ABC News tonight said today's inaugral flight today had 57 people on board but said that most were on freebies, invited by Stoddart. They also said that the response had not been overwhelming and that most of next week's flights had loads in single digits. Its gonna be a long hot (dry) Christmas methinks. Looks like Stoddart will be delving into his "war chest" earlier than he thought (history has shown that he has never had one).
Makes his article yesterday look disingenuous eh? "loads at break even" - bullsh*t.
Someone should teach Stoddart some basic rules for start-ups; you lead with the low-fare (i.e. $200 o/w), you don't aim high with the high fare (i.e. $300+) and then back down later and send a clear message to everyone that no-one is buying your tickets.
"expected more support from the public"! - Why? You've got crappy old aircraft aimed at the top end of the market when even the bottom of the barrell leisure carriers are carting everyone around in brand spanking new A320's and B737-NGs. You've got a flight every 2 hours, when your competition is running every 30 minutes - surprisingly enough delivering to the markets needs.
This clown has overestimated the average business persons support for the "aussie battler".