Jetstar to overtake Qantas says Bruce

[John Citizen]

Sky's the limit for new aviation star in Asia | Herald Sun (http://www.heraldsun.com.au/business/jetstar-rising/story-fn7j19iv-1226096399562)


WHEN Bruce Buchanan enthuses over Asia's incredible travelling expansion, the Jetstar boss speaks with the rapidity of a man flat out staying in front of aviation's most exciting market race.

Buchanan leads the world's fastest growing low-fare airline group, staying ahead of a North Asian market expansion of about 20 per cent a year fuelled by China's and South Korea's massive rising middle classes.

And he speaks with the authority of the increasing autonomy of the international Jetstar Group - which he sees inevitably overtaking the size of its parent, Qantas - and a confident directness on the local rivals Virgin Australia and the beleaguered Tiger.

He also warned the combative pilots union of "dire consequences" if it tries to press Qantas long-haul wage levels on to Jetstar.

Buchanan believes Australians who still think of Jetstar as primarily their locally-based low-cost carrier do not realise it will soon offer 60 destinations, half from the Singapore base of its Jetstar Asia sister.

"We've carried 20 million passengers in the past year after seven years of operation - the big low-cost carriers like Air Asia, Ryan Air in Europe, South West in the US, none of them reached that milestone so quickly. We're the fastest growing airline in the history of aviation," he said.

Last week Buchanan unveiled a $500 million investment in new aircraft which will take the Singapore base to four wide-bodied Airbus A330s and 17 A320s, new routes to Beijing, Ningbo and Hanoi and extra flights to Hong Kong, Taipei, Ho Chi Minh City, Kuala Lumpur, Bali and Jakarta.

The Asian business has tripled in three years.

"We're going to see a 4-5 times multiple for low-cost carriers in North Asia by the end of this decade," he said.

"I think there will be new Jetstar airlines which will appear in other parts of the world as well."

Buchanan "absolutely" believes Jetstar will become bigger than Qantas.

He thinks Jetstar and its main competitor Air Asia have already reached a size where economies of scale will make it tough for nationally-based airlines which used to have captive audiences to catch up.

Buchanan is comfortable with carrying the profit load on behalf of struggling Qantas, which he sees as temporary due to the business market strength of Qantas.

But he sees Jetstar revenue as growing faster than that of Qantas.

He believes some Qantas long-haul pilot salaries are "exorbitant' by international standards and said he would not tolerate any pay deal which would see Jetstar pilots paid the highest Qantas wages.

"If they try to impose those sorts of conditions, the dire consequences this will actually cause . . . we won't put the Qantas code share on our flights if that actually was to get up," Buchanan said.

"We're happy to get rid of it, no skin off our nose."

Buchanan said Jetstar only had a small proportional revenue on code-share connections to Qantas long-haul flights.

"We'd take the Qantas code off and you know what that will do?" he said.

"It's going to put you (pilots) in a worse situation, because they won't have the passenger traffic to continue to justify flying as many aircraft. So you'll wind up in this ridiculous situation where you cause your own demise even faster."

JETSTAR BROADENS HORIZONS

Passengers (2009-10) ............ 20 million
Destinations .............................. 58
Asian fleet ................................... 21 aircraft (by December)
North Asia growth ...................... Ahead of 17% annual projection
Employees .................................. 7000

[Captain.Que]

What rhymes with Bruce and goes quack quack...?
58 Destinations.....?
Jetstar Asia Airways destinations - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jetstar_Asia_Airways_destinations)

[Going Boeing]

The insight that this statement by BB gives is compelling:
"It's going to put you (pilots) in a worse situation, because they won't have the passenger traffic to continue to justify flying as many aircraft. So you'll wind up in this ridiculous situation where you cause your own demise even faster."
In his eyes, we were always going to lose our jobs. I've known for a long time that either we go or AJ & BB go - it's a battle to the final knockout blow. :yuk: :ugh:

[stillalbatross]

There you have it in a nutshell. The Kamikaze style management team.

If that's not justification enough for a board to sack it's management team, then tell me what is??

First priority of the board is to it's shareholders. Is Jetstar running at a loss and costing the Qantas group millions? Wow, I had no idea it was losing so much money through lowering it's salary costs.

If that's the case then the management must go.

[speeeedy]

we won't put the Qantas code share on our flights

"We'd take the Qantas code off and you know what that will do?"

I'll tell you what it will do Bruce:

1) It will stop the situation were people buy a Qantas ticket and end up on a Jetstar aeroplane. There is story upon story of some seriously pi%%ed off passengers put in this situation, of course that is a problem for Qantas not Jetstar, so Bruce doesn't care.

2) It will reduce your revenue from this dodgy practice. It will improve the Qantas image and reputation by finally stoping this stupid underhanded method of selling a "QF" flight and stop the gifting of passengers to our competition. How many of the Qantas passengers that end up on a Jetstar flight say "never again". A lot.

3) The cannibalisation (that was never supposed to happen) might be arrested. Qantas (the airline that used to regularly make between $600 to $1400 Million) might actually get back some of its own flying and stop deceiving people into flying on your bastard child.

4) The golden opportunity for dodgy revenue transfer will be severely reduced, suddenly you might have to justify your own existence.

No, Bruce, the QF code share on your flights is all one way as far as benefits go. It is all good for Jetstar and all bad for QF.

If you look at the dynamics of the reverse where the JQ code is on QF flights it is not surprising that again all the benefits are for Jetstar.

The whole operation is a parasite. :ugh: :ugh:

[DrPepz]

Jetstar should be very grateful to the government of Singapore for bending over backwards to facilitate its expansion ex SIN.

Basically QF gave their Singaporean proxy, Dennis Choo, a few million dollars to "purchase" 51% of Jetstar Asia from the founding shareholders. In effect, QF finances and controls 100% of Jetstar Asia.

In doing so, 3K is treated as a Singaporean carrier with a Singapore AOC, and fights with the SIA Group for air traffic rights - rights that SIA lobbied for decades to be opened to Singaporean carriers (which up till recently meant SIA and its family of airlines).

Since the government of Singapore has always told SIA that traffic through Changi far outweighs like-for-like rights for SIA, foreign carriers have been given liberal rights to fly into and out of Singapore, without similar rights being given to SIA in other countries.

For hubbing in Singapore, 3K/JQ receive generous landing, terminal use and office rebates, as well as an advertising budget to help them publicise new flights, from Changi Airport. JQ also committed to create 150 jobs in Singapore for every A330 based here.

Today, CAAS in air traffic rights negotiations, fights and lobbies for Jetstar Asia as a Singaporean carrier.

Some examples - SIA cut Haneda to 1x daily from 2x. If they did not reinstate the second daily, they would have lost the rights and invited to reapply with 3K.

SIA was probably thinking of cutting Athens. If they cut it after 30 years of serving the city, they would be invited to reapply together with 3K.

3K as a Singaporean carrier can fly any number of times to and through the UK airports (1st to 9th freedoms! Yes, 3K can start a UK-based airline and fly any number of times to the USA as this is allowed under the Singapore-UK ASA)

SIA's marketshare in Changi has fallen from 50% in 2004 to 35% today. Of course, I wouldn't completely blame it on unbridled liberalisation of our airspace. SIA was too stuck in its past glory to even contemplate competing with the myriad of LCCs that flooded Changi in the last years.

So how should each party feel?

1. SQ - SQ would be pissed, but hey they had many years of warnings that the national interest was greater than their interests, and so long as jobs and pax throughput were created in SIN, the government wouldn't bend over backwards to help them.

2. Singapore government - A big win for Singapore because of jobs created and pax funnelled through the Singapore hub, with huge flow-on effects on the economy

3. QF Group - Laughing because there is a supportive government in a developed foreign country willing to facilitate their worldwide expansion, including giving them scarce air traffic rights which would normally not be available to Aussie carriers

[airtags]

A lot of extract narrative - but Bruce needs to remember that the JQ empire only has 1 route approval. The remainder are capacity variants courtesy of Q.

The joys of 5th and 6th freedoms and other bilateral backdoors may not be so easily accessed under the JQ franchise flag - ESP given the fragmenting of Asian politics.

He's just an overpaid muppet

AT

[packrat]

So does this give singAir a good shot at rights through Sydney to the States?
Perhaps a Sing Air/Qantas tie up/merger ?
That would be formidable.

[DrPepz]

Packrat - The ACCC won't allow SQ Group and QF Group to tie up in any form. Together both airlines account for 40% of international traffic into Australia. If you take away Australia-NZ and Australia-USA, (anything west of Australia), I'm sure SQ and QF plus their associate airlines account for 50-60% of seat capacity.

Why would SQ want to purchase QF anyway? What does QF have to offer SQ which SQ doesn't already have? Although SQ is sitting on $7 bil of cash and doing nothing with it but giving their shareholders 14% dividend yields - they could almost afford to buy QF over twice over. Anyway that's another story for another time.

SQ isn't interested in SYD-LAX anymore. They lobbied for years for the route, talking up its profitability. As such Virgin and DL jumped on the bandwagon, and now profits have been eroded on that rote, and SQ doesn't want to fly it anymore.

[dragon man]

I cant see any where in Bruce the goose's interview those magic words return on capital or profit. Where are they? What happened to them? Hang on i think i know, they have never made any. What a tool, tell the Australian public about the great service to Bejing with the day in Singapore.

[Sunfish]

Articles such as this puff piece are a regular occurrence.

You might also want to read about Asian Tiger economies and the Celtic tiger economy to find out what eventually happens.

One thing is for sure. Jetstar will not be allowed to bring any profits home and distribute them to shareholders.

[TBM-Legend]

QANTAS OWNS Jetstar......good investment..:D

[Capt. On Heat]

Like AirNZ buying Ansett....:D

[27/09]

He believes some Qantas long-haul pilot salaries are "exorbitant' by international standards and said he would not tolerate any pay deal which would see Jetstar pilots paid the highest Qantas wages.

Are they or aren't they exorbitant? Can someone provide some objective comparisons. I know exact comparisons are difficult to make, however it should be possible to disprove the exorbitant claim.

On a slightly different tack, how do the salary package deals for the likes of Bruce and Alan compare with other airline CEO's. This may make enlightening reading, even to the point a billboard "Qantas CEO salary, XX airline CEO salary, which ones over paid?"

[Ngineer]

Under section 249D a relatively small number of shareholders can requisition an extraordinary general meeting (EGM) to raise questions of corporate responsibility in relation to a broad range of issues including labour practices, executive remuneration and environmental standards. No other country employs a numerical test for calling company meetings.(6) The Government and business groups have argued that the provision is open to abuse by 'vigilante' groups with political agendas.(7) Large companies can be forced to incur considerable costs in notifying members of an EGM. It is also argued that such meetings distract management from its core responsibilities.


How Many Shareholders Should it Take to Call a Meeting? (Research Note 18 2001-02) (http://www.aph.gov.au/library/pubs/rn/2001-02/02rn18.htm)

How many shares do staff hold??:eek:

[27/09]

What rhymes with Bruce and goes quack quack...? or perhaps goes HONK HONK :E

[Worrals in the wilds]

Grunt, grunt ;)
Sorry. Couldn't resist.

Buchanan is comfortable with carrying the profit load on behalf of struggling Qantas, which he sees...

Isn't it Qantas International that's struggling, not the Qantas Group? I doubt the average reader would realise that, which is presumably the intention. The Herald Sun should be ashamed about publishing such rampant advertorial material. I guess it's easier than hacking phones for some real stories. :ugh:

[regitaekilthgiwt]

From the article...

"If they try to impose those sorts of conditions, the dire consequences this will actually cause . . . we won't put the Qantas code share on our flights if that actually was to get up," Buchanan said.

Ah so by saying 'if' he has now conceded that management at the QF Group think that there is a chance our scope clause might get up-and we haven't even started PIA.

That's PROGRESS

:E

Stick with it and remain united and we will see the back to this filth.

[molsie]

I wish the media and some others would look at some very basic maths when it comes to Qantas bleating about what it would do to them if Jetstar pilots salaries were raised to the same level as Qantas pilots - the following is a very simplified expose - even if Jetstar pilot salaries were raised by a massive 50% ( which is a rough estimate of taking an A320 pilots salary to a Qantas 737 salary ), and based on 750 hours per year, the extra cost to the company on a Sydney - Melbourne ticket would be roughly $1.50 - the airlines have just announced that due to the carbon tax, domestic airfares would rise by $3.50 for the average sector - am I missing something here?

[Budfox]

From Half-Year Report ended 31 December 2010

Segment Performance
Mr Joyce said all operating segments of the Qantas Group were profitable for the first half-year ended 31 December 2010,delivering significant EBIT growth.

“Qantas Airlines produced a strong revenue performance across both its international and domestic operations, with underlaying EBIT of $165 million up 175 per cent on prior year first half.” Mr Joyce said.

Whats that AJ
cough cough BS BS BS :ugh:
So in just over 6 months International has fallen off a cliff and unprofitable? (aka not returning capital haha)
Yeah right, just saw pigs fly past my window. ;)
This is totally unethical behavior unfitting for an Airlines Boss.
Is their anyone that works in the upper echelons that is actually able to tell the truth without the spin?

[Cactusjack]

Dear Bruce,
Although I personally feel that you and and Alan are complete bell-end's, I would like to suggest that you and Alan swap remuneration packages. If your little orange outfit is truly outgrowing and outclassing QF in the revenue department then you should receive the little fella's salary and vice versa. It's only fair.
It would seem that Lord Darth Vader Buchanan has certainly grown stronger than Sith Lord Darth Sidious Joyce ?

[QF94]

http://resources0.news.com.au/images/2011/07/17/1226096/403736-jetstar.jpg



That is the title from an article in Monday's Herald Sun.

Here are quotes from the article.

"Buchanan leads the world's fastest growing low-fare airline group, staying ahead of a North Asian market expansion of about 20 per cent a year fuelled by China's and South Korea's massive rising middle classes.

And he speaks with the authority of the increasing autonomy of the international Jetstar Group - which he sees inevitably overtaking the size of its parent, Qantas - and a confident directness on the local rivals Virgin Australia and the beleaguered Tiger."

"Buchanan believes Australians who still think of Jetstar as primarily their locally-based low-cost carrier do not realise it will soon offer 60 destinations, half from the Singapore base of its Jetstar Asia sister.

We've carried 20 million passengers in the past year after seven years of operation - the big low-cost carriers like Air Asia, Ryan Air in Europe, South West in the US, none of them reached that milestone so quickly. We're the fastest growing airline in the history of aviation," he said.

Last week Buchanan unveiled a $500 million investment in new aircraft which will take the Singapore base to four wide-bodied Airbus A330s and 17 A320s, new routes to Beijing, Ningbo and Hanoi and extra flights to Hong Kong, Taipei, Ho Chi Minh City, Kuala Lumpur, Bali and Jakarta."

That's $500 million from QANTAS. The parent company it is bleeding and being propped up by.

"Buchanan "absolutely" believes Jetstar will become bigger than Qantas."

It just about is bigger than QANTAS. We are fast becoming the subsidiary of Jetstar.

"Buchanan is comfortable with carrying the profit load on behalf of struggling Qantas, which he sees as temporary due to the business market strength of Qantas.

But he sees Jetstar revenue as growing faster than that of Qantas."

Maybe QANTAS should cut Jetstar loose and see how much of a profit load it actually carries. It would be a Tiger II. Although we no longer handle Jetstar international, they use QANTAS 330's that are paid for by QANTAS.

"He believes some Qantas long-haul pilot salaries are "exorbitant' by international standards and said he would not tolerate any pay deal which would see Jetstar pilots paid the highest Qantas wages.

"If they try to impose those sorts of conditions, the dire consequences this will actually cause . . . we won't put the Qantas code share on our flights if that actually was to get up," Buchanan said.

"We're happy to get rid of it, no skin off our nose."

Buchanan said Jetstar only had a small proportional revenue on code-share connections to Qantas long-haul flights.

"We'd take the Qantas code off and you know what that will do?" he said."

Sounds like a challenge and a threat to the pilots and QANTAS. He's happy to get rid of the QF codeshare of JQ flights if the pilots don't heed to his demands. Sounds like a future QF CEO is being groomed for when AJ departs.

"It's going to put you (pilots) in a worse situation, because they won't have the passenger traffic to continue to justify flying as many aircraft. So you'll wind up in this ridiculous situation where you cause your own demise even faster."

He sums it up nicely in this last paragraph. The pilots fate is sealed. It will be brought about quicker if they don't stop their dispute, or they are successful.

This looks like a prelude to the 24 August announcement. QANTAS will now be reporting to Jetstar, and Buchanan will be CEO of the Jetstar Group of Airlines.

[Sonny Hammond]

What is truly amazing is how these greedy pricks can be so cheery about destroying a national icon and a major part of international airline history.

Keep smiling @$$hole.

P.S. He looks like a bloke I bought a VT Commodore off once.

[Sunfish]

I refer to my previous posts on this matter. The Board and Management of Qantas is out of its tiny mind.

[rodchucker]

Maybe this is just a ploy by Buchanan to assume the No 1 role when AJ finally gets a well earned bonus out the door.

Suggest an exit party for two or nothing will change and in fact it could actually get worse.

[peuce]

Latest stats from Changi Airport has a significant Aussie contribution:

Tiger, Jetstar among Changi's top passenger airlines (http://www.straitstimes.com/BreakingNews/Singapore/Story/STIStory_692133.html)

[point76]

Although he mentions QF Pilots,Bruce seems to be lauching a direct attack on his own Pilot group here!
He gloats over Jetstars amazing success and expansion but does he realize this has only been possible because of the Pilot group he currently has plus the efforts of those who set up JS flight operations in the first place .
A320's flying daily services into short 30 mtr wide short runways prove that Jetstar is not necessarily a low risk operation and the fact that Jetstar has had so few incidents in it's history shows that BB has no idea how much he relies on his Pilots for the Companies success.
Once again this proves that Bruce and his clown deputy in australia are purely spread sheet bean counters and have no real idea how Airline operations work.

[Autobrakes4]

The thing that amazes me is that these guys (AJ and BB) actually believe that they are the the saviours of Qantas.

They have a MBA, an ego and arrogance, and reckon that without them Qantas would be no more. :hmm:

[Nose wheel first]

Bruce is firing the first shot across the bows of the QF pilot group in preparation for when he takes over from AJ.

I believe it's the natural progression now.... JQ CEO to QF CEO. You wouldn't want to get anyone in QF who hasn't grown up with the LCC mentality, they might actually start running the airline properly and make JQ support itself.

The demise of Qantas is going to go down in Australian history as one of the greatest corporate criminal acts ever. The problem is, by the time it's history it'll be too late to do anything about it.

Where are ASIC and the ASX? Where are the institutional investors?

[assasin8]

One only need look at the current contract on offer at Jetstar to realise that management have no respect for pilots!

[buttmonkey1]

Qantas inquiry into first-class footsies - Travel - theage.com.au (http://www.theage.com.au/news/travel/inquiry-into-firstclass-funny-business/2007/07/30/1185647865620.html)

and what was the jetstar executives side to this story?

A SENIOR Jetstar executive has been accused of engaging in 'funny business"
with a woman on a fold-down seat in the first-class cabin of a flight from
Melbourne to Los Angeles on Friday.

[maggot]

I wish the media and some others would look at some very basic maths when it comes to Qantas bleating about what it would do to them if Jetstar pilots salaries were raised to the same level as Qantas pilots - the following is a very simplified expose - even if Jetstar pilot salaries were raised by a massive 50% ( which is a rough estimate of taking an A320 pilots salary to a Qantas 737 salary ), and based on 750 hours per year, the extra cost to the company on a Sydney - Melbourne ticket would be roughly $1.50 - the airlines have just announced that due to the carbon tax, domestic airfares would rise by $3.50 for the average sector - am I missing something here?


so they are on 50% more ey? :hmm:

[molsie]

Maggott - the figure of 50% was simply a VERY rough ball-park figure used as a MAXIMUM case scenario to prove how little a massive payrise would affect the price of the ticket - feel free to provide more accurate figures if you wish, but they would probably only serve to support my argument even more

[DrPepz]

In first place, based on last year's performance, was Singapore Airlines followed by its regional arm SilkAir.

Tiger took third spot, and Jetstar, fourth. Australian national carrier Qantas came in at No. 5.

Jetstar, which is 49 per cent owned by Qantas, was also the fastest-growing Singapore carrier.

Together, these top five airlines accounted for about 60 per cent of Changi Airport's total number of passengers carried, which was just over 42 million last year, a 13 per cent jump over the figure in 2009.

It won't be long before 3K+JQ+QF have more pax than MI+TR

[7378FE]

The Asia Pacific Aviation Outlook Summit is on for next few days in SYD.

AJ is up first this morning at 09:10 and it's BB's turn tomorrow at 09:40.

Programme - Conference Day One Wednesday 20 July 2011 | Aviation Outlook Australia 2011 (http://www.terrapinn.com/2011/aviation-outlook-australia/Programme.stm)

[fishers.ghost]

Singapore still closed shop

Matt O'sullivan

July 20, 2011
Allowing Qantas to base a premium airline in Singapore would mean letting Singapore Airlines fly the Australia-US route. Photo: Louie Douvis

QANTAS hopes of basing a premium airline in Singapore will hinge on the Australian government allowing Singapore Airlines to fly the Australia-US route, the boss of long-haul airline AirAsia X says.
Azran Osman-Rani said Australia would need to relax access to the air-route from Australia before the Singapore authorities allowed Qantas to set up a premium airline in the city-state.
''It would seem difficult, from a regulatory point of view, to hold back Singapore Airlines from flying on the trans-Pacific and at the same time for the Singapore government to allow Qantas to base themselves out of Singapore,'' he said yesterday.

Qantas will unveil on August 24 a four-pronged strategy - including plans for expansion in Asia - that is aimed at turning around the fortunes of its loss-making international operations. Despite its interest, Qantas is yet to apply for an air operator's certificate in Singapore.
Singapore Airlines is expected to use Jetstar's growing presence in Singapore and the Asian aspirations of Qantas as leverage to back its claims to be allowed to fly between Australia and the US.
The airline's new boss, Goh Choon Phong, said as recently as last month that he would continue to lobby for the air rights to fly the trans-Pacific route.
Although there were many obstacles to setting up an airline in Asia, Mr Osman-Rani said the world's fastest-growing aviation market presented large opportunities for premium airlines such as Qantas.
''When you look at the significant under-penetration of international aviation [and] the growth of the markets here [in Asia], there is a lot of upside,'' he said.
Tiger Airways, in which Singapore Airlines has a 33 per cent stake, has reinforced its intention to remain operating in Australia after appointing Chris Manning, a former chief pilot at Qantas, as its safety adviser. The budget airline has been grounded until at least August 1 on safety concerns.
Mr Osman-Rani said AirAsia X - in which Richard Branson has a 10 per cent stake - was not interested in entering the domestic market even if Tiger pulled out. ''Given that it is a three-player market, it really is not particularly attractive for additional players like ourselves to even consider,'' he said.
However, the long-haul budget airline did want to increase flights from Malaysia's capital, Kuala Lumpur, to Australian cities.
Despite repeated requests over the years, AirAsia X was no closer to gaining approval from Malaysian regulators to fly between Kuala Lumpur and Sydney. ''It is very unlikely it will be in the next 12 months,'' Mr Osman-Rani said.
Malaysia Airlines, the majority government-owned flag carrier, has been able to retain its stranglehold on the route despite AirAsia X's requests for access.
Shares in Qantas were unchanged at $1.825 yesterday after the airline's long-haul pilots said they would begin industrial action on Friday, which would include in-flight announcements to passengers. The pilots' union has also begun a billboard campaign in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane.

[waren9]

"He believes some Qantas long-haul pilot salaries are "exorbitant' by international standards and said he would not tolerate any pay deal which would see Jetstar pilots paid the highest Qantas wages.


AFAIK, JQ pilots have never lobbied for pay parity with QF mainline. Whats he on about?

[7378FE]

AJ at the conference this morning

"We see continuing opportunities for the Jetstar model, and lessons to be learned for Qantas. I want to see both our brands maximizing their global potential."

and

"our maintenance and repair costs are among the least efficient and most expensive in the world."

For more gems head here : Aviation Business: Qantas CEO puts the airline's future on the line (http://www.aviationbusiness.com.au/news/qantas-ceo-puts-the-airline-s-future-on-the-line)

[Bumpfoh]

What happened to my post mods???

A simple edit would have sufficed and I still think he's a #@#$#@#!

[TIMA9X]

Jetstar-JAL venture pipped at the post by ANA-AirAsia team

JAL rival ANA Group and AirAsia announced last night it would team up to form LCC AirAsia Japan. They said AirAsia Japan would be the first low-cost carrier to be based at Tokyo's Narita International Airport. Operating under the AirAsia brand, it is to serve domestic and international destinations from August next year, subject to approvals.Jetstar-JAL venture pipped at the post by ANA-AirAsia team | The Australian (http://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/aviation/jetstar-jal-venture-pipped-at-the-post-by-ana-airasia-team/story-e6frg95x-1226099307104)


Game on, but not until next August, someone let the JAL/J* plans out of the bag a bit too early me thinks or was BB really playing catch up?:rolleyes:

[From a distance]

It has been said earlier by other contributors to these forums that it will be Asians fully exploiting the opportunities in Asia. This is an example of that. Imagine if the Qantas group were to spend as much effort as that put in to wheeling and dealing all over Asia and instead engage the Australian travelling public. Some things are what they are and our geography is not going to change, the qantas group is an end of the line carrier. However at the end of the line there is a good sized relatively wealthy market of people who like to travel. Any business needs to address the needs of their markets and play to their strenghts.

[Oldmate]

This 'end of the line carrier' excuse only applies to traffic to and from Europe. Geographically we are a stone's throw from the biggest growing markets in the world. The focus should be very much on the poor 17% of international traffic into and out of Australia. Daily direct flights, with the right aircraft, from all of Australia's population centers to every major city in Asia, with some through connections to Europe. Point to point flights to North America, very dependent on operating the right equipment.