions should the pilot strike continue. Jetstar is yet to tell customers if any flights will be cancelled this weekend, or how services will be affected, with a decision expected by the end of Wednesday.<br/>