Airwork, Alliance, Toll and Virgin Blue, what’s the goss?

[whogivesa????]

Toll has announced they are purchasing 2 B737 freighters, one to be based in Brisbane and the other in Perth. They will be operated by Airwork. After doing a bit of research I’ve found Airwork are part owners of Alliance Airlines. And after doing a little further research it appears from next month Alliance Airlines is moving from the common user section of Brisbane Airport to the Virgin Blue terminal. So what does this all mean; is it the start of something bigger?

[Warped Wings]

From the Toll Group Interim Results Presentation

http://www.toll.com.au/media/2007/546%20half%20year%20profit%20release%2021022007.pdf

"Work continues in relation to the freight alliance between Virgin Blue and Toll and it is expected that details of this initiative will be released shortly."

Last I heard VB management indicated they were not interested in operating freighters for Toll so I'm not sure what form the "initiative" will take.:confused:

[ebt]

Probably likely to be that Virgin Blue will take some of the freight capacity on a blocked space arrangement. I'd say that there may also be some freight fed from DJ services on to the Airwork aircraft at BNE.

Alliance moving out makes sense regardless of any tie up with Virgin/Toll. They're adding more and more F100s so they must have a need for more space for all of them. The management at Alliance are very much on the ball and very forward looking, so I think whatever is going on there they're going to do well out of it.

[WilliamOK]

Does anyone see the likelyhood of Alliance expanding into RPT services? Aisde from thier fifo and ad hoc charter work?

[Whitney]

anyone see the likelyhood of Alliance expanding into RPT services

The MD can be quoted as saying that the RPT days are long gone for QQ.

The last RPT service was a TSV BNE evening service approx 18 months ago.

Why go RPT and do $ cold, when adhoc charter and FIFO work just keeps belting down the door?

[WilliamOK]

Why go RPT and do $ cold, when adhoc charter and FIFO work just keeps belting down the door?

I guess that fair enough isn't it?

[AN CSO]

Alliance had a very large local following in Townsville whilst they were operating RPT. They were well known for their good in-flight service and the passengers loved the leg room in the F100:D

Alliance also said they would only ever operate more than 1 type and would never fly turboprops again, yet less than 2 years on and they have orders for 2 Fokker 50's with options on another 3:ugh:

You can never say never in aviation:=

[OhForSure]

Perhaps more to the point, I read in a Toll release the other day that these two "new" aircraft are to be in the air "sometime in April"!!!

Anyone know whether the Airwork 737s will be -200s or -300s???

Thats a tremendous increase in capacity...

[Grivation]

-300's. And I believe they've been purchased by Airwork not Toll. Toll own the ground support gear and cans.

[Icarus2001]

RPT/CHTR can be very close together though The biggest difference is that RPT pays per seat sold. FIFO pays for the whole aircraft. No marketing to fickle local communities required. No handling agent required. A much better business plan.

[Brasilian Bird]

FIFO pays for the whole aircraft

As seen in the number of times a D8 or Braz came back to PH with 1 (very well looked after) guy on board... used to seema waste, but hey, if you can get a few grand for it and not have to shell on food, why not? :p

Anyway back to the topic of freight... my favourite... :p

[OhForSure]

Very interesting. -300s was always the logical answer. However, what sort of loads are AaE and Toll going to achieve PER-MEL/SYD? I would have thought Trans-con flights would be payload limited??? Route through ADL?

Furthermore, with these aircraft arriving in April, where are they coming from? It's certainly not as if there is a surplus of 733Fs lying around. There may be SOME 733s, but conversion would take a while (just look at the mob in AVV :mad:)!!! Plus all the cans and equipment... and then where are they going to be handled? "Patrick" international?

[Skystar320]

OhForSure,

A quick phone call around and a visit to some websites found no less than 4 737-300F's for sale/lease.

[VBA Engineer]

So who is actually operating them?

If Airwork have the aircraft, Toll have the freight, who has the AOC?

Or does Airwork have an Australian AOC?

[Speeds high]

I dont think the agreement allows for a company to operate a service wholly within Oz on a Kiwi AoC. While there is some latitude for services within and into Oz, the operator is required to initially still get approval from CASA and then eventually obtain an Oz AoC.

[Grivation]

Will be Airwork Australia Pty Ltd with a CASA AOC - from what I've heard :E

[whogivesa????]

What about the Alliance link? Could they use their AOC? Will Airwork make use of facilities in Brisbane?