Jake Nelson

Around 3,600 Australian Services Union (ASU) members, half of whom work in Qantas customer service at airports and lounges, will receive a minimum 5 per cent first-year wage increase, as well as backpay to 1 July, roster protections, and the ability to cash out annual leave.

The state will invest an extra $122 million into the subsidies to extend them to June 2031; however, under the revised plan to take effect from 1 July next year, passengers will pay more for “high-demand” flights such as those booked on school or public holidays, or at the last minute.

The US$8.3 billion deal, announced last year, brings Spirit back under Boeing’s control, and includes manufacturing of 737 fuselages; major structures for the 767, 777 and 787 Dreamliner programs; and commercially-procured P-8 and KC-46 fuselages.

The low-cost carrier will fly daily A320 services from Melbourne to Denpasar starting 21 March, adding around 130,000 seats per year, and offering promotional fares to entice new passengers on the popular route.

The carrier, which axed the route in early 2023, will recommence direct services between Sydney and Darwin on 22 June next year, operating until 10 January 2027, with plans to restart again in March 2027. It will fly up to seven times per week return during peak periods.

VH-OQC “Paul McGinness”, which was mothballed in 2020 along with the rest of Qantas’ A380 fleet during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, touched down in Sydney at 8:30am on Friday, having been in Abu Dhabi undergoing maintenance and refurbishments since 2021.