Airline Affairs

Operating revenue was up nearly 34% to $1. 585bn and total assets grew by 8% to $2. 013bn. The airline’s operating profit was $6. 392m (a vast improvement on the $79. 851m operating loss of the previous year) while the net result was effected by several factors.

The major one was a gain of some $55m from an over-provision in the pilots’ superannuation fund after the 547 pilots who resigned in August 1989 were paid the superannuation they were entitled to. Other abnormal items include a credit from provisions in relation to aircraft overhaul, a debit to profit resulting from a write down in the value of the Boeing 727 fleet and a debit to profit for redundancy payments.

The year also saw Australian Airlines take a number of actions designed to strengthen its future. These include the outright pur- chase of the regional airlines Sunstate (Queensland and Mildura operations) and Eastern Australia Airlines, the establishment of the wholly owned subsidiary Australian Airlink, the launch of services to Yulara and Maroochydore, the purchase of Westpac Travel from Westpac and the opening of a travel office in Osaka, Japan.

 Country Links Return:

The gap left by Hazelton Airline’s withdrawal of services from 15 NSW country centres has been partly filled by other operators following the NSW government’s decision to allow competition on the former Hazelton routes.

Nine of the 15 routes will now be serviced: Air Link of Dubbo will fly between Dubbo, Bourke, Brewarrina and Nyngan and between Dubbo, Coonamble, Walgett and Lightning Ridge while Port Macquarie’s Oxley Airlines will link its home base with Sydney and Gunnedah. In addition, Yanda Airlines of Singleton will fly between Sydney, Coonabarabran, Gunnedah and Quirindi.

In the meantime the former Hazelton ports of Cowra, Young. Temora, Forbes, Coota- mundra and Coonamble remain unserviced, at least at the tiine of writing. An announcement recommending a phased deregulation. of NSW air routes is expected now as a fait accompli before the end of this year.

Qantas Improving:

Qantas says the measures it has put in place over the past 12 months to improve the commercial viability of the airline are already beginning to show results.

Cost cutting has reduced overheads and marketing efforts have seen load factors increase from 60% at the beginning of the year to just under 70% now, while it is expected that fares will gradually increase over the next year, earning greater yield. A major part of the cost cutting has been the axing of a planned 3,651 jobs, although the final figure has settled at around 3,000.

Strong passenger growth has been reported on several routes, particularly those to Japan and across the Tasman, while Pacific services have also seen more passengers although this is mainly credited to the very low level of air fares.

Other routes, like the USA and Europe, are still depressed overall while Asian routes have improved. The exception is the Philippines as a result of the eruption of Mt Pinatubo. A factor in an overall decline in the outbound market has been the domestic airlines’ price war, which for the first time has made local

holiday destinations more attractive than some overseas ports like Bali and Fiji.

Despite all this, the airline’s freight operation, Qantas Express Services, has recorded record results for the 1990-91 financial year. Revenue from air mail services also increased by 30% to $30m while courier services showed a massive increase from $2. 3m to $8. 1m. Total freight business also increased by a healthy 8% in 1990-91.

American ‘Express’:

Australian visitors to the USA will have faster immigration processing available to them with the introduction of ‘express’ lanes at entry points.

Australian and US immigration authorities will exchange passenger details before passengers arrive at their destinations and special stickers will be placed on their travel documents before departure to indicate passengers have access to the fast lane. A. similar service for travellers to Australia will be in place by the end of the year.

If only we could organise a similar arrangement for Australians arriving in Britain. . . remember the good old days before ‘United Europe’ when passengers from Commonwealth countries got preference?

Eastwest Cuts:

In the wake of its $23m operating loss for the 1990-91 financial year, Eastwest Airlines will retrench nearly a third of its 750 strong workforce early next year and withdraw services from Tamworth NSW and Devonport, Tasmania.

Hand in hand with the end of services to Tamworth goes the closure of the airline’s maintenance base in the same town, along with 220 jobs. Thirteen Devonport jobs will also go.

Eastwest’s departure from Tamworth is very much an emotional issue as it was from there that the airline started operations in 1947, flying an Avro Anson from Tamworth to Sydney. Since then, Tamworth and Eastwest have been inextricably linked, although the once fiercely independent airline’s acquisition by the News Ltd-TNT group in 1987 completely changed its character and its operating philosophy. Maintenance of Eastwest’s fleet of eight BAe 146-300s will now be carried out by Ansett in Sydney and Brisbane with considerable savings.

 Ansett Express Fares Plummet:

Ansett Express has slashed its ticket prices to ports in far northern New South Wales because passengers have been hopping the Queensland border to Coolangatta to take advantage of deregulated interstate fares.

Sources indicate that passenger numbers have fallen by more than a third because fares from the Gold Coast are less than half those from Casino, Lismore or Ballina. Ansett Express has been monitoring the sit-

uation over a number of months and has decided to bite the bullet and cut fares. While slightly above the deregulated fares on Coolangatta trunk routes they’re relative to the extra cost of travelling from northern New South Wales to the Gold Coast.

Meanwhile, Eastern Airlines has dropped fares to Grafton on the north coast, making it the cheapest to Sydney. It’s offering a $65 one way fare on a limited number of seats. Eastern’s also shown a keen interest in Ansett jets bailing out of nearby Casino, and has warmed to the idea of a triangulated Sydney/Grafton/Casino service. (Haldon

Boyd)

 Qantas Charter Flights to Vietnam to Double:

Qantas and the Sydney company Direct Flights have mounted fortnightly charter flights to Vietnam from 17

October to meet increased demand. The flights have operated on a monthly basis since the program began last December. Charterer Direct Flights has reduced the return air fares from Sydney and Melbourne to Ho Chi Minh City by about $160 for the October-April charter season, with the new levels ranging from $1390.

The Managing Director of Direct Flights, Mr Nguyễn Anh Tuấn, said while the Vietnamese community in Australia provided most passengers, Australians were now showing a growing interest in visiting Vietnam because of its investment opportunities, its authentic Asian character and its nostalgic appeal to Vietnam veterans.

The charter program will be supplemented by Qantas 747 flights in December and Feb- ruary to meet peak season demand. Further information on the flights is available from Direct Flights, (02) 313 6896 or fax 313 6896.

Tourism Still Earning:

Despite the Gulf War and the recession, tourism was still Australia’s top earner of foreign exchange in 1990-91, topping $7. 3bn, an 18% increase on the previous financial year.

This was the second year in succession that tourism earned more for Australia than our traditional export commodities. At present, some 2. 2 million foreigners are visiting Australia each year. This figure is expected to reach about 6. 5 million by the turn of the century.

On the other side of the coin it is a bad year for Australians travelling overseas. Outbound departure statistics for the month of April 1991 showed such an enormous decline that the release of the figures was delayed while they were rechecked. They showed a 14% drop compared with the same month last year. Although outbound business travel increased by a healthy 15%, tourist travel plummeted by 23% overall.

A big drop was recorded by Singapore, visited by 7,000 Australian tourists in April, 31% down on last year. Travel to the USA and Hong Kong did grow slightly and China recorded a massive 50% increase but Fiji was down 30%, Britain down 18%, Indonesia down 2. 3%, Thailand down 30% and Japan was down 14%.

The most popular destination was the USA (15% of the 167,000 Australians who travelled) then the UK (14%), New Zealand (13%). Indonesia (7%) and Hong Kong (6%).

The Inbound Tourism Organisation of Aus- tralia (ITOA) has meanwhile said that the Federal Opposition’s proposed goods and services tax (GST) would have a disastrous effect on tourism in Australia, although it should be noted that several of the world’s most popular tourist destinations – including the United Kingdom-have had such a tax for many years.

 Compass Loss Not Seen as a Problem:

Compass Airlines’ $10. 31m loss for its first year has been blamed on the recession, the worldwide downturn in air travel which accompanied the Gulf War and most importantly, delays in the delivery of its third and fourth Airbus aircraft which severely restricted its capacity and therefore revenue potential.

Nevertheless, Compass chief Bryan Grey says the airline – now with five aircraft in service is now running in the black and a profit for the 1991-92 financial year is expected. Compass’ original forecast was for a $20. 28m profit in the first year and its revenue reached only $70. 94m compared with the expected $154. 2m.

September 1991 quarter figures (refer Stop Press) are expected to show that the airline has captured around 24% of traffic on the routes it contests and 16% of the total market. Expansion into other markets is also being considered, especially to Tasmania and now Canberra. However, the latter would require increased access to terminals at Sydney and Melbourne, as would any increase in the fleet of six Airbus A300/310s now planned.

“The airline would also require a smaller aircraft, such as the 737, A320 or MD-80 to serve these secondary ports, which is something that runs contrary to the stated Compass operational strategy from day one. Several industry observers were quick to note that this was a guaranteed way of keeping the opposition guessing, something that is almost as beneficial to Compass as would be the extra trunkline feed that access to quality secondary ports would provide.

Compass is meanwhile pressing ahead with plans to acquire a controlling interest in Australian Airlines when it is privatised next year, despite objections from Australian’s board and management, to the government’s taskforce on asset sales providing Compass with the information necessary to make a detailed bid. Australian claims that Compass is merely trying to obtain sensitive financial information about a competitor.

Meanwhile, the ongoing battle over terminal leasing is continuing, with Compass considering legally challenging the leases held by Australian Airlines on its airport terminals. Additionally, an arbitration panel in Melbourne is hearing argument over the rental fees charged by Australian to Compass for the use of terminal space.

Qantas to Develop $20M Computer System for Aircrew Management:

A $20m software project by Qantas to better manage the work schedule of aircrew should save the airline more than $60m over the next few years.

ARMS (Aircrew Resource Management System), one of the biggest software development projects in Australia, will be implemented in stages over the next three years. The system will allow the airline to handle the anticipated growth in flights over the next four years with its present strength of flight attendants, pilots and flight engineers.

ARMS will be developed by the airline’s subsidiary Qantek (Qantas Information Technology Ltd), with the support of Australian and US companies specialising in artificial intelligence and optimisation techniques. Qantas Director of Aircrew Resources, Max Surplice, said the new system would ensure that the right number of people with the right skills were in the right place at the right time.

“Preparing aircrew trips and pattern lines. and managing disruptions, are complex and time consuming tasks which often have to be performed to tight deadlines,” he said. “Schedulers now switch between eight separate computer systems and make up to 120 different screen transactions to organise a crew member’s work. ” Factors to be taken into account include schedules, aircraft configurations, pattern options, the seniority, skills and ranks of individual crew members and training, licence, award and leave requirements. ARMS will integrate the lot, and offer the most viable crew scheduling solutions.

AAA Hiring Cabin Crew:

AAA Airlines, Australia’s latest operator, has begun hiring flight attendants and the first training course is due to begin about now.

Interestingly, flight attendants on AAA flights will share cabin duties with second officer pilots, who will perform these duties for two days each week on a rotation basis. AAA is hoping to begin scheduled high frequency shuttle services between Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane in early 1992 using second hand DC-9 jets. The major share-holding will be held by the pilots (refer p. 5 Sept 91 AA).

Airlink Makes a Solid Start:

Australian Airlink has got off to a promising start. Two months after making its first revenue earning flight in late July the airline is running its three BAe 1468 at a consistent 70% load factor.

The new carrier is Australian Airlines’ regional offshoot, serving Queensland and the Northern Territory from Cairns and Brisbane. Australian Airlink came into being on 21 July this year when the three BAe 146-100s, operated under a three year wet lease by National Jet Systems, were positioned in Mackay, Rockhampton and Brisbane. The trio, VH-NJC City of Cairns, -NJY City of Mackay and-NJZ City of Rockhampton, cover the Brisbane/Rockhampton/Mackay route: Cairns/Gove/Darwin; Cairns/Alice Springs; and, once a week, Cairns/Alice Springs/ Perth.

The 146s replaced Boeing 737s previously used on these routes. Australian Airlink general manager Jackie Cook explained that replacing a 106 seat airliner with a 65 seater. made it possible to profitably increase the number of flights on these routes per week by some 50% representing an overall increase in the number of seats available per week, but without imposing a strain on Australian Airline’s beleaguered internal economy. The carrier has also introduced a new service from Cairns to Rockhampton to meet an anticipated demand from American and Japanese tourists keen to visit Great Keppel Island and other parts of the Great Barrier Reef.

The aircraft themselves operate from an engineering base in Cairns, with further back-up available in Brisbane. Maintenance is carried out at National Jet Systems’ hangar in Adelaide. The arrangement between National Jet Systems and Australian Airlines is uncomplicated: “We have total customer service control,” says Jackie Cook. “We specify the standards of service the cabin crews must achieve and things like the quality of catering. “Australian Airlines handles bookings and promotion while National Jet Systems provides the aircraft, engineering support, flight deck and cabin crew-the latter wearing a specially designed Australian Airlink uniform.

“It’s going very much according to plan,” says Jackie Cook. Load factors are a consis- tent 70%, rising to 75% during the last school holiday period. National Jet Systems has kept its end up, according to managing director Warren Seymour: “We are delighted with the on-time performance of the 1468. Our despatch reliability is normally around 99% and it’s been as high as 99. 8% ” (Greg Ferguson)

Apo and Australian Gain Air Cargo Dominance:

Australia Post and Australian Airlines have announced that they are forming a joint venture company to operate a national air express and courier business.

The new company will combine the resources of Australia Post Express Courier and the entire freight operation of Australian Airlines. Australia Post and Australian Airlines will have equal shareholdings in the joint venture company. Turnover in its first full year of trading is expected to exceed $100m.

The new company will hold a significant share of the domestic air express business, providing air courier, express parcels and air freight services throughout Australia to the wide base of predominantly business customers now serviced by each company.

The combined resources of the new com- pany will include: More than 200 flights each day on Australian’s national domestic passenger and freighter network; Customer access through 1,400 post offices, 3,100 post office agencies and Australian Airlines cargo facilities throughout Australia; and •Afleet of more than 400 pick-up and delivery vehicles throughout Australia.

The joint venture will combine the technology now used by Australia Post and Australian Airlines, including computerised telephone acceptance and dispatch, “track- and-trace” systems and electronic data information systems.

The Managing Director of Australian Airlines, Mr John Schaap, said that the joint venture with Australia Post would bring enormous benefits to both organisations, and would increase substantially competition in the air freight industry. Mr Schaap said Australian Airlines Express recently had become the first air carrier in Australia and one of the first in the world to introduce bar code technology to streamline the movement of freight, and that this would be expanded for use by the new joint venture operation.

“This new company will combine the strengths of the Australian Airlines Group and the resources of Australia Post to produce a strong and highly commercial operator in the national air express market,” said Mr Schaap. “The joint venture operation continues the international trend of resource sharing between complimentary businesses, not just in aviation but in other industries,” he said. “Australian Airlines considers this joint venture with Australia Post as a logical and binding extension of their existing business arrangements, and a crucial strategic move for the future. “This is a long-term commitment by both parties, which will strengthen Australian’s position as a major transport company. ”

The Managing Director of Australia Post, Mr Rae Taylor, said the joint venture was a significant strategic investment for Australia Post. “It gives us greater influence over an air network so essential to us for the maintenance of high standards of service to our customers for both letters and parcels,” Mr Taylor said.

AA Comment: This has to be one of Sir Peter’s and Brian Grey’s worst nightmares as in one fell stroke they have been eliminated for all time having the opportunity of carrying

the nation’s lucrative air mail Additional to this, the new teaming will also greatly extend the long term capabilities of Australian’s previously lacklustre air cargo operation to make it a true rival to TNT and Mayne Nick- less. The move will also give Australian an estimated revenue boost of more than $30m a year and increase its overall value prior to it going to the share market sometime in the latter stages of next year.

Qantas Again to Offer Two Fast London Flights Every Day:

Qantas is again operating daily one stop services to London with its 747-400 aircraft from both. Sydney and Melbourne.

The new schedules, which began 28 October, restore the operating pattern established late last year but suspended in February because of the Gulf War. Qantas combined European services to better tailor capacity to the depressed post-war traffic. As loads improved, a discrete Rome service was re-established in June. Frankfurt, served three times a week on one of the London services, will once more have separate Qantas flights.

Ansett Ownership Changes?:

An approximately $50m loss for the year 1990-91 and the debt problems of its owners, TNT and News Corporation, may see Ansett Transport Industries (ATI) with some new shareholders sooner than later.

Ansett needs a $200m capital injection in the short term, but News, in particular, is not in a position to easily provide it. TNT could manage, but News has already confirmed it is unable to provide its share. The media organisation must repay $US800m to its bankers by next February and has been told by the court to divest itself of assets not related directly to its core activity of publishing.

The solution appears to lie in News Corp disposing of part or all of its interest in Ansett and other investors coming in. There has already been speculation about offshore interests but local investment is also possible. Ansett’s poor 1990-91 result has come about due to crippling interest payments on its $2. 4bn borrowings and the price cutting war between itself, Australian Airlines and

Compass since deregulation. An increase in premium fare market share and a number of cost reductions within the group in recent months should see ATI reporting a profit for the current year.

AA Comment: What odds on a News Corp withdrawal from Ansett and a Qantas and/or the involvement of a well known and very wealthy Australian media magnate in the not too distant future? For Qantas, it would provide the domestic network it needs after privatisation next year, remembering that it is specifically prohibited by the Federal Government buying into Australian Airlines for some strange reason.

 Traffic Still Down:

Figures released by the International Air Transport Association (IATA) for the month of July 1991 show that traffic is still down on last year.

For July, the figure was down by 4% compared with the same month last year while the total traffic for the first seven months of 1991 was 9% down. Load factors decreased from 75% to 71% in the same period.

The only improvement was shown in the Far East-up 2%-while Europe continues to feel the effects of the decline most of all recording a 7% downturn in July and 10% for January-July compared with 1990.

Not even the traditional peak of the mid year northern hemisphere summer helped in 1991 and the world’s airlines-which between them lost more than $US4bn last year-are in for a continuing rough ride. In the USA, over 40,000 airline workers are out of a job, one major airline is out of business, four others are operating under Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection and another is close to the edge.

Rail Tenders Called:

Nearly a year after its latest incarnation was first mooted, a much needed rail link between Sydney Airport and the central business district is now about to be subject to tenders invited by the NSW government.

When it is completed, the railway line will link Central Station with the airport terminals. There have been many proposals for such a link over the years but all have come to nought. Hopefully, this one will bear fruit.

 More Delays in Europe:

The various air traffic control productivity improvements and better ground handling procedures introduced in Europe in 1989 resulted in fewer flight delays in 1990, but now the situation is worsening again.

In June this year delays of 15 minutes or more affected 13% of airline flights compared with just under 10% in June last year and 13% in June 1989. The 1990 figure was particularly pleasing as it was achieved against an approximately 20% increase in movements, while this year’s result is despite a slight decline.

Airlines Sale Postponed:

The privatisation of Australian Airlines and Qantas has been put back six months until the middle of next year, a time when the economy should be on the up again, a situation which will result in possibly greater interest (and prices) than now.

The government says it already has a list of interested buyers and formal expressions of interest (with an indicative bid) will be invited by the end of this year. From there, a shortlist will be drawn up. 100% of Australian Airlines is up for grabs and 49% of Qantas. Both Singapore Airlines and Northwest have expressed a public interest in acquiring a strategic Qantas shareholding (refer major Northwest feature this issue).

One of several organisations which has publically expressed an interest in acquiring part of Australian is New Zealand’s Brierley investments, which has a 37. 5% stake in Air New Zealand. This means that ANZ could end up with a 25% share of Australian while Brierley could own a further substantial holding in its own right. Under foreign investment laws, there is no restriction on Brierley’s financial involvement in Australian (unless it is considered against the national interest) while foreign airlines operating into Australia are restricted to 25% for an individual holding and 40% aggregate.

Noosa Airport Saved:

In order to prevent its closure, Noosa Shire Council has successfully negotiated with Australian Airlines to take over Noosa Airport.

The council says the airport is vital to the area’s tourism and has negotiated a 12 month rent free lease. Previously, the airline offered the council a lease at $9,000 a month. The council is not interested in permanently managing the airport, but wants the lease to ensure its continued operation, and to give time for private interests to negotiate with Australian Airlines. In 1990 the airport handled about 600 private fights and 15,000 passengers.

Rebel Air Returns:

Rebel Air, the well known DC-3 charter operator, has returned to Kingsford Smith Airport.

Due to changes in ownership and other factors, headquarters for a time were at Maitland in the Hunter Valley with the two DC-38 being positioned from time to time to Ruther-ford and Bankstown. The two aircraft, VH-MIN and UPQ, are available for both passenger and freight charter.

Chief Pilot, Jack Curtis (ex-Australian) is adamant that a presence at Sydney’s prime airport is essential to interface with tourism and ad hoc demands. (Peter Gamble)

Exporters Support Northwest:

Australian exporters of perishables such as meat, seafood, asparagus and flowers have got behind Northwest Airlines’ application for direct services from Sydney to Osaka in Japan.

Presently, exporters have to consign freight to Osaka by way of Singapore and Tokyo. The result is longer shipment periods and greater expense and ultimately restricted export opportunities for goods which are. highly perishable. Northwest has said that freight forwarders who have contacted the airline have virtually guaranteed to fill every bit of available capacity.

Northwest has meanwhile estimated that its proposed Pacific capacity expansion could boost the Australian economy by more than $100m annually. The expansion consists of five additional flights per week – three from New York to Sydney via Osaka and two to Brisbane from the US West Coast. Assuming a 70% load factor, this means an additional 70,000 American tourists next year, each of them spending an average of $2,000 during their stayin Australia.

1991/92 REGISTER NOW AVAILABLE Have you ever seen an aircraft at your local airport and wondered what model it was or who owned it, or maybe you would like to know who owns all the Piper Warriors for a particular business venture or where all the Tiger Moths are for a historical project.

The only readily available publication to detail all this information has now been published. The Australian Aviation 1991/92 Civil Aircraft Register detailing the registration, type, serial number and owner of all aircraft on the register is now available by mail order only.

Almost twelve months’ work has gone into the best Australian civil register ever produced and it is a must for companies and individuals in the industry, private and commercial pilots, historians and anyone with even the slightest interest in aviation.

The book can be kept up to date using the regular register update section of Australian Aviation and is available from AustAirData, PO Box 1142, Toombul, Qld 4012 at a cost of $9. 95 including postage within Australia, add $5. 00 for overseas airmail.

Third Runway Ramblings:

The controversy over Sydney Airport’s proposed – and very necessary third runway con- tinues, with the anti-runway groups continu- ing their program of opposition despite a favourable EIS.

The latest idea coming from them, and supported by six Federal Labour MPs whose seats border the airport, is the imposition of a $5 levy on passengers to insulate homes affected by noise from the third runway. The estimated cost of such a program would be between $460m and $600m and some 18,000 homes would be affected according to the four Councils which have put up the idea.

But the proposal does not have the full support of the Airport Coordinating Taskforce, the umbrella group for the various resident action groups, which says that a levy of $5 per passenger using the airport would take five to ten years to pay for the insulation. According to the taskforce’s Tony Williams, the sum is “not so great as to dis- courage air travel, neither is it great enough to fix the problem in under 12 months”. The six politicians have indicated that if Federal Cabinet decides to go ahead with the run-way, the matter will be subject to a class action in the Federal Court.

The six are Leo McLeay (Speaker of the House of Representatives), Laurie Brereton (the former member of the Wran government in NSW who was nicknamed “the minister for billboards, usually with his face on them). the ubiquitous Gary Punch (who has built a career out of opposing anything remotely associated with aircraft and airports), Peter Baldwin (ironically the Minister for Employment and Education Services), Steve Dubois and Jeanette McHugh.

Meanwhile, other members of the same government to which the above are part have offered contradictory statements. The for Shipping and Aviation Support, Sen- ator Collins, has described the vast number of houses which will allegedly be subject to interfering noise as “absolute baloney”, and went on to suggest that the number of homes so affected would actually be reduced with the building of the third runway and the increasing use of quieter jets.

A recent survey of Sydney residents (including some living near the airport) revealed that twice as many Sydneysiders support the third runway as do oppose it. Of those in the vicinity, about 15% more were for it. Interestingly, those living in the area which will be most affected by a new runway (to the north of the airport) were found to be strongly in favour of the development.

Technology Saves Fuel:

The latest aids in navigation technology will realise massive fuel savings, according to Qantas.

New navigation procedures which are now possible due to the accuracy and reliability of satellite navigation systems will allow reduced aircraft separation, free tracking (allowing aircraft to fly between two points in the shortest time) and the opening up of new ‘straight routes and thereby eliminating doglegs. The current longitudinal separation minimum is 20 minutes (or 160 nautical miles) and this will be halved in 1995. Australian trials have been taking place using only five minutes separation.

Qantas estimates fuel savings of $500,000 over a year on return services between Sydney and Los Angeles when the new system is introduced and the two tonne weight saving from the lighter fuel load can be used for extra revenue from passengers and/or freight. Extrapolated over all of Qantas’ (and other airlines”) routes, the potential savings are enormous.

Burning Issue:

Here’s one many of us can relate to, or at least a variation of it. . .

A recent Qantas flight from Sydney to Los Angeles was two hours out of Sydney when a passenger remembered she had left the iron on in her Melboume home. Naturally, she was horrified by the potential catastrophe that this involved, but help was close at hand. The aircraft’s captain got on the radio, and the end result was that the woman’s neighbour was informed of the problem, the front door key located under the appropriate pot plant and the iron turned off.