QF 'give up' share on tasman with route cuts

In another sign that QF is struggling, the airline has announced they will cut up to 15 Trans-Tasman flights to Auckland per week.

From October 26th Qantas will cut their MEL-AKL and SYD-AKL services by one flight a day while cutting BNE-AKL to just 5 flights per week down from double daily.

In July 2013 Qantas pledged to maintain "existing capacity on trans-Tasman routes that both Qantas and Emirates fly" as a condition of approval for its partnership with Emirates, and the airline says it will continue to comply with that requirement.

Most if not all of these flights are operated by Jetconnect the New Zealand based subsidiary airline that has a lower cost base than Qantas itself.

Jetstar will step in adding a new 6x weekly MEL-AKL and weekly SYD-AKL services but will drop their 3x weekly ADL-AKL service.

Virgin Australia and Air New Zealand are expected to benefit as their alliance picks up any additional passengers and or flights required on these routes, as VA earlier this year reported that Trans-Tasman was in good shape.

Read more about Qantas' cuts from Australian Business Traveller editor David Flynn HERE

Is user pays the new hope for regional NZ?

Masterton residents were up in arms when Air New Zealand dropped their daily MRO-AKL flight in February, now hope is thriving again with possibilities for "user pays" flights.

The first possible white knight to the community was Sounds Air with their plan to operate a Cessna Caravan on MRO-WLG as a morning commuter flight but this idea has since been shelved.

Next saw Vincent Aviation offer the community their MRO-AKL service back with a Saab SF340 service, however the community would have to buy or lease the Saab which Vincent would then operate.  However it looks like this plan will also be shelved after the turbulence of the Vincent Aviation Australia collapse.

The third white knight is Air Chathams a long established operator who usually fly to and from the Chatham Islands.  They have the experience here as well as having operated Chathams Pacific in Tonga, which ceased operation last year when the Tongan government set up a rival airline with Chinese donated aircraft.

Air Chathams are revisiting their original proposal and if the community accepts the terms, stumping up $100,000 to form a 50/50 LLC company, then Air Chathams could be flying from MRO in as little as two weeks from the formation.

However it appears there will need to be structural work completed at the airport, extending the runway by 70 meters at a cost of $150,000, to allow the Air Chathams Metroliner aircraft to take off with an 18 passenger load.

Whatever the local council and community decide it looks like the future of any service to Masterton relies on significant investment from the users.  Should this work out well then this offers an opportunity for other regional centres who have lost services to work with an iterated party using the "user pays" model to restart their service.

Read more about the Air Chathams proposal via the Dominion Post HERE

Model Sale - bargains to be had

I am selling off part of my Airline model collection, slimming down my collection to focus on just Australasian aircraft and operators.

So the following lots are all available on at my ebay store.  Some have a buy now on them so if you want those its first in best dressed, otherwise just bid on the auctions.


Schabak Diecast 1:500 Swissair DC-3-216 HB-IRA
Schabak Diecast 1:500 Continental Boeing 747-200

Mattel Matchbox Continental Boeing 737-800

F-Toys ANA Wings Collection 2 1:500 ANA Airbus A320 JA8382
F-Toys ANA Wings Collection 2 1:500 ANA Boeing 737-700 JA03AN
F-Toys ANA Wings Collection 2 1:500 ANA YS-11 JA8744

Phoenix Models Diecast 1:400 JAL Boeing 747-146B/SR/SUD JA8170 Disney Tour Special Livery

Wooster Models Snap Fit 1:250 Alitalia Boeing 747-200
Wooster Models Snap Fit 1:250 Singapore Airlines 747-412 9V-SPA
Wooster Models Snap Fit 1:250 JAL Boeing 747-400
Wooster Models Snap Fit 1:250 Air Canada Boeing 747-433 C-GAGN

United Airlines 1:100 Snap Fit Boeing 747-422 N172UA 

Malaysia Airlines Snap Fit 1:400 Boeing 747-4H6 M9-MPN

Dragon Wings Première Collection Diecast 1:400 Varig Brasil Boeing 777-2Q8/ER PP-VRA special livery
Dragon Wings Première Collection Diecast 1:400 PEOPLExpress Boeing 747-273 

Herpa Wings Diecast 1:500 MEA Boeing 747-2B4B N203AE


If any of these models interest you please click this link to take you to my ebay store 

If you're bidding on anything good luck and may the odds ever be in your favour


If you have similar models you'd like to sell, I can sell them on your behalf - contact me for information ebay@nzompilot.info

NZ sign off on new A320neo family

As was widely expected Air New Zealand yesterday signed off on a $1.6b (list price) Airbus order at the IATA AGM in Doha.

The order is for 14 aircraft comprising 1 current gen A320, 10 A320neo and 3 A321neo.

The current generation A320 will be delivered by the end of 2015 and sit along side the current delivery of A320SL which are replacing the Boeing 733 on NZ main trunk domestic services.  There are still 5 of these to be delivered from the original order so that will mean 6 aircraft will be delivered in 2014/2015.

The new A321neo's will begin the delivery of the new aircraft in 2017 with all 13 neo's delivered by 2019.  This coincides with the end of lease of a lot of the original A320 fleet currently used on Trans-Tasman and Pacific Island flights.

Air New Zealand have yet to announce which of the neo (new engine options) they will choose to power the new A320/321s but are expected to reach a decision by december.

Read more from the announcement via Flight Global HERE