Fri "Hobart Mercury"
Jetstar rescue mission
By NICK CLARK
23jul04
JETSTAR chief executive Alan Joyce will come on a rescue mission to Tasmania next week amid growing controversy about cancellations of the budget airline's service to the state.
Opposition Leader Rene Hidding said Jetstar was treating Tasmania like a backwater. Jetstar corporate relations spokesman Simon Westerway revealed that Mr Joyce would spend two days in Tasmania next week talking to business and tourism groups. He said the cancellation of 15 flights to Hobart between July 21 and July 31 had been blown out of proportion. Mr Hidding said the cancellations without notice on Tuesday set a dangerous precedent. But Premier Paul Lennon said people should not be too surprised that there was tweaking of airline schedules during midwinter.
"Obviously we are disappointed with this latest development and the focus for the Government will be sitting down with operators so we can consolidate services and continue to build our tourism momentum," Mr Lennon said. Mr Westerway said some flights to Launceston might be affected in coming days. But he said there needed to be some reality in the debate. "We are still doing a minimum of six flights a day to Hobart and the change to some flights is just 50 minutes," Mr Westerway said. He said commercial operators needed to have some flexibility if they were to continue to offer low fares. Seat numbers into Tasmania had jumped from 29,000 a week to 35,000 a week since Jetstar arrived. Mr Hidding, however, was one of several people dissatisfied with the carrier's performance since it began in May.
He said that under Jetstar's "unfriendly scheduling" airline customers could face an eight-hour wait between flights. Tasmanian Chamber of Commerce and Industry chief executive Damon Thomas said: "TCCI is aware of an increasing perception that Tassie is a wonderful place to visit and also do business but that it is increasingly inconvenient and difficult to get to." The cancellations affect 15 flights between July 21 and 31. The complaints follow a meeting convened by the Launceston Chamber of Commerce last week which sought to air complaints about Jetstar services. Gunns Ltd executive chairman John Gay recently said the firm might have to set up an office in Melbourne because of the difficulty of travel to Melbourne.
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