Some airlines seem to be able to cope!!
Eying Qantas, Etihad talks up Aussie market
Wednesday, 17 August 2011
Etihad carries 8 million passengers to 70 cities around the world
Etihad chief executive James Hogan believes global airlines will be keeping a close eye on the restructuring of Qantas’ international operations, with opportunities expected to arise from a decision by the airline to cut routes.
“We see Qantas maybe withdrawing from certain routes so we are very keen remind consumers and the travel trade that there is an alternative, a viable alternative called Etihad,” Mr Hogan told press in Sydney, calling Australia a key source of growth for the airline.
Currently, around 15 per cent of Etihad’s capacity in terms of available seat kilometres is currently dedicated to the Aussie market, the Australian reported.
And according to Mr Hogan, the carrier will be hoping to build further on its presence down under as it looks to increase its Brisbane services to be daily, and eventually commence services to Perth.
“We know that to get Brisbane where we’d like it to be, we need to go daily,” the Etihad boss remarked.
“It’s just a matter of timing.”
Mr Hogan said a focus by the airline on regions such as China would mean operations to Perth would not happen in “the short term”, according to the newspaper.
“You’ll start to see more frequency in the Middle East, more destinations and frequency into China,” he commented.
“You’ll see in the next couple of years destinations in Vietnam and more US penetration.
“So Perth will probably be around the 2014-15 mark.”
Etihad currently operates 11 weekly flights out of Sydney, daily services from Melbourne and three weekly flights from Brisbane.
Earlier this month, the carrier launched a major nationwide advertising campaign inviting Australians to“change to the best”.