Idle Qantas planes are reflected in a window at Sydney Airport in Sydney, Sunday, Oct. 30, 2011. Qantas Airways grounded all of its aircraft around the world indefinitely Saturday due to ongoing strikes by its workers. (AP Photo/Rick Rycroft)
Idle Qantas planes are reflected in a window at Sydney Airport in Sydney, Sunday, Oct. 30, 2011. Qantas Airways grounded all of its aircraft around the world indefinitely Saturday due to ongoing strikes by its workers. (AP Photo/Rick Rycroft)
Douglas and Diane Phillips of Dover, Del. say they are trying to book a flight on another airline after their Qantas flight to Melbourne the night before was canceled at Los Angeles International Airport in Los Angeles, Saturday, Oct. 29, 2011. Qantas Airways grounded its global fleet Saturday, suddenly locking out striking workers after weeks of flight disruptions. (AP Photo/Jason Redmond)
Australia Prime Minister Julia Gillard speaks to the media after Qantas Airways grounded its global fleet amid a bitter dispute with striking workers, stranding passengers around the world, during the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in Perth, Australia, Sunday, Oct. 30, 2011. (AP Photo/ Theron Kirkman)
A Qantas Airbus A-330 plane sits on the tarmac at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Sunday Oct. 30, 2011 at suburban Pasay city, south of Manila, Philippines. Tens of thousands of stranded Qantas Airways passengers worldwide scrambled to get to their destinations Sunday after the airline abruptly grounded its global fleet over a dispute with striking workers. Australia's government sought a court order to force the flagship carrier's planes back in the air. (AP Photo/Bullit Marquez)
Qantas Airways customer service workers help passengers at Los Angeles International Airport as the airline grounded its global fleet locking out striking workers after weeks of flight disruptions Saturday, Oct. 29, 2011 in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Jason Redmond)
CANBERRA, Australia (AP) ? An Australian court early Monday ended the strikes and employee lockout that had abruptly grounded Qantas Airways and stranded tens of thousands of passengers worldwide. The airline planned to speak soon on when flights will resume.
The arbitration court heard more than 14 hours of testimony from the airline, the Australian government and unions after the government called the emergency hearing Saturday. Workers have held rolling strikes and refused overtime work for weeks out of worry that some of Qantas' 35,000 jobs would be moved overseas in a restructing plan.
The unions wanted a temporary suspension of the employee lockout, but the airline said the strikes had been too devastating and it needed certainty to continue operating.
Tribunal President Geoffrey Giudice said the panel decided a temporary suspension would still risk Qantas' grounding its fleet in the future and would not protect the tourism and aviation industry from damage.
Qantas is the largest of Australia's four national domestic airlines, and the grounding affected 108 planes in 22 countries.
About 70,000 passengers fly Qantas daily, and would-be fliers this weekend were stuck at home, hotels, airports or even had to suddenly deplane when Qantas suspended operations. More than 60 flights were in the air at the time but flew to their destinations, and Qantas was paying for passengers to book other flights.
Qantas CEO Alan Joyce said before the panel ruled that the airline could be flying again within hours of a decision. He had estimated the grounding would cost the carrier $20 million a day.
German tourist Michael Messmann was trying to find a way home from Singapore on Sunday. He and his wife spent five weeks traveling around Australia but found their connecting flight home to Frankfurt suddenly canceled.
"I don't know the details of the dispute, but it seems like a severe reaction by the airline to shut down all their flights. That seems a bit extreme," said Messmann, 68. "After five weeks of traveling, we just want to go home."
Australian business traveler Graeme Yeatman sided with the airline, even though he was also trying to find a new flight home to Sydney on Sunday after his flight was canceled.
"I think the unions have too much power over Qantas. Even though this is an inconvenience for me, I'm glad the airline is drawing a line in the sand," said Yeatman, 41.
The airline infuriated unions in August when it said it would improve its loss-making overseas business by creating an Asia-based airline with its own name and brand. The five-year restructure plan will cost 1,000 jobs.
Qantas said in August it had more than doubled annual profit to AU$250 million but warned that the business environment was too challenging to forecast earnings for the current fiscal year.
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