Corin Davoren did not want to switch hotels. Photo / Facebook
Ugly details have emerged after a flight attendant was sacked by her billionaire boss from her job on his private jet.
Corin Davoren was found by the Fair Work Commission to have been unfairly dismissed following an incident during a stopover in Los Angeles in November 2021.
Davoren was working on a 14-passenger Gulfstream 550 jet owned by Pejr Business Aviation, an offshoot of Lederer Group owned by Western Sydney Wanderers A-League team co-owner Paul Lederer at the time the scandal unfolded.
The Fair Work Commission heard that while in LA, Davoren was requested by the plane’s chief pilot Jennafer Cohrs to switch hotels from the Thompson Hollywood to the Dream Hotel across the road, over concern that loud construction noise would disturb her sleep.
Cohrs argued in favour of the switch to allow Davoren a chance to get a full 12 hours of rest before leaving the US and flying back to Sydney.
Davoren argued that switching hotels would actually limit her capacity to rest, as it would involve needing to make a host of alternative arrangements for her boss’ food and drink requirements.
She claimed she wouldn’t have enough time to meet the catering requests of Lederer and his wife ahead of the flight, which included sourcing 52 grocery items, bakery items, fresh juices, deli meats, newspapers and fresh flowers.
It was also requested that Davoren source Weiner schnitzel from a restaurant called Spagos as well as pasta and salad from a different restaurant called Il Pastai.
“[Ms Davoren] said that if she had changed hotels on the evening of November 1, 2021, it would have resulted in her getting to sleep well beyond her normal sleep time on that evening as she would have had to make alternative arrangements for additional refrigeration at the Dream Hotel, diverting deliveries of flowers and newspapers, packing up the supplies and shopping in her room, as well as and her own luggage,” the recent judgment stated.
The commission heard that because the flight attendant was unwilling to move hotels, Cohrs had “completely lost confidence” in her ability to perform in an emergency situation.
It was heard that on the flight to Sydney, the chief pilot was allegedly served frozen soup and was given a different meal with no cutlery.
Cohrs also played down the importance of meeting the Lederer’s specific meal requests, arguing they would not have minded if it wasn’t all sourced.
Six days after arriving back in Sydney, Davoren was sacked, with her employer confirming so in writing two days later.
Fair Work Commissioner Phillip Ryan said while it was not illegal to ask her to shift hotels, it was not reasonable.
“In my view, and having regard to all of the evidence before me, the [attendant] refused to change hotels because to do so would have compromised her sleep the night before departure.
“Even if I had found that a 12-hour minimum rest period applied to the [attendant], I would not have found the direction was reasonable where the [attendant’s] conduct in departing the Thompson Hotel was to collect restaurant meals specifically requested by Mrs Lederer, and fresh food items such as fruit juices, pastries, and deli cuts,” he added.
Davoren asked to be reinstated to the private jet or the couple’s 35-metre luxury yacht Crystal Lady but her request was rejected because it was evident the relationship between the two parties had “irretrievably broken down”.
Commissioner Ryan asked compensation to be calculated, which was expected to be about A$80,000.