Industrial action launched by Qantas engineers in Melbourne is expected to spread nationwide. (Joel Carrett/AAP PHOTOS)

Qantas travellers have been put on alert for flight disruptions as engineers stage a fortnight of industrial action heading into football grand finals.

The action kicked off in Melbourne on Thursday morning and will spread around the nation in coming days.

Unions are pushing for a 15 per cent pay rise this year and a further five per cent per year going forward, which they say would make up for 3.5 years of wage freezes.

Approximately 1100 aircraft maintenance workers are covered by the agreement under negotiation, which is about 45 per cent of the airline’s engineers.

Their unions warn the action is highly likely to affect Qantas flights in all capital cities, however the airline disagrees.

Qantas made a profit of $1.25 billion in the 2023-24 financial year, down 28.3 per cent on the previous 12 months.

Chief executive Vanessa Hudson previously said the airline had deliberately reduced its margins on international travel as it worked to balance the needs of shareholders, employees and customers.

Australian Workers’ Union National Secretary Paul Farrow said the airline had refused to accept a “fair deal”.

“You can’t expect to announce billions in profits and executive bonuses and simultaneously tell the engineers who keep your planes safe to take less and less home to their families,” Australian Workers’ Union National Secretary Paul Farrow said.

“At some point people are going to say enough.”

Australian Manufacturing Workers Union National Secretary Steve Murphy says workers feel undervalued and under appreciated.

“If you’ve had a bad Qantas experience, well that’s nothing compared to how Qantas makes their workers feel every day,” he said.

“Our highly skilled members deserve fair wages for the incredible work they do to keep us all safe in the air.”

A rush of interstate visitors are expected to fly into Melbourne in coming days in the lead up to the AFL Gand Final, however there were no major queues or mass fight cancellations early on Thursday morning.

Further industrial action is expected on Monday 30 September, Wednesday 2 October and Friday 4 October, which is days before the NRL Grand Final in Sydney.

The airline does not believe the action will affect travellers.

“We’re putting contingencies in place and don’t currently expect this industrial action to have an impact on customers,” a spokesperson said.

“We’ve held a series of meetings with the unions and made progress on a number of items.

“We want to reach an agreement that includes pay rises and lifestyle benefits for our people.”