Jetstar NZ abandons regional routes

[Bundy Bear]

Jetstar will quit flying to regional centres - dealing a blow who have benefitted from lower air fares as a result of competition.

The airline is talking with 70 staff about the move to come into effect from December 1.

Jetstar has been flying to Napier, Nelson, New Plymouth and Palmerston North for the past four years. The presence of the budget offshoot of Qantas has been critical in dragging down the cost of notoriously high fares on regional routes.

Given the uncertainty of turboprop services beyond November 30, Jetstar customers booked on regional services after November 30 will be offered options including a full refund.

Jetstar will be continuing flights with A320s to the major cities of Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch and Queenstown.

Jetstar abandons regional routes: 20,000 passengers affected

Napier, Nelson, New Plymouth and Palmerston North routes affected.

www.nzherald.co.nz

 

[moa999]

Or as Jetstar puts it, despite four years of hard work, it's still loss making

Jetstar proposes withdrawal from regional flying in New Zealand

Jetstar today announced a proposal to end its regional Q300 turboprop services in New Zealand at the end of November 2019. The airline began flying to the regional centres in December 2015 and currently offers up to 130 return services a week during the peak season across five routes – Auckland...

newsroom.jetstar.com

Big win for AirNZ, and I suspect a big loss for NZ regional communities

 

[henrus]

I wonder what will happen to the Q300's...

It'll be interesting to see if they remain in the Qantas fleet operating domestically within Australia again or if they'll be leaving QF for good.

 

[Alyopsis]

I love the way its called a "proposal"

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oztraveller.com.au

 

[Alyopsis]

As a sidebar:

"Jetstar plans to suspend twice weekly Melbourne-Zhengzhou service, operated with Boeing 787-8 equipment, effective 04-Dec-2019 (Routes Online, 23-Sep-2019)"

 

[dylarr]

I wonder what will happen to the Q300's...

As it stands the 5 Q300's used for the operation in NZ are registered to Eastern Australia Airlines (with AU tail number), the same subsidiary that owns and operates the Q200/Q300 fleet within Qantaslink. Wonder if they'll be bought back here for storage, conversion back to Qantaslink or something else...

 

[AIRwin]

"Jetstar plans to suspend twice weekly Melbourne-Zhengzhou service, operated with Boeing 787-8 equipment, effective 04-Dec-2019 (Routes Online, 23-Sep-2019)"

Just in time for OOL-ICN launch on 8 December...

 

[jakeseven7]

Or as Jetstar puts it, despite four years of hard work, it's still loss making

Jetstar proposes withdrawal from regional flying in New Zealand

Jetstar today announced a proposal to end its regional Q300 turboprop services in New Zealand at the end of November 2019. The airline began flying to the regional centres in December 2015 and currently offers up to 130 return services a week during the peak season across five routes – Auckland...

newsroom.jetstar.com

Big win for AirNZ, and I suspect a big loss for NZ regional communities

Devastating for NZ regional communities but at the end of the day, if you don't use it you lose it!

Cue Air NZ jacking up their outrageous fares even more.

Hoping QF drag them back across to QFLink rather than retiring them and maybe we will see some more routes open up regionally in AU??

 

[p--and--t]

I'm pretty sure the loss of genuine competition will be disappointing news for NZ fliers, however the other side of me says its good that they are reviewing the logic of running services at or near loss and keeping the group profitable. Another aussie airline has belatedly, hopefully not too late, started to do similar after many years of losses.

 

[justinbrett]

It was probably Qantas' plan all along after they secured the codeshare.

Maybe they could sell them to Virgin so they can lose more money...

 

[ozfflyer]

think QF might own the Q300s. Is there any market for used Q300s ? If not, what could QF use them for ?

What about some flights out of Bankstown to ?

 

[docjames]

Not a great surprise as they haven’t made any money and now have the NZ codeshare arrangement.

THe surprise is they elected to do this end November and not post-Xmas / high travel season. The forward bookings for Xmas must have been awful, and/or major aircraft maintenance is due.

Will also be interesting to see where the Dash 8-300s end up (or sold).

 

[justinbrett]

think QF might own the Q300s. Is there any market for used Q300s ? If not, what could QF use them for ?

What about some flights out of Bankstown to ?

They do own them, and they’ve been operated by Qantaslink, not Jetstar.

Qantas currently operate the 300s in Australia. Customs have some as well.

 

[ozfflyer]

They do own them, and they’ve been operated by Qantaslink, not Jetstar.

Qantas currently operate the 300s in Australia. Customs have some as well.

maybe they should leave them in JQ colours, to give the flying public in regional areas, the idea that they are trying to reduce regional airfares ? What do they cut out ? Checked luggage on their cheapest fares like with JQ ?

 

[dajop]

Will also be interesting to see where the Dash 8-300s end up (or sold).

Jetstar services coming to a regional airport near you

Not likely, as operating costs no different to QF Link (as QF Link operating them), although they could put temporarily on as loss leaders on competitive routes like MEL-MQL, SYD-ABX to put pressure on VA to exit.

 

[jakeseven7]

Jetstar services coming to a regional airport near you

Not likely, as operating costs no different to QF Link (as QF Link operating them), although they could put temporarily on as loss leaders on competitive routes like MEL-MQL, SYD-ABX to put pressure on VA to exit.

I agree, highly unlikely to see JQ props in AU, more likely to be returned to QF Link than that.

Personal prayer - QF Link reopens Burnie

 

[RAM]

It was probably Qantas' plan all along after they secured the codeshare.

Maybe they could sell them to Virgin so they can lose more money...

Of course Qantas and ANZ would NEVER have contemplated such an outcome - that would have been anti-competitive and enough (if leaked) to see massive fines and the end of regulatory approval for the code share agreement. Just a coincidence.

No big business would ever do such a thing...

Oh, that's right, many big businesses get caught year-in & year-out colluding with competitors to boost profits at their customers' expense.

Qantas would never do something like that would they?

But they did move costs on their tickets from 'airfare' to 'fees & taxes' where the fee is many times the taxes. Such as where the fee & taxes on Q flights to Hawaii a few years back where greater than the total Jetstar total ticket price...

And that was with the Q planes in use burning less fuel per passenger than the planes Jetstar was using yet the 'fuel surcharge' was multiples of the JQ 'fuel' surcharge.

Certainly changes the economics for people trying to redeem QFF points in a bad way.

 

[ozfflyer]

Jetstar services coming to a regional airport near you

Not likely, as operating costs no different to QF Link (as QF Link operating them), although they could put temporarily on as loss leaders on competitive routes like MEL-MQL, SYD-ABX to put pressure on VA to exit.

how much does it cost to repaint a Dash 8-300 ? Storage costs money & at what end ? Sell them to some african outfit for peanuts ?

Surely QF via JQ could hire some Dash 8 drivers at lower rates than QF link especilly with coming pilot glut & put on some JQ turbo prop services on some thin QF link routes, maybe in place of QF link, middle of the day or Sat pm/Sun am, which wouldn't effect their high yield pax. Run as a low cost operation.

Doubt if any airline anywhere would want to buy or lease any Dash 8-300s in next 5 years.

 

[dajop]

Surely QF via JQ could hire some Dash 8 drivers at lower rates than QF link especilly with coming pilot glut & put on some JQ turbo prop services on some thin QF link routes, maybe in place of QF link, middle of the day or Sat pm/Sun am, which wouldn't effect their high yield pax. Run as a low cost operation.

There's more too it than just "hiring drivers", there's Air Operator Certificates, etc, and QF Link does employ pilots and crew under different T&C to mainline. One presumes if it had been cheaper to do this, then they would have already done it for Jetstar NZ, rather than having QF Link operate the services for them.

 

[justinbrett]

QLink pilots are already on minimum wage (so to speak). It’s a stepping stone to mainline and way to get your experience up.