Re: Wonderful, Customer-Responsive GSR

["Barry" <one@microsoft.com>]

Roy Wilke wrote in message <34c4b114.93766312@news.powerup.com.au>...
>On Mon, 19 Jan 1998 10:12:04 +1000, "Barry" <one@microsoft.com> wrote:
>
>>
>>Roy Wilke wrote in message <34c29212.25122969@news.powerup.com.au>...
>>>On Mon, 19 Jan 1998 08:29:19 +1000, "Barry" <one@microsoft.com> wrote:
>>>
>>>>
>>>>Maurie Daly wrote in message ...
>>>>>In article <34C11179.41C6@sleeper.apana.org.au> Matthew Geier
>>>><matthew@sleeper.apana.org.au> writes:
>>>>>>From: Matthew Geier <matthew@sleeper.apana.org.au>
>>>>>>Subject: Re: Wonderful, Customer-Responsive GSR
>>>>>>Date: Sat, 17 Jan 1998 09:15:53 -1100
>>>>>
>>>
>>>(snip)
>
>(more snip)
>
>>>Owning an airport doesn't equal building an airport. The argument that
>>>the Commonwealth - through taxation revenue - went to the expense of
>>>constructing the aerodromes and their associated infrastructure that
>>>cost was not covered by the price which those aerodromes were sold to
>>>private operators is a solid one.
>
>>>Take Brisbane for an example. Did the current owners reimburse the
>>>Commonwealth in full for the runway complex, the very expensive
>>>terminal buildings, the two miles of six-lane highway leading to the
>>>airport, the support facilities, etc. etc.? If they had, then there
>>>would not be a reasonable long-term return on the funds invested.
>
>>Our airport is on the books at its replacement cost less depreciation. We
>>still make a return on that. Let's see the passenger rail system do that.
>
>>BC
>
>Sorry about the delay in this response, but owning an airport isn't
>the aviation equivalent of operating an railway. It is more the
>equivalent of a private operator buying Sydney Central, Spencer
>Street, Roma Street or Keswick Railway Station. In aviation, we now
>have a situation where the airports ("railway stations") are largely
>owned by a variety of private operators, the passenger and freight
>services are operated by a number of other private operators, while
>the airways ("railway tracks") and the air traffic control services
>("signalling and safeworking") are operated by two separate government
>departments.
>
>If private airport operators or air service operators were also
>required to provide air traffic control services, provide and maintain
>all radio navigation aids in the country, as well as all other
>aviation-related infrastructure: then, like the passenger rail system,
>they'd be likely to make losses on an Ariadne-like scale.
>
>Roy Wilke
>
My point is that airlines make profits, airport owners make profits, I know
both of these as facts. The airlines would say that they pay for the full
cost of navigation aids and air traffic control - that I don't know but htey
certainly make a significant contribution. Air fares are not much more than
rail and sometimes are less. People want to travel by air - people are paid
to travel by train (free pensioner concessions). What is a public service?

BC