Jetstar staff to waive baggage and seat fees during union protest
Australian Services Union members will not charge extra fees on Jetstar flights from Wednesday morning until Thursday night, protesting recent fee changes.
The Australian Services Union announced that its members will waive a range of sales-related fees on Jetstar flights, including excess baggage, seat changes and late-booking charges, beginning at 12:01 am on Wednesday and lasting until midnight Thursday. The protected industrial action is timed with the first week of the Victorian and Queensland school holidays and the AFL Grand Final in Melbourne, periods of high travel demand.
While employees will still help passengers, they will record the fees as zero dollars. Union National Assistant Secretary Scott Cowen said the protest aims to compel Jetstar to take its workforce issues seriously. Jetstar, a low-cost subsidiary of Qantas, recently introduced a priority-overhead-bin charge that varies from $25 to $52 depending on the route. The airline says it is meeting with the union and has plans to avoid operational disruption.
Why it matters
The fee waiver could affect Jetstar's revenue during a peak travel period and highlights ongoing labor tensions in Australia's airline industry.
In this story
