RIVAL IN THE SKIES (TL - MA route)
From the Townsville Bulletin Newspaper today (22/11/08)
RIVAL IN THE SKIES
BY JENNIFER O’REILLY
******’S stranglehold on the skies from Townsville to Mount Isa could be at an end with QantasLink announcing new services to the mining city yesterday.
QantasLink planned to start services between Townsville and Mount Isa from March, subject to approval from the Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA).
Qantas group general manager regional airlines Narendra Kumar said the airline would offer 11 return services each week.
Travellers between the two cities hoped the introduction of another carrier would translate into cheaper fares – currently a weekday full price flight on ****** between the cities can be up to $600 one way.
QantasLink said flight schedules and air fares for the new services would be announced in coming weeks.
“We will offer a range of very competitive fares,” Mr Kumar said.
The proposed services would offer more than 80,000 seats a year with two flights a day, Monday to Friday, and one on Sunday.
The service would be operated by new 72-seat Bombardier Q400 aircraft that would join QantasLink’s fleet in early 2009.
The Q400s offer jet-like speed, meaning travel time would be up to 25minutes faster than what was currently on offer.
But for the new services to go ahead QantasLink needs regulatory approval from CASA to use the Q400s on the Townsville to Mount Isa route.
****** declined the Townsville Bulliten’s request for an interview yesterday.
It has come under fire recently for being ‘unreliable’ with haphazard arrival and departure times between the two cities making it difficult for passengers to maintain commitments on the coast.
QantasLink yesterday maintained its new services would not affect its commercial relations with ******.
“This new route will have no impact at all on ******’s existing relations with Qantas,” Mr Kumar said.
****** Airlines is a Qantas commercial partner.
That means it has access to world wide distribution through the Qantas reservation system.
The agreement between the two carriers also currently allows passenger to use loyalty points on a number of services.
****** services almost 30 destinations in its network, with the link between Townsville and Mount Isa being the busiest.
End of story.
Going to get very interesting for ****** when that goes ahead.
No I did not put ****** where the word MaaaccccAIR should be, pprune does it automatically.