SingAir back on Anderson's radar
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SingAir back on Anderson's radar
Tues "Sydney Morning Herald"
SingAir back on Anderson's radar
By Scott Rochfort
November 16, 2004
Fresh doubts have surfaced over Qantas's stranglehold on the Sydney-Los Angeles route after the Federal Transport Minister, John Anderson, flagged resuming open skies talks with the Singapore Government.
More than a year after the talks were postponed until there was "greater stability in the global aviation environment", Mr Anderson told the Dow Jones news service he was now "prepared to seriously consider" reopening the talks.
"I believe that the global outlook has stabilised and improved and we gave the Singaporeans a commitment that when things had settled down we would talk to them again," he told Dow Jones.
The Singapore Government has been calling for the talks to reopen since July.
An open skies agreement would allow Singapore Airlines to fulfil its dream of snatching high-yielding business traffic on the Australia-US route. In return, Qantas could be allowed increased rights to fly to other Asian cities from Singapore.
Qantas makes about 15 per cent of its profits from the LA route, where it controls about 75 per cent of direct flights and United Airlines the rest.
Aside from Singapore Air jockeying hard to get on the route, there have been concerns raised within the local tourism industry that the lack of capacity (and high load factors) on the route were costing Australia thousands of potential US holidaymakers.
According to the latest monthly statistics published by the Department of Transport, United Airlines filled 95.9 per cent of seats on inbound flights to the US in July; Qantas filled 85.1 per cent of its seats.
This compares with an average load factor of 79 per cent for all flights into Australia that month.
Tourism Australia estimates that a "slippage" in visitor numbers occurs when airline load factors climb above 80 per cent.
Singapore Airlines welcomed Mr Anderson's comments. A spokeswoman for the airline, Samantha Stewart, said: "We can assure you that we are as interested as we have always been in flying that route."
Qantas, however, referred the Herald to its comments in the Dow Jones report, where it said the aviation environment was still unstable.
But some aviation pundits remained circumspect about Mr Anderson's comments, given the minister gave a time frame of 12 to 18 months for any agreement.
"It looks like he's going to buy some time for Qantas one way or the other," said Ian Thomas, of the Centre for Asia Pacific Aviation.
Despite Qantas and United recently announcing an increase in services to the US, Macquarie Equities analyst Ian Myles noted capacity on the Australia-US route was still at 1995 levels.
Meanwhile, one year after pushing the Department of Transport to publish on-time data, Virgin Blue has slipped behind to have the worst on-time performance of any domestic airline. In September, only 76.6 per cent of Virgin's flights departed on time, compared with Qantas's 85.3 per cent and Jetstar's 87.6 per cent.
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SingAir back on Anderson's radar
By Scott Rochfort
November 16, 2004
Fresh doubts have surfaced over Qantas's stranglehold on the Sydney-Los Angeles route after the Federal Transport Minister, John Anderson, flagged resuming open skies talks with the Singapore Government.
More than a year after the talks were postponed until there was "greater stability in the global aviation environment", Mr Anderson told the Dow Jones news service he was now "prepared to seriously consider" reopening the talks.
"I believe that the global outlook has stabilised and improved and we gave the Singaporeans a commitment that when things had settled down we would talk to them again," he told Dow Jones.
The Singapore Government has been calling for the talks to reopen since July.
An open skies agreement would allow Singapore Airlines to fulfil its dream of snatching high-yielding business traffic on the Australia-US route. In return, Qantas could be allowed increased rights to fly to other Asian cities from Singapore.
Qantas makes about 15 per cent of its profits from the LA route, where it controls about 75 per cent of direct flights and United Airlines the rest.
Aside from Singapore Air jockeying hard to get on the route, there have been concerns raised within the local tourism industry that the lack of capacity (and high load factors) on the route were costing Australia thousands of potential US holidaymakers.
According to the latest monthly statistics published by the Department of Transport, United Airlines filled 95.9 per cent of seats on inbound flights to the US in July; Qantas filled 85.1 per cent of its seats.
This compares with an average load factor of 79 per cent for all flights into Australia that month.
Tourism Australia estimates that a "slippage" in visitor numbers occurs when airline load factors climb above 80 per cent.
Singapore Airlines welcomed Mr Anderson's comments. A spokeswoman for the airline, Samantha Stewart, said: "We can assure you that we are as interested as we have always been in flying that route."
Qantas, however, referred the Herald to its comments in the Dow Jones report, where it said the aviation environment was still unstable.
But some aviation pundits remained circumspect about Mr Anderson's comments, given the minister gave a time frame of 12 to 18 months for any agreement.
"It looks like he's going to buy some time for Qantas one way or the other," said Ian Thomas, of the Centre for Asia Pacific Aviation.
Despite Qantas and United recently announcing an increase in services to the US, Macquarie Equities analyst Ian Myles noted capacity on the Australia-US route was still at 1995 levels.
Meanwhile, one year after pushing the Department of Transport to publish on-time data, Virgin Blue has slipped behind to have the worst on-time performance of any domestic airline. In September, only 76.6 per cent of Virgin's flights departed on time, compared with Qantas's 85.3 per cent and Jetstar's 87.6 per cent.
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Seeing Wommeri seem hell-bent on RUMOURS, rumour control has it that Jetstar Asia got ALLOWED into SIN after negotiations between SIA and QF re SYD-LAX....
Just a rumour of course...
Just a rumour of course...
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Wed "The Australian"
SIA calls for 'level playing field' here
Steve Creedy, Aviation writer
November 17, 2004
CONSUMERS and the tourism industry would be the big beneficiaries of moves to open up routes between Australia and US to more competition, Singapore Airlines said yesterday.
Responding to news Australia was prepared to reopen talks on further liberalising its aviation agreement with Singapore, SIA called for a level playing field that would give it the same opportunities to operate beyond Australia that Qantas enjoyed from Singapore.
"Consumers and the tourism industry will be the winners from such a policy," SIA public affairs senior manager Stephen Forshaw said.
"Opening the Australia-US route would provide real consumer benefits and support tourism growth from the US to Australia."
Transport Minister John Anderson revealed at the weekend that he expected to hold fresh talks with the Singapore Government over the next few months.
The issue was left hanging when the two nations signed a free trade agreement in 2003 and Mr Anderson had said previously he was not prepared to consider giving SIA access to the US routes until the global aviation outlook had stabilised.
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SIA calls for 'level playing field' here
Steve Creedy, Aviation writer
November 17, 2004
CONSUMERS and the tourism industry would be the big beneficiaries of moves to open up routes between Australia and US to more competition, Singapore Airlines said yesterday.
Responding to news Australia was prepared to reopen talks on further liberalising its aviation agreement with Singapore, SIA called for a level playing field that would give it the same opportunities to operate beyond Australia that Qantas enjoyed from Singapore.
"Consumers and the tourism industry will be the winners from such a policy," SIA public affairs senior manager Stephen Forshaw said.
"Opening the Australia-US route would provide real consumer benefits and support tourism growth from the US to Australia."
Transport Minister John Anderson revealed at the weekend that he expected to hold fresh talks with the Singapore Government over the next few months.
The issue was left hanging when the two nations signed a free trade agreement in 2003 and Mr Anderson had said previously he was not prepared to consider giving SIA access to the US routes until the global aviation outlook had stabilised.
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Why is it that Australia has to give everyone else a level playing field, yet nobody has to give the same back to Australia?
Singapore calling for a level playing field is a bit rich - coming from one of the most controling governments in the so called free world
Singapore calling for a level playing field is a bit rich - coming from one of the most controling governments in the so called free world
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Like it or not DH Driver, just about every airline and it's best mate has had virtually unlimited access to Singapore for at least forty years.
Off topic question: Where does the title 'Singair' come from? I've only ever heard them called SIA or Singapore Airlines outside the Australian press?
Off topic question: Where does the title 'Singair' come from? I've only ever heard them called SIA or Singapore Airlines outside the Australian press?
Omark, you are of course correct, however it suits Singapore Airlines, because they control SATS and other service organisations at Changi, either way they win.
The Singapore Government, on the other hand, is a very controlling and manipulative organisation that tries to tilt the "level playing field" in their direction at every given opportunity.
The Singapore Government, on the other hand, is a very controlling and manipulative organisation that tries to tilt the "level playing field" in their direction at every given opportunity.
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It also helps that Singapore has a tiny domestic market and that much of its traffic is just transit, even if they stay for a day or two. Oz on the other hand has a comparably large travelling public and tourist market. That's why SQ, EK and to some extent CX need to try and make OZ their own 'domestic' markets and why QF will go to great lengths to stop them.
Level or not the island states/sheikhdoms are only the size of the dot you bounce the ball on in the playing fields analogy.
Level or not the island states/sheikhdoms are only the size of the dot you bounce the ball on in the playing fields analogy.
