Qantas to spend $50m on Perth airport

[pilotdude09]

QANTAS has announced it will spend $50m upgrading the airline's Perth terminal in major revamp beginning later this year.

Qantas executive general manager services Curtis Davies said the improvements were necessary to cope with the increasing number of domestic travellers using the airport, recently branded the worst in the country.

The remodelled terminal would provide better passenger facilities as well as aircraft and baggage services.

Mr Davies said the improvement would include more check-in counters, faster security screening, a bigger departure lounge and an upgraded Qantas Club lounge.

The investment was welcomed by airport owner Westralia Airports Corporation.

Perth airport chief executive Brad Geatches said the decision recognised that WA was one of the airline's strongest growth markets and a vital part of its global network.

The number of passenger at Perth's domestic terminals has almost doubled in the past five years and more than five million passengers would pass through the terminal this year - most through the Qantas terminal, Mr Geatches said.

Perth Airport has already begun spending $19m million on other airport improvements.


:D:D
QF Finally woke up. The graphics that ive seen on 7 news showing an additional air bridge being built over where the Qantas link area is and all of that being extended along with check in areas downstairs and a bigger lounge area. They think that will help ease the growth pains for 5 years then they will relocate accross to the INTL terminal!!

[BrazDriver]

All well and good but when is the new runway coming? Is it still earmarked for 2025? :ugh:

[Tropicalchief]

The fifty million dollars would be better spent in providing one combined domestic and international terminal in Perth. The current situation is a disaster and has been for years. The same applies to Brisbane, Cairns, Coolangatta and Adelaide.
Why the opportunity was lost when these airports were being redeveloped is beyond comprehension. It has just caused so much inconvenience for arriving and departing domestic and international passengers connecting with other flights and people who are inadvertently "dropped off" at the wrong terminal by taxi drivers and bus companies.
Tullamarine seems to be the only airport that got it right back in the seventies.

[ZK-NSJ]

are they going to put an atm in the departures area, was a bloody shambles when to get money out you have to go back thru security, and all the vendors have a $10 minimum for eftpos

[BrazDriver]

I wouldn't go through security again just for $, just get it at your destination!

[Capn Bloggs]

an additional air bridge being built over where the Qantas link area is
Excellent. I won't get wet getting to my 'plane! :} :ok:

[Capn Bloggs]

Oh yea, I liked the bit about the extra 1300 bays for the carpark (apparently a 50% increase). I wonder why WAC didn't mention they were more than 500m from the terminals??

[dijon moutard]

WAC would be the greatest joke as far as airport operators ; their "modus operandi" is lets build more car parks but no infrastructure.

their is insuffucient taxy-ways and parking areas (tarmac space) ; and they have not spent one cent on infrastucture except sub-division of the land (for non-airline business) and the 03 ILS (forced on them by safety concerns from the aviation industry).

customer satisfaction with wac is at an all-time low ; the federal government should look at their 99 year lease and revoke it !!!!!!!


cheers
mustard

[squawk6969]

and dont you guys want a CatIII ILS too!:uhoh:

[aviator's_anonymous]

Sounds like perth is going through what adelaide had gone through... though it seems like their just as bad management wise both in WA and in ADL.
We just got a new terminal about a year ago which incorporated International/Domestic, and they're ALREADY having to expand due to lack of space...:D *sigh*... yeah...10 year forcast :ugh: riggghhhtttt...

[Buster Hyman]

Tullamarine seems to be the only airport that got it right back in the seventies.
Crikey! Don't let the SYD centrics hear you saying that! They'll hijack yer thread they will!!!:eek:

[BrazDriver]

Direct, Coffee and a sanger up there will be at least $10! :yuk: They all hit you for every cent you have!

[dijon moutard]

the staff car park is a total reflection of the whole mess at perth airport ;try parking your car or even finding a spare spot !!!!!

you need a 4wd to negotiate the concrete curbs to find a spot to park ; and other car's are parked blocking access ( no choice ) to negotiate the park itself.

but hey another extra 500 or so public parking area's will be available soon at outrageous price's !!!!!!!!

cheers
mustard

[flightfocus]

What is WAC doing? Have a look at the squillions being pumped into the non aviation precinct on the International side. Fark.

With record pax movements comes record profits from pax tax and landing charges - and the best that the combined overpaid frontal lobes can come up with is a $50m stop gap measure. :ugh:

Why delay the inevitable. Get on with the main game. Build the new terminal over the international side. What a complete waste of $50m dollars. :yuk:


Interesting when you go the WAC spin site http://www.perthairport.net.au/ and look under the "Property" menu, then the "Major Development Plans" sub menu, all they list are the Coles, Woolies sites etc.

FOR AN AIRPORT!!!! :sad::eek:

Thankfully if you look hard enough you can still find info about the "Master Plan" here: http://www.perthairport.com/default.aspx?MenuID=42

By the way why can't we get a taxiway to the threshold of RWY 06. :mad:

[dijon moutard]

WAC are still working out how to read "tea leaves" for their aviation masterplan ; but they are master's at sub-dividing land and "flogging it off" to the likes of cole's and woolies.
if only they had the same drive and tenacity with regard to the "aviation" side of the business.
anyone who works at the airport should give your local "polly" a call and remind of them of the disgrace that perth airport is ; and ask the question : what are they (wac) going to do about it ?

cheers
mustard

[pilotdude09]

I agree with Mustard and F/F what a wate of money!

Its just a band aid fix and in 5 years theres going to be double the passenger numbers than there is now! They need to start building the new terminals within the next 2-3 years ready for 2014-2015 when the amount of people travelling through Perth will be millions more than now.

Its like the International Terminal "Revamp" they done all the public face areas up but the behind the scences, departures longe, immigration etc is still like it would have been 20 years ago.

"Halfassed the Westralia Airport Way" :=

[Going Boeing]

What is WAC doing? Have a look at the squillions being pumped into the non aviation precinct on the International side.

I believe that the $50 million is being pumped in by Qantas to develop their terminal area - no WAC money involved.

In 1998, Qantas had a plan to extend the terminal to the NW for about 70m then a finger to the NE leading to satellite bays. Intention was to have the Intra-state flights operating from the satellite area and longer range flights operating from the main terminal area. This was supposed to be operational in the 2001 timeframe. It looks like the schedule slipped a little.

[Going Boeing]

Steve Creedy | August 31, 2007

QANTAS is following up its decision to spend $50 million revamping its terminal in Perth with big increases in seat capacity to Sydney and Melbourne as well as within the state.

The airline intends to replace its Boeing 737 services with more comfortable wide-body aircraft on all flights to Sydney and Melbourne.

It says using Airbus A330 and Boeing 767 aircraft exclusively on the routes will boost the number of seats by 11,700 to 61,000.

Qantas executive general manager John Borghetti said the decision to upgrade the interstate services was a sign of the airline's commitment to Western Australia and the buoyancy of the market there.

Mr Borghetti said the airline would also add 5000 seats to intrastate services from next June.

This would see five additional Boeing 737 services between Perth and Karratha, three additional Boeing 717 services to Broome and two more 717 services to Newman.

The airline will also replace its five weekly 717 services between Perth and Port Hedland with 737 flights.

This is in addition to new Qantaslink services between Perth, Karratha, Kalgoorlie andBroome due to start in November.

"Western Australia is obviously very important to us, be it intra-WA, interstate or internationally," Mr Borghetti said.

"We also said we're going to replace the 767 that operates Perth-Hong Kong with an A330 from next January so it brings state-of-the-art product on line."

Mr Borghetti said the decision to operate the transcontinental routes exclusively with wide-body jets would allow the airline to offer more capacity, frequency and comfort.

"The 737s are a great aircraft and they've been operating well but demand has grown," he said.

"And you've got a choice. You keep running a lot of 737s backwards and forwards or put a bigger aeroplane in, which does a number of things.

"Obviously it's more economical but, secondly, its a much better customer proposition, a more spacious cabin and the rest of it.

"And thirdly, you have the issue of having capacity at a time that you want it in the peak." The airline has been running Boeing 747-300s on the Perth route but these are due for retirement as the Airbus A380s come on stream from next year.

The Hong Kong 767-300 will be redeployed on the route and A330s would be added towards the end of the two-year period, Mr Borghetti said.

He said the A380s would also free up 747-400 capacity and said these could be deployed domestically.

Qantas is also extending its Cityflyer services from Adelaide to include weekday flights to Brisbane, Perth and Canberra from Wednesday.

The South Australian capital has had Cityflyer services to Sydney and Melbourne since 2002 but the airline says a growth in business traffic warranted extending the flights.

The Qantas announcements come as Skywest this week announced it would begin its much-anticipated Kalgoorlie-Melbourne service.

The flights will begin on November 21 and will operate three times a week to Melbourne Airport.

The airline expects the service will be well utilised by mining and corporate passengers based in Kalgoorlie and Melbourne.

Skywest has already opened bookings and is offering a launch fare of $250 one-way or $498 return for tickets bought before September 9.

[topend3]

previous posters have hit the nail on the head, the $50m is all QF money to develop their own terminal, there is no input from WAC...

problem is by the time they do the work, the pax numbers will have continued northwards and they will be only just "keeping up" with the growth.

[pilotdude09]

I love the newspaper article, how they say the 767 has a better cabin and product!!

Atleast the 737 has drop down IFE. But defintley not more comfortable seating wise. Was hoping that they may put the 2 class 744's on PER-SYD which would be the best thing for the route especially because people seem to like the IFE and the J class seat.