Strategic Bali link - Gone!
 

Strategic Airlines cancels Perth-Bali route | Latest Business & Australian Stock market News | Perth Now

Not viable? Wouldn't have thought it would have, high costs and the inability to compete with 'low' cost airlines

Interesting enough, yesterday I dropped into a Brisbane branch of one of Australia's largest travel agents to get some brochures on Bali, and was told that at the moment there is Pacific Blue and Strategic Airlines flying Brisbane to Bali, however "we dont recommend you fly on Strategic Airlines at the moment". I asked why is that, and was briefly told due to service unreliability and 'other reasons'.

I suggest the Strategic PR dept get their finger out, and speak to all the travel agents ASAP.

Strategic and Gladstone
 

Why is it that Strategic aparently arrived into Gladstone recently, and then departed without getting their passengers from Brisbane off?

apparently tsv-bali will be axed as well, announcement tommorow.

You would think townsville, with its sizable fifo population would be able to support a weekly bali service. I mean perth has what 5+ daily flights.

Hopefully strategic will be creative and try another route from tsv, perhaps auckland.

BNE-HNL is on their website in the bookings :sad::hmm:

I just called them after seeing the ad in todays Australian. They are gearing up for a big expansion and I'm getting an interview given I'm Airbus rated - I just gotta get out of where I am now. I can only stand watching so much daytime TV.

I asked about the cancelled flights and was told it is to free up capacity for the new routes that are about to be announced. Looks like they've found better routes to make money. Melbourne and Brisbane bases for A320 and A330, so I should be able to get home if all goes well - woohoo!

Heres the story in the local paper

http://www.townsvillebulletin.com.au/article/2011/08/05/254615_news.html[/URL]

Re GLA: Heard there was a conversation over the radio with credit card details given so as to get the ground handlers to attend. Card declined, no stairs made available - so aircraft departed back to BNE.

Ah well, at least they'd only have to explain it to 6 or 7 pax, given their loads on the route.

Good luck Busboy, hope the legs don't fall off - all the signs are there.

I know the news is 6 days old, but Gladstone is gone too.....

From the Gladstone Observer

Strategic pulls out of Gladstone


David Sparkes | 29th July 2011

Tags airport, strategic

Strategic Airlines.

Brenda Strong




STRATEGIC Airlines has announced it's withdrawal from the Gladstone to Brisbane route.

The Airline contacted The Observer today to announce its withdrawal, effective from August 12.

Strategic's group executive commercial Damien Vasta said the decision was a sad one for the airline. The decision appears to be the result of commercial difficulties experienced by Strategic since it arrived at Gladstone Airport in April.

"While this is a difficult change to make and is dissapointing for out team, it has been a straight-forward commercial decision due to aggressive competitor activity," Mr Vasta said.

Mr Vasta did not mention Strategic's only competitor on the route, Qantas, but his reference of "aggressive competitor activity" appears to be connected with Strategic's previous request that the ACCC investigate whether Qantas was engaged in anti competitive behaviour.

"Brisbane-Gladstone was a monopoly route with high air fare pricing levels. We entered the market as a price challenger promting lower fares for the people of Gladstone and we achieved what we set out to do," he said.

As it is no longer economically viable to continue this service, we will withdraw from the route for the foreseeable future and will continue to monitor conditions and opportunities."

"We would like to take this chance to thank the Gladstone Regional Council, GAPDL, Gladstone Airport, the community and businesses who have supported us."

Qantas declined to comment on the matter.

Hmmmmmm....

I am not so sure of expanding, maybe the opposite and a preamble for something else....

I hope we don't have another Compass or Sky Air World as this may take more passengers and staff with it......

Good Luck Busboy92, I hope for you and others this doesn't happen....

This doesn't make sense!? Surely running an A320 on BNE-GLT-BNE with no network was going to be a winner?! Maybe they should re-deploy them onto a BNK-LIS-OOL-ASP-DRW-TEF-TWB-BNE-MCY-NOU-NLK-BNK pattern to recoup some of the losses?!

Sure, i'm all for having a go, but that's not to say i'm going to audition for the Cleo centrefold, launch a one man interpretive dance show at the opera house, or release an international hit song about my love of 'Fridays'!?!

Thanks for the wishes of luck. Still gotta pass the interview though. I was told they are gunna have some Pilot Info Briefing meetings in Brisbane and Melbourne soon. Not sure when, but I can post it here I guess, if I ever find out.

Yes it is a bit scary for a young guy like me, but I'm currently grounded anyway after joining an airline that I figured had the strength to grow and be a career position, yet I hear we'll be smaller if we fly again :(

The flight ops guy I talked with on the phone indicated they are all hyped at Strategic 'cause they are actually making sure that the routes that are not making money are replaced with additional capacity over the routes that are (Phuket & Bali from east coast). Apparently there are something like 60 flights a week from Perth to Bali, that's gotta be a tough market. With Virgin starting Gladstone I guess they found better routes with more pax to use the 320.

Sounds like good decision making and good use of the aircraft to me. If they kept pushing on with crappy loads I'd be more worried. I did mention I was worried about the last few failures like Sky Air World etc, but they said the difference is that those who have recently failed didnt have the depth of business, such as the freight contracts with Virgin Atlantic and the Euopean A320 operation. Both of them are adding solid income apparently. Helps pay for the expansion he said.

I've been told I'll be getting lots of Bali overnights on the 320 based in the east, if I'm successful. Also Melbourne overnights, so I can visit my old mates and rellies. I'm hoping I can quickly transition to the A330 after proving myself. I was told that fleet is growing and I'd love Honolulu overnights. This is the carrot for me. They said they will have 3 A330 by early next year and more to come.

I guess its a risk, but everyone was saying they would die away after the Army contract ended last year, but that's almost a year ago and they are only growing from what I see. Worth the risk I reckon, cause things are only going backwards where I am now.

Busboy will be fine.

park the aircraft and lose $1.5M pa. Fly it and lose $3.0m pa.

*A friend flew SA the other day GLD-BNE. 7 pax and a $79.00 air fare....!

Big call tourismman, considering the track record of 90% of the other wannabe airlines in Australia's past, as much as the VB diehards will argue to the death, they were very close to failing 10 years ago.
The worrying thing for Strategic is the international routes they are planning have plenty of established operators on them that will probably do the same as QF did on Gladstone.
Having said that, with a few friends there, I hope you're right

As much as it is bad news for the crews, I can not see how SA can survive with it's current charter and RPT routes.

There is just too much discounting by the "other two" to get a decent yield for a small operator, especally if the US economy heads south again. :{

I was thinking I should contact Strategic to get an IATA plate facility but one does wonder whether that is wise.

As always I stand to be corrected.

EWL

wasn't hard to see this one coming...wonder how long before they start axing positions...

interesting to see where they find these...