Re: Countrylink looking up again

[mauried@tpg.com.au (Maurie Daly)]

On Wed, 02 May 2001 01:55:30 GMT, "Dave Proctor"
<david@spambait.proctor.net> wrote:

>"Al" <alpout@optusnet.com.au> wrote in message
>3aef5f7f$0$25483$7f31c96c@news01.syd.optusnet.com.au">news:3aef5f7f$0$25483$7f31c96c@news01.syd.optusnet.com.au...
>
>> From the SMH this morning "But the low-cost competitor, Virgin Blue,
>insisted
>> last night it would continue to expand services and offer a range of cheap
>fli
>> ghts, although it could be a year before it was able to battle on the main
>> Sydney-Melbourne route."
>>
>> For one thing, they need planes.  If they had enough to add the route
>straight
>> away, that would be excess capacity that would be sitting around costing
>them
>> a pile.
>
>Nobody said "straight away" - but the new aircraft will be coming online
>fairly quickly. And they themselves said that they will be expanding routes,
>requiring new aircraft, which is the reason (according to you) that they
>can't start up SYD-MEL any time soon.
>
>> OK, they have 14 new 737's coming, but it takes Boeing a bit longer
>> to put a plane together than Holden does a car.
>
>And the first has arrived and the second is due any day now (may already be
>here). These aircraft were ordered ages ago and are in various stages of
>construction.
>
>There is also the leasing market, which is where Virgin Blue got their first
>batch of 737's from, and where Ansett is able to get hold of 767's at
>reasonably short notice.
>
>There are also a number of "white tail" aircraft sitting around doing
>nothing.
>
>> Secondly, don't you think
>> they'll analyse what went wrong with Impulse on the Sydney-Melbourne route
>and
>> make sure they don't make the same mistakes?
>>
>> And with the ownership of various airlines, how about Impulse = Qantas
>Lite,
>> and Virgin = Diet Ansett?
>
>None of which means that Countrylink can afford to sit back and be
>complacent about future ridership.
>
>Dave
>
>
Its also worth mentioning that there is a fundamental differance
between Impulse & Virgin Blue in that Virgin is bankrolled by a very
rich individual who doesnt have to worry about keeping financiers on
side as Impulse had to do.

MD