Threat of domestic travel chaos subsides as Tigerair pilots cancel industrial action

A LAST minute agreement has been struck between Tigerair and pilots involved in an escalating dispute over conditions.

There will be more talks between pilots and management on Monday. Picture: Morgan James

A LAST minute agreement has been struck between Tigerair and disgruntled pilots involved in an escalating dispute over conditions, avoiding potentially wide-scale industrial action.

Thousands of travellers' plans had been in limbo last night as pilots at the airline threatened to stop flying unless demands were met over rostering and promotion.

The Australian Federation of Air Pilots, which represents over 75 per cent of Tigerair's 145 pilots, said its members had intended to go ahead with a series of open-ended bans from 3am on today, including pilots refusing to fly aircraft with minor defects and bans on overtime.

However, AFAP executive director Simon Lutton said a last minute agreement with Tigerair meant they would now meet with management on Monday in an effort to come to a final agreement.

He said while some small-scale industrial action would still take place today, it was expected to have only "limited impact" on passengers.

"We're very pleased and happy at the prospect of getting back in the room with them," he said.

Open-ended industrial action could have caused havoc for travellers, with the airline operating up to 400 flights a week between 12 domestic destinations using 11 A320 aircraft.

The AFAP and Tigerair have been in discussions about a new enterprise bargaining agreement following the expiry of the previous agreement in June.

While an earlier pay dispute has been resolved, the AFAP is seeking more certainty about pilot rosters, including the amount of flexibility the airline has to change them at short notice.

The threatened action comes at a bad time for Tigerair, which is slowly rebuilding its reputation following the Civil Aviation Safety Authority's decision to ground it for four months in 2011 over safety violations.

In December, it announced a base in Brisbane with two new aircraft, which will result in the creation of 120 jobs.

It is also expanding its route network, launching services between Sydney and Perth in December and is scheduled to begin flights to Darwin and the Whitsunday Coast from April.

However, it remains a relative minnow in Australia's aviation market, with just 4 per cent market share.

A Tigerair spokeswoman said yesterday the company would continue to negotiate, and hoped to ultimately avoid a wide-scale strike.

"We value our pilots as an integral part of the business and we are committed to reaching a reasonable outcome that ensures fair pay and conditions and allows the airline to maintain its competitiveness in the domestic market," the spokeswoman said.

It is understood Tigerair, which is majority owned by Virgin Australia, had been developing contingency plans in the event of a strike, including booking customers on Virgin flights.