Pilot swoops on Qantas
By Catherine Hockley
February 27, 2004

A DISGRUNTLED former Qantas pilot yesterday scored thousands of hits at his website which uses the name of the airline's new cut-price carrier.

Much to the annoyance of Qantas, the retired Gold Coast pilot secured the domain name www.qantasjetstar.com in December last year after the launch of the budget airline.

Yesterday thousands of people looking for $29 air fares accidentally logged on to Bryan Griffin's unofficial site.

Mr Griffin, 64, who suffers from an obsessive compulsive disorder, left Qantas about 20 years ago but claims the airline failed to pay all his benefits.

He has since waged a one-man campaign against the airline through his website.

Mr Griffin started his campaign on the site www.qantaspilot.com before securing the name of the new budget airline for another website.

Through the website he calls for the airline to "take better care of their mentally ill pilots".

A Qantas spokesman stressed yesterday Mr Griffin's site was not an official company website.

The spokesman directed travellers to Qantas' official site at www.jetstar.com for information on the new airline.

Herald Sun