Qantas grounded

[marmar]

CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — Qantas Airways grounded its global fleet indefinitely and locked out workers Saturday after weeks of disruptive strikes, and the disappointed Australian government was seeking emergency arbitration to end the strikes.

Flights in the air continued to their destinations, but others were stopped even taxiing on the runway, according to one flier. Booked passengers were being rescheduled at Qantas' expense, chief executive Alan Joyce said.

Bookings already had collapsed after unions warned travelers to book with other airlines through the busy Christmas-New Year period, and Joyce told a news conference in Sydney the unions' actions have caused a crisis for Qantas.

"They are trashing our strategy and our brand," Joyce said. "They are deliberately destabilizing the company and there is no end in sight." ...............(more)

The complete piece is at: http://news.yahoo.com/qantas-airways-grounds-global-fleet-due-strikes-090343558.html