News & Discussion: Adelaide Airport & Airlines

[Al]

Is it time for vote-a-matic again ?

I think it'd be great if we could see cheap international flights as well as domestic. I'd just did a quick check and to fly from Darwin to Singapore on Oct 15, 2007 is $36.03 (plus taxes)! I wonder how much virgin or jetstar charge to fly from Adelaide to Darwin in October?

[Al]

Virgin blue charges $345 to fly from Adelaide to Darwin in October... hmmm.

[imsopov]

Could also be a bad thing, prices that low will surely have an impact on quantas, virgin flights who hire australians. could mean a loss of Australian jobs.

on the other hand I dont work for an airline so my job is safe and I dont like spending lots of money on fairs

[Howie]

Could also be a bad thing, prices that low will surely have an impact on qantas, virgin flights who hire australians. could mean a loss of Australian jobs.

That's just the nature of business... international companies invest in australia and we do the same overseas. I'm sure a overseas company like Tiger would still need local australian staff if they're to operate in our country, in fact i think it is a legal requirement to employ locals.

[Pistol]

Is the airport physically big enough to cope with a national carrier based here? Terminal wise I mean. Don't get me wrong, I would love to see Tiger based here but I just can't see where they would fit!

[Al]

Is the airport physically big enough to cope with a national carrier based here? Terminal wise I mean. Don't get me wrong, I would love to see Tiger based here but I just can't see where they would fit!

I think Adelaide Airport is built using a modular design so if it came to it, they could add the required space. I still think it shouldn't be an issue at the moment because the airport is hardly ever full.

[Al]

Could also be a bad thing, prices that low will surely have an impact on quantas, virgin flights who hire australians. could mean a loss of Australian jobs.

Tiger has said it could create up to 1000 new direct and indirect jobs once it is established in Australia.

If they established in Adelaide then quite a portion of these new jobs will be here. I wouldn't say Qantas is immune from shedding Aussie jobs. I think they've copped a bit of flak for shifting some maintenance operations overseas to lower costs.

Also, Adelaide has competition to attract Tiger. (from Travelweekly.com.au)

Tiger should call Darwin home, says NT Airports chief
Michael Bruce

Northern Territory Airports chief executive Ian Kew has described the possibility of Tiger Airways establishing an Australian base in Darwin as a “very exciting propositionâ€

[Redback20]

"Kew said the fact that Tiger services 15 cities in Asia has meant Darwin is receiving growing visitor numbers from the region"

Very much the case with such airlines that their flight schedules can drive tourism rather than the other (traditional) way round. It happened in europe with the arrival of 'no frills' airlines who massively discount fares by using regional or city 2nd airports which are far cheaper to use compared to the major or hub airports. The biggest knock-on was that the regional centres themselves saw the biggest tourism increase, the attraction being cheap flights to places not previously on the well-trodden tourist circuit.

If you relate that model to Australia, I'm pretty sure Adelaide and other centres would benefit likewise from Tiger, if only that we might be somewhere Asian tourists haven't been able to easily visit before (ie. we're not Melb or Syd).

A base here would be a bonus, but just getting their services into AAL would be fantastic news for SA enough IMO.

[Pistol]

I think that Adelaide would have competition from every major airport within Australia. I have read over at SSC that Melbourne and Perth are very keen to earn the rights to base Tiger. It would be exciting if Adelaide did in fact win the rights for the base - a lot more action over at the airport.

[Algernon]

If we get $9 fares in Adelaide i'd be selling up in Torrensville and West Beach

[Ho Really]

I think Mike Rann should start lobbying straight away. If it means 1000 direct/indirect jobs then it would be worth a concession or two. Although Darwin is the closest to home I reckon Tiger would rather centralise their operations. The frontrunner would have to be Melbourne.

Cheers

[Pistol]

^^ A centralised system is exactly why Adelaide would be perfect for a new competitor into the airline market. Plus I can't see Adelaide being as expensive to run out of compared to Tullamarine or Brisbane. Rann get on board!

[tayser]

Adelaide's quite lucky in that it doesn't come under the same Qantas-protectionist agreements that limit foreign carriers into Melbourne/Sydney/Brisbane/Perth.

My tip's on DXB-SIN-ADL for Emirate's first service into Adelaide. If Perth can get 2x daily, then Adelaide surely can too eventually (probably like MEL/SYD/PER 1x daily direct to Dubai and 1x daily Dubai via Singapore).

[Ho Really]

Some costs should be in our favour, so should our modern (expandable) terminal facilities. Hopefully we can offer Tiger something else - this is where the SA gov steps in - to entice them here.

Cheers

[Ho Really]

My tip's on DXB-SIN-ADL for Emirate's first service into Adelaide.

I think so too. Another airline to watch is Air India. They don't fly to Oz except through a codeshare agreement with Malaysia Airlines who fly a thrice-weekly Kuala Lumpur-Melbourne-Kuala Lumpur sector. Hopefully with more Indian immigrants and tourists coming our way we may see it happen.

Cheers