Ansett Express’ Hub Buster

Ansett Express of course is not really new. Rather it is the new name for what was Ansett NSW which actually kicked off back in 1934 as Butler Air Transport. Ansett gained control of the then alling BAT in 1958 and from that time onwards the airline has been Ansett’s regional carrier concentrating largely upon services within NSW. However, a significant redefining of the NSW intrastate route network through the latter eighties had greatly emasculated the airline in terms of ports covered. Indeed, during the latter stages of the pilots’ dispute, the long term future purpose of the airline was so vague that many within the higher echelons of ATI considered that it might be closed down completely with its services being taken over by designated commuters or by Ansett itself. Fortunately that was not to be and as long ago as our June 90 issue (p. 5) this magazine outlined the possibility of a revived future for the much decimated Ansett regional as a dedicated point to point hub buster.

Ansett Express of course owes its existence solely to deregulation. The airline is now busy integrating the F28 jets from the East-west fleet and by mid year (when it is fully operational) it will fly 9 F288 and 7 F50 turboprops. The fleet will thus include 46 seat F50s, 60 seat F28-1000s, 63 seat -3000s and 69 seat -4000s. Many of the present F50 services will ultimately be replaced by the jets and there is even a chance that the F50 may be replaced entirely by F28s by the end of next year.

Present configuration is all economy though the airline is looking to introduce a business class with a 15% surcharge. Present F28 configuration is five abreast and one option being looked at is going to a four abreast layout with a 34in pitch which essentially would give the new airline about the most comfortable business class in Australian domestic aviation. A decision on this is expected during the course of this issue.

So what are the ‘new’ routes that lie at the heart of Ansett Express’s viability. Essentially the airline will service non primary routes in NSW, Victoria, the ACT, Queensland, Tasmania and Norfolk Island. From its new Brisbane base it will fly direct to Rockhampton, Mt Isa, Mackay and Maroochydore. Southern ports include Lismore, Casino and Ballina (all presently subject to a major political bunfight!), Coffs Harbour, Wagga, Dubbo, Albury. Cooma, Canberra and Launceston in addition to Sydney, Melb- ourne and Adelaide. Some of the immediate hub bypass routes that are sure to succeed are Canberra/Brisbane, Adelaide/Cool-angatta, Launceston/Sydney and Adelaide/Canberra.

And just how many people travel these routes that don’t necessarily want to fly into Sydney or Melbourne? A sampling of the traffic mix into the major hubs reveals a burgeoning market just waiting to be taken. An analysis of Dept of Transport & Communication figures for the week ending 14 December says it all. For instance, even that artery of the Australian airline industry Sydney/Melbourne had a total of 57,625 passengers of whom 11,141 were not terminating in Melbourne. In other words 19% of embarked passengers out of Sydney did not even want to go to Tullamarine. And that was on Australia’s single largest point to point route. The data gets better though with 11,131 of the 34,877 pax on the Brisbane/Sydney route (32%) travelling on to other destinations (equivalent to 97 full 737-300s), whilst Hobart/ Melbourne saw 3,291 of the 8,893 (37%) pax also not wishing to endure time and money wasting delays at Tullamarine. Of the 11,407 who flew Canberra/Sydney, 3,519 (31%) flew beyond Syd- ney whilst of the 16,272 that flew Adelaide/Melbourne, 4,411 (27%) went onto other domestic destinations. Even Canberra/ Melbourne saw 2,411 of a total of 6,986, or just over a quarter, fly- ing beyond the Victorian capital.

There is no question that this is indeed a massive potential market just waiting to be tapped though the key to a successful penetration of this market is having the right aircraft. And in this area ATI were very fortunate to have a fleet of small Fokker F28 jets which provide the precise combination of jet speed, size, field performance and operating economics that make them ideal for the task of tapping into these secondary markets whilst still maintaining a viable level of frequency. Indeed, this is a major marketing coup for ATI as its arch rival, Australian, cannot viably compete against Ansett Express as the smallest jet in its fleet is the 114 pax 737-300. Australian is now actively considering the purchase of a jet in the 70-90 seat class though even if a decision was taken on this in the coming year it is unlikely that a viable fleet would be in place before 1993/94 at the earliest. In the meantime the airline is looking at using its 38 pax Dash 8 turboprops to develop a range of non stop routes of less than two hours duration. No doubt many within the airline rue the day that they disposed of their fully depreciated and ever reliable 90 seat DC-9s!