QANTAS has accused the Transport Workers Union of targeting one of the busiest days of the year with industrial action in a ploy to maximise disruption.
Baggage handlers and catering workers will walk off the job for an hour on Friday morning as travellers head to the NRL and AFL grand finals, during school holidays and on a long weekend in some states.
The airline was last night unable to quantify the impact of the action, but said it was looking at contingency measures to minimise disruption.
"This is one of our busiest weekends of the year, with tens of thousands of people travelling around Australia for football and the school holidays on Friday alone," Qantas spokeswoman Olivia Wirth said.
"The union knows this and are trying to cause maximum disruption to passengers."
The airline will provide additional flights and increased capacity out of Auckland to cater for those travelling to Sydney for the NRL grand final between New Zealand and Manly on Sunday.
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The TWU said members would stop work at all major Australian airports for one hour at 8am on Friday. The stoppage was designed to provide members with an update on negotiations and to determine future strategy.
It warned that strategy could include further action and accused management of a deliberate war of attrition and being "hell bent on dragging this matter out".
Qantas is under fire from several unions and estimates industrial action by licensed engineers now entering its second month has so far affected about 20,000 passengers.
Travellers also face delays this morning from stoppages by Customs and Border Protection officers at about 50 locations around Australia.
Additional stoppages are planned for Sydney on Thursday and Saturday and passengers have been advised to allow for additional time at the airport.
The Community and Public Sector Union says the stoppages reflect widespread dissatisfaction in the public service with the federal government's handling of pay negotiations.
CPSU national secretary Nadine Flood said customs officers had been offered pay increases below inflation, despite increasing workloads that had seen passenger volumes increase at Melbourne airport alone by 11 per cent in the past year.
Ms Flood said customs management had rejected offers to resolve the dispute and had to bear the responsibility for any inconvenience on Tuesday.
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