Jet * - pets in the overhead lockers?
 

This looks pretty strange to me . . . from the ABC web site.

Senator questions pets on flights plan

A Tasmanian Liberal Senator is seeking an explanation from Qantas subsidiary Jetstar on its plans to allow pets in overhead lockers.

Senator Guy Barnett says the low-cost airline has advised him pets cannot be carried in the aircraft hold but can be placed in the overhead lockers.

It is one of the concerns being aired at a public meeting with the carrier in Launceston today.

Tasmanian business leaders are also calling for an additional flight to Melbourne.

Senator Barnett says there are many risks associated with having pets in overhead lockers.

"It raises a whole range of issues in terms of safety and health issues in terms of dogs being up there with cats, mice, rats and birds," he said.

"You put your hand up into the overhead locker, you might have it bitten off by a great dane or something, there's all sorts of issues it raises."

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I wonder if you could fit a great dane in an overhead locker :confused:
even if you could entice it to get in there in the first place. :p

DJ737
The Roo Rooter :E :ok:

Not to mention the coatings of animal excrement.:}

That's crap. Read CAR 256A.

My guess they intend to decline carriage of animals as checked baggage. The sole option will be air freight. I seem to recall Ansett pulling the same caper.

I'm not putting my ferret up in no stinkin overhead locker. It's staying in my trousers where it belongs mister.......

This is from some unknown Senator from Tasmania.

Hardly something to give creedance too. He probably confused "carried in a locker" (meaning cargo locker ) for overhead locker. These guys aren't there warming a seat in the Senate on those salaries because they are rocket scientists.

With that sort of expert aviation knowledge he could qualify for a seat on the Qantas Board !! Nah maybe he's over qualified :uhoh:

Another lifetime ago, ie about 18 years or so, I worked on a seismic survey crew with a bunch of co workers whom, if they had read a press statement similar to that issued by the Honorable (sic) Senator would have loved to have found out what he had been smoking before issuing said statement!:E

you only live twice. Once when
you're born. Once when
you've looked death in the face.

examiner,com.au Launceston

Qantas snubs North
By Chief Reporter JOHN CAPLES , Saturday, 6 March 2004

No extra morning flights
Business, political and community leaders yesterday called on Qantas and its no-frills subsidiary Jetstar to urgently re-think their plans for Launceston's air services.

A sometimes rowdy public meeting of about 100 people told airline executives they felt snubbed by Qantas because it would not operate an early morning service to Melbourne or an evening return.

Doing a day's work in Melbourne would be made even harder because the first Jetstar service would not leave Launceston until 7.30am, an hour later than the present flight.

Jetstar chief executive Alan Joyce called on the meeting to look at the positives - 30 per cent more capacity into the city and average fare reductions of between 30 per cent and 40 per cent.

But he confirmed there would be no seat allocations - passengers would board in groups of 40 and pick their own seats.

He denied earlier reports that pets would be carried in overhead lockers in Jetstar's new Airbus 320s, but conceded that a lack of heating in the aircraft hold could see adoption of the practice in Europe and the US where pets travelled in cages at their owners' feet.

"But it's not a practice we intend to encourage," Mr Joyce said.

Qantas regional general manager marketing Peter Collins rejected a call for the airline to repeat in Launceston its last-minute decision to reschedule an early-morning flight and evening return Hobart- Melbourne service. He said Launceston's population meant that an early-morning Qantas Boeing 737 service was not viable.

He said the issue would be reviewed if demand warranted it.

Opposition Leader Rene Hidding drew crowd applause when he called on Mr Collins to explain how demand could be assessed if no flight existed.

Mr Hidding said Qantas had miscalculated local customer reaction of the important morning and evening flights.

Mr Collins was given a noisy response when he suggested that Launceston travellers unhappy with Qantas service might consider Qantaslink turbo-prop flights out of Devonport or Burnie which "weren't far away".

Liberal Senator Guy Barnett, who convened yesterday's meeting at Doherty Launceston International Hotel, said he believed Qantas and Jetstar executives had "got the message" that Northern Tasmanians were not prepared to be treated as a low priority in Qantas's operations.

Launceston Mayor Janie Dickenson said she was extremely concerned about the impact of Qantas scheduling on regional business.

Qantas will have only one daily flight, leaving Melbourne at 11am and retuning from Launceston at 1.10pm.

"It is unacceptable - we thought today's meeting might have resolved some of our concerns raised with the airlines earlier but it didn't," she said. "We will be seeking another meeting."

Launceston Chamber of Commerce executive officer Jo Archer said the chamber was disappointed with the outcome but had been advised by Qantas regional manager Roch van Delft that he would organise another meeting with the airline's major clients and community leaders.

From May 25 Qantas will operate a daily Melbourne-Launceston flight and Jetstar will offer four Launceston-Melbourne services and a daily Launceston-Sydney flight, which will increase to two later this year.

==========================================

Qantas is a private company that has to be able to return a profit to it's shareholders. Why would they consider a route/ frequency/ departure time that would not return the required profit? They have obviously researched their ports, and have concluded they cannot make a profit from the 'demanded' flights/ frequencies. Maybe those in Launceston should work on ways to entice more travellers to their city - then maybe it would be profitable for an airline to meet their stated needs.

Qantas (and Jetstar) is not a government-funded public transport service.

They can only fly to places/ offer frequencies/ departure times etc that they make a profit on. Otherwise they will lose their investors, and subsequently their business.... Simple as that.

These '100' people appear about as ignorant as they come, and possibly full of a bit too much 'self-importance' relating to their 'city'.

Idea here..... build the city, build the tourism, get the demand = get the airline service you want. (Derrrrr !)

:rolleyes:

Perhaps the residents of Launceston could approach VB to provide more flights? As Q-Tee pointed out QF are a business and if there was a buck in it they (and VB) would ramp up frequency.

Says it all really, QT. QF are no longer a government department and, with all due respect, they are there to make a buck and are not a public service, particularly if that service makes a loss.

If demand is sufficient approach your State or Federal Goverment member to provide an airline as a public service. Now there's a radical idea...

Blame the former Federal Labor government if you've got a problem with that...they're the ones that sold it.

If the Taswegians are upset with QF's service why don't they ask the Tassie govt to subsidise it like they did when Virgin and Impulse started.

Could it be that Taswegians think that "profit" is a dirty word?

Lets put people in the overhead lockers too while we're at it. You can probably fit 30 people up there, that's a couple of thousand dollars extra.