QANTAS and Jetstar to do less with less

With sky-high fuel bills QANTAS has decided to do some route pruning. QANTAS will exit the Gold Coast-Sydney and Ayers Rock-Melbourne routes and reducing services on Ayers Rock-Sydney from August. From July Jetstar will cut Sydney-Whitsunday Coast, Adelaide-Sunshine Coast, and Brisbane-Hobart. The service reductions will reduce capacity by five percent ‘the equivalent of grounding six aircraft’.

According to the SMH

Qantas plans to “ground” two Boeing 767s, retire one ageing 737 and speed up the retirement of its fuel-guzzling fleet of four 747-300s.

But in a worrying sign, Qantas said its low-cost subisidiary Jetstar would cancel the delivery of one A321 and ground another of its relatively new A320s. This counters moves by other airlines to focus on the retirement of older and less fuel efficient jets. Jetstar said the grounded A320 would be used as a “spare”.

ABC Radio National’s PM: QANTAS reacts to petrol prices by cutting routes

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Jetstar Birthday Sale Extended

Jetstar’s Birthday sale has been extended with a new batch of fares released (reproduced below) for May 20 – June 24.

On sale until midnight (23:59 AEST) Sunday 11 May 2008, unless sold out prior. Sale may be extended. For travel on selected days and flights only. Limited availability on school holidays and public holiday weekends.

Routes	Travel period 20 May – 24 Jun 08	JetSaver Light Fares from $AUD	JetSaver Fares from $AUD
Brisbane Osaka			$344
Cairns Nagoya			$244
Cairns Osaka			$244
Melbourne Bangkok		$344	$364
Melbourne Christchurch		$144	$164
Sydney Christchurch		$144	$164
Sydney Ho Chi Minh City		$344	$364
Sydney Kuala Lumpur		$344	$364
Sydney Osaka			$344
Sydney Phuket		$344	$364

Another Jetstar Sale – Companion fare for $4

Jetstar have launched a take a friend sale!

In our exciting 4th Birthday Sale you can book 2 JetSaver Light^ fares, with carry on baggage only, and total price will be one JetSaver Light fare plus just $4!

On flights to Japan and Honolulu, the total price for 2 is just one JetSaver fare, which includes checked baggage, plus just $4.

Or if you and your friend want to travel to another destination with checked baggage allowance, book a JetSaver fare for just $10 more per person for domestic or $20 more per person for international flights. It’s your choice!

The fares shown below are the price per passenger. These fares will be booked as 2 equal fares, and must be booked in pairs. When you search, sale fares will be identified by our special birthday sale fare banner!

On sale now until midnight (23.59 AEST) Monday 5 May 2008, unless sold out prior. For travel on selected days and flights only. Limited availability on Fridays and Sundays.

International Routes	Travel period		JetSaver fares in $AUD	JetSaver Light fares in $AUD
	23 Jul – 17 Sep 08	15 Oct – 10 Dec 08
Brisbane Christchurch			$126.50	$106.50
Brisbane Osaka			$246.50
Cairns Nagoya			$216.50
Cairns Osaka			$216.50
Gold Coast Christchurch			$126.50	$106.50
Melbourne (Tullamarine) Bangkok			$246.50	$226.50
Melbourne (Tullamarine) Christchurch			$126.50	$106.50
Sydney Christchurch			$126.50	$106.50
Sydney Ho Chi Minh City			$246.50	$226.50
Sydney Honolulu			$281.50
Sydney Kuala Lumpur			$221.50	$201.50
Sydney Osaka			$246.50

Australian Domestic Routes	Travel period		JetSaver fares in $AUD	JetSaver Light fares in $AUD
	23 Jul – 17 Sep 08	15 Oct – 10 Dec 08
Adelaide Cairns			$96.50	$86.50
Adelaide Darwin			$91.50	$81.50
Adelaide Gold Coast			$61.50	$51.50
Adelaide Sunshine Coast			$66.50	$56.50
Brisbane Adelaide			$61.50	$51.50
Brisbane Cairns			$71.50	$61.50
Brisbane Darwin			$91.50	$81.50
Brisbane Hamilton Island			$56.50	$46.50
Brisbane Launceston			$76.50	$66.50
Brisbane Mackay			$46.50	$36.50
Brisbane Newcastle			$36.50	$26.50
Brisbane Rockhampton			$41.50	$31.50
Brisbane Townsville			$64.00	$54.00
Brisbane Whitsunday Coast			$51.50	$41.50
Cairns Darwin			$91.50	$81.50
Gold Coast Newcastle			$41.50	$31.50
Melbourne (Avalon) Adelaide			$36.50	$26.50
Melbourne (Avalon) Brisbane			$61.50	$51.50
Melbourne (Avalon) Perth			$101.50	$91.50
Melbourne (Avalon) Sydney			$46.50	$36.50
Melbourne (Tullamarine) Ballina Byron Bay			$61.50	$51.50
Melbourne (Tullamarine) Cairns			$91.50	$81.50
Melbourne (Tullamarine) Darwin (only available on flights JQ677/JQ678 )			$71.50	$61.50
Melbourne (Tullamarine) Gold Coast			$56.50	$46.50
Melbourne (Tullamarine) Hamilton Island			$91.50	$81.50
Melbourne (Tullamarine) Hobart			$46.50	$36.50
Melbourne (Tullamarine) Launceston			$36.50	$26.50
Melbourne (Tullamarine) Newcastle			$36.50	$26.50
Melbourne (Tullamarine) Sunshine Coast			$61.50	$51.50
Melbourne (Tullamarine) Townsville			$106.50	$96.50
Sydney Adelaide			$66.50	$56.50
Sydney Ballina Byron Bay			$46.50	$36.50
Sydney Brisbane (not available on flight JQ18 )			$46.50	$36.50
Sydney Cairns			$76.50	$66.50
Sydney Fraser Coast			$46.50	$36.50
Sydney Gold Coast			$46.50	$36.50
Sydney Hamilton Island			$86.50	$76.50
Sydney Launceston			$51.50	$41.50
Sydney Hobart			$56.50	$46.50
Sydney Sunshine Coast			$51.50	$41.50
Sydney Townsville			$71.50	$61.50
Sydney Whitsunday Coast			$61.50	$51.50

Why-o-why am I always out when airlines launch their best sales? If your actually manage to get onto the site AND complete the booking process let us know.

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2 Hour Jetstar 4th Birthday Sale – 24,000 domestic seats for $4

Jetstar have sent a email to JetMail subscribers about a 4th birthday sale on ‘a range of domestic routes from VIC, NSW, QLD, SA and TAS on selected off-peak flights between 03 February and 28 March 2009’.

Sale fares are JetSaver Light fares meaning carry on baggage only – JetSaver fares with a check-in baggage allowance are $10 more.

The starts at 8:00pm (AEST) tonight 29 April 2008, and ends at 10:00pm, unless sold out prior.

UPDATE

Sale fares are on early and late flights on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, and late flights on Saturdays.

Australian Domestic Routes	Travel period	JetSaver Light fares in $AUD
	03 Feb – 28 Mar 09
Brisbane Cairns		$4
Brisbane Newcastle		$4
Brisbane Rockhampton		$4
Melbourne (Avalon) Adelaide		$4
Melbourne (Avalon) Sydney		$4
Melbourne (Tullamarine) Hobart		$4
Melbourne (Tullamarine) Launceston		$4
Melbourne (Tullamarine) Newcastle		$4
Sydney Gold Coast		$4

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Grim news from Qantas – fares to increase 3.5%

Qantas is planning to hike its base fares by around 3.5% for domestic fares and 3% for international fares from May 9. It’s Jetstar subsidiary is ‘reviewing’ its fares, and is reportedly likely to (wait for it) increase fares, particularly on international routes.

I’m glad to see an increase to base fares rather than (competition distorting, consumer misleading) fare surcharges but I’m somewhat put out by Qantas big-wig Geoff Dixon’s reasoning. Apparently, the airline will increase the base price, rather than its fuel surcharge, ‘to bridge the widening gap between the actual cost of fuel and the amount that gets offset through surcharges and non-cost fuel improvements’. I’d appreciate if someone could explain that to me in a loud, slow voice.

If it’s any consolation – and its not – Qantas is also suspending its share buy-back program and ‘making cutbacks to ”non-essential” expenditure and instituting a hiring freeze to minimise the impact of the surging jet fuel prices’.

Virgin Blue is set also to increase fares $12 per sector from next month.

Both airlines blame the increases on fairies going on strike at the bottom of the garden. Or rising fuel prices.

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[Image from pbo31on Flickr]

Budget Airline Add-ons: A Terrifying Vision of the Future

Minyanville’s Five Things You Need To Know on the future of air travel.

All I would add would be an oxygen re-use fee.

Via UpgradeTravelBetter

Budget Airlines Pros and Cons

Eurocheapo has an excellent list of the pros and cons of budget airlines, well worth reading.

You may have missed… (14th of April)

Pacific Airlines, Vietnam’s second-largest carrier will be renamed Jetstar Pacific as part of a joint venture with the QANTAS subsidiary that will also lead to a fleet of 30 leased Airbus A320 aircraft being based in the country by 2014.

A woman has died in Brisbane this morning after falling from a stationary plane at Brisbane International Airport.

‘It feels as if someone has taken a huge sack of invaluable works of art and dumped them into the building, letting them fall as they may’. Can anybody match the Italians for their cheerful indifference to gorgeous ancient works of art? If in Rome check out ‘a treasure trove of breathtaking paintings, frescos, mosaics and sculptures from the heyday of Roman Empire — most borrowed from museums in Naples and Pompeii” currently being exhibited within spitting distance of Termini.

Jet Airways has delayed the planned launch of a Bombay – Shanghai – San Francisco service until June ‘to finalize the regulatory process’. Meanwhile AirAsia XXX is wearing a look of studied indifference to the collapse of Oasis – declaring it remains confident it will start flights to London – just not this year.

The chatter leaking out from under the Australian Government’s cone of silence insist that the “security incident” which delayed a plane in Melbourne for half an hour on Saturday night was a ‘misunderstanding‘ which is NOT bureaucrat speak for ‘stuff up’. But we’ve already said too much.

Does anything say ‘peaceful’, ‘tranquil’ and no longer the source of extreme tension between two quarrelling nuclear armed nations like golf courses? Kashmir can’t think of anything so it’s going with parks for ‘flog and chase’.

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Darwin – Bali Ferry Service to Launch?

UPDATE

Please note ednaxe’s comment below which has convinced me at least that there’s no truth to this.

Darwin may have a sea-link with Bali if the oddly-named “Timor Ferry” makes it from website to actuality. The single-page site claims two state of art catamarans – capable of carrying 750 passengers to ply the 950-odd nautical mile journey across the Indian Ocean – have already been acquired. The service will travel daily between ‘Cullen Bay Marina in Darwin and Bali Benoa Marina in South Bali’ with plans to launch the service ‘towards the end of 2008’. No word on whether it would accommodate vehicles.

This single website is only mention I can find of any planned service.

This seems a strange turn of events, even given that tourist numbers have been recovering recently (including tourists from Australia – despite the Australian government continuing travel warnings against travel to Indonesia, notwithstanding Indonesian protests).

I would be surprised if there was sufficient demand to justify a passenger ferry link or if such a link were competitive with direct flights from other Australian capitals (even if fares have become reasonably steep with only Jetstar ploughing the route as a budget carrier).

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Jetstar: Singapore – Melbourne S$58 (ex tax)

Book between 02 – 06 April 2008 (both dates inclusive) and travel between 10 April – 30 June 2008

Minimum of 2 passengers to enjoy this offer.

Link Via travel.xblogger.net

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