EK wins rights to addition Autralian flights

[CAYNINE]

EK, EY and Qatar have all been given addition rights to Oz.

Emirates has rights for an additional 33 flights per week.

Now I can't wait to hear the bleating from Dixon and Jackson.....

[L1011]

Full article from Australian:
Emirates Airlines to double Australian services
* March 22, 2007
ONE of the world's most luxurious airlines will double its Australian services by 2011.
Transport Minister Mark Vaile today announced Emirates Airlines will operate an additional 35 flights each week to Australia by 2011.
"I welcome the successful outcome of this week's negotiations with the United Arab Emirates which will provide Australia's airports and tourism industry with increased airline operations and tourists," Mr Vaile said in a statement.
Emirates will operate from Sydney, Melbourne, Perth and Brisbane.
"Recognising the importance of competition, the new arrangements will also allow new entrant Etihad Airways to operate an additional 21 flights each week to Australia by 2011," Mr Vaile said.
The announcement had been predicted for some time and comes one day after local carrier Virgin Blue took a major step in its plans to launch an international airline by signing a deal to buy six long-haul Boeing jets.
Brisbane Airport Corporation said the deal deftly balanced the need for competition against the health of local airlines.
"Emirates has shown a significant commitment to this market amid challenging times, and their investments have clearly demonstrated this world-leading airline is here for the long haul," corporation spokesman Jim Carden said.
Brisbane Airport is the fastest growing airport in Australia.
"We appreciated the very complex challenge the government has faced on this issue, and the many interests at play, but believe they have got the balance right," Mr Carden said.
"The increased capacity will go a long way to addressing the capacity crunch that we and other Australian airports have been facing, and the winners will be the travelling public and of course the many small and medium sized businesses that rely on competitive, healthy and importantly direct international air connections."
Along with the extra flights, Emirates will further add to the local economy through maintenance work.
Queensland government firm Aviation Australia has won a contract to support the training of engineering maintenance staff.
State Minister for Education, Training and the Arts Rod Welford said the contract was proof Queensland's pursuit of aviation business was paying off.
"Six years ago we set about establishing Aviation Australia and now we have a world class training operation with many international clients.
"We are delighted Emirates has shown further commitment to Australia by choosing our local company for its engineering training centre,'' Mr Welford said.
- AAP
When will they begin? No aircraft or crews right now. Though b****ngs will
solve the latter ;)

[CAYNINE]

Short answer .....YES.
When a carrier is so arrogant and focused only on making the profit it does by shafting those that work there they deserve more competition to bring reality to bear.
Why don't we hear Branson bitching???
Because he knows that to be successful you get the job done, not whine about competition.
I would love to see QF come to DXB and expand the route network and give EK some competition, they have the rights, they have the company structure....so why not reciprocate the access.... not knowing?

Besides are they still an Oz airline with Tex Pac becoming the significant partnership owner?

[AirNoServicesAustralia]

KH, I have to ask the obvious question here, what is the QANTAS international strategy. I mean look at the demographics of Australia. You have a large Lebanese population, and an increasingly large Muslim population who previously called the Middle East home. In addition to this you have an increasingly large Pakistani and Indian community in Australia. Emirates and Etihad (and Qatari shortly) service these markets by having flights direct from Australia to the Middle East while also having good connections to European and American destinations out of Dubai and Abu Dhabi.

All the while even though QANTAS have the landing rights to land in Abu Dhabi and Dubai (in fact its open skies here so any airline can fly here including some dodgy brothers airlines from up North), they choose to ignore the Middle East completely and continue going Oz-Singapore-Europe. Well the Middle East is now biting them in the butt big time and if they don't pull their finger out soon they will lose even more market share to these off-shore oil money blow-ins.

You can go on about how it's not fair cos these airlines are subsidised by their governments, and it's not fair cos they have access to cheap avgas etc etc. but thats reality, the world isn't fair and business isn't fair, and rather than bleating about how QANTAS is being squeezed out of their own home market, maybe the CEO could face this challenge head on and improve cabin service and inflight entertainment, improve connections and offer more destinations including the Middle East.

[OzStriker]

Many of us in QF are beating our heads against a wall thinking exactly that ASA.

[max AB]

I suspect that the Caynine was having a thrash at GD and not Qantas. QF managment have a long history of bleeting at news of competition, it is a way of supporting their cost cutting etc and I am sure many QF staff would think the same. This is what GD said when Qatar announced MEL flights
“... Qantas will have no option but to achieve further cost savings if it is to remain competitive,”

Last time I checked QF didn't fly to Qatar...

[Marooned]

It is always a little interesting to read 'win' the rights to anything where EK are concerned. It's never been a fair game and you can bet that it wasn't a open bid that won the rights to any of the routes down-under for EK.

I am sure a little digging around the stables and other UAE interests in Oz could uncover more than a little manure which helped ferilized one or two politicains back gardens and grew their support.

[CAYNINE]

Max AB, thankyou,

yes it's not the employees per say that I am having a go at it is the mental attitude of the CEO and the board that could take all the opportunities that the ME offers and turn QF into a "can do" airline, look at what they have dropped in recent years, Paris and Rome for God's sake the Italian connection goes beyond belief.

I just get tired of hearing the same stuff all the time about unfair competition.... so damn well compete stop whinging!!!!