A flight attendant who was on her second training trip when a Qantas engine exploded last month said she would take legal action, claiming she was fired for complaining about counselling.
Jessie Holgersson, 25, said her contract was terminated after she objected to waiting more than 24 hours for psychological debriefing following the November 5 engine blowout on a Boeing 747 near Singapore.
The incident came just one day after an A380 turbine explosion over Indonesia that forced Qantas to ground its entire superjumbo fleet.
It was a terrifying and stressful experience, she said.
“Basically I was looking out my window and I saw flames coming out from the engine,” the trainee crew member told ABC radio.
“Afterwards we were told that it was a fairly normal occurrence and these things can happen and, you know, not to worry about it too much.
“But at that stage, when you’re on your second flight ever and you see flame out your window, it’s a little bit disturbing to say the least.”
Ms Holgersson said she kept her calm and reassured passengers, doing “everything by the textbook”, but claims she lost her job after complaining back in Sydney that staff were not offered counselling until late the next day.
“I’m a little bit discouraged by my experience,” she said.
Qantas confirmed that Ms Holgersson’s lawyers had filed a case with a workplace tribunal, but said she had never been a direct employee of the airline and had been discharged for other reasons.
“Ms Holgersson was never employed by Qantas Airways or Qantas Cabin Crew UK, she was being assessed for possible employment by our UK cabin crew subsidiary with any position to be based in London,” a Qantas mouthpiece told AFP.
“Based on her behaviours during the training phase, the decision was made not to offer her employment.
“This was also based on her advising a Qantas Airways manager that she did not want to go to the UK to work as a flight attendant,” she added.
The Qantas official said “all cabin crew including any in training were provided with immediate and appropriate support”.