A#r $orth $A operations

[11percent]

I heard that %ir $orth are pulling out of SA by the end of the year and will be replaced by a Dash 8 operation?

Can anyone shed light on the reliability of info?

[missy]

http://www.pprune.org/forums/showthread.php?s=&postid=2175243#post2175243

[Bandito]

These rumours have been ongoing for a while now, but gaining strength.

Somethings up but nothing confirmed.

Wouldnt put any money on things staying the same though regardless of the possibilities out there.

Get ready to take another career hit.



:ouch:

[Woomera]

I understand Airlines of SA and Emu Airlines are to close.

Pilots have been given termination notices, some to take effect as early as November 8.

The company has issued a Press Release.

Woomera

[HANOI]

Regional Link ( Airlines of S.A. and Emu Airlines ) are to cease all South Australian operations effective 9 November.

QantasLink will commence a Dash-8 operation effective 18 December initially servicing Adelaide - Port Lincoln / Adelaide - Kangaroo Island and Kangaroo Island - Melbourne.

[VintageRed]

Any idea of Eastern taking over any other routes in SA particularly WHA, MTG, KSC and PAG?

[Doctor Smith]

There's a rumour going round that instead of being replacements, that the 7 -400's due soon will now be additional units. Hopefully this ties in and I hope that those crew at ASA/Emu get an opportunity for work with Eastern's.
Sorry to hear about the redundancies.

Oh, my delicate back...

[cuffs]

If what the press release says is true and QANTAS were going to go in there in December with TL operating, what hope is there for all the other QF aligned regionals. If QF have no regard etc for a company like TL, what does fate hold for Mac-Air, O'conners etc.
QF dont want to see REX get up and I bet we will see QF on some Mac-Air and O'conner routes with in 6-12 months

[steelcraft]

A lot of good people lost there jobs today( I presume) How many were from the origional ASA/EMU opeations befoe they were taken over by Airnorth. Nothing like uncertainy coming around evey two years.

[Howard Hughes]

Cuffs,

What makes you think this is an aggressive move by QF?
Perhaps Airnorth have mad a business decision to move out of South Australia due to poor economics, Qantas may have made a similar business decision in order to protect their market share by operating these routes! As it is there are no other operators in South Australia with the capacity to take up the slack.
Qantas has never been interested in South Australia in the past due to the poor economics of the routes, why would they start now?

Unless another possible scenario is Qantas link want to hurt their main South Eastern competitor in it's most profitable market. What are the ongoing ramifications for the upcoming float? Can I get my subscription back?

There are lots of forces at play here guys and I suspect the Australian regional market will never be the same again.

HH.

Good luck to all the guys/gals at ASA/Airnorth, perhaps positions will be made available at QF link.

[Bandito]

Theres a few left from the original ASA days.

"Get ready to take another career hit"

:ouch:

Hate it when i'm right.

[Pinky the pilot]

Howard; I had an interesting 'phone conversation this morning with a couple of people who really do know what has gone down and assure you that Cuffs is close to the mark!
Once again a few of the original ASA people are uncertain of what the future holds; even more so given the current circumstances. And my regards, best wishes and sympathies to all!:ok:

You only live twice. Once when
you're born. Once when
you've looked death in the face.

[Howard Hughes]

Pinky,

not what I have heard, but I am always open to correction by someone a little closer to the action.

Cheers, HH.

:ok:

[Deejay 1]

Morning all

Cuffs is pretty close although depending on what the contracts between QF and the local regional say about first right of refusal re services might determine such entry.
PUG is unlikely to figure in either Rex or QF plans due to too close to ADL by road and Whyalla with 2 other carriers.

Closure of ASA/Emu was indeed sad day and affair

[Desert Flower]

Let's just say that ASA/AirNorth didn't fall, they were pushed.

DF.

[apache]

If you can't make money on the ADELAIDE-PORT LINCOLN route, as a duopoly, then there is a problem.

It is THE ideal regional route.... 8 hours to drive vs 35 mins to fly. I understand that Port Lincoln has THE highest population of millionaires per capita than any other city in the world (I may be wrong?!)

EMU made money by ONLY doing AD-KSC, so there IS money to be made on THAT route too!

Having said all that... it WOULDN'T surprise me if they were "pushed"!

[mootyman]

We all wondered how long it could keep going with flights of two/none pax on so many flights. And to constantly keep pissing of the pax by having no aircraft to back up breakdowns and if we did have aircraft we had no crew, that was also another sign of short future. We were told that we were running at a loss and that they were happy to do that until they either managed to suck another airline into the Regional Link idea or buy them. I think in the end our losses became out of hand and with Q on the way it was a good time to go.

[Bandito]

Agreed Mooty.

QF and Rex on the routes should be interesting this summer tho.

Goodluck to all.

[Deejay 1]

Hey Mootman, you're pretty well on the ball with your numbers re pax. The lack of crew must have given Rexy boy a few laughs, and then no planes (the Bandits [ sorry Bandito] don't really count against the 340's now do they?)
Regionallink, a great idea but lacking airlines.
Launched in Mar 2004, not one other carrier joined, and one wonders what the benefits were to those involved.
It sure seemed to confuse the pax!!!!!!

Desert Flower, more likely a combination of both tho not sure in what percentages.

Apache, yes there is truckloads of $$$$ to made on PLO, the old Kendell did very well thankyou v much. But you need planes and drivers, withoiut them might as well catch the bus!

KI high loads southbound once a day, highloads nothbound once a day. Any wonder why Rex only ran twice a day, compared to Emu's 6 a day, albeit with Chieftains and Bandits?
KI always was a very load yielding route, and there are plenty of airline skeletons bleaching on the Island as proof, Check all the photos at KI terminal.

[On eyre]

Get down to the nitty gritty everyone - ASA failed because of bad management (twice). Every business has two groups of customers - external (passengers) that pay the money and hopefully keep coming back if they are satisfied with the service and internal (staff) that keep the show running. Both have to be looked after and treated with respect.
Passengers will keep coming back if you provide the right schedule, stick to it and not offer weak excuses when things go wrong, and a range of fares to suit their needs. I believe ASA failed in this area.
I understand from the grizzles around that the staff were treated less than admirably also so for them to perform at their best to enable the company to prosper was asking a bit much.
The supposed pull out because Qantaslink were coming is a weak excuse for failure for other reasons.
All that said Port Lincoln and the lower Eyre Peninsula needs two airlines and I am sure the competition between Rex and Qantaslink will be fierce but fair.

[RENURPP]

Air North has never, i.e. never handled competition. This is just another example. Why don't they handle compettion, because their service is hope less, they are expensive, they late they cancel flight and don't look after their customers.
Now we just need some reasonble airservices in the NT and they can dissappear from hee as well.
Unfortunately there is not the population to attract a real airline.

[Deejay 1]

Hey on eyre, you're nearly right.

The planes I think were the main issue, only one Bras, remember Great Western one 1900?
Schedules from Nov 04 were pretty good except for the day stop on the Tuesday, the bras nearly going in the fires that day!

Renurpp (great name) is also pretty close too, competition not being a big thing in the top end.
Opportunity was there in the initial purchase in Oct 03 to give Rexy boy a big hurry up, but would have needed 2 Bras to do so, providing the opportunity 6 months later to cover KI when Emu stopped "flying", as well as provide back up.

Perhaps some ex employee waiting for a job (sorry to hear about Air Paradise people today too) might write a book about the whole episode, could make good reading.

[Pinky the pilot]

I endorse On eyre's comments completely, as he does know of what he speaks!:ok:
It always made me curious as to how an independent operation could be effectively controlled from the other side of the continent, especially when a problem which needed to be fixed first thing yesterday had to be referred by 'phone to someone sitting in an office 2k nauticals away.:hmm:

You only live twice. Once when
you're born. Once when
you've looked death in the face.

[Detuls]

Mmmmm. Airnorth haven't changed at all eh. It all sounds so familiar. Qlink hadn't planned to start so early' but when big bro calls you jump.The whole gig suprised everyone and when ASA/Airnorth heard they pulled the plug.Sorry to hear about the loss of jobs.

[Pinky the pilot]

Now that the 'dust has settled' does anyone know how many ASA Pilots were offered transfers to YPDN, how many accepted same, etc etc.
I was in the GA Terminal building at AD last Friday and the place was very quiet. Rather sad actually.

You only live twice. Once when
you're born. Once when
you've looked death in the face.

[Deejay 1]

My mail tells me that most of the Braz head jockeys if not all went back to DRW. Some and only some of the FO's who had transferred from Bandits to Braz were offered gigs, but only about 1 or 2 of the total crew base, which wasnt alot anyway!
Some Bandit Boys also got the nod, as the 2 owned Bandits were sent to DRW, though only Wilbur and Orville could work out why, given their capacity/performance or lack thereof.
I understand that about 4 were offered and accepted, the majority being ex Metro boys and girls who made the big shift to Adelaide to gain command and/or extra hours.
Nil Chieftain guys went as far as I know.
And I think only 1 Cabin Attendant was offered a spot, but I think she declined.
I too was at the GA Terminal on Friday Pinky, and it is very very quiet indeed.
Did you see Airsouth's wet lease Bandit from Air Nunga Nunga or whatever it is/was on the plot?
Story is that they will take over all existing ASA/Emu office space plus their own existing when ASA/Emu leaves the building which is end of this week.

Indeed rather sad.

Merry Christmas!