AIRLINES – AUSTRALIA

Grounded: Bonza set to join long list of failed Australian airlines

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Original article by Elias Visontay
The Guardian Australia – Page: Online : 1-May-24

Hall Chadwick has been appointed as the voluntary administrator of budget airline Bonza, which has carried more than 750,000 passengers since it commenced operations in January 2023. Bonza’s fleet of Boeing 737 Max-8 aircraft was grounded on Monday after aircraft lessor AIP Capital moved to repossess them. While Bonza’s future is uncertain in a sector that is dominated by Qantas and Virgin Australia, it may join other failed airlines such as Ansett, Compass, Impulse and OzJet.

CORPORATES
BONZA, HALL CHADWICK AUSTRALIA PTY LTD

Roy Morgan Customer Satisfaction Awards 2023: automotive and airline winners

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Original article by Roy Morgan
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 17-Apr-24

The annual Roy Morgan Customer Satisfaction Awards were awarded in early April, and there were several familiar faces in the automotive and airline winner’s circle. Car Manufacturer of the Year Skoda won a second straight Annual Customer Satisfaction Award. Skoda performed exceptionally well during 2023 by winning 10 monthly awards with an average customer satisfaction of 97.1% – a record high for the category and the second highest for any company. Kia was a first-time winner of the Major Car Manufacturer of the Year; Kia took home five monthly awards to edge out rivals Subaru and Mitsubishi for the overall title, with average customer satisfaction of 91.9%. Meanwhile, Singapore Airlines won the International Airline of the Year award for a fourth straight year (2018, 2019, 2022 & 2023 – the award was not held during the pandemic-impacted years of 2020 and 2021). Virgin Australia won all 12 monthly awards to win the Domestic Airline of the Year for the first time in a decade, and Qantas won the Domestic Business Airline of the Year for the first time since 2020.

CORPORATES
ROY MORGAN LIMITED, SKODA AUTOMOBILOVA AS, KIA MOTORS AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, SINGAPORE AIRLINES LIMITED, VIRGIN AUSTRALIA HOLDINGS LIMITED, QANTAS AIRWAYS LIMITED – ASX QAN

Surprise support for airline compo scheme

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Original article by Robyn Ironside
The Australian – Page: 15 : 30-Jan-24

Emirates president Tim Clark has expressed support for compensating Australian airline passengers for flight delays or cancellations. A compensation scheme for travellers is among the options that will be considered in the federal government’s aviation white paper. Clark contends that airlines should be held to account for putting their own financial interests ahead of those of their passengers. However, he cautions that the government must consult with the aviation industry regarding any such scheme.

CORPORATES
EMIRATES AIRLINES

Virgin, Bonza run fleet check as US grounds Max 9 planes

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Original article by Ayesha de Kretser
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 5 : 9-Jan-24

Aircraft giant Boeing has issued a statement expressing support for the US Federal Aviation Administration’s decision to temporarily ground its 737 Max 9 planes pending a safety inspection. The move followed a recent incident in which the door plug on a Max 9 operated by Alaskan Airlines blew out in mid-flight. No Australian airline operates the Max 9, although Virgin and Bonza have undertaken safety checks of their Max 8 fleets. Virgin ordered additional Max 8s in late 2023, while it expects to receive the first of 25 of the newer Max 10s in 2025.

CORPORATES
BOEING COMPANY, UNITED STATES. FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION, VIRGIN AUSTRALIA HOLDINGS LIMITED, BONZA AVIATION PTY LTD

Two in five Australians had flight cancelled or delayed over 12 months, survey says

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Original article by Elias Visontay
The Guardian Australia – Page: Online : 19-Dec-23

Consumer advocate group Choice has used a submission to the federal government’s aviation green paper to call for increased protection for airline passengers, including compensation for delayed or cancelled flights. Choice has also released the findings of its research on the performance of Australia’s airlines. It found that 40 per cent of respondents had a flight cancelled or delayed in the year to October 2023; 63 per cent stated that they will given no reason for the flight’s failure to depart on schedule. Meanwhile, 20 per cent had to wait at least six months for a refund, and just 47 per cent received a refund within a month.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN CONSUMERS’ ASSOCIATION

Qantas worse than Jetstar for on-time performance in October

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Original article by Robyn Ironside
The Australian – Page: Online : 22-Nov-23

The latest on-time performance data for Australian airlines shows that just 66.6 per cent of Qantas’s domestic flights arrived within 15 minutes of their scheduled time in October. This compares with 68 per cent for its budget offshoot Jetstar. The QantasLink regional brand had the best on-time performance record, at 77.2 per cent; this was followed by Virgin Australia Regional Airlines (73.9 per cent) and Regional Express (73.5 per cent). Qantas cancelled 4.3 per cent of its scheduled flights during the month, which was also the worst performance of any airline. The data does not include low-cost carrier Bonza.

CORPORATES
QANTAS AIRWAYS LIMITED – ASX QAN, JETSTAR AIRLINES PTY LTD, QANTASLINK, VIRGIN AUSTRALIA REGIONAL AIRLINES PTY LTD, REGIONAL EXPRESS AIRLINES, REGIONAL EXPRESS HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX REX

Qantas flights detailed before Joyce sale

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Original article by Ayesha de Kretser
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 17 : 9-Nov-23

Documents filed in the Federal Court show that on 29 May Qantas provided the Australian Competition & Consumer Commission with the details of more than 18,000 flights it had cancelled. This was just three days before chairman Richard Goyder approved the sale of $17m worth of the airline’s shares by former CEO Alan Joyce. The ACCC has launched legal action alleging that Qantas had engaged in false, misleading or deceptive conduct by selling tickets for flights that it had already cancelled.

CORPORATES
QANTAS AIRWAYS LIMITED – ASX QAN, AUSTRALIAN COMPETITION AND CONSUMER COMMISSION

Qantas bows to ACCC wishes and ends China Eastern tie-up

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Original article by Robyn Ironside, Glenda Korporaal
The Australian – Page: Online : 25-Oct-23

Qantas has advised that it will terminate a long-standing alliance with China Eastern Airlines, although it will honour all existing bookings. The Australian Competition & Consumer Commission had signalled in September that it would oppose an application to extend the partnership. Qantas recently abandoned a $614m takeover bid for Alliance Aviation after the deal was opposed by the ACCC, while the competition watchdog is also pursuing legal action over allegations that Qantas had sold tickets for flights that it had already cancelled.

CORPORATES
QANTAS AIRWAYS LIMITED – ASX QAN, CHINA EASTERN AIRLINES CORPORATION LIMITED, AUSTRALIAN COMPETITION AND CONSUMER COMMISSION

Virgin ground crews set to strike over pay deal

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Original article by Ayesha de Kretser
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 3 : 24-Oct-23

The Transport Workers’ Union has applied to the Fair Work Commission to undertake a ballot on protected industrial action by Virgin Australia’s ground staff. The TWU’s assistant national secretary Nick McIntosh says Virgin has some of the lowest pay and conditions across the sector. The union has rejected Virgin’s proposed three-year wage deal, which includes a pay rise of between three per cent and 12.8 per cent in the first year, and three per cent in the following two years. Virgin’s cabin crew are also seeking a pay rise.

CORPORATES
VIRGIN AUSTRALIA HOLDINGS LIMITED, TRANSPORT WORKERS’ UNION, AUSTRALIA. FAIR WORK COMMISSION

Goyder to go in Qantas board exodus

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Original article by Ayesha de Kretser
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 & 19 : 12-Oct-23

Qantas shares closed 2.65 per cent higher on Wednesday after it was announced that Richard Goyder would be stepping down as its chairman prior to its 2024 AGM, while fellow directors Maxine Brenner and Jacqueline Hey will leave its board in February. The Australian Shareholders Association and the Australian Council of Superannuation Investors both welcomed Goyder’s announcement, which comes after a number of controversies at the airline, including the August announcement by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission that it was suing it for alleged deceptive and misleading conduct.

CORPORATES
QANTAS AIRWAYS LIMITED – ASX QAN,[SPACE]AUSTRALIAN SHAREHOLDERS’ ASSOCIATION,[SPACE]AUSTRALIAN COUNCIL OF SUPERANNUATION INVESTORS INCORPORATED,[SPACE]AUSTRALIAN COMPETITION AND CONSUMER COMMISSION

DIRECTORS OF CORPORATIONS – AUSTRALIA – APPOINTMENTS AND RETIREMENTS]