Criminal Events
| Not affilliated with Qantas airlines - in fact, they hate us.. |
Police Commissioner resigns after receiving free Qantas first-class tickets
From: ABC News (More at: www.abc.net.au) Posted June 6, 2009
The director of the police corruption watchdog, the Office of Police Integrity (OPI), issued a critique of
former chief commissioner Christine Nixon accepting first-class tickets for free from Qantas last year.
The following month Ms Nixon announced she would be stepping down. In response to questions from
the OPI, Ms Nixon conceded she had made a mistake. She said she should have given the offer more
consideration and she should have sought independent advice. In his report to Parliament, OPI head
Michael Strong, said it is not unusual for senior police to receive gifts such as free tickets to things
such as the races, sporting events and music festivals. The OPI's report reads: "We expect them to
refuse gifts or benefits that may compromise or be perceived to compromise their impartiality.
We expect them to reject offers from those who would curry favor with them or who attempt to influence
the way they discharge their duties."
Qantas Defends lack of response while Passenger is Beaten to Death
From: AAP (more at: www.news.com.au) Posted: March 27, 2009
Anthony Zervas, 29, was bludgeoned to death shortly after disembarking from a Qantas
flight. A Qantas spokeswoman said some of the men had been boisterous at the
beginning of the flight, but there was “no reason to notify ground staff on arrival”.
According to the police facts, passengers on the plane saw a group of six heavily tattooed
men sitting in an “agitated state” and using their mobile phones throughout the flight.
While passengers were making their way through the terminal, staff heard the group
shouting and yelling. A separate group of six to 10 men arrived at the terminal and asked
staff for directions to arrival gate five. Two of the men from that group stayed outside the
gate. Witnesses heard one man yell out: “I’m going to kill you, you c—, I am going to kill
you. ”The brawl then sprawled out through the airport terminal, where the men broke into smaller groups. Onlookers told police they saw two
men kicking and punching Mr Zervas, who was on the ground. One of the men allegedly hit him over the head with a metal pole using
“significant force”, before witnesses heard a “crunching sound”. Members of the public and Mr Zervas’ brother Peter attempted to revive him
while men involved in the brawl fled.
Qantas Vice President goes to Jail
From: Air Cargo News (more at: www.aircargonews.com) Posted: Feb 26, 2009
Bruce McCaffrey, the former Qantas US vice-president for freight sentenced last year to six months' jail and fined
US$ 20,000 for his part in a freight price-fixing cartel was 'hung out to dry' by Qantas as the fall guy for criminal Qanta's
policies. McCaffrey, who suffers arthritis and last year received a kidney transplant, is due to start serving his sentence in
April 2009. He held the top US post at Qantas Freight for 26 years but was sacked the day before Qantas publicly admitted
its part in the price-fixing scandal. McCaffrey says that Qantas gave no reason for his sacking other than saying it was "based on
performance", but he argued this had always been deemed "excellent" in reviews. "Maybe I should have seen this coming,"Qantas
management called me six months before I was terminated and offered me a buyout, but I refused.
Another Fake Qantas maintenance engineer is caught
From: Malaysian News (more at: www.themalaysianinsider.com) Posted: Feb 10, 2009
The Civil Aviation Safety Authority has found that Qantas has allowed yet another unqualified engineer
to undertake critical maintenance work on its aircrafts. CASA said it has ordered Qantas to immediately
identify all the work done by Glen Townsend over the past two years. The man had been working in
Sydney and was not qualified to do work on aircraft used for domestic and international flights. In
December another fake Qantas mechanic, Timothy McCormack, was sentenced to two years' jail.
Australian Licensed Aircraft Engineers Association’s Steve Purvinas said “it is very disappointing that people are falsifying records to try and
acquire the same qualifications that we studied for many years to obtain," he said. Sources blamed cut-backs to the Qantas training
programmes in recent years as part of the problem. Qantas is involved with the engineers association in a long-running dispute. In 2008,
about 100,000 passengers were either seriously delayed or had their flights cancelled due to the dispute.
False Qantas airline engineer sentenced to 2-years in jail
From: Sydney Morning Herald (more at: www.smh.com.au) Posted: Jan 6th, 2009
Timothy McCormack was caught falsifying his aircraft maintenance licence. Judge Mark Marien, who
sentenced McCormack yesterday to a minimum of two years' jail, read out a fake character reference
the former Qantas employee had forged in the name of one of his supervisors to receive a lighter
punishment. McCormack, 26, pleaded guilty in the District Court to 56 offences, including possessing a
false licence to perform aircraft maintenance and 30 counts of carrying out unauthorised maintenance
checks on passenger planes. His engineer's licence was forged. Judge Marien said "The potential consequences of that course of action may
have been catastrophic."
Priminister's chief of staff Breaks lobbying Law - joins Qantas
From: ABC News (More at: www.abc.net.au) Posted Nov. 13, 2008
The Federal Opposition has accused the Government of hypocrisy for allowing the Prime Minister's former chief of staff to take a job as a
lobbyist. David Epstein has accepted a position at Qantas in charge of corporate communications not long after resigning from his job with the
Prime Minister's office. Liberal Senator Michael Ronaldson says it breaks the Government's new lobbying code of conduct. "The lobbying code
of conduct makes it quite clear that someone coming out of a senior position cannot, for a period of 12 months after they cease that
employment, engage in any lobbying activities," she said. Senator Ronaldson says it makes a mockery of the Government's new lobbying
code of conduct." This bit of paper, if it's not going to be acted on, is just another example of the trumpeting of openness and transparency
but as soon as you scratch the surface it's clear that it's meaningless," he said.
Qantas CEO pleads Guilty to price fixing again- Pays another $13 million fine
From: Journal of On-line Commerce (more at: www.joc.com) Posted Nov. 5, 2008
Australian airline Qantas pleaded guilty Wednesday to taking part in an international conspiracy to fix air freight prices and will pay a US$13
million penalty under a settlement with Australian authorities. The plea agreement before the country's Competition and Consumer
Commission follows the airline's guilty plea in the United States in which Qantas paid a fine of $61 million. Former U.S. cargo manager Bruce
McCaffrey pleaded guilty to conspiracy and agreed to a jail term and a fine in that case. According to published reports in Australia, the
commission could have imposed a far larger penalty on the airline but took into account Qantas' market share and its ongoing cooperation in
a cargo anti-trust investigation that has enveloped many of the world's largest cargo airlines. Qantas Chief Executive Geoff Dixon issued an
apology for what he called "the conduct of the employees involved".
Engineers: Qantas investigated over maintenance cover-up
From: The West Australian (www.thewest.com.au) Posted: Sept. 20, 2008
Management at the national carrier have been accused of covering up the fault, noted by an engineer and recorded in a safety report at
Melbourne's Avalon airport in May. The original version of the engineer's report, which stated the crack in the Boeing 747-400's frame had
been painted over, was later altered to remove the reference entirely. The report had been changed because the Qantas worker had been
pressured by "senior management to omit or alter information on the form", one engineer said in a complaint obtained by Fairfax newspapers.
They said the report was altered to avoid criticism of the airline's push to have maintenance conducted overseas. "Management are aware of
the public perception in relation to dodgy maintenance of aircraft that have returned from overseas," the complaint said. "The interference in
the process that is in place ... solidifies engineer's beliefs that the system has failed."
Evidence destroyed: Qantas 737 Pilots accused of Endangering the lives
From: News Australia (news.com.au) Posted May, 15, 2008
Two Qantas pilots accused of recklessly endangering the lives of 70 passengers will not stand trial, because investigators were too slow,
resulting in destruction of evidence. The two Victorian-based pilots, Peter Maxwell Edwards and Stephen Sarunic had both pleaded not guilty.
On the night of October 23, Qantas sent a Boeing 737-400, piloted by the two accused, to Launceston to collect a group of stranded
passengers. Two Royal Flying Doctor Service pilots and a paramedic claim to have seen the aircraft taxiing for take-off despite the runway
lighting no longer being on. Two nearby residents -- another pilot with a different airline and a plane spotter -- reported also that there were no
runway lights on as the plane took off. An RFDS pilot reported the incident to the airport within five minutes and to CASA the next day, but
Justice Slicer said that by November 7 it appeared "there had been no intervening steps to further the investigation, by which time the data on
the flight data recorder of the aircraft had been erased".
Competition Commission Investigates Qantas' blocking of Tiger Airways
From: ABC News Australia (www.abc.net.au) Posted April 6, 2008
Tiger Airways is in talks with the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) after disputes with Qantas. The new carrier
employed a third party after Qantas refused to provide ground handling services at the airport in Alice Springs. Tiger spokesman Matt Hobbs
says Qantas has tried to block Tiger Airways at every turn in the spirit of true competition. "One of their senior executives said it's not in their
job description to help competitors," he said. "Now, that's fine if you're not a monopoly provider. But when you're a monopoly you can't block
competitors from accessing essential infrastructure, and that's part of the Trade Practices Act."
Qantas baggage handlers arrested for Cocaine smuggling at Sydney Airport
From: Sydney Morning Herald (posted Mar. 25, 2008)
A Qantas baggage handler has been sacked and an undisclosed number of his colleagues are under investigation over a cocaine smuggling
operation,. The Australian Federal Police (AFP) has alleged that one airport contact led a team of handlers that were paid $300,000 to
smuggle 9.9kg of cocaine packed in a suitcase past Customs. The sacked baggage handler's link to the syndicate was allegedly through
former Balmain rugby league player Les Mara. From recorded conversations involving Mara and a police informer.The AFP brief also revealed
that the next shipment of cocaine, 30kg , was aborted after listening devices were discovered by two syndicate members in their homes. Mara
then travelled to Sydney airport to meet his contact, named "Tom", and arrange a new date for the importation, according to the AFP brief.
The syndicate, which sold 200kg of cocaine last year not linked to the baggage handlers, was planning to import at least 100kg using the
airport contacts, the brief said. Mara, 52, is on the run and a warrant has been issued for his arrest. Meanwhile, two of 15 men charged over
the conspiracy to import 30kg of cocaine using the baggage handlers appeared in Sydney's Central Local Court.. Former Macquarie Bank
director Ian Robert Chalmers and Gold Coast university student Ryan Robert Chandler were refused bail. Chalmers, 40, is accused of
organising a return business-class Qantas flight to Argentina for alleged drug mule Phillip Gordon Tyler, the court was told. Chandler, 28, was
used by the drug ring as a courier to take cash from Sydney to South America to pay for the 30kg of cocaine.
The US Investigates Qantas for Price-Fixing Again
From: The Sydney Morning Herald (business.smh.com.au) Posted Mar. 18, 2008
The US Department of Justice has summoned several senior Qantas freight managers to San Francisco to appear at an investigation into
illegal price-fixing. Qantas is not exempt from the billions of dollars in damages being claimed in various class actions from Australia, the US,
Europe and Africa. Previously Qantas paid A$65 million in fines admitting to criminal price fixing.
Qantas Employee steals Half a Million
From: Sydney Morning Herald
A former airline worker has been charged for allegedly scamming nearly half-a-million dollars from his employer, police say. The 33-year-old
man allegedly faked a series of tax invoices worth $493,390 over two-and-a-half years, police say. Police said they received a complaint from
the airline about the alleged fraud yesterday. Qantas was unavailable for comment. The man went to Kings Cross police station and was
arrested, police said. State Crime Command Fraud Squad detectives charged him with 14 counts of make false instrument.
Qantas flight attendant pleads guilty to drug smuggling
From: Cabin Crew News (cabincrewblog.com)
A 36 year old Qantas flight attendant has pleaded guilty to charges that he illegally transported almost two kilos of methamphetamine ('ice') on
a flight between Sydney and Perth. Anthony William Dow, who was arrested last year after an investigation by the Australian Crime
Commission, entered a guilty plea before the West Australian Supreme Court earlier this week and now faces a lengthy jail sentence.
Australian news reports say that Dow admitted to strapping body packs of the drug to himself to get through security at Mascot airport in
Sydney before putting the drugs in a bag and boarding a flight to Perth. An article in the West Australian says that Dow "fell victim to well-
connected organised crime figures." The article quotes Dow's defense attorney, who said that the flight attendant "feared for his life if he did
not transport increasing amounts of the drug for the man, who was a convicted armed robber." The prosecutor contends that Dow was
motivated to smuggle the drugs by the lure of money, noting that "the money he received was a significant motivation for him to commence the
activities and to continue with it." The prosecutor told the court that Dow had smuggled a number of drug packages on flights between 2004
and 2006, and that he had made more than $100,000 -- much of which was spent on gambling and a lavish lifestyle.
Australian Government: Qantas is guilty of Price-fixing- Fined another $64 million?
From: TV New Zealand (tvnz.co.nz) Posted March 20, 2008
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC), is expected to seek prosecution of Qantas for Price fixing. According to a
report in Fairfax newspaper, the ACCC is expected to take its 19-month investigation to the prosecution stage. Qantas has set aside $64
million to cover penalties from regulators. The Flying Kangaroo has already settled a case with the US Department of Justice over price fixing -
agreeing to pay A$65 million in a plea agreement. The airline sought to eliminate competition by fixing the rates for shipments of cargo to and
from the US and elsewhere from Jan. 2000 through to Feb. 2006.
Qantas flight attendant works as prostitute and have Sex with passenger in-flight
From: The Sunday Telegraph (Ralph Fiennes in sex scandal By Marnie O'Neill)
Qantas flight attendant and callgirl Lisa Robertson made international headlines last year when she was sacked by the airline for having sex
with film star Ralph Fiennes in the toilet on a flight from Darwin to India. It was later revealed she also moonlighted as a high-class prostitute,
earning up to $2000 a night at a Sydney brothel. Ms Robertson, who is also a former NSW police officer, declared bankruptcy in 2004, while
living in north Queensland. Early yesterday, officers from the Federal Government's Insolvency and Trustee Service Australia raided her St
Kilda unit. Accompanied by detectives from the St Kilda criminal investigation unit, the investigators seized more than $8000 in cash, a laptop
computer and other items. The in-flight sex event with British actor Ralph Fiennes occurred in an aircraft toilet while flying from Australia to
India. Sydney-based Lisa Robertson, 38, met the star of The English Patient while working in the business-class cabin on flight QF 123 from
Darwin to Mumbai on January 24. In a confidential report to Qantas management obtained by The Sunday Telegraph, Ms Robertson was
seen exiting the same toilet moments apart.
Former Qantas company caught in huge US tax scam
From: Sydney Morning Herald (www.smh.com.au) Posted Mar. 19, 2008
Qantas Investments US Inc, has been named as part of a sweeping US Government investigation into tax fraud. The investigation involving
Qantas Investments US Inc has emerged in a lengthy criminal court case against 16 former KPMG employees. Prosecutors have billed the
case as the largest criminal tax fraud trial in history. A filing on December 4 in the District Court of New York by assistant United States
attorney John Hillebrecht outlined documents to be given to the defence team for the former KPMG employees after they had been received
from KPMG. The case against the former KPMG employees alleges they and two others were involved in marketing tax shelters known as
BLIPS, FLIP, OPIS, and SOS. It is alleged the tax shelters created false losses that wealthy investors could use to reduce their tax bills.
Qantas Pleads guilty to price fixing – must pay $61 million fine.
From: The Harald Sun. (www.news.com.au)
Qantas has agreed to plead guilty and pay a $US61 million ($69.4 million) fine in a US court after being charged with price-fixing international
air cargo rates for more than six years. The US Department of Justice filed charges against Qantas Airways Limited in the US District Court in
the District of Columbia in Washington DC. In a statement released, Qantas apologised unreservedly for "wrong conduct". The department
accuses Qantas engaging in a "conspiracy to eliminate competition by fixing the rates for shipments of cargo to and from the United States
and elsewhere from at least January 2000 to February 2006". During that time Qantas was the largest carrier of cargo between the US and
Australia and made more than $US600 million ($683.7 million) from its cargo flights along the route. Under the plea agreement, which still
needs to be approved by the court , Qantas has agreed to cooperate with the ongoing US investigation. "Qantas's guilty plea sends a clear
message that those who engage in price fixing and other forms of illegal collusion will pay a heavy price for their crimes," assistant Attorney-
General Thomas O Barnett said.
Baggage Currier caught stealing from passenger luggage
From: The Sydney Morning Herald (more at: www.smh.com.au)
A courier has been accused of stealing dozens of items from the luggage of passengers. The 31-year-old
man, from the Perth suburb of Lesmurdie, had the job of delivering lost or delayed baggage to people who
lived or were holidaying in Western Australia. But the Australian Federal Police says that before making the
deliveries he stopped his car, searched the bags and removed anything from cosmetics to a set of golf
clubs. "Over a period of 12 weeks the man removed items including cameras, clothing and confectionary
from the luggage, which was either misplaced or delayed by the airlines," the federal police said. When
members of the federal police joint airport investigation team raided his home they discovered a treasure
trove of property stored in boxes. They charged him with 31 counts of stealing as a servant and 31 counts of fraud.
Qantas Employee Caught Stealing Frequent Flier Tickets
From: InfoSec News (isn@c4i.org)
A previous Qantas employee Ferri Sutan Malik thought he had the perfect scam, but now he faces prison. For more than two years, he used
his knowledge of the airline's computer system to steal almost 11 million frequent-flyer points and redeem them for $450,000 worth of flights.
The 31-year-old quality assurance reviewer would search the Qantas booking system for flights from Hong Kong and Taipei - areas with low
frequent-flyer membership - and find passengers without a nominated account. Malik would then contact Qantas pretending to be the
passenger and ask for the points to be credited to one of several fraudulent accounts held in false names. Malik redeemed about 230 reward
flights - including overseas and business-class trips. Malik and his friends and family used many of the flights, while others were sold for a
profit. Malik, of Kingsgrove, southwest Sydney, pleaded guilty before magistrate Daniel Reiss in Downing Centre Local Court to 24 of 28
charges of obtaining benefit by deception. The maximum penalty is five years' jail.
Theft is OK - Fired Qantas flight attendant is rehired
From: Cabin Crew News (cabincrewblog.com)
A fired Qantas flight attendant was rehired after a goverment hearing. Mr Woodward-Brown was searched by Qantas security officials as he
clocked off in Tokyo, after flying in from Melbourne. They found 11 chocolates in his bag and five in his pockets. He was also carrying two
individually wrapped biscuits. Mr Woodward-Brown will be represented by his union, the Flight Attendants Association of Australia, in the
coming arbitration. His lawyers argued the chocolates and biscuits were "essential tools of trade". After a hearing on the case, Lea
Drake, senior deputy president of the AIRC said that although Mr Woodward-Brown had breached Qantas policy by his actions, she found the
dismissal was "disproportionate to the gravity of the misconduct." According to a report on the Australian news website ninemsn.com, Drake
ordered Qantas to reinstate Mr. Woodward-Brown and pay him for his accrued time between his termination last August and immediate re-
hiring.
Qantas inside trader gets "Weekend detention"
From: B-Net (findarticles.com)
In Australia there have been very few insider trading prosecutions, and penalties have been comparatively light. The late Rene Rivkin
received nine months' weekend detention for dealing in Qantas shares on the basis of inside knowledge. Rene Rivkin is indisputably
Australia's highest-profile and most controversial stockbroker. Stockbroker to the stars, he had built a reputation and a fortune on his canny
ability to pick money-making stocks. Not just when to get in, but also when to get out. Thousands of investors relied on his advice each day,
but Rene Rivkin's days as a market tipster could be history after the NSW Supreme Court found him guilty of insider trading. The jury
accepted that the Impulse Chairman told Rene Rivkin, that an Impulse-Qantas merger was close to completion. Later that day, Rene Rivkin
bought 50,000 Qantas shares. A week later, just before the aligned merger was formally announced, he sold the Qantas shares.
Qantas Bagggage Thiefs remain at work
By T. Vermeer at Travel News Daily (www.TravelNewsDaily.com)
THE Qantas baggage handler who wore a camel head, taken from a passenger's luggage, on to the tarmac at Sydney Airport is still working at
the airport. An investigation by The Sunday Mail has revealed that up to eight baggage handlers took turns in wearing the camel suit for a
laugh.
Qantas Denies Frequent flier credit - Again
by bberg009:
After spending almost $10,000 on plane tickets to Austalia for our family vacation, Qantas refused to give a single frequent flier mile to our
American Airline accounts (they are one-world alliance partners). However, after the travel is completed, Qantas instructs American Airlines,
that the flights does not "qualify for frequent flier milage". No such stipulations were made when we booked the tickets, after confirmation, nor
is it printed on our intiniary, tickets, boarding passes,emailed confirmations or receipts. Only after travel is completed and paid for do they
refuse credits. Qantas, just respond with "sorry, but we got away with it" .Is this fraud experienced by others?
2 people stabbed in Qantas hijack attempt
From: Sydney Morning Herald (www.smh.com.au) Posted May. 29, 2003
Two flight attendants were stabbed in the head and face when a man tried to force his way into the cockpit of a Qantas flight from Melbourne
to Launceston this afternoon. A Melbourne ambulance official said that the two - a 38-year-old man and a 25-year-old woman - had sustained
facial injuries from the passenger wielding two small wooden stakes. The injured pair have since been taken to the Royal Melbourne Hospital
where they are in a stable condition, Metropolitan Ambulance spokesman James Howe said. One passenger was also reported to have
sustained minor lacerations and was treated on the scene by paramedics. Australian Federal Police said a 40-year-old man was detained
shortly after the flight returned to Melbourne. Federal agent Stephen Cato said the man made his attempt to take control of the Qantas plane
after it left Melbourne for Launceston today. "We believe he was trying to take over the plane," Agent Cato said.
From: ABC News (More at: www.abc.net.au) Posted June 6, 2009
The director of the police corruption watchdog, the Office of Police Integrity (OPI), issued a critique of
former chief commissioner Christine Nixon accepting first-class tickets for free from Qantas last year.
The following month Ms Nixon announced she would be stepping down. In response to questions from
the OPI, Ms Nixon conceded she had made a mistake. She said she should have given the offer more
consideration and she should have sought independent advice. In his report to Parliament, OPI head
Michael Strong, said it is not unusual for senior police to receive gifts such as free tickets to things
such as the races, sporting events and music festivals. The OPI's report reads: "We expect them to
refuse gifts or benefits that may compromise or be perceived to compromise their impartiality.
We expect them to reject offers from those who would curry favor with them or who attempt to influence
the way they discharge their duties."
Qantas Defends lack of response while Passenger is Beaten to Death
From: AAP (more at: www.news.com.au) Posted: March 27, 2009
Anthony Zervas, 29, was bludgeoned to death shortly after disembarking from a Qantas
flight. A Qantas spokeswoman said some of the men had been boisterous at the
beginning of the flight, but there was “no reason to notify ground staff on arrival”.
According to the police facts, passengers on the plane saw a group of six heavily tattooed
men sitting in an “agitated state” and using their mobile phones throughout the flight.
While passengers were making their way through the terminal, staff heard the group
shouting and yelling. A separate group of six to 10 men arrived at the terminal and asked
staff for directions to arrival gate five. Two of the men from that group stayed outside the
gate. Witnesses heard one man yell out: “I’m going to kill you, you c—, I am going to kill
you. ”The brawl then sprawled out through the airport terminal, where the men broke into smaller groups. Onlookers told police they saw two
men kicking and punching Mr Zervas, who was on the ground. One of the men allegedly hit him over the head with a metal pole using
“significant force”, before witnesses heard a “crunching sound”. Members of the public and Mr Zervas’ brother Peter attempted to revive him
while men involved in the brawl fled.
Qantas Vice President goes to Jail
From: Air Cargo News (more at: www.aircargonews.com) Posted: Feb 26, 2009
Bruce McCaffrey, the former Qantas US vice-president for freight sentenced last year to six months' jail and fined
US$ 20,000 for his part in a freight price-fixing cartel was 'hung out to dry' by Qantas as the fall guy for criminal Qanta's
policies. McCaffrey, who suffers arthritis and last year received a kidney transplant, is due to start serving his sentence in
April 2009. He held the top US post at Qantas Freight for 26 years but was sacked the day before Qantas publicly admitted
its part in the price-fixing scandal. McCaffrey says that Qantas gave no reason for his sacking other than saying it was "based on
performance", but he argued this had always been deemed "excellent" in reviews. "Maybe I should have seen this coming,"Qantas
management called me six months before I was terminated and offered me a buyout, but I refused.
Another Fake Qantas maintenance engineer is caught
From: Malaysian News (more at: www.themalaysianinsider.com) Posted: Feb 10, 2009
The Civil Aviation Safety Authority has found that Qantas has allowed yet another unqualified engineer
to undertake critical maintenance work on its aircrafts. CASA said it has ordered Qantas to immediately
identify all the work done by Glen Townsend over the past two years. The man had been working in
Sydney and was not qualified to do work on aircraft used for domestic and international flights. In
December another fake Qantas mechanic, Timothy McCormack, was sentenced to two years' jail.
Australian Licensed Aircraft Engineers Association’s Steve Purvinas said “it is very disappointing that people are falsifying records to try and
acquire the same qualifications that we studied for many years to obtain," he said. Sources blamed cut-backs to the Qantas training
programmes in recent years as part of the problem. Qantas is involved with the engineers association in a long-running dispute. In 2008,
about 100,000 passengers were either seriously delayed or had their flights cancelled due to the dispute.
False Qantas airline engineer sentenced to 2-years in jail
From: Sydney Morning Herald (more at: www.smh.com.au) Posted: Jan 6th, 2009
Timothy McCormack was caught falsifying his aircraft maintenance licence. Judge Mark Marien, who
sentenced McCormack yesterday to a minimum of two years' jail, read out a fake character reference
the former Qantas employee had forged in the name of one of his supervisors to receive a lighter
punishment. McCormack, 26, pleaded guilty in the District Court to 56 offences, including possessing a
false licence to perform aircraft maintenance and 30 counts of carrying out unauthorised maintenance
checks on passenger planes. His engineer's licence was forged. Judge Marien said "The potential consequences of that course of action may
have been catastrophic."
Priminister's chief of staff Breaks lobbying Law - joins Qantas
From: ABC News (More at: www.abc.net.au) Posted Nov. 13, 2008
The Federal Opposition has accused the Government of hypocrisy for allowing the Prime Minister's former chief of staff to take a job as a
lobbyist. David Epstein has accepted a position at Qantas in charge of corporate communications not long after resigning from his job with the
Prime Minister's office. Liberal Senator Michael Ronaldson says it breaks the Government's new lobbying code of conduct. "The lobbying code
of conduct makes it quite clear that someone coming out of a senior position cannot, for a period of 12 months after they cease that
employment, engage in any lobbying activities," she said. Senator Ronaldson says it makes a mockery of the Government's new lobbying
code of conduct." This bit of paper, if it's not going to be acted on, is just another example of the trumpeting of openness and transparency
but as soon as you scratch the surface it's clear that it's meaningless," he said.
Qantas CEO pleads Guilty to price fixing again- Pays another $13 million fine
From: Journal of On-line Commerce (more at: www.joc.com) Posted Nov. 5, 2008
Australian airline Qantas pleaded guilty Wednesday to taking part in an international conspiracy to fix air freight prices and will pay a US$13
million penalty under a settlement with Australian authorities. The plea agreement before the country's Competition and Consumer
Commission follows the airline's guilty plea in the United States in which Qantas paid a fine of $61 million. Former U.S. cargo manager Bruce
McCaffrey pleaded guilty to conspiracy and agreed to a jail term and a fine in that case. According to published reports in Australia, the
commission could have imposed a far larger penalty on the airline but took into account Qantas' market share and its ongoing cooperation in
a cargo anti-trust investigation that has enveloped many of the world's largest cargo airlines. Qantas Chief Executive Geoff Dixon issued an
apology for what he called "the conduct of the employees involved".
Engineers: Qantas investigated over maintenance cover-up
From: The West Australian (www.thewest.com.au) Posted: Sept. 20, 2008
Management at the national carrier have been accused of covering up the fault, noted by an engineer and recorded in a safety report at
Melbourne's Avalon airport in May. The original version of the engineer's report, which stated the crack in the Boeing 747-400's frame had
been painted over, was later altered to remove the reference entirely. The report had been changed because the Qantas worker had been
pressured by "senior management to omit or alter information on the form", one engineer said in a complaint obtained by Fairfax newspapers.
They said the report was altered to avoid criticism of the airline's push to have maintenance conducted overseas. "Management are aware of
the public perception in relation to dodgy maintenance of aircraft that have returned from overseas," the complaint said. "The interference in
the process that is in place ... solidifies engineer's beliefs that the system has failed."
Evidence destroyed: Qantas 737 Pilots accused of Endangering the lives
From: News Australia (news.com.au) Posted May, 15, 2008
Two Qantas pilots accused of recklessly endangering the lives of 70 passengers will not stand trial, because investigators were too slow,
resulting in destruction of evidence. The two Victorian-based pilots, Peter Maxwell Edwards and Stephen Sarunic had both pleaded not guilty.
On the night of October 23, Qantas sent a Boeing 737-400, piloted by the two accused, to Launceston to collect a group of stranded
passengers. Two Royal Flying Doctor Service pilots and a paramedic claim to have seen the aircraft taxiing for take-off despite the runway
lighting no longer being on. Two nearby residents -- another pilot with a different airline and a plane spotter -- reported also that there were no
runway lights on as the plane took off. An RFDS pilot reported the incident to the airport within five minutes and to CASA the next day, but
Justice Slicer said that by November 7 it appeared "there had been no intervening steps to further the investigation, by which time the data on
the flight data recorder of the aircraft had been erased".
Competition Commission Investigates Qantas' blocking of Tiger Airways
From: ABC News Australia (www.abc.net.au) Posted April 6, 2008
Tiger Airways is in talks with the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) after disputes with Qantas. The new carrier
employed a third party after Qantas refused to provide ground handling services at the airport in Alice Springs. Tiger spokesman Matt Hobbs
says Qantas has tried to block Tiger Airways at every turn in the spirit of true competition. "One of their senior executives said it's not in their
job description to help competitors," he said. "Now, that's fine if you're not a monopoly provider. But when you're a monopoly you can't block
competitors from accessing essential infrastructure, and that's part of the Trade Practices Act."
Qantas baggage handlers arrested for Cocaine smuggling at Sydney Airport
From: Sydney Morning Herald (posted Mar. 25, 2008)
A Qantas baggage handler has been sacked and an undisclosed number of his colleagues are under investigation over a cocaine smuggling
operation,. The Australian Federal Police (AFP) has alleged that one airport contact led a team of handlers that were paid $300,000 to
smuggle 9.9kg of cocaine packed in a suitcase past Customs. The sacked baggage handler's link to the syndicate was allegedly through
former Balmain rugby league player Les Mara. From recorded conversations involving Mara and a police informer.The AFP brief also revealed
that the next shipment of cocaine, 30kg , was aborted after listening devices were discovered by two syndicate members in their homes. Mara
then travelled to Sydney airport to meet his contact, named "Tom", and arrange a new date for the importation, according to the AFP brief.
The syndicate, which sold 200kg of cocaine last year not linked to the baggage handlers, was planning to import at least 100kg using the
airport contacts, the brief said. Mara, 52, is on the run and a warrant has been issued for his arrest. Meanwhile, two of 15 men charged over
the conspiracy to import 30kg of cocaine using the baggage handlers appeared in Sydney's Central Local Court.. Former Macquarie Bank
director Ian Robert Chalmers and Gold Coast university student Ryan Robert Chandler were refused bail. Chalmers, 40, is accused of
organising a return business-class Qantas flight to Argentina for alleged drug mule Phillip Gordon Tyler, the court was told. Chandler, 28, was
used by the drug ring as a courier to take cash from Sydney to South America to pay for the 30kg of cocaine.
The US Investigates Qantas for Price-Fixing Again
From: The Sydney Morning Herald (business.smh.com.au) Posted Mar. 18, 2008
The US Department of Justice has summoned several senior Qantas freight managers to San Francisco to appear at an investigation into
illegal price-fixing. Qantas is not exempt from the billions of dollars in damages being claimed in various class actions from Australia, the US,
Europe and Africa. Previously Qantas paid A$65 million in fines admitting to criminal price fixing.
Qantas Employee steals Half a Million
From: Sydney Morning Herald
A former airline worker has been charged for allegedly scamming nearly half-a-million dollars from his employer, police say. The 33-year-old
man allegedly faked a series of tax invoices worth $493,390 over two-and-a-half years, police say. Police said they received a complaint from
the airline about the alleged fraud yesterday. Qantas was unavailable for comment. The man went to Kings Cross police station and was
arrested, police said. State Crime Command Fraud Squad detectives charged him with 14 counts of make false instrument.
Qantas flight attendant pleads guilty to drug smuggling
From: Cabin Crew News (cabincrewblog.com)
A 36 year old Qantas flight attendant has pleaded guilty to charges that he illegally transported almost two kilos of methamphetamine ('ice') on
a flight between Sydney and Perth. Anthony William Dow, who was arrested last year after an investigation by the Australian Crime
Commission, entered a guilty plea before the West Australian Supreme Court earlier this week and now faces a lengthy jail sentence.
Australian news reports say that Dow admitted to strapping body packs of the drug to himself to get through security at Mascot airport in
Sydney before putting the drugs in a bag and boarding a flight to Perth. An article in the West Australian says that Dow "fell victim to well-
connected organised crime figures." The article quotes Dow's defense attorney, who said that the flight attendant "feared for his life if he did
not transport increasing amounts of the drug for the man, who was a convicted armed robber." The prosecutor contends that Dow was
motivated to smuggle the drugs by the lure of money, noting that "the money he received was a significant motivation for him to commence the
activities and to continue with it." The prosecutor told the court that Dow had smuggled a number of drug packages on flights between 2004
and 2006, and that he had made more than $100,000 -- much of which was spent on gambling and a lavish lifestyle.
Australian Government: Qantas is guilty of Price-fixing- Fined another $64 million?
From: TV New Zealand (tvnz.co.nz) Posted March 20, 2008
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC), is expected to seek prosecution of Qantas for Price fixing. According to a
report in Fairfax newspaper, the ACCC is expected to take its 19-month investigation to the prosecution stage. Qantas has set aside $64
million to cover penalties from regulators. The Flying Kangaroo has already settled a case with the US Department of Justice over price fixing -
agreeing to pay A$65 million in a plea agreement. The airline sought to eliminate competition by fixing the rates for shipments of cargo to and
from the US and elsewhere from Jan. 2000 through to Feb. 2006.
Qantas flight attendant works as prostitute and have Sex with passenger in-flight
From: The Sunday Telegraph (Ralph Fiennes in sex scandal By Marnie O'Neill)
Qantas flight attendant and callgirl Lisa Robertson made international headlines last year when she was sacked by the airline for having sex
with film star Ralph Fiennes in the toilet on a flight from Darwin to India. It was later revealed she also moonlighted as a high-class prostitute,
earning up to $2000 a night at a Sydney brothel. Ms Robertson, who is also a former NSW police officer, declared bankruptcy in 2004, while
living in north Queensland. Early yesterday, officers from the Federal Government's Insolvency and Trustee Service Australia raided her St
Kilda unit. Accompanied by detectives from the St Kilda criminal investigation unit, the investigators seized more than $8000 in cash, a laptop
computer and other items. The in-flight sex event with British actor Ralph Fiennes occurred in an aircraft toilet while flying from Australia to
India. Sydney-based Lisa Robertson, 38, met the star of The English Patient while working in the business-class cabin on flight QF 123 from
Darwin to Mumbai on January 24. In a confidential report to Qantas management obtained by The Sunday Telegraph, Ms Robertson was
seen exiting the same toilet moments apart.
Former Qantas company caught in huge US tax scam
From: Sydney Morning Herald (www.smh.com.au) Posted Mar. 19, 2008
Qantas Investments US Inc, has been named as part of a sweeping US Government investigation into tax fraud. The investigation involving
Qantas Investments US Inc has emerged in a lengthy criminal court case against 16 former KPMG employees. Prosecutors have billed the
case as the largest criminal tax fraud trial in history. A filing on December 4 in the District Court of New York by assistant United States
attorney John Hillebrecht outlined documents to be given to the defence team for the former KPMG employees after they had been received
from KPMG. The case against the former KPMG employees alleges they and two others were involved in marketing tax shelters known as
BLIPS, FLIP, OPIS, and SOS. It is alleged the tax shelters created false losses that wealthy investors could use to reduce their tax bills.
Qantas Pleads guilty to price fixing – must pay $61 million fine.
From: The Harald Sun. (www.news.com.au)
Qantas has agreed to plead guilty and pay a $US61 million ($69.4 million) fine in a US court after being charged with price-fixing international
air cargo rates for more than six years. The US Department of Justice filed charges against Qantas Airways Limited in the US District Court in
the District of Columbia in Washington DC. In a statement released, Qantas apologised unreservedly for "wrong conduct". The department
accuses Qantas engaging in a "conspiracy to eliminate competition by fixing the rates for shipments of cargo to and from the United States
and elsewhere from at least January 2000 to February 2006". During that time Qantas was the largest carrier of cargo between the US and
Australia and made more than $US600 million ($683.7 million) from its cargo flights along the route. Under the plea agreement, which still
needs to be approved by the court , Qantas has agreed to cooperate with the ongoing US investigation. "Qantas's guilty plea sends a clear
message that those who engage in price fixing and other forms of illegal collusion will pay a heavy price for their crimes," assistant Attorney-
General Thomas O Barnett said.
Baggage Currier caught stealing from passenger luggage
From: The Sydney Morning Herald (more at: www.smh.com.au)
A courier has been accused of stealing dozens of items from the luggage of passengers. The 31-year-old
man, from the Perth suburb of Lesmurdie, had the job of delivering lost or delayed baggage to people who
lived or were holidaying in Western Australia. But the Australian Federal Police says that before making the
deliveries he stopped his car, searched the bags and removed anything from cosmetics to a set of golf
clubs. "Over a period of 12 weeks the man removed items including cameras, clothing and confectionary
from the luggage, which was either misplaced or delayed by the airlines," the federal police said. When
members of the federal police joint airport investigation team raided his home they discovered a treasure
trove of property stored in boxes. They charged him with 31 counts of stealing as a servant and 31 counts of fraud.
Qantas Employee Caught Stealing Frequent Flier Tickets
From: InfoSec News (isn@c4i.org)
A previous Qantas employee Ferri Sutan Malik thought he had the perfect scam, but now he faces prison. For more than two years, he used
his knowledge of the airline's computer system to steal almost 11 million frequent-flyer points and redeem them for $450,000 worth of flights.
The 31-year-old quality assurance reviewer would search the Qantas booking system for flights from Hong Kong and Taipei - areas with low
frequent-flyer membership - and find passengers without a nominated account. Malik would then contact Qantas pretending to be the
passenger and ask for the points to be credited to one of several fraudulent accounts held in false names. Malik redeemed about 230 reward
flights - including overseas and business-class trips. Malik and his friends and family used many of the flights, while others were sold for a
profit. Malik, of Kingsgrove, southwest Sydney, pleaded guilty before magistrate Daniel Reiss in Downing Centre Local Court to 24 of 28
charges of obtaining benefit by deception. The maximum penalty is five years' jail.
Theft is OK - Fired Qantas flight attendant is rehired
From: Cabin Crew News (cabincrewblog.com)
A fired Qantas flight attendant was rehired after a goverment hearing. Mr Woodward-Brown was searched by Qantas security officials as he
clocked off in Tokyo, after flying in from Melbourne. They found 11 chocolates in his bag and five in his pockets. He was also carrying two
individually wrapped biscuits. Mr Woodward-Brown will be represented by his union, the Flight Attendants Association of Australia, in the
coming arbitration. His lawyers argued the chocolates and biscuits were "essential tools of trade". After a hearing on the case, Lea
Drake, senior deputy president of the AIRC said that although Mr Woodward-Brown had breached Qantas policy by his actions, she found the
dismissal was "disproportionate to the gravity of the misconduct." According to a report on the Australian news website ninemsn.com, Drake
ordered Qantas to reinstate Mr. Woodward-Brown and pay him for his accrued time between his termination last August and immediate re-
hiring.
Qantas inside trader gets "Weekend detention"
From: B-Net (findarticles.com)
In Australia there have been very few insider trading prosecutions, and penalties have been comparatively light. The late Rene Rivkin
received nine months' weekend detention for dealing in Qantas shares on the basis of inside knowledge. Rene Rivkin is indisputably
Australia's highest-profile and most controversial stockbroker. Stockbroker to the stars, he had built a reputation and a fortune on his canny
ability to pick money-making stocks. Not just when to get in, but also when to get out. Thousands of investors relied on his advice each day,
but Rene Rivkin's days as a market tipster could be history after the NSW Supreme Court found him guilty of insider trading. The jury
accepted that the Impulse Chairman told Rene Rivkin, that an Impulse-Qantas merger was close to completion. Later that day, Rene Rivkin
bought 50,000 Qantas shares. A week later, just before the aligned merger was formally announced, he sold the Qantas shares.
Qantas Bagggage Thiefs remain at work
By T. Vermeer at Travel News Daily (www.TravelNewsDaily.com)
THE Qantas baggage handler who wore a camel head, taken from a passenger's luggage, on to the tarmac at Sydney Airport is still working at
the airport. An investigation by The Sunday Mail has revealed that up to eight baggage handlers took turns in wearing the camel suit for a
laugh.
Qantas Denies Frequent flier credit - Again
by bberg009:
After spending almost $10,000 on plane tickets to Austalia for our family vacation, Qantas refused to give a single frequent flier mile to our
American Airline accounts (they are one-world alliance partners). However, after the travel is completed, Qantas instructs American Airlines,
that the flights does not "qualify for frequent flier milage". No such stipulations were made when we booked the tickets, after confirmation, nor
is it printed on our intiniary, tickets, boarding passes,emailed confirmations or receipts. Only after travel is completed and paid for do they
refuse credits. Qantas, just respond with "sorry, but we got away with it" .Is this fraud experienced by others?
2 people stabbed in Qantas hijack attempt
From: Sydney Morning Herald (www.smh.com.au) Posted May. 29, 2003
Two flight attendants were stabbed in the head and face when a man tried to force his way into the cockpit of a Qantas flight from Melbourne
to Launceston this afternoon. A Melbourne ambulance official said that the two - a 38-year-old man and a 25-year-old woman - had sustained
facial injuries from the passenger wielding two small wooden stakes. The injured pair have since been taken to the Royal Melbourne Hospital
where they are in a stable condition, Metropolitan Ambulance spokesman James Howe said. One passenger was also reported to have
sustained minor lacerations and was treated on the scene by paramedics. Australian Federal Police said a 40-year-old man was detained
shortly after the flight returned to Melbourne. Federal agent Stephen Cato said the man made his attempt to take control of the Qantas plane
after it left Melbourne for Launceston today. "We believe he was trying to take over the plane," Agent Cato said.
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