Originally Posted by
Ken Borough
I think the problem is bigger than that. Put simply, it's what happens when vital infrastructure is sold to developers whose sole purpose in life is to get as much as possible for least effort. Canberra Airport has been whingeing about cancellations and the impact on customer service. Since when was an airport owner interested in an airline's customers? My take is that Canberra Airport owners resent the loss of income arising from the cancellations.
Customers are only as important as the spend per head.
Airport revenue management is the core of the issue, after all monopoly assets generating monopoly return is big business.
Airport management plans
include gate and hard stand occupancy as both are key sources of aeronautical revenue. For Qantas the costs of flight cancellation due serviceability, crew shortages and the like are only an issue at point of departure. Thus to Qantas, Canberra airport can incur the externality.
Qantas domestic pilots, so we are informed, graciously take no pay for flights cancelled. So to Qantas Canberra airport ought not be paid either.
This may be actual story, one near monopoly pushing around another.