Qantas fined $250k for illegally standing down ground crew worker Theo Seremetidis during Covid

Qantas has learnt its fate after it was found guilty of illegally standing down an employee who voiced safety concerns during the Covid pandemic.

Qantas has been fined after it was found guilty of illegally standing down an employee. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Jeremy Piper

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Qantas’s leadership has been blasted after the embattled airline was convicted of illegally standing down an employee who voiced safety concerns.

The national airline was ordered to pay $250,000 by Judge David Russell at the Downing Centre District Court on Wednesday for its actions against Theo Seremetidis.

The lift truck driver was stood down from his role with the Qantas Ground Services in February 2020 after he gave his colleagues a direction to stop unsafe work.

As the elected health and safety representative, Mr Seremetidis was concerned about the risk of exposure to Covid for employees who cleaned aircraft inbound from China.

“Conduct of Qantas Ground Services towards Mr Seremetidis was quite shameful,” Justice Russell said on Wednesday.

“Even when he was stood down and under investigation, QGS attempted to manufacture additional reasons for its actions.”

Justice Russell further described Qantas’ conduct as deliberate and in the interest of advancing its commercial interest, and that its “discriminatory” nature was known.

“There was a gross power imbalance between senior managers at QGS and Mr Seremetidis, a part-time employee on a modest wage,” Justice Russell told the court.

“The fact that QGS might have been committing discriminatory conduct should not just should have been known to them, but was specifically pointed out to QGS.”

Theo Seremetidis was stood down by Qantas in February 2020. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Gaye Gerard

Justice Russell last year said Qantas had engaged in “discriminatory conduct” when it breached workplace health and safety laws by standing down Mr Seremetidis.

Half of the $250,000 fine will be paid to the prosecution, with the flying kangaroo also ordered to pay costs to Safe Work NSW who investigated the claim.

It was also to pay Mr Seremetidis a further $21,000 for the economic loss and “hurt and humiliation” he endured as a result of the airline’s illegal action within 28 days.

Speaking outside court, Mr Seremetidis described “living in fear” following his standing down in 2020 and said Wednesday’s result meant he could “finally move on”.

“I couldn't have been any happier today, that’s the best result we could have had. I’m very happy with the conviction,” Mr Seremetidis said.

“That (the conviction) is the only thing, in my opinion, that will deter Qantas and other companies in the future from doing the same thing.”

NSW senator and former Transport Workers Union national secretary Tony Sheldon said the conviction was an opportunity for Qantas to “turn over a new leaf”.

“The finding by the court and the criminal conviction of Qantas is a significant blight on its reputation yet again,” Mr Sheldon said outside court.

“To see executives still sitting there that have been responsible … says Qantas still has a long way to go before it starts being held accountable.

“This is an opportunity for Qantas to turn over a new leaf.”

Mr Sheldon called on outgoing chair Richard Goyder and legal counsel Andrew Finch to resign immediately and Qantas to retract bonuses paid to them.

The conviction was welcomed by Work Health and Safety Minister Sophie Cotsis and SafeWork NSW head Trent Curtin, as well as TWU National secretary Michael Kaine.

NSW MLC Mark Buttigieg told the media he also welcomed the “historic decision” and said it was significant for the protection of health and safety representatives.

Qantas was found guilty of breaching health and safety laws. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Gaye Gerard

The court was previously told Mr Seremetidis’ colleagues could not contact him about workplace safety concerns while he was stood down from the Qantas ground crew.

Mr Seremetidis did not return to work and instead became one of the 1700 staff members terminated during the pandemic and unlawfully replaced with outsourced staff.

Qantas’ barrister Bruce Hodgkinson SC earlier argued that there was no precedent for the judge to consider, only a maximum penalty of $500,000.

Mr Hodgkinson accepted the decision to stand Mr Seremetidis down was “wrong” and Qantas had apologised but said the move was a result of Covid concerns.

In a statement, Qantas said it accepted that penalty imposed by the court and “encouraged employees to report all safety-related matters”.

“Last week, we agreed to compensation for Theo Seremetidis and the court has also today made orders for that compensation to be paid,” the statement said.

“We acknowledged in court the impact that this incident had on Mr Seremetidis and apologised to him.

“Safety has always been our No.1 priority and we continue to encourage our employees to report all safety related matters.”

Prosecutor Matthew Moir earlier argued that Qantas should also pay a hefty fine, stating the airline had prioritised its commercial interests over the safety of its employees.

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StaffTraveler

Staff travel information

Qantas has a category for 'commercial pax upgrades' that affects open seat availability by class. Pax can buy upgrades with their reward points. This can cause last-minute changes in the availability per class.

Qantas economy class commercial baggage allowances apply for staff travelers.

Remember that no single item of checked baggage may exceed 32kg (70lb) and all cabin baggage must fit under the seat in front of you or in an overhead locker, including musical instruments.

If you exceed the baggage allowance, you must pay any applicable excess baggage charges.

When travelling on Qantas services rebate travelers must maintain a high standard of dress and grooming. Generally speaking you need to be neat, clean and conservative.

Acceptable: Tidy denim jeans, near knee-length dress shorts, including demin are acceptable.

Not Acceptable: Tracksuits, jeans with cut off and frayed hems, designer holes etc. Singlets, bare midriffs, strapless tops/dresses, overly revealing clothing, rubber thongs/flip flops or bare feet. Any extremes of leisure wear, including sweatshirts or t-shirts with questionable graphics or language.

Flight listings are required by staff travelers for all Qantas and Jetstar flights. Flight listings must be made at least 24 hours prior to travel. Staff travelers without a listing may be refused travel.

Qantas flight listings:

  • E-tickets purchased through myIDTravel and issued by Qantas (081 ticket stock) are automatically listed for travel at the time of booking.
  • E-tickets purchased through myIDTravel and issued by your own airline (ticket stock is not 081) or e-tickets purchased directly with your airline require a listing to be made.
  • Flight listings should be made via www.myidtravel.com/myidlisting/ .
  • If you do not have your airline's log-in access to myIDTravel, please contact your staff travel office for the applicable user id and password.

Jetstar flight listings:

  • Bookings purchased via myIDTravel and issued by Jetstar are automatically listed for travel at the time of booking.
  • If your airline has an IET agreement for travel on Jetstar services operated by a QF code-share flight number and e-ticket has been closed to QF carrier-code, a listing must be made with Jetstar prior to airport check-in.
  • Listings can be made by contacting Jetstar on the following numbers between

0800 - 1800 (Australian Eastern Standard Time):

Australia: 1300 042 394 or +61 3 8668 8277

Singapore: 800 852 9510

New Zealand: 0800 284 510

Other countries: +61 3 8668 8277

Check In Times

International: 90 - 120 minutes before scheduled departure time

Domestic: 45 - 60 minutes before scheduled departure time

Checking in at the Airport

Until further notice if you're travelling from Sydney International Terminal there are dedicated staff travel check-in counters located at counter B (north) 10 to 11.

  • For international flights (QF001 - 399) from Terminal 1, check-in at Economy Class check-in desks.
  • For domestic flights QF400 - 1599 from Terminal 3 check-in at the Check-In Kiosk and follow the instructions.
  • For domestic flights QF1600 and above from Terminal 2, go to any Economy Class check-in desk or, if you have no bags to check-in, to the Customer Service desk.

Other Australian airports

Self Check-In Kiosks are the fast and easy way to check-in at the airport for domestic flights.

Where Self Check-In Kiosks are not available go to the Economy class check-in counters.

International Airports

Self Check-In Kiosks to be used where available. (Not available in all ports). Otherwise, Economy Class check-in desks.

Through check-in

Through check-in is not available to staff travelers with standby (space available/subload/ID) tickets. When planning your journey, make sure that you leave yourself enough time to land and check-in again at any intermediate point.

Refund requests for wholly unused e-tickets will be processed automatically. Partially used e-tickets will be processed manually and can take up to 8 weeks from receipt of refund request. E-tickets with an issue date exceeding one year are not eligible for refund.

Special meals

Special meals are not available to any rebate passenger, whether on duty or personal travel. If you have specific dietary needs or preferences which mean that you are unable or unwilling to eat or drink any of the items you are likely to be served on board, you must take your own provisions.

Seat requests

Seat requests are not permitted under any circumstances, whether on travelling on duty or personal travel. If the flight is open, the check-in agent may ask if you want an aisle or a window seat, but this will depend on the commercial load of the flight.

Even if you are assigned a specific seat at check-in, you may be moved, even when onboard the aircraft, if it is needed to accommodate commercial requirements.

Through check-in is not available to staff travelers on standby travel. When planning your journey, make sure that you leave yourself enough time to de-plane and check-in again at any intermediate point.

Children under 16 years cannot travel on any kind of staff travel rebate ticket unless accompanied by an adult travelling on the same type of rebate ticket.

Qantas doesn't generally impose embargoes, but staff travelers are reminded that flights in peak seasons are often full.

general phone number

+61 3 8668 8277

listing phone number

[email protected]

refunds email

Qantas flight loads.

Download the StaffTraveler app to get accurate, reliable seat availability for Qantas flights.

Non-rev tips

Flying on a stand-by ticket can be challenging. We have gathered invaluable insider information and tips to help you to get on board.

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Please note that this form is  not intended to ask staff travel related questions .

Only use this form to add Qantas tips & notes to the StaffTraveler Airline Notes database.

Questions submitted through this form cannot be answered, as StaffTraveler is not associated with Qantas.

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My Experience Using Qantas Staff Travel: Pros and Cons

By knbbs-sharer

qantas staff travel reddit

As an avid traveler, I am always on the lookout for ways to save on travel expenses. One option that I recently explored was utilizing Qantas Staff Travel benefits, available to friends and family of Qantas employees. Here are my thoughts on the pros and cons of using this travel option.

1. Affordable Prices: One of the biggest advantages of Qantas Staff Travel is the low prices. I was able to get steep discounts on both domestic and international flights, which made traveling much more accessible.

2. Availability: Another advantage of Staff Travel is the availability of flights. While sometimes there may be blackout dates, for the most part, I was able to book the flights I wanted with relative ease.

3. Priority Check-In: Staff Travel passengers receive priority check-in, meaning I was able to skip the long lines at the airport. This allowed me to save time and get through security quicker.

1. Limited Seat Availability: While I was able to get most of the flights I wanted, there were occasions where flights were fully booked, and I was unable to secure a seat. This can be frustrating when planning travels, as I need to be prepared to make alternative arrangements if needed.

2. Uncertainty: Unlike regular passenger tickets, Qantas Staff Travel seats are subject to cancellation or adjustment with very little notice. This can be challenging when trying to plan travel arrangements, as I may need to make last-minute changes in my itinerary.

3. Restrictions: Another drawback of staff travel is that it comes with restrictions. For example, I had to be accompanied by a Qantas employee if traveling internationally, which limited my flexibility in terms of travel dates and locations.

In conclusion, my experience using Qantas Staff Travel had both pros and cons. The low prices, availability, and priority check-in were definite benefits. However, the limited availability of seats, uncertainty, and restrictions were drawbacks that made me hesitate to rely solely on staff travel for all future travel needs. Despite the drawbacks, I would still recommend staff travel as a money-saving option for friends and family of Qantas employees.

(Note: Do you have knowledge or insights to share? Unlock new opportunities and expand your reach by joining our authors team. Click Registration to join us and share your expertise with our readers.)

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1 trip, 2 destinations: How flight stopovers can enhance your trips | Cruising Altitude

qantas staff travel reddit

This might actually qualify as a genuine travel hack. If you’ve ever wanted to visit two distinct and disparate countries in one vacation, you should look into airline stopover programs. 

As the name suggests, stopovers allow travelers to break up connecting flight itineraries with some time on the ground in your connection city. Many airlines offer them for free or reduced prices compared to buying separate flights.

“You can add a second destination at no additional cost or very little additional cost. There are two different destinations, completely different that you can go two different places for the same price,” my colleague Wilson Santiago Burgos, founder of Mochileando.com and regular contributor here at USA TODAY, told me. “It’s an amazing deal for travelers that want to save money and visit two countries.” 

How do stopovers work?

The exact terms vary by airline and destination, but in general, stopovers give you the chance to leave the airport and explore an extra location on your way to or from your primary destination on the same flight ticket.

“It gives you a chance to see another city for the same price, and for myself, that’s what I do,” Steve Kadin, a real estate syndicator in New York, told me. “I love exploring. It gives me another city to do. The first time I did it, I fell in love with Portugal.” 

Kadin said he has done three stopovers in Portugal, twice in Lisbon and once in Porto, and that it’s really changed the way he travels to Europe and other places that TAP Air Portugal flies.

“This gives me the opportunity to pop in for three days, maybe every year or every other year,” he said. “The second time I went, I stayed by a friend that I met the first time. And the third time, we met up in Porto, so the second and third time, the trip was together.”

Santiago added that some airlines and locations have even more perks as part of their stopover programs.

“If you stop in Dubai, they offer you a hotel for a very, very affordable price,” he said. “(With) Turkish Airlines, if you stop in Istanbul for one day, they offer you a completely free tour with breakfast, lunch and dinner and a complete tour around Istanbul.” 

So if you’re traveling somewhere far-flung, it can be a real bonus to your trip if you add a stopover. Not only does it give you a chance to stretch your legs on what could otherwise be an interminable travel day, but it also opens the opportunity to explore somewhere you might not get to see otherwise.

Katy Nastro, a travel expert at Going.com , said she really likes to take advantage of stopovers on longer trips, even if the stop is just somewhere else in the U.S.

“If you’re going on a long-haul flight from LA down to Sydney, Australia, I like to stop in Honolulu to break up the trip,” she said. “It really gives you a chance to set yourself up for that longer leg.” 

How can I book a stopover with my airline?

Santiago said different airlines have different procedures, so it’s worth doing your research.

“TAP Portugal asks you in the process if you want to stay in Portugal for a few days for free,” he said. “Some airlines like Iberia, and Virgin, what you have to do is to choose a multi-city search. You have to make a search with three different destinations, including the destination where you want to do the stopover. Normally, the destination that you would do the stopover is the base for the airline.” 

Santiago added that others may make you call customer service, especially if other perks like a hotel stay are provided as part of the package.

Nastro said you can also create your own stopover if the airline you’re flying doesn’t have an official program, though she added that doing it that way can take a little more work and come with a few extra risks.

“Let’s say I want to check out London on my way over to somewhere else in Europe, I can get my flight to London at a certain price,” she said. “Then I could hop onto a European budget airline at any time.” 

Just make sure you plan ahead if you’re creating your own stopover. If one of your flights gets canceled, you may not have any protection for the rest of your itinerary and could be out of pocket for rebooking new flights. 

Cruising Altitude: What flight attendants really do.

What airlines offer stopover programs?

Stopover programs may be more common than you realize. It can be hard to pin down exactly which airlines offer them because some advertise more clearly than others, but here’s a list of some carriers with the most popular stopover programs:

  • Aer Lingus – Ireland
  • Air Canada – Canada
  • Air China – China
  • Air France – France
  • Air New Zealand – New Zealand
  • Azores Airlines – The Azores
  • British Airways – The U.K.
  • China Southern Airlines – China
  • Copa Airlines – Panama
  • Emirates – Dubai
  • Ethiopian Airlines – Ethiopia
  • Etihad – Abu Dhabi 
  • Fiji Airways – Fiji
  • Finnair – Finland
  • Hawaiian Airlines – Hawaii
  • Iberia – Spain
  • Icelandair – Iceland
  • Japan Airlines – Japan
  • LOT Polish Airlines – Poland
  • Oman Air – Oman
  • Play Airlines – Iceland
  • Qantas – Australia
  • Royal Jordanian – Jordan
  • Virgin Atlantic – The U.K.
  • TAP Air Portugal – Portugal
  • Turkish Airlines – Turkey

If you’re flying one of these carriers, check out the exact terms for what’s available, from how long you can stay to what else might be included in the offer. And if your airline isn’t on the list, it may still be worth a quick internet search or call to customer service to see what your options are if you want to add a stop to your itinerary.

Zach Wichter is a travel reporter for USA TODAY based in New York. You can reach him at [email protected]

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COMMENTS

  1. Qantas staff travel : r/QantasFrequentFlyer

    Naturally this equation changes from airline to airline (some subsidise staff travel even more; others make it more expensive). Don't forget that staff travel is by design the lowest possible priority for getting a seat on a given flight: if a flight is full of normal, regular paying passengers, you aren't going anywhere. 5.

  2. Travel benefits for Australian airline employees? : r/AusFinance

    A family member has worked for Qantas for years and I receive their travel benefits. Yes, the airfares are substantially discounted however you're most likely travelling on standby without a guaranteed ticket. ... The taxes on the fare hurts staff travel, along with the among people flying these days.. ... the behavior of reddit leadership in ...

  3. Experiences on Qantas staff travel

    Nov 19, 2022. #1. I have a family member who is a tenured Qantas employee who's offered to add me to their staff travel. I've heard that the way it works is that you'll be on standby when you get to the airport so the flight isn't guaranteed. The tip being never book the last flight of the day.

  4. Experiences on Qantas staff travel

    Our new Staff Travel website We're delighted to let you know that our new Group staff travel site will go live on 18 July 2016. The below information outlines details of the new system as well as changes to a number of staff travel policies. pdf4pro.com. it now makes sense. there's a reference in there to unaccompanied beneficiaries on page ...

  5. Would you travel with Qantas again? : r/sydney

    We now prefer to fly with Air New Zeland or with Singapore Airlines. We just booked tickets worth $50, 000 to London with Singapore for entire family for Christmas and for next Easter, me and my mates booked tickets to Auckland with ANZ worth $10000. I never had any problems with the Qantas crew or staff.

  6. Come fly with me: Qantas staff travel benefits widened

    Staff travel is not always what it is cracked up to be though. The airline's 30,000 permanent staff travel on a standby basis. This means they only get on board if there is a free seat just before ...

  7. Qantas [Staff Travel]

    Staff travel can be risky. There are threads on FT about staff being stranded and then having to pay big $$$$ cash at short notice to get back home (not only QF but also other airlines staff) Several QF staff do post here (in a private capacity), but I expect you will not get a reply from them. Reply. Dec 27, 2016, 6:13 am.

  8. Qantas fined $250k for shock sacking

    Mr Seremetidis did not return to work and instead became one of the 1700 staff members terminated during the pandemic and unlawfully replaced with outsourced staff. Qantas' barrister Bruce ...

  9. Qantas staff travel information

    Making staff travel easy and stress-free, like it should be! Qantas staff travel information for your next non-rev flight. Provided by the StaffTraveler community. Notes on: general, baggage, dress code, listing, check-in, refunds, special, embargoes, general phone number, listing phone number, email info, refunds email, website.

  10. Qantas

    Qantas - non rev questions. I'll be non reving on QF from LAX to SYD and have a couple questions: According to flyzed.info, "you can check-in online within four hours of flight departure. If you check-in for your flight earlier than the recommended times you'll be checked-in to standby.".

  11. QF staff travel

    Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts. I used Qantas Staff Travel on QF1 to London 17 November and back on QF2 on 25 November. All went smoothly except for the upgrade process out of Darwin in both directions. Upgraded to business ex Sydney but left in economy ex Darwin on QF1, got on board to discover there were 3 seats free in premium economy.

  12. Qantas: Employee Benefits and Perks

    Employer Staff travel with Qantas. Helpful. Report. Write a response to this review. Cancel Add Comment. 21 Feb 2024. 5 ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ Current employee. Staff travel allows for flight tickets at 70-90% off commercial prices although important to note these are standby tickets so seat is not guaranteed . Helpful.

  13. PDF Qantas Group Staff Travel

    For all Staff and Duty Travel queries contact: Internally: x86111 (Option 3) Externally 1300 303 411 (Option 3) Overseas +61 2 9424 8488. (International phone charges apply. OPENING HOURS. Monday to Friday: 8.00am - 6.00pm. Saturday, Sunday and Public Holidays: 8.00am - 4.00pm.

  14. My Experience Using Qantas Staff Travel: Pros and Cons

    Uncertainty: Unlike regular passenger tickets, Qantas Staff Travel seats are subject to cancellation or adjustment with very little notice. This can be challenging when trying to plan travel arrangements, as I may need to make last-minute changes in my itinerary. 3. Restrictions: Another drawback of staff travel is that it comes with restrictions.

  15. Aus v. us non rev system : r/NonRevenueTravelers

    Aus v. us non rev system. Can someone please explain to me the difference between the Australian staff travel system with the us. Every time we've gone to use it we don't have any other option to increase priority and also it seems like a different way of priority. I haven't used the US system, but in AUS, from my experience (not certain ...

  16. iFly Staff

    Qantas Group employees (current and former): Tech Support 24/7 on 13 88 84 Jetstar Group employees (current and former): Tech Support 24/7 on 1300 732 909 (Option 4) Tech Support can only assist with password resets and unlocks and cannot help with Staff Travel Bookings. Use our travel experience to create yours ...

  17. Working at Qantas: 99 Reviews about Pay & Benefits

    The benefits at Qantas Freight are truly commendable. The staff travel discounts are a significant perk, allowing us to explore the world at more affordable rates. Conclusion: Qantas Freight is an exceptional place to work, underpinned by a supportive management, a friendly team, and enviable benefits.

  18. Qantas

    The company's 25 A330s have an average age of 16.6 years, with Qantas ranked 126 of 149 airlines running these planes in terms of age. "They are very delicate and seem to have a high rate of delays and reschedules to do maintenance problems," the engineer said.

  19. Experiences on Qantas staff travel

    Nov 6, 2023. #85. jb747 said: I was at a reunion over the weekend, attended by quite a few retired QF (and a couple of Cathay) pilots. All have given up on staff travel for any sort of holiday, and are simply hunting down whatever deals they can find. It sounds like staff travel is similar to award flights. You can fly anywhere solo.

  20. How to take advantage of airline stopover programs

    How do stopovers work? The exact terms vary by airline and destination, but in general, stopovers give you the chance to leave the airport and explore an extra location on your way to or from your ...

  21. Fares zoom above costs as Qantas cries poor to politicians and ...

    Qantas was government-owned from 1947 and was privatised in 1992. Qantas has influence, and is granted favor, when it comes to granting flight licences to other airlines. It has the highest gate numbers at airports. The government also provides many subsidies and concessions to Qantas.

  22. Qantas

    First time travelling Qantas internationally which involves a domestic leg from Melbourne - all booked through their portal. Seems as though you need to collect bags at the end of the domestic leg and check into international leg on arrival. However they have given a 2 hour layover with check in closing 60 mins before departure.

  23. Qantas business class is full of staff!!!

    18 months ago was flying LAX-AKL-BNE on Qantas having paid full business fare.At check in it was obvious that a lot of the business class was made up of staff and upgrades.Despite having pre -allocated seats my wife and I were told we had been re-allocated and could not be seated together,finally after much argument were given the 2 seats opposite the toilet upstairs.