Qantas slashes 40 London call centre jobs

by Sarah Johnson, Marketing Direct 02-Sep-08, 09:50

LONDON - Australian airline Qantas is closing its London call centre resulting in 40 job losses.

The airline is consolidating its Johannesburg, Tucson Arizona and London operations into its New Zealand call centre in Auckland. Nearly 1,500 jobs are expected to be cut worldwide in all areas of the company’s business.

Qantas Group general manager of sales and distribution, Rob Gurney, said: "Staff will be offered redeployment opportunities within their local region, opportunities to apply for positions in other regions - provided they meet the appropriate regulations, or they will be offered an appropriate redundancy package."

He said the move aims to improve business efficiency and provide international customers with a consistent level of service.

The London call centre is expected to close in October.

The news comes as a Qantas Sydney to London flight was grounded for 12 hours in Frankfurt after safety and maintenance fears.

Economic conditions and high oil prices have made for a difficult climate for airlines. UK-Canadian carrier Zoom Airways was forced to suspended all of its operations last week after failing to pay fuel taxes.