Reece

Peace, unfortunately, has to be earned, and usually paid for by young men who often needlessly die because their government has not seen fit to learn the lessons of history. Mankind has always been hostile, territorial and uncivilised. It has always been that way and a realist unfortunately cannot see that changing. The fight to survive has been a cross that mankind has had to bear since the first cave dwellers fought for their hunting grounds tens of thousands of years ago.

The fact that we are in the final years of the 20th century has not stopped a tyrant invading and looting a smaller neighbour, taking innocent civilian hostages and threatening to use chemical and biological weapons even though these are outlawed by international convention.

Like any tyrant, Saddam Hussein only understands one language. And that language is brute military force. He and his ilk, whatever their nationality or social standing, have been brought up to respect and acknowledge that. If their neighbour has more than they, then he is simply fair game if he is weaker. To them the military confrontation is a game that usually in the short term pays enormous dividends. The only thing that has kept Iraq out of Saudi Arabia and the rest of the oil rich Gulf was the immediate deployment of military strength by the US and its allies. The UN sanctions are fine, and their near-universal backing was a welcome sign after years of superpower rivalry that often made the UN nothing more than some form of expensive street theatre. However, at the end of the day,it was military intervention that stopped his plunder into the treasures of the Gulf, laying the seeds of an economic depression that would inevitably come once his stranglehold on the world’s major oil reserves was complete It was the same carrier battle groups, the same tactical fighters and Marine and Airborne divisions that had been ripe for cutting in Congress these past few months that reversed the scenario. Hopefully that lesson will at least be remembered till the next budget session.

We hope it will, but don’t hold your breath!

Back home, our own defence budget (refer Defence Update, this issue) saw funding tread water again on a lower than real life inflation factor. Additionally, the naval deployment to the Gulf is to be funded from the basic defence budget, something that could place an additional $1OOm burden on Defence if the deployments should prove longer term. At least the two combatants sent have effective close in weapons systems (Phalanx), a rarity amongst the RAN and unlikely to be fitted to relieving ships unless the two FFGs are replaced by the same class. That our DDGs, support ships (including Success) and remaining River Class frigates still don’t have a CIWS is nothing short of absurd and an insult to the men who would have to take these otherwise capable warships in harms way.

Come on Guys, Get Serious!

With deregulation just weeksaway, an event took place recently that makes many within the industry wonder just what kind of tactics the two primary airlines will use when the flag drops at the end of this month.

A recent example of classic ‘me too-ism’ has left many of us a little more cynical than normal. Readers who don’t live in either Sydney or Melbourne will appreciate our constant bleatings over the years regarding having to always transit one or both of those congested hubs in order to fly elsewhere in Australia. Getting a non stop from, say, Brisbane to Adelaide is near impossible as it is from Canberra to anywhere other than the two largest cities. And so it goes on. Certainly the marketfor opening up non stop direct point to point secondary services using appropriately sized jet equipment is long overdue and would also go a long way to reducing movements at a chronically congested KSA.

So, when on July 16 Australian Airlines commenced non stop services between Canberra and Adelaide many within the national capital rejoiced at the logic of the idea and the passenger convenience that would ensue. Both carriers had dabbled in this market briefly prior to the pilots’ dispute. Australian operate three services a week, albeit at a rather silly time (1625) on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. Great stuff. But not for long as guess what happens next? In a classic bout of Two Airline Policy styre ‘me too-ism’ at its best, Ansett not only decides to run similar services but, you guessed it, at virtually the same time on two of the same days. Unbelievable!

So what started as a great idea to improve customer service by one carrier has now become a marketing nonsense as two 110 seat class 737s operate parallel schedules to a destination that would be better suited to a smaller BAe 146 or F28. What will happen now is something that is almost inevitable. At presstime, the loadings were needless to say very low, which is not surprising considering that three times the number of seats are being thrown at the market as is barely necessary in the first place. Add to this the irritation of parallel scheduling and the almost useless time the flights depart and you will probably have both carriers withdrawing from the route having naturally lost a bundle and claiming that there wasn’t sufficient traffic to justify it.

The result? We all go back to hubbing through Tullamarine or KSA again just as everybody outside those cities has in the past.

Deregulation is but weeks away. Deregulation can offer an opportunity for both these airlines to pioneer and operate new point to point routes that previously they were not legally able to, so come on guys,get your act together and serve the market, not abuse it. If you don’t, then there will be plenty of other

Aspirants to take you place.