Rex threatens to ban Tasmanian mayor for criticising airline’s price gouging

[RSVKanga]

Not satirical.

Airline threatens to impose no-fly ban on island mayor over fare rebuke

Rex Airlines demands King Island censure its mayor over comments.

www.theadvocate.com.au

Non-paywall source: Rex threatens to ban Tasmanian mayor after King Island airfare complaint

News is from last week but I’m surprised and shocked that this news has flown under the radar of AFF and nobody is talking about it.

Imagine being so weak of an airline (owned by a Singaporean billionaire) threatening to ban someone for criticising their price gouging activities on a monopoly route.

Also, it alarms me that many people on this forum advocate for more ‘competition’ on Qantas monopoly routes while not discussing the extreme anti-competitive and un-Australian activities and intentions of QF’s foreign-owned competitors like Rex. Genuinely shocking that there has been no mention of this on the forum despite it being more than a week.

If anything this is a lesson for the long list of high-profile people who hold high QF FF status but have criticised the airline publicly. They should be grateful that QF still warmly welcomes them into their lounges and onboard their aircraft despite the brand-damaging comments coming out of their mouths and keyboards, and does not resort to Rex-like threats to shoot down those naysayers. I doubt Joe Aston will be handed a no-fly ban after he releases his provocative book about Qantas later this year.

Even the AFR has been swayed!

We’re calling it: this is the most extraordinary example of airline pique we’ve seen since Qantas (under previous management) banned this publication from its lounges.

Animus Rex: airline’s extraordinary threat to ground a local mayor

King Island mayor Marcus Blackie has been threatened with a Rex blacklisting after he accused the airline of price-gouging.

www.afr.com

 

[Saab34]

Rex has been at war with councils for years. The chair often bullies and blackmails local councils.

The only airline that continues to put out such childish press releases. Fancy digging up the mayors prior flight history.

 

[Aussie_flyer]

This seems to be the only way Rex get their name out and about. They don't seem to do much by the way of marketing otherwise which is a shame as they do provide a good service.

 

[RooFlyer]

Genuinely shocking that there has been no mention of this on the forum despite it being more than a week.

News is from last week but I’m surprised and shocked that this news has flown under the radar of AFF and nobody is talking about it.

So shocked you needed to say it twice.

In general, we leave you to cover the important stuff.

Also, it alarms me that many people on this forum advocate for more ‘competition’ on Qantas monopoly routes while not discussing the extreme anti-competitive and un-Australian activities and intentions of QF’s foreign-owned competitors like Rex.

You make up for everyone else.

They should be grateful that QF still warmly welcomes them into their lounges and onboard their aircraft despite the brand-damaging comments coming out of their mouths and keyboards, and does not resort to Rex-like threats to shoot down those naysayers.

Do you remember how Qantas banned the AFR from its lounges due to Joe Aston columns? How’s that for a petty fit of pique ?

 

[RSVKanga]

Do you remember how Qantas banned the AFR from its lounges due to Joe Aston columns? How’s that for a petty fit of pique ?

Yep. I even mentioned it in my OP post in the quote? It was a low move and it’s great that the new management have reinstated the AFR. Not sure what your point is given that this news is irrelevant now.

Instead of beating around the bush with now irrelevant news, why not just admit that REX’s behaviour unlocked a new level of appalling un-Australian corporate attitudes? Even the AFR agrees!

 

[pauly7]

This seems to be the only way Rex get their name out and about. They don't seem to do much by the way of marketing otherwise which is a shame as they do provide a good service.

Any PR is good PR strategy still in force at Rex.

 

[RooFlyer]

why not just admit that REX’s behaviour unlocked a new level of appalling un-Australian corporate attitudes?

Will I will go so far as it was an embarrassingly petty display by Rex.

But the airline guy actually did have a point there. The mayor seems to have been conflating getting to Tasmania direct versus the service via Melbourne on the weekend which is the price he was complaining about. Expensive, yes, but a good reason why it was over what he was used to paying.

 

[Mattg]

Rex has been at war with councils for years. The chair often bullies and blackmails local councils.

The only airline that continues to put out such childish press releases. Fancy digging up the mayors prior flight history.

Yep. AFF covered this in 2020:

https://www.australianfrequentflyer.com.au/rex-strong-armed-tactics-exposed/

 

[drron]

Reading the report (non paywalled version) I think that this is way overblown. A little research will tell you that Rex is usually the cheapest airline flying out of King Island. Flying KNS -BWT Sharp airlines is $278 Rex 189. However Sharp also doesn't fly on Saturdays to either Burnie or Melbourne, He could have flown King island Airways to Melbourne on a Saturday. Their usual price for Saturdays is $414 against Rex at $209. They though don't fly to Burnie.
So it appears that price of the mayor was an exception. Was there something big happening in Melbourne or Burnie that weekend. Possibly the weekend in April when North Melbourne and Hawthorn were playing as both teams play matches in Tasmania. I remember flying out of DPO on a Saturday when those 2 teams played in Melbourne. The fare on QF that day was 3 times the usual. Fortunately I wasn't paying.

Now of course QF would never take advantage of things like that. But how were their prices when Taylor Swift had concerts in Sydney and Melbourne. As I recall it was price gouging and all airlines did it.

Did you call out QF for price gouging at that time? About time that you faced up to the fact that QF isn't perfect despite your best attempts to whitewash their reputation.

 

[RSVKanga]

Reading the report (non paywalled version) I think that this is way overblown. A little research will tell you that Rex is usually the cheapest airline flying out of King Island. Flying KNS -BWT Sharp airlines is $278 Rex 189. However Sharp also doesn't fly on Saturdays to either Burnie or Melbourne, He could have flown King island Airways to Melbourne on a Saturday. Their usual price for Saturdays is $414 against Rex at $209. They though don't fly to Burnie.
So it appears that price of the mayor was an exception. Was there something big happening in Melbourne or Burnie that weekend. Possibly the weekend in April when North Melbourne and Hawthorn were playing as both teams play matches in Tasmania. I remember flying out of DPO on a Saturday when those 2 teams played in Melbourne. The fare on QF that day was 3 times the usual. Fortunately I wasn't paying.

Now of course QF would never take advantage of things like that. But how were their prices when Taylor Swift had concerts in Sydney and Melbourne. As I recall it was price gouging and all airlines did it.

Did you call out QF for price gouging at that time? About time that you faced up to the fact that QF isn't perfect despite your best attempts to whitewash their reputation.

All airlines, including QF, price gouge due to just and unjust factors. But this thread isn’t about price gouging, it’s about the response from Rex.

I think it’s time for you to face up to the fact that nobody should be banned from flying an airline because they criticised their prices in public. And even the AFR agrees.

I’m not aware of QF having made such threats to people in their 103-year history.

 

[justinbrett]

Check out the language used by Rex:

“Rex understands there could be unsophisticated travellers who may have been shocked by the high fares especially if they did not pay attention to the routing of the travel.”

Seems a step beyond AJ's "not match fit".

 

[BAM1748]

Check out the language used by Rex:

“Rex understands there could be unsophisticated travellers who may have been shocked by the high fares especially if they did not pay attention to the routing of the travel.”

Seems a step beyond AJ's "not match fit".

Geez, that’s a slap in the face to a customer.

How are Rex’s sophisticated lounges and frequent flyer program going, oh the same as some of its passengers I’d say.

 

[drron]

All airlines, including QF, price gouge due to just and unjust factors. But this thread isn’t about price gouging, it’s about the response from Rex.

I think it’s time for you to face up to the fact that nobody should be banned from flying an airline because they criticised their prices in public. And even the AFR agrees.

I’m not aware of QF having made such threats to people in their 103-year history.

But OK for QF to ban people flying QF for their political beliefs.

Qantas bans businessman from flying after asylum seeker walkout

Paul Leary, 51, says he 'politely' walked off a Qantas flight from Melbourne to Darwin while a protest about an asylum seeker was taking place. He has now been banned from flying with Qantas.

www.dailymail.co.uk

Qantas bans student who stood up for what she believed in

Victoria University student, Jasmine Pilbrow, who protested the transfer and deportation of a Tamil man to Sri Lanka on board Qantas flight 838 on February 2, has been banned from the airline.

www.smh.com.au

3 people banned but only 1 held the plane up.

 

[RSVKanga]

But OK for QF to ban people flying QF for their political beliefs.

Qantas bans businessman from flying after asylum seeker walkout

Paul Leary, 51, says he 'politely' walked off a Qantas flight from Melbourne to Darwin while a protest about an asylum seeker was taking place. He has now been banned from flying with Qantas.

www.dailymail.co.uk

Qantas bans student who stood up for what she believed in

Victoria University student, Jasmine Pilbrow, who protested the transfer and deportation of a Tamil man to Sri Lanka on board Qantas flight 838 on February 2, has been banned from the airline.

www.smh.com.au

3 people banned but only 1 held the plane up.

Unsure if these irrelevant tangents from old news you've managed to dig up is helping you prove whatever point you're trying to convey. In fact it's doing the opposite.

Why not just admit that this move from ZL threatening a person for criticising their prices is a new record low of un-Australian and anti-competitive corporate behaviour?

 

[dajop]

Need to dig up the “storm in a teacup” meme again!

 

[Quickstatus]

News is from last week but I’m surprised and shocked that this news has flown under the radar of AFF and nobody is talking about it.

Too much going on with the other mob.

A long stretch though to equate Rex's stoush with one local mayor with Qantas's stoush with the Federal Court and then High Court of Australia and then the ACCC. .

As far as I can see, only one was involved with 2 serious illegalities with serious consequences. $120M (not yet ratified) + upcoming compo for illegally sacked workers. More commentary fodder over there.

 

[Quickstatus]

When was a local mayor so important?.

He should come to Jindabyne (snowy Monaro). Someone outspoken like Marcus need to come out to jazz up the political debate in Jindy - often called Whingebyne.

 

[nancypants]

Rex is chronically full of cough. I remember then trying to ban a (?)cardiologist for criticising their (?)punctuality/reliability when I was working in rural NSW

As with all bullies, the correct answer is to ignore them and eventually they get bored and go away

 

[RSVKanga]

When was a local mayor so important?.

You're missing the point. This sets a dangerous precedent for any Australian with a platform whether they be a politician (federal, state/territory or local), businessperson or journalist.

An airline threatening to place a person on the same no-fly list mainly reserved for terrorists and violent criminals, just because they were vocal about the airline's price gouging, is extraordinary at the least.

This is a major revelation of national significance, so much that even the AFR jumped ship and called it "the most extraordinary example of airline pique" - so I'm not sure why you're dismissing this.

But, I'm sure you'd be deploying your army of negative posts and comments towards the national carrier if they were in a similar scenario and had made such threats towards a local mayor. Since it's foreign-owned Rex that is in question, it's business as usual, right?

 

[anat0l]

Rex is chronically full of cough. I remember then trying to ban a (?)cardiologist for criticising their (?)punctuality/reliability when I was working in rural NSW

As with all bullies, the correct answer is to ignore them and eventually they get bored and go away

Seems like they must be resilient enough to do without such business (but you did say "trying", so assume it did not eventuate).

Rex is the only option in many places around Australia, and maybe even more so with the malaise against the other major two. Better to be stuck with an ***hole than to have nothing at all?