Virgin crew member given room without a bed at Perth Hotel in escalating dispute over conditions

Virgin Australia is under pressure from pilots and cabin crew to find a new layover hotel in Perth after complaints of dirty bed linen and excess noise, and in one instance no bed.

Virgin Australia pilots and cabin crew are taking action against their employer over a Perth hotel used for layovers, that saw one flight attendant given a room without a bed.

The crew member arrived at the four star Perth Mercure Hotel after a late night transcontinental flight last October to discover the bed had been removed from the room — but sheets and pillows were provided.

Flight Attendants Association of Australia national secretary Teri O’Toole said the incident was one of multiple examples of why the hotel was not fit for purpose.

She said other complaints ranged from stained bed linen and chairs, hairs on bath towels and on the ceiling, used tissues in the bathroom, bad odours, widespread mould, excessive noise, paper thin walls, broken fixtures and doors, temperature regulation issues, unauthorised room entry and faulty locks.

The Australian Federation of Air Pilots had also declared the hotel to be “unsuitable” in a case currently before the Fair Work Commission in Perth which Virgin Australia is opposing.

Pilots concerns centred on noise, black out blinds and the airconditioning.

Ms O’Toole said it appeared Virgin Australia cared more about its share price than its people as complaints about the hotel had fallen on deaf ears.

“Virgin have basically responded saying they think the hotel is appropriate,” said Ms O’Toole.

“We’ve got a dispute process underway but it takes a lot of time and in the meantime, crew are being forced into these conditions. It’s a miracle if any of them get any sleep.”

The room without a bed at the Perth Mercure Hotel booked by Virgin Australia for its cabin crew.

Perth is currently in the grips of a hotel shortage with occupancy climbing almost 4 per cent last year to an average 79.4 per cent.

The strong demand was also pushing up room rates, which now averaged $227.31 a night.

Even in those circumstances, Ms O’Toole said she believed a large organisation such as Virgin Australia could do a lot better for its people.

“Crewing an aircraft is a safety sensitive role and for an airline that consistently says ‘safety is our top priority’ this is absolutely not good enough,” she said.

FAAA industrial relations manager Steven Reed said crew had written “hundreds of reports” in relation to the hotel, but to date the response from Virgin had been they had no intention of finding a new accommodation provider.

“One FAAA member described their room as ‘depressing’ and said they suffered anxiety knowing they have to stay there,” said Mr Reed.

“Another member said the hotel looked and smelt like a two star motel, and they felt like ‘a prisoner awaiting trial’.”

Ten years ago flight attendants and pilots went to battle with Qantas, over the airline’s choice of accommodation for layovers in Los Angeles — a pet friendly hotel adjacent to Disneyland in Anaheim.

As well as the one hour trip to and from the airport, crew had to endure nightly fireworks from theme park, animals and “giddy” guests.

After fielding scores of complaints, Qantas conceded it was not ideal and found another more suitable hotel.

Mr Reed was hopeful Virgin Australia would also see the light, at a meeting next Tuesday to avoid the dispute going to the FWC.

“We rejected the hotel when it was inspected about 12 months ago and have raised ongoing problems since,” he said.

“It is our view that Virgin does things to a price point more than anything else.”

Accor, which owns Mercure said the no bed room was an “error” at a time when the hotel was going through a full refresh of all new beds “as part of its commitment to guest comfort and quality”.

A Virgin Australia spokeswoman said comprehensive reviews were conducted for all crew hotels including security and safety assessments.

“This process includes regular consultation with a range of stakeholders including unions and representatives from our flight and cabin crew teams,” she said.

It’s understood the Mercure had been selected because it was “CBD-based, comfortable, clean and appropriate”, and senior management also regularly chose to stay there when in Perth.

Originally published as Virgin crew member given room without a bed at Perth Hotel in escalating dispute over conditions