QPC Briefing No 19 2026
Survey Results
Last week the pilot group made a clear choice, with 66% voting No to the proposed LH EA11. In just five days, 386 pilots submitted responses totaling over 60,000 words to a free text survey. This significant level of engagement reflects that, as a group, we are motivated, serious, and solution-focused.
Critically, the survey was open to all pilots, members and non-members alike. This allowed us to check if our members are aligned with the broader pilot body. Unsurprisingly, the responses were consistent.
Most who followed the robust discussion across pilot forums, webinars, flight decks and slip ports, will have predicted that the vote was very likely going to be a No. The strength of the No was the remaining uncertainty.
The AFAP survey results now give the vote sentiment some structure and direction. We note that the survey result priorities will not come as a surprise to anyone who has been actively engaged in the bargaining process. The AFAP raised each of these concerns repeatedly through negotiations.
The fact that many concerns remain insufficiently resolved in the proposed EA11 was not an oversight by the company. It was a choice.
What the Survey Told Us
We asked pilots to tell us in their own words what drove their vote and, importantly, what they believed a better outcome would look like. The vast majority of respondents paired their concerns with practical, constructive solutions that reflected the realities of the job.
From the direct feedback of this survey, it’s clear that any new proposal needs more than simple calibration. An overwhelming number of pilots questioned how a proposal so misaligned with their priorities reached a vote.
The key issues raised, in order of priority, were as follows:
Blank Lines - raised by 90% of respondents. This remains the single greatest concern across the pilot body and reflects a fundamental problem with roster control and work-life predictability that the proposed EA11 did little to meaningfully address. The AFAP raised blank lines as a priority concern throughout bargaining. During drafting between the Company and AIPA, nothing substantive was added to further address this. The QPC Committee recognised this concern prior to the vote, releasing
Briefing No 11 on this topic.
Pay rises below CPI / Real wage loss - raised by 85% of respondents. Pilots are acutely aware that the headline pay rise figures may not measure up to inflation over a 4 year agreement and the past 2 year expiry period. The Commonwealth Bank has predicted that headline inflation is expected to rise to around 5.4 per cent by mid2026; a figure significantly higher than earlier forecasts. In this context, the pay freeze and subsequent pay rises are seen to potentially not be a real wage increase.
SO B and C Scale - raised by 70% of respondents. The structure of these provisions remains a significant concern, particularly in the context of long-term career progression and equity across the pilot group.
Night Credits - raised by 62% of respondents. The absence of night credits on the A350 and the use of night credits, to achieve a pay rise on the B787 were widely viewed as unacceptable. Again, this was not a new issue surfaced by the vote, it was raised by the AFAP during negotiations and left unresolved.
Underlying all these specific issues was a broader theme that ran consistently through the responses: a deep distrust of Qantas and serious concern about the manner in which this agreement was constructed and presented. Many pilots expressed a strong sense that too much was being asked for, with too little in return.
Although the above four items ranked highest, there was also significant objection to first-class duty travel, SIM supports off standby, contactability, commuter hardship, RIN protections, staff travel, and other concessions. None of this is new information for the QPC Committee. These items have been consistently raised and documented with Qantas.
Pilots have provided a clear mandate for change. The AFAP QPC negotiators will return to the bargaining table again with defined priorities that evidence shows is backed by the majority of pilots.
The QPC Committee will now use these results to formulate a second targeted survey before returning to the bargaining table. These findings will directly build on our negotiating mandate and help in the design of the AFAP’s updated log of claims.
We recognise that no enterprise agreement will perfectly reflect every individual pilot’s priorities. Negotiation inherently requires reasonable compromise on all sides. Our approach remains grounded in good faith, with a clear understanding of our leverage, the associated risks, and, most importantly, the demonstrated priorities of the majority of our members.
In this case, it is evident that the Company is seeking to drive structural reform more strongly than the pilot group is seeking change. That dynamic places us in a comparatively strong position as we return to negotiations with a clear mandate derived from the pilot body.
We will continue to update you as this process develops.
Regards,
AFAP Qantas Pilot Council
Michael Egan – Chair
Mark Gilmour – Vice-Chair
Rob Close – Secretary
Michael Armessen – Committee Member
David LaPorte – Committee Member
Josh Chalmers – Committee Member
Rob Gilmour – Committee Member