Looks good, doesn't it? Buster.
But the fact is that it came from asset sales.

For instance the sale of Hayman Island and Hamilton Island Airport for $95 million and some other bits and pieces as I remember. So it is easy thus to "show a profit"

Mind you there is a vast difference between COST and VALUE. Abeles SPENT $300 plus million on it which was supported by debt which could never be justified by the potential earnings and that was a decade BEFORE it was sold for it's real VALUE.
Wonder where the excess millions got filtered off to when it was built.

As for Rod he may at last have met a well deserved Waterloo. :)

Buster, Ansett to my knowledge has not made a real profit since the war against the Pilot's in 1989. Ansett has made a few paper profits since then by selling assets. Ansett used to own it's aircraft, hotels, resorts etc. Anyone else like to comment on this? BTW, I have heard that the total loss on Hayman was in excess of $660 Million including losses and writeoffs.

Chimbu Chuckie and Fubaar,

Thank you both for seeing my post exactly as intended.

It is strange how rdnav can see it so differently.

"Qduck who was happily ensconced in the LHS of a Fokker 100 on 90K until Dennis got so sick that the children decide that they wanted their inheritance to blow out of their collective backsides decides that a 737 slot at VB or at Q link would be the ducks guts" (ducks guts, does a duck have a beer gut CC)

and

"Or accuse an experienced pilot(F100/F28 FWA by the sound of it ) as being part of the problem because he is happy to accept the going rates for jet Captains in OZ, as opposed to the heartbreaking work that pays crap in a job that he hates, but tolerates it for his family.

Chimbu Chuckie.

then

"Qducky, if indeed you are a pilot, then your present attitude is part of the problem that lies ahead for Australian aviation"

radnav.

Yes I am a pilot and have held a licence since 1974, I worked very hard to get where I was and loved my job.

I worked for a group of people whom, if their collective brains where dynamite, couldn't blow their hat off. Furthermore I have had the misfortune to suffer from "colateral damage" as the yanks would put it.

As I said in my original post I will do almost anything to get my/a flying job.

If radnav suggests that I should keep unloading containers in 40 degree heat, or labour for 14 hours straight through the night, or unload, empty, scrub, rack and stack bins for LadySan,for $13/hr in order so that I comply with:

"The actions of pilots during the next 12 months will have long term industrial consequences for the entire aviation industry in Australia. Sell your soul to the devil now and he sure wont give it back later."

My soul went south with a well known Knight!

Let me think radnav, scrub sanitary towel waist bins for $38,000 a year or fly 737 for $38,000 a year. C'mon guys, give me a clue.

I believe I was earning a fair wage, but as CC observed, would I be any worse off??

Was that the gravy train I saw go past a minute ago ?

Edit = speling and grama!!


:)

[ 21 December 2001: Message edited by: Qduck ]</p>

Alpha41

Having thought about your posts regarding the demise
of Virgin Blue, I have gone through the Qantas site
trying to work out where VB could operate when they
run out of terminal space in SYD and MEL,


Possible Aust routes without SYD-MEL:

* CBR-ADL
* ADL-ASP
* BNE-ASP
* DRW-CNS
* OOL-ASQ
* CNS-ASQ
* ADL-CNS
* ADL-DRW
* BNE-HBA
* BNE-PER
* BNE-ROK

These are just a few of the possible options.

A question,
is there any reason why VB cannot run to leisure
destinations out of Australia using SYD-MEL-BNE
international terminals?, if not VB have a swag
of options, remembering the B737-700 has a range
of 6038km and the B737-800 5449km.

* BNE-DPS (Bali) 4502km
* SYD-DPS 4622km
* MEL-DPS 4365km
* CNS-DPS 3414km
* DRW-DPS 1740km

* BNE-NAN (Fiji) 2713km
* SYD-NAN 3156km
* MEL-NAN 3882km

* BNE-RAR (Cook Is) 4842km
* SYD-RAR 5031km
* MEL-RAR 5649km (737-700 only)

* BNE-NOU (Noumea) 1442km
* SYD-NOU 1952km
* MEL-NOU 2687km

* BNE-POM (Morsby) 2084km
* SYD-POM 2721km
* MEL-POM 3127km
* CNS-POM 824km

* BNE-MNL (Manila) 5752km (737-700 only)
* DRW-MNL 3116km

Could this be someting like the "Pacific routes"
Brett Godfrey was on about in Perth a few weeks
ago, or maybe my mind running riot.

Wirraway

Wirraway, I think you would find that some of the longer runs that you suggested may not be 737 capable as an alternate would be needed as some of those places are quite remote and a fair way from suitable alternates.

EPIRB

Thanks for that, I don't surpose you could
give me an idea which routes would not work
or how to work out how alternates work, as
I am very interested in possible new routes,
I should have guessed it took more than the
great circle mapper, thanks

Wirraway

Wirraway, I'm not sure when a manufacturer quotes an aircrafts range what sort of reserves they are using, (can somebody answer this?) however, I would suggest that the following routes may be a bit far, SYD-RAR, MEL-RAR and BNE-MNL unless they were to have a stop enroute. I'm not too sure of the local geography out there in regards to suitable alternates, it may be worth having a look at a map. Also, I may be incorrect here, but I would suspect that the fares would be reasonable expensive to provide a sufficient yield too. Another issue would be does Virgin have ETOPS approval and if so, how many aircraft would be ETOPS approved as it is a different maintenance schedule for ETOPS approved aircraft.

EPIRB

Yes, I could be a bit overboard on Raratonga,
but having lived in the Philippines for 5yrs
Zamboanga and Davao are on the bottom of the P.I.and
are 2hrs before Manila with many alternates,ie
Tacloban and Cebu which are 1hr short
of Manila.

Wirraway

If those places you mentioned are suitable (weather, navaids, runway suitablity) then it shouldn't be a problem. Cheers.

All purely hypothetical at the moment. And no mention made of Australian Airlines, which is still an unknown quantity.

Season's Greetings - and to all those LUCKY ENOUGH to be working over Xmas and the New Year, don't complain!

OICUR12, sorry fella. No defaults on loan payments going on at VB. Two things to account for an NG "sitting" around at BNE. Firstly when a new one arrives it gets a few days in the hangar to have decals fitted and various other things done to it to ready it for service. Secondly one of the -800's is here more or less surplus to requirements. It was available and we have it on a pay as you use it arrangement until early next year. Sitting around doesn't cost us a thing. It will cover for C checks on the -400 fleet in the new year. I suggest your banking friend takes a bit more care than to fabricate bull**** about things he/she obviously doesn't know anything about.

Alpha 41, I can't think of anyone I have seen or spoken too at VB in the last 3 months even mention AN. We couldn't care if AN was here or not. On the other hand I would be a bit worried if my airline was just taken over by a trukkie and and a grocerie store manager with backing by a couple of dubious yanks bringing with them someone elses money to blow in order to grab a sizable cash bonus for getting AN up and running in the short term and them bolting. The sad thing there is that as many as 4000 AN staff will be out of work for the second time in maybe a year. Don't choke on your wine bottle.

[ 22 December 2001: Message edited by: sprucegoose ]</p>

There you are Boys,

The world according to Sprucegoose

And another thing sprucy baby unlike you uncouth people at Virgin,we at Ansett,drink our wine from a glass!!!&gt;

[ 22 December 2001: Message edited by: Thumbs up ]</p>

Sprucegoose,

In 12 months, you may have to eat your words.

We await with interest.

:)

Another problem with RAR is that I believe Air NZ have majority control over the airport and thus, any such service would need the tick of approval from the Koru.

Thumbs up...the uncouth people at VB don't have to resort to sledging AN people on this forum or anywhere else for that matter in order to raise our spirits. If a glass of wine is all you can handle so be it. I would respectfully suggest that you spend more time concerning yourselves with AN than with VB as the success of AN will depend on how you define yourselves as Ansett Airlines and not what VB is or is not in relation to your operation. As I said we couldn't care less about AN, we just go out and do our thing, and quite well I might add.

Sprucegoose
good to see you haven`t slandered AN and are busy going about your own business-very admirable!

Can`t say the same about that whinging,moaning(is he pommy) Godfrey.Friends at start up when in need of AN infrastructure,appalling behaviour since merely a business opportunity.Build your own terminals,offer this country your own contribution to infrastructure,not spray painted shipping containers.

Like the gentleman before,I imbide in crystal,not a medievil chalice.

Aw come on bulldog I thought the Adelaide engineering facility had quite a reasonable spray job and so easily relocatable. why would they need permanent infrastructure.They will just see what they can pick up on the cheap like they have with staff.

Bulldog, merry Christmas and a prosperous New Year.

Cheers!

Substandard facilities?

The public doesn't think so! :)

Let the games begin!! The gloves are off for the new year <img src="eek.gif" border="0">