Actually flew Port Moresby to Brisbane and back courtesy of Alliance on behalf of Virgin Australia and they were quite decent for a budget flight. I'd fly them again. Leaving the aircraft one of the flight crew was at the door and i was able to thank them for the flight.
I connected from Brisbane to Auckland and back on the same trip courtesy of Virgin Australia - cheap and nasty. Never again if I could help it.

Not sure if BNE-POM-BNE is supposed to be a "budget'" flight. VA contracted QQ to put one of their F100s on the run in place of one of VA's 737s. Kept the same VA flight numbers, not sure if the ticket prices stayed the same. If the experience was better than the VA BNE-AKL-BNE legs on a VA 737, it probably says more about VA.

Alliance Airlines soars to record result

https://cdn.newsapi.com.au/image/v1/...8f55?width=650Alliance Airlines’ Scott McMillan and Lee Schofield. Picture: Lyndon Mechielsen

• 9:52AM AUGUST 8, 2019

The resurgence of the resources sector has helped lift Alliance *Airlines to the best annual result of the company’s 17-year history this week, with a $32.8 million profit before tax.

The figure was up 25.7 per cent or $6.7m on the previous year, while net profit improved $4.6m to $22.7m.

Fly-in, fly-out contracts with mining companies made up the lion’s share of Alliance’s flying revenue, worth $165.3m for financial 2019, up 8 per cent.

Wet leasing — where Alliance provide an aircraft and a crew for another airline — contributed $45.4m to the result, up 22 per cent, while *regular public *transport services generated $41.2m. Chief executive Lee Schofield said the result was underpinned by the continued focus of all Alliance employees in ensuring “the safe, on-time and cost-*effective provision of services to all of our clients”.

The Brisbane-based carrier retained a positive outlook for the financial 2020, with scheduled services expected to increase for a number of resource sector clients as a result of increasing mine production levels.

Qantas became Alliance’s single largest shareholder this year, in a move now being examined by the ACCC.

Robyn Ironside

Alliance losing patience with ACCC over probe into Qantas stake deal

https://cdn.newsapi.com.au/image/v1/...8e64?width=650Scott McMillan with Alliance Airlines CEO Lee Schofield Picture: Lyndon Mechielsen

• JANUARY 21, 2020

Charter operator Alliance Airlines is losing patience with the competition watchdog, as an investigation into a 19.9 per cent share acquisition by Qantas nears the one-year mark. Alliance Airlines managing director Scott McMillan said he was constantly being asked about the progress of the investigation, which began in February last year, shortly after Qantas made the surprise move.

As well as buying a 19.9 per cent stake in Alliance, Qantas CEO Alan Joyce told staff his long-term plan was to take over the profitable, Brisbane-based carrier.

The shares acquisition triggered the interest of the Australian Competition & Consumer Commission, which released a “statement of issues” in August, expressing its concerns with the Qantas move. These related to the potential lessening of competition in fly-in, fly-out markets and regular public transport routes serviced by Alliance Airlines aircraft.

Submissions were sought by August 21, but no timeline was set for the investigation.

“We generally do not publish provisional decision dates when investigation completed acquisitions (which is where the companies involved did not seek clearance from the ACCC ahead of completing the transaction),” an ACCC spokeswoman said.

Mr McMillan said the process had left the company’s leaders feeling frustrated following what he described as an “unwelcome advance” from Qantas. “It’s gone on for long enough, we just want an answer,” Mr McMillan said.

Should a finding be made that the acquisition did or was likely to lessen competition in breach of the Competition and Consumer Act, the ACCC could institute proceedings in the Federal Court.

As well as declaring the transaction void, the Act includes a pecuniary penalty of up to $10m.

Qantas declined to comment on the length of the investigation. The airline previously said it had no plans to decrease its share holding in Alliance and it would not seek to increase its stake until the ACCC inquiry was completed.

To date Qantas’s $60m investment in Alliance has appreciated 11.6 per cent, or close to $7m, with the smaller airline’s share price improving from $2.40 at the time of purchase to $2.68.

Robyn Ironside

The Australian must have only one photo????

Twelve months to make a decision.

Once again Australia shows that we are a developing country but at least you can drink the water.

Joyce has a replacement for JQ already!

Maybe he should just “buy” the soon to be sold 717 operation and invest in that instead. Or is his plan to mop up all possible competition, in which case the ACCC has a valid concern.