Qantas staff 'incredibly fearful' about flights to rescue Australians trapped overseas

Qantas is moving to recruit cabin staff from its New Zealand subsidiary to operate scheduled flights to rescue Australians trapped overseas, after it failed to get sufficient volunteers from its Australian cabin staff to operate planned flights. Amid news that 50 Qantas and Jetstar staff have contracted coronavirus there has been growing anxiety among Qantas staff about plans to resume flights to Los Angeles, London, Auckland and Hong Kong later this week. Four were infected after operating a flight to evacuate Australians from Peru on 29 March. A resumption of scheduled international flights has been requested by the federal government as part of measures to get Australians trapped overseas home. But despite Qantas standing down 80% of its crews and requiring them to take their annual leave, the company’s call for volunteers has encompassed staff based in New Zealand as well as Australia. The Flight Attendants Association of Australia said talks had broken down, after the union accused Qantas of trying to walk away from key consultation mechanisms in the enterprise agreement, including involving the union in decisions about the flights beyond the current four-week timeframe. But the reluctance also stems from anxiety about catching the virus on board. The FAAA vice-president, Bruce Roberts, said his members were “incredibly fearful” and that members had rung in tears after receiving a positive diagnosis. Story has more.<br/>