Oh and news just to hand from the IASC website (
www.iasc.gov.au)...
"Qantas has applied for an allocation of capacity on the United Kingdom route - advertised on 23 February 2004 - Qantas application ( 65 KB Note: requires Acrobat Reader Version 5 or later) - Closing date for notice of intention to submit an application is COB 1 March 2004
Qantas currently operates 21 services per week between Australia and London via Singapore and Bangkok. Qantas is now seeking an allocation of an additional seven services per week in order to expand its operations to 28 services per week. As with the India application above this is the full allocation available to Australian carriers.
Qantas plans to operate an additional three services from November 2004 and the remaining four would be added over the 12 months to November 2005.
Qantas is seeking permission to price and market its services, and share/pool revenues/profits on the route, with British Airways as long as such practices are authorised under the Trade Practices Act 1974 or otherwise authorised by the Australian Competition Tribunal, in event of review by that Tribunal.
Update:
On 27 February Backpacker Xpress notified an intention to apply for capacity on the United Kingdom route - applications close at COB 24 March 2004. Backpackers Xpress has now submitted competing applications on the route. Backpacker Xpress application on United Kingdom route ( 350 KB)
On the UK route Backpackers Xpress has applied for three services a week and Qantas for the 7 seven services per week that are available.
The Commission is now calling for submissions about the applications from both Qantas and Backpackers Xpress. The closing date for notice of intention to submit is COB 6 April 2004.
On 1 April 2004 the Commission allocated the 4 uncontested services to Qantas."
Having read the report from the IASC, Qantas needs to take up at least 3 of these 4 services by 30 November 2004. The remaining 1 can be taken up after this date, whilst the other 3 slots (being contested with Backpackers Xpress) await determination from the IASC.