Virgin offers to fund watchdog
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Virgin offers to fund watchdog
Mon "The Australian" 16/9/02
Virgin offers to fund watchdog
By Steve Creedy
September 16, 2002
VIRGIN Blue is offering to fund an independent watchdog to publish airline consumer information such as on-time performance, lost baggage and the number of passenger complaints.
And the Federal Government has indicated it is willing to consider the proposal, after Virgin yesterday renewed its call to make performance indicators public.
Virgin Blue head of commercial David Huttner said the carrier would follow up its proposal more formally this week.
"We are willing to finance the audit of this process, the audit of all Australian airlines by a licensed, independent auditor," Mr Huttner said.
"We have offered to provide this service to the Government for free and reaffirm our desire to have those figures published to bring Australia up to the same high consumer-focused policies that exist in the US and Europe."
Virgin's call comes after The Australian revealed on Saturday that domestic discount air fares had risen as much as 15 per cent, Qantas was overbooking passengers and it was almost impossible to get cheap seats on peak-hour flights.
Qantas has since claimed comments it made about overbooking seats by up to 60 passengers related to a particular international route.
"At peak period, you know around Christmas, on some particular routes, it is not uncommon for us to oversell by 50 or 60 seats," senior executive John Borghetti told The Australian during a lengthy discussion about domestic fares.
Performance indicators for the top 10 American airlines are regularly published by the US Transport Department.
Its 30-page Air Travel Consumer Report provides consumers with comparative statistics on flight delays, mishandled baggage, overselling and consumer delays.
Australian airlines are reluctant to reveal the information because they believe it to be commercially sensitive. Virgin, which claims its on-time performance is "in the 90s", said it would not reveal details unless it was done through an independent process.
The Federal Government has also been unwilling to force carriers to reveal statistics that might help consumers, saying such a move was up to individual airlines.
But a spokesman for Transport Minister John Anderson said yesterday the Government was willing to talk to Virgin about its proposal to fund an auditor.
Meanwhile, Virgin moved into its new home in the old Ansett terminal at Brisbane airport yesterday.
Virgin offers to fund watchdog
By Steve Creedy
September 16, 2002
VIRGIN Blue is offering to fund an independent watchdog to publish airline consumer information such as on-time performance, lost baggage and the number of passenger complaints.
And the Federal Government has indicated it is willing to consider the proposal, after Virgin yesterday renewed its call to make performance indicators public.
Virgin Blue head of commercial David Huttner said the carrier would follow up its proposal more formally this week.
"We are willing to finance the audit of this process, the audit of all Australian airlines by a licensed, independent auditor," Mr Huttner said.
"We have offered to provide this service to the Government for free and reaffirm our desire to have those figures published to bring Australia up to the same high consumer-focused policies that exist in the US and Europe."
Virgin's call comes after The Australian revealed on Saturday that domestic discount air fares had risen as much as 15 per cent, Qantas was overbooking passengers and it was almost impossible to get cheap seats on peak-hour flights.
Qantas has since claimed comments it made about overbooking seats by up to 60 passengers related to a particular international route.
"At peak period, you know around Christmas, on some particular routes, it is not uncommon for us to oversell by 50 or 60 seats," senior executive John Borghetti told The Australian during a lengthy discussion about domestic fares.
Performance indicators for the top 10 American airlines are regularly published by the US Transport Department.
Its 30-page Air Travel Consumer Report provides consumers with comparative statistics on flight delays, mishandled baggage, overselling and consumer delays.
Australian airlines are reluctant to reveal the information because they believe it to be commercially sensitive. Virgin, which claims its on-time performance is "in the 90s", said it would not reveal details unless it was done through an independent process.
The Federal Government has also been unwilling to force carriers to reveal statistics that might help consumers, saying such a move was up to individual airlines.
But a spokesman for Transport Minister John Anderson said yesterday the Government was willing to talk to Virgin about its proposal to fund an auditor.
Meanwhile, Virgin moved into its new home in the old Ansett terminal at Brisbane airport yesterday.
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Sounds like a bit more gratuitous grand-standing by VB.
Besides - the public is getting fed up with their supposedly oppressed aussie battler image and whingeing that goes with it.
A bit like having the fox guarding the chicken coop.
And while they're at it why dont they get Qantas to fund the ACCC!
Besides - the public is getting fed up with their supposedly oppressed aussie battler image and whingeing that goes with it.
A bit like having the fox guarding the chicken coop.
And while they're at it why dont they get Qantas to fund the ACCC!
