Capt Claret

Oh Blip, ye of little faith.

Me-thinks your some of your info is more historical than hysterical.

RENURPP

What other type is as quiet??

Uncle Festa

Let's hope that it's more successful than Minardi.

Ultralights

do any formula 1 teams actually make $$$ or are sponsors constantly picking up the tab.

after reading EW's post about a big spending client of his prefering other carriers to QF,
i still think there will be a strong market for the Business end of town! I prefer to pay a little extra to get good service, and a bigger seat, meals included thank you. and If Ozjet are aiming for that all business market, they will do well IMO. what other choice have you got in OZ? VB? nope, J* HAHAHAHAHAH, that only leaves bus class on QF, and that is proving to be below average at best. If i can get a choice of Business class on OZjet or QF, OZjet will get my $$.

Lodown

The advantage that QF will hold for a long time is the international connections, frequency of services and saturation of ports served. These aren't such big issues for the budget carriers, but are considerable issues for an airline focussing on the business pax. Assuming Ozjet get up and running, their initial hurdles will be trying to match QF on all or part of the three items above to the satisfaction of their clients. I wish them well.

Buster Hyman

Uncle Festa As long as he isn't using the Minardi mechanics, it should be fine!

VH-Cheer Up

Much of the website doesn't work yet. The fullest featured bit is the Stoddart story - wonder if Paul suffers the same "shrinking rose" personality as SRB?

Want more info on the COO Peter Schott - see here . Freshly minted MBA so should be all over the business issues. Not many of those in the QF top row.

No mention of fares - wonder if EWL has been contacted by the distribution arm yet?

Anyone know what the fuel burn on those smoky old JT89D's would be? Where does one get an oil-change and lube job done on those, Adelaide or Mumbai?

The 146's worry me even more than a 30-year old 732 airframe. As potential J class SLF I would keep wondering about all that stuff that came out of the Senate enquiry. There are multiple threads in here already about cabin and flight deck air contamination causing some major health problems. Has all that stuff been resolved now? Was the real root cause ever discovered?

VHCU

justanoldboy

Who is their Chief Pilot. Where will they do their maintenance. Have they applied for an AOC. Start mid year? doubtful. Start with an old generation, noisy, expensive to operate 200 series B737. even more doubtful. Dream on.......

Al E. Vator

justanoldboy....just an old woman more like it.

For years I've been reading PPRune listening to all the naysayer 'experts'. Individuals whose abilities seem to be limited to sitting in front of a computer knocking others who have a go.

First there was Impulse getting jets....no way claimed the old women. One 'expert' even claimed he'd run down a terminal naked the day Impulse got jets...not sure if he was true to his word.

Then came the plans of Virgin to start a carrier in Australia and again the armchair experts came out of the woodwork. "It'll never happen" from the domain of cynical anonymity.
And now again the experts are out in force. Smart arse comments about Minardi etc. Have any of you owned a Formula 1 racing team? Have any of you owned or operated an airline flying Boeings?

Don't know anything about the credentials of this Stoddart fellow but good luck to him. Having been treated like rubbish when flying domestically and internationally in this country, competition is still necessary in Australian aviation.

My only hope is that this gentleman doesn't undermine the working conditions for employees the way some of those who preceeded him have.

MkVIII

GOOD LUCK TO THEM I say, but I question the purchasing of 732's...

If memory serves me well, JT8D-15's are exactly a fuel efficient engine...

And nor do they APPEAR hushkitted (the nacelles look stock standard to me) , which undoubtedly will cause concern.

I just don't see the economics of it. Sure, you buy a 732 for peanuts (low cycle life left, fully paid etc). You have 2 gas-guzzling Pratt and Whitneys, roaring like only JT8's can.(always did like it though!) You stick in 60 seats, and yet still undercharge compared to the other mainstays.

Something doesn't add up here. High operating cost is usually trimmed down with higher seat cost, or freight subsidy. But here, we have high operating cost (maintainence, fuel etc), minimum seating at LOW cost. These equations just don't seem to work.

Like I said, good luck to them. I just hope they have their sums working right.

I would have thought there were enough 733's around on the market these days, at competitive prices?

P47

If Mr Byron and his league of imposters had some intestinal fortitude and simply grounded every 146 due to the fume problem, it would make aviation safer for those poor bastards who have to fly them because they have no intestinal fortitude by simply refusing to fly them!

Pappa Smurf

I think old Paul may be onto something.
He states "bussiness class" .not a normal low cost airline for the broke people.
Customers to include bussiness men who dont fly ,or the company wont book bussiness class fares and top up with people who pay the normal top economy class anyway.
He must have done his homework on this one.

If i was getting into the airline bussiness thats the way i would go as similar thoughts came to my mind before.

Next you will find will be a Concorde replacement-----not a quick cramped plane ,but a 747 or similar decked out with heaps of room etc to supply the well heeled who if they have to fly want to do it in comfort.

Personally ,between Melb and Syd i wouldnt mind if i sat on the s/house as it doesnt take long.Can not see the value of bussiness class on short flights ,but now old Paul has given us better seats at a good price.

Will be interesting

gaunty

Newly minted MBA's are worse than useless unless they are backed up and complement actual real life experience. Learning on the job, in the aviation business anyway, tends to be fatal. The Stoddart apologia on the site doesn't exactly inspire confidence.

There have been more companies driven to hell in a handbasket than not by people with them but without the nouse.

I have been fortunate to have lived long enough to see them come and go, some brilliantly but they would have anyway, more doing the shooting star than not.

In the meantime the people who actually knew what was going to happen could only sit and watch as the starry eyed rest followed like lemmings over the cliff.

Lodown IMHO gets it exactly right.

And if the economics were so compelling why aren't QF and VB operating B732s and BAE 146s and buying second hand seats and tarted up interiors from Stoddart.

Seems like back to the future in OZ and I'm not sure that el cheapo J class fares will cut it here. Anybody want to bet how long it takes for them to have to start deep discounting to below Y levels to pay the rent on the way backwards out the door,

Somebody should remind him that not wearing any clothes in Melbourne will not necessarily get you into trouble with the law, but you'd better make sure your health insurance is paid up.

It must be that crazy F1 time in Mel ??

Flybnite

Hey VIII. I think you'll find the 73's don't owe Mr. S a cent. The're his from Euro-pee-on Aviation.

CasperA320

The 737-200 will be banned due noise like the F-28

Icarus2001

Well Casper, that may occur but don't you think that his "team" would have thought of that or is the aviation knowledge in Australia limited to PPRUNE?

The AOC application process and CASA approvals will uncover any problems.

I think it is really sad that so many posters here feel qualified to make disparaging remarks about his planned operation. Incidentally without knowing very much at all.

Of course the website is short on information. Maybe they should just send a copy of their business plan to Geoff and Brett? All in good time.

Cheap aircraft and no lease costs could possibly offset slightly higher fuel and maintenance costs don't you think?

Best of luck to him and his team.

Ultralights

Im sure stoddard has taken them fom his euro fleet as they have been replaced by newer aircraft in his euro ops.

He must be doing something right in the EU to be able to afford to own a F1 team!

and im pretty sure any losses incured will be picked up as a tax deduction for his EU ops. then again im no expert. i think he will do well.

MkVIII

I honestly hope so.

Didn't realise the 732's were owned already - apologise for that.

I am sure the 732 will be interim until something better comes along. The BAe 146 though, well, better left to cold and dense environs than hot and thin Dunnunda!

Even if they take away 1 % from Qaintarse it will be a GOOD thing.

VH-Cheer Up

One per cent from QF won't even keep them in Jet-A1, will it?

How many J class pax are there anyway between:

- ADL-MEL
- ADL-SYD
- MEL-SYD
- ADL-BRS
- SYD-BRS
- MEL-BRS

Anyone know?

Will the 732 go SYD-PER or MEL-PER? Or will it need the 727 alternate of Kalgoorlie or Esperance when there's 270/100kt on the nose at FL315?

Just hope the 146's have in-seat IFE. Looking through the oily cabin mist at a bulkhead screen 15 rows away might be too much to bear.

VHCU

Capn Bloggs

Yes and Yes.

P47: Falcon 135, buddy.