Originally Posted by
TWOTBAGS
While it is galling i'll give you the way this has played out and it has nothing to do with any one airline.
Its not the government that's selling us out, its the government trying to help exporters an the hierarchy at the big Q with their head in the sand about it. Logistics pipelines have been reliant upon underbelly space and as time has progressed its now that QF flag out to Atlas their long haul freighters and there are only two 767 all cargo aircraft left in the country. The difference is between OpEx and CapEx on a balance sheet and no one in this county wants to commit to a contract long enough for an operator to spend the CapEx on getting a main deck freighter. This honestly is the crux of it, nobody in the higher levels is prepared to accept the responsibility for CapEx when the risk analysis cant see past 18 months.
I have contacts right now that that have tonnages available for transport in both directions 36T in the belly of 330 of 51T in a 787 would make a difference but Q are seeking a premium that is not achievable in the market.
Its also exporters that for years have been paying below market rates for years that cant get it through their head and freight forwarders who change 20T payloads hours before departure to save themselves $1200 on a 20T load that cost us the taxpayer $50k in subsidies.
The contracts are not below costs, the big Q is being very Linda Evangelista in this respect that theydon't get out of bed for less than$10,000a day an hour yet they have the most fuel efficient widebodies that have plenty of green time that could do the job at the cost of fuel/LLP's and enroutes......... but they wont, and thats with fuel at <$400 a ton.
So please dont blame the govt, they are trying to save the perishable exporters and help them get product to market, instead shine the light at the guys that are too busy trying to play one state govt off against the other so they can move their HQ. As Winston Churchill stated "Never let a good crisis go to waste."
You missed my point entirely.
The other airlines that win these contracts are being subsidised by their own governments so they can afford to under cut an airline such as Qantas that’s receiving SFA support. Do you honestly believe that the other players are losing their own money flying these contracts? Of course not. They’re being backed by their governments and by the fact that they don’t have stand down provisions in their respective terms and conditions so hence this distortion of costs goes against the likes of Qantas. Once again we’ve been conned and lay down on an uneven playing field full of bull****.
Air New Zealand received a 900 million dollar government loan. What did our airlines get. Zip to support an International operation. What a joke.