High-flying Qantas pilot happy to call Tasmania home

DIE-hard Hawks footy fan and Qantas pilot Glen Jeffery is thrilled to be moving to Hobart as part of the carrier’s expansion of flights in the state.

Captain Glen Jeffery who has recently re-located to Hobart with his family. Qantas is increasing its return flights from Hobart. Picture: NIKKI DAVIS-JONES

DIE-hard Hawks footy fan and Qantas pilot Glen Jeffery is thrilled to be moving to Hobart.

Mr Jeffery is part of Qantas’s doubling of local air staff to cater for the 11 extra flights a week to Hobart, which began yesterday.

He is relocating from Cairns to the state’s capital with his wife and young children, and the Victorian-born father of two says he is most looking forward to exploring Tasmania’s spectacular natural environment and taking his three-year-old son to a Hawthorn game.

“I want to get into some camping and bushwalking with the family,” he said.

Qantas began its new flight schedule from Hobart to Sydney and Melbourne yesterday, with 10 pilots and 15 cabin crew recruited to operate the extra services, almost doubling the crew in Hobart.

Qantas regional manager for Tasmania Stephen Farquer said the new flights would connect more Tasmanians to interstate and international destinations and make it easier for international visitors to travel to the state.

“We have increased our flights from 35 to 46 return services per week and timed them to provide more flight options throughout the day for bus­iness customers and tourists alike,” Mr Farquer said.

“This is great news for the local business community as it means our customers in Hobart will be able to get to Sydney or Melbourne early enough for a full day of meetings and back again on the same day.

“It will also provide better connection times for customers travelling to Qantas’ inter­national destinations, including Shanghai, Los Angeles, Tokyo and Johannesburg.”

While Mr Jeffery has 15 years’ flying experience, the move to Hobart also sees him promoted from first officer to captain. He said the move was positive for his career and personal life with flights leaving Hobart early in the morning and returning in the afternoon/evening, so he could return home to his family each night.

Qantas is one of the biggest employers in Tasmania’s tourism industry, with more than 300 people working at its Hobart Call Centre.

Originally published as High-flying Qantas pilot happy to call Tasmania home