Qantas And Jetstar Increase Domestic Flights

[Kain C]

JQ will operate double daily BNE-LST from Dec 10 until Jan 31. What is it with these pathetic little routes like BNE-LST, NTL-OOL etc that seem to get all the services? What does HBA-MEL have to do to get additional services? It's gone beyond insulting now

[Nathan Bartlett]

Maybe lower their airport costs!

That means we will have 8 flights per day during that period! 4X MEL 2X SYD and 2X BNE!

[Kain C]

Plus your 6 QLink LST-MEL!

[Ryan K]

Spot on Andrew.

Kain consistantly complains about anything that is positive for Launceston. Perhaps the management of LST Airport are doing something better than those at HBA Airport. Their airport fees may be big factor in the extra services JQ and QF are puting into Launceston over summer.

Kain, just be happy that Tasmania is getting these extra services, even if you do deem them to be "pathetic".

Personally I think it's great that Launceston, a city of 100,000 people has an airport that over the summer months can service 8 JQ flights, up to 6 DJ flights and up to 6 QF flights daily!

[Ryan K]

Originally Posted by Nathan Bartlett

Maybe lower their airport costs!

That means we will have 8 flights per day during that period! 4X MEL 2X SYD and 2X BNE!

Go Lonnie!

[Kain C]

How are these routes 'pathetic' Kain?

I think the term is more aligned to your post...

Have a look at the load factors for NTL-OOL. All in the 60's and 70's for a long period, yet for some reason JQ think they need more seats and scheduled the second daily flight within a hour of the first! With both flights at lunchtime you can't argue about yields either. Everyone knows it is nothing to do with demand, it was simply a move to over-saturate the market to stop TT opening an OOL base.

Then LST-BNE; no-one in their right mind could possibly argue that there is demand for double daily LST-BNE yet no demand for a single weekly HBA-BNE. It is well known that JQs LST-BNE has always received subsidies from day 1. DJ started LST-BNE with a 78 seat E170 and pulled out because there wasn't enough demand. Now there is demand for 354 seats per day? I don't think so - unless you funnel all the HBA traffic via LST!

Then look at LST-SYD. On the back of recording -11.8% and -6.9% growth for May and June (latest figures), somehow that route requires double the seats year round from JQ despite the fact that it is HBA-SYD that is growing???

As for airport charges, well MEL,SYD,BNE are up with the highest in the country, yet they seem to be able to attract plenty of additional services to LST,PER,CNS etc. HBA is still cheaper to land at than SYD, OOL, CBR, MCY etc yet those ports all recieve additional services.

Perhaps the management of LST Airport are doing something better than those at HBA Airport.

Perhaps because the tourism minister is from Launceston they can use southern taxpayers money to subsidise LST services, where as HBA pays for everything itself? I don't know if that's right, but there is some hidden reason somewhere because it has nothing to do with demand nor trends.

Kain consistantly complains about anything that is positive for Launceston.

I have no problem with anywhere getting services appropriate to the demand. I dislike inefficiency and waste. HBA is already underserviced, and with one of Australia's top tourism drawcards, the MONA museum, opening in January, demand will be even higher. Sooner or later something positive will have to happen for Hobart. It is a one-way street at the moment.

[Jarden S]

Has anyone got the full list of new flights being started with QF/JQ?

[Ryan K]

Originally Posted by Kain C

Perhaps because the tourism minister is from Launceston they can use southern taxpayers money to subsidise LST services, where as HBA pays for everything itself? I don't know if that's right, but there is some hidden reason somewhere because it has nothing to do with demand nor trends.

This, ladies and gentlemen is a classic example of Tasmanian north/south parochialism!

[Kain C]

Correct. I can only tolerate the north getting everything for so long. Just remember HBA is the goose that lays the golden eggs for all of Tasmania. If you don't feed it, HBA will not be able to generate the funds to subsidise the north, and then everyone's stuffed!

[Ryan K]

I rest my case.