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Post by Dave Homewood on Mar 1, 2006 17:36:59 GMT 12
I heard on the business report this lunchtime on National Radio that Malaysian Airlines, or MAS, is in deep trouble financially and can no longer compete with cheaper carriers. They are planning radical changes to their business plan to try to get out of the red. They've recorded three straight quarter losses apparently.
So Air New Zealand and Qantas are not the only ones struggling.
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Post by corsair67 on Mar 1, 2006 17:59:41 GMT 12
Doesn't surprise me: the fuel price has really hit a lot of these airlines hard over the past 12 months. Any airlines that haven't hedged against fuel increases are really going to suffer further grief this financial year too. Um, I don't think Qantas is struggling; even though Geoff 'Happy' Dixon would probably like us to think they are so he can send engineering work overseas!  Qantas' net profit for the 2004/05 year was $763.6 million, which was up 17.8 per cent on the previous year. The result was better than the average analyst forecast for a profit of $731.70 million. (source - The Courier Mail 18 Aug 2005.) |
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Post by Dave Homewood on Mar 1, 2006 21:07:36 GMT 12
OK, sorry. I thought quaintarse (as Alf Garnett once called them in their advert campaign!) were struggling because they were laying off staff. If they're making that much they should be proud to keep their own staff who're obviously doing a great job. Obviously Qantas bosses are much worse than Air NZ's bosses towards their staff, at least Air NZ and MAS have reasons to tighten the belt
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Post by corsair67 on Mar 2, 2006 9:15:46 GMT 12
The only struggling Qantas are doing is to keep the profit margin up as high as it's been over the past couple of years! It's all about keeping the shareholders happy: nothing more, nothing less. Sure, the cost of fuel is a worry, but Qantas have hedged against that so they should be all okay The pressure is really on now though for Qantas not to send engineering work offshore, not only from the Unions and the public, but also from the Federal Govt too. The Federal Govt. recently threw Qantas a huge lifeline by not allowing Singapore Airlines to fly direct from Australia to the US, so no doubt they will be expecting something in return from Geoff!  Will be interesting to see if it has any effect. |
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Post by Bruce on Mar 2, 2006 10:03:33 GMT 12
Where would Malaysia outsource its maintenance if it had to? - its already in asia!  would they send it to NZ? |
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Post by glenn on May 7, 2006 0:11:35 GMT 12
Qantas struggling. With a Billion dollar profit ;-)
Their crying Poor campaign must be working well in New Zealand.
Whilst I don't like Malaysian Politics and their hypocritical stance on world issue's I did fly to the UK with Malaysian and it was an absolute pleasure. Apart from being delayed, the Pilot himself kept us informed. Made a few jokes about ho he could actually fly the plane but he wasn't entirely happy about the situation, he would prefer to get it fixed. And that if he wasn't happy, we should not be happy. we were all entertained on the ground and in the air. The Pilot passed off the Turbulence to the good weather in Australia, causing the Aussies to all have BBQ's thus creating the thermals causing the bumps. Then we all had a couple of Congo lines around the cabin in flight to help with DVT. Absolutely excellent humuor in between as well. I'd fly with them again for sure.
Unlike the Qantas Flights who delayed me in all 3 legs of my flight from NZ back to Canberra without any explanation just a "well update you in 40 minutes" repeatedly.
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Post by corsair67 on May 7, 2006 22:20:41 GMT 12
Oh God: not another Canberran! ;D Glenn, two weeks ago Qantas managed to delay my flight back to Canberra from Sydney by 40 mins because of a 737 breakdown. They tried to get us on another 737, but then realised that particular aircraft couldn't go to Canberra because it didn't have some particular item onboard which they need if they stay overnight in Cbr! Finally, after much walking through the domestic terminal, they loaded us on the 737-800 "City of Queanbeyan" - so I knew we were on the right plane then! Lucky that it was at 9pm on a Sunday night, overwise they wouldn't have had all the idle 737s sitting around to choose from as spares! |
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Post by glenn on May 8, 2006 1:29:15 GMT 12
well,
Coming back from New Zealand. I chose to spend a few hours in auckland via Christchurch.
Get to Christchurch, aircraft is over booked, would I mind an earlier flight.....No worries, gives me more time at Auckland..Right
wrong, the Flight I am put on arrives late. A lot late, ends up leaving almost at same time as original flight. Still, no problems, I got plenty of time, except................. we are in flight and the flight for some reason is taking a LOT Longer to get to Auckland. Our actual descent from teh point the Attendants strap in, till we land is over 25 minutes. at this point when I check my International Boarding pass, I note a discrepancy on boarding time. It has been bought forward by over an hour. Weird, as my original confirmation has it much later. Hmmm this is a worry as now I anticipate about 25 minutes from leaving the Domestic to paying my departure tax and getting on board at the International terminal. I envisage me and my luggage not arriving in Sydney tiogether. We land and I don't see a QF flight at the International terminal, hope yet that it too is late me thinks. Famous last thought that one.
Anyway, the Attendants on my original late take off and even later arrival, allow me off the aircraft first. I run up the gang walk only to find a wall of people that I can't get through. A lot of excuse me's later, I am heading down the stairs. No bloody taxies in site, which is right,a s it's pissing down with rain. So I run across to the International airport. This is where I find, i am extremely unfit, but the Rain water disguises my profusely sweating body nicely. The heavy breathing though, it does not. I get to pay my departur tax after I am accutely aware that the little old lady in front of me wants to talk to the counter attendant about her Holoday. Oh, and then can't find the exact money. After more precious seconds ebb away, I am through, running up the stares, I make my way to departures. bugga, gotta stop and get scanned no worries, they are made aware of my dilema and point me to the fromnt of some que, Except, now all of a sudden, something in my camera bag needs to be checked and verified. OK, so occasionally that happens but the same bag just made it through 3 prior screens. Anyway, I get through and still have about 10 minutes. Now where is that gate of mine.
The display screen says Gate 22 or 24. OK so where is that. I know, I'll find it on the run, that is until I get to the escalator where for some reason people seem to stand on them and stop. This time I was even luckier, they had it blocked so i sprinted up the stairs instead, and there thank heavens is a sign that tells me where gate 24 is. Hang on, did it say 10 minutes walk time, how far away is that. Oh second last gate. Yep, that fits in with this game plan. At this point, Exhaustion is pretty much convincing me that a heart attack would be a good option at this point but I persevere. I'h hate to be the one left in Auckland when my Luggage makes it to Sydney, and the way this day was going, I would not have been surprised ;-)
I see a monitor, My Flight QF whatever is Processing. Hmmm Processing, what's that mean. It's not a baording message but it does say final call after it. Must be boarding, better run faster. inally. get to where I need to be but there is another issue. It's now downstairs, and there is the escalator full of people and only room for i person width. Gonna have to ride this one down at escdaltor speed. Anyway, I arrive.....................yay
But, no one at the lounge and no aircraft.........................................
No I didn't miss it, if you recall earlier, I did not see a Qantas je=t when we landed, well that's because it had not yet landed. OK, no worry, I didn't miss it. About an hour and a bit later it arrives. Now what do you think would go wrong. Seriously, nothing you'd have thought right. Well, about 3 hours of maintainance work was performed on the aircraft. Eventually we are airborn but the 5 hours I gave myself at Sydney to clear customs and do what I wanted was seriously eroded. To the point, as we arrived at Sydney, my connecting flight to Canberra was leaving.
OK, so they put on a Boeing 737-800 for us later instead of the Daqsh 8 I missed but there was another delay. Eventually I got home to Canberra. After all that hassle, only about 1.5 hours later than I originally planned. So it does kinda pay to allow many hours in between flights.
but the real clencher when i arrived. Was my wife, who had not seen me for 12 days.............................................Was late.
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Post by Dave Homewood on May 8, 2006 8:00:15 GMT 12
Glenn, that is a brilliantly told story.
Now if you'd gone by Freedom Air you'd have been able to go direct to Dunedin, it would have cost half as much, and you'd have had better service.
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