Qantas has announced it is grounding five aircraft and cutting up to 100 domestic flights a week as a result of ongoing industrial action.

Chief executive Alan Joyce says the ongoing strike action is unsustainable for the airline.

"Obviously we've seen the situation is not sustainable where it's going," he told reporters in Sydney on Thursday.

"Because of the bans that are existing at the moment, we've had to ground these five aircraft next week.

"If the bans continue, then more aircraft will have to be grounded into the future."

The announcement comes as the airline faces a barrage of industrial action by employees through the day.

Qantas baggage handlers and ground crew are holding rolling strikes, forcing the airline to cancel 14 domestic flights and delay another 38.

Ground crew members of the Transport Workers Union (TWU) kicked off Thursday's action at Sydney Airport with a two-hour work stoppage at 6:00 a.m. (AEDT).

They're due to go out again for another two hours at 16:00 p.m. AEDT.

The situation is being replicated at airports in Melbourne, Canberra, Hobart, Adelaide, Darwin, Perth, Brisbane, Townsville and Cairns.

Canberra Airport TWU members will walk off the job between 16:00 p.m. and 20:00 p.m. AEDT, a move Qantas says will affect federal politicians flying home at the close of parliamentary business.

Meanwhile, Qantas says its engineers will go on strike for four hours at Adelaide Airport on Tuesday.

That follows a planned four-hour strike by engineers in Sydney on Friday.

The Australian and International Pilots Association has also ramped up its dispute with the airline by launching a new website aimed at disgruntled Qantas shareholders on Thursday.

Four Boeing 737 aircraft and one Boeing 767 aircraft would remain grounded for at least one month, Mr Joyce said.

The cuts to flights will mainly impact services to and from Adelaide, Sydney, Brisbane and Melbourne.

Mr Joyce said it was early to say what the action was costing Qantas.

"We are looking at the implications for forward bookings," he said.

"When we have a determined firm number, we'll be coming back to the market to communicate that number."

Mr Joyce said the airline would never agree to the demands being made and urged unions to drop their campaign.

"We urge the unions to drop this industrial campaign and come back with realistic claims for the sake of all Qantas employees, our shareholders and the Australian travelling public," he said.

The Australian and International Pilots Association (AIPA) later said it suspected the decision by Qantas to ground aircraft was a ploy.

AIPA vice president Captain Richard Woodward said the airline was expected to receive an equivalent number of new aircraft this year.

"Some of these aeroplanes were due for grounding anyway," Mr Woodward told reporters in Sydney on Thursday.

"So I'm not sure whether these are ones that are due to be grounded or they're extras.

"I suspect it's a ploy."

Mr Woodward said Alan Joyce's announcement on Thursday has only worsened the dispute between the airline and the three unions.

"I think this whole campaign has been about spin," he said.

"I think Alan is exacerbating this dispute at every opportunity he gets."