Pilot Strike – 1989

In August 1989 there was a mass resignation of pilots across all the airline companies in Australia. The disruption this caused to business and tourism alike was huge.

I was working with Kinhill at the time and held a national role that required me to travel interstate from Adelaide frequently. It was all very much routine until this happened. But more than air travel itself changed that day.

While the airlines weren’t flying, Bob Hawke who was Prime Minister at the time managed to bring in the RAAF (Australian air force). The pilots did not expect this to occur and it was a strategy that eventually broke the unions. The strike started in August 1989 and the RAAF surrendered their domestic licence in December of that year.

However, travel was still a necessity at this time. There was no Zoom or TEAMS or even much in the way of the internet. I seem to recall we were still relying on the Telex and Fax machines!

When travel was required, the first discussion at the office was in relation to who could travel with who – we can’t risk all our key personnel going down in the one plane! There was a distinct pecking order, and needless to say, as a woman in an engineering company, I didn’t come high on the list of risk – easily replaced. However, it did require me to travel with the most senior staff thus enable me to benefit from the ‘perks’ of seniority – the limo with a driver to take us from the airport! Those were the days – pre FBT (Fringe Benefit Tax).

My first flight under these circumstances was Adelaide to Melbourne return. When making the booking, I was advised by the agent that I was to wear slacks/pants for the trip. What? This was a time when we were still not permitted to wear such garb in the office – skirts and dresses only for the women. Now I’m being told I MUST wear pants, and apparently I would regret it if I didn’t.

It seems we were to fly on a RAAF Hercules, a transport plane designed for troops and machinery. There were no seats and we sat facing each other (see photo). I now knew why a dress just wouldn’t work. Apart from the strong wind when boarding the plane from the open-mouthed rear (designed for loading tanks) there was the ‘kneesies’ played with the person opposite.

There was, of course, the usual pre-flight instructions, but they resembled nothing like we had heard before. Having flown so frequently I had reached the stage of not listening, but this was different. My main memory was the advice that there was a porta-loo behind a curtain up-front if needed. How a person was even going to be able to get there is a mystery. The main take-out message – DO NOT DRINK on this flight.

They did provide a snack and a small orange juice. I saw no-one drink the juice. It was somewhat amusing to see the passengers, when being loaded on the buses to take us from the tarmac in Melbourne to the terminal, drinking their juice. Relief would be in sight.

The other RAAF plane we flew on during the strike was a Boeing 707 – and we sat facing the rear! That was weird and had me on the verge of a panic attack the whole flight. However, there were proper airline toilets!

What changed for me from that day forward was that I never wore a dress or skirt to work again – always in pants. It was like a weight being lifted off my shoulders. Previously I was always conscious working in a male dominated environment about how I sat, walked or went up stairs. Now there was no risk of unexpected reveals and it was sooooooo… comfortable!