So much for that fare war?
Despite months of heated rhetoric and duelling plans to bolster domestic capacity, Qantas and Virgin Australia have apparently thought better of a fare war as they seek to preserve their bottom lines. The Australian Financial Review reports that flight cancellations at both carriers spiked during August and September as they sought to bolster load factors.
EADS-BAE merger collapses over gov’t opposition
Merger talks between Airbus parent EADS and BAE Systems have collapsed after European governments failed to reach agreement over their respective stakes in the would-be conglomerate. EADS and UK-based BAE said they had agreed between themselves on a merger plan based on “sound industrial logic,” but dropped the talks yesterday after months of negotiations had
An RAAF air traffic controller has been suspended after placing two Qantas aircraft on conflicting flightpaths over Darwin last week, according to the ATSB. The safety regulator is investigating the “loss of separation assurance” between the Qantas 737 and QantasLink 717, which occurred when the arriving 717 was told to descend through the same level
Turkish Airlines orders 15 A330s
Turkish Airlines has ordered 15 Airbus A330-300s in a deal with a book value of US$3.5 billion. The deal is Turkish Airlines’ seventh order for A330 aircraft and its 20th from Airbus. The carrier said it would use the aircraft on medium and long-haul routes.
Tiger adds Mackay, will continue services to Cairns
Tiger Airways will fly from Melbourne to Mackey starting in December as the budget carrier also extends its Melbourne-Cairns services through the summer season. The four times weekly Mackay services are to commence on December 18 with tickets going on sale today. Cairns services, which re-launched in April, will be extended through next March. Tiger
Qantas-Emirates tie gets Gov’t blessing
The federal government has thrown its support behind Qantas’s proposed alliance with Emirates, saying the tie-up would benefit consumers and bolster competition. The backing by the Department of Infrastructure and Trade came after Qantas withdrew its request to the ACCC for interim approval of the alliance, which had drawn objections from rival Virgin Australia. Qantas
