Looking For A Bargain Air Fare? You're Better Off Searching For The Lost Ark
Sydney Morning Herald
Wednesday September 19, 2001
Consumer groups told bargain-hunters yesterday to forget about discount air fares for a month, and warned Qantas frequent flyers they might find it difficult to book seats using reward points for some time.
``It is now even difficult to secure a full economy fare," said Ms Cassandra Emery, of the consumer information service Infochoice.com.au.
Some flights, especially those from Sydney to Melbourne, are sold out.
The demand has been propelled by school holidays, football finals and the overflow caused by stranded Ansett passengers.
Qantas has withdrawn its normal discount tickets, but it has promised to revive them as soon as possible although it will not say when.
It is offering those with unused Ansett tickets special discount fares until October 31.
Last night, initial Qantas findings showed that of all its Ansett passengers about half were travelling free, with the rest taking discount trips.
No exact figures were available, nor did findings include the number of Ansett ticket-holders who bought new tickets because they did not want to face delays.
Qantas booking centres are receiving many inquiries, and the airline has appealed to customers to avoid calling unless the questions relate to travel in the following 24 hours.
``Qantas maintains discount fares will return to the market when things start to settle down, but it will be interesting to see how long that is and at what price level they re-emerge," Ms Emery said.
Virgin Blue, which operates only nine aircraft, was not in a position to increase capacity, she said. ``Virgin Blue's Web site is so overloaded it is doubtful whether any discount fares can currently be secured even if they are there."
While Ansett Global Reward customers still face losing all their points, Qantas frequent flyers will also be disadvantaged by the collapse of Ansett, because there is no room for them.
Mr Clifford Reichlin, the director of an independent travel Web site, frequentflyer.com.au, said: ``It's often difficult to get a frequent flyer ticket at the best of times but because Qantas will now be swamped, it will be even more difficult to redeem a Qantas frequent flyer point in the short term."
Yesterday one Qantas frequent flyer trying to obtain a ticketto Melbourne was told thenext available seat was onOctober 9.
Ansett passengers abandoned mid-journey have until September 27 to contact Qantas to take advantage of their free travel offer.
THE KNOCK-ON EFFECT
THE BIG PICTURE
GDP "At the margins [the Ansett collapse] will have a contractionary effect."
Ian Macfarlane, Reserve Bank
$A "The Australian dollar [now 49.6] is suffering from the twin weights of being a peripheral currency and the bad press associated with the fallout from the Ansett-Air New Zealand crisis."
Greg McKenna, market strategist,
National Australia Bank
JOBS
* Direct job losses - Up to 16,000 (depends on possible sales of Ansett assets).
* Job losses in contractors and suppliers - 45,000.
CREDITORS
* Thousands of creditors owed $1.5 billion to $2 billion, including:
* 16,000 employees more than $500m
* Air NZ $107m
* National Australia Bank $100m
* Commonwealth Bank $39m
* Telstra $16m
* Transport Industries Australia $2.1m
* BP $3.6m
Source: creditors' meeting
TOURISM
* Ansett and United States crisis likely to lead to $1.7 billion downturn and 20,000 jobs lost.
Source: tourism analyst Alan Midwood
* 4.5 per cent growth in visitors unattainable.
A fall in visitors a possibility.
Source: Ken Boundy, Australian Tourism Commission
* Big tourist centres such as Broome, Central Australia, Whitsundays and Cairns hit hard.
FREIGHT
* Two main users of Ansett freight - Mayne Logisitics Express and TNT Express - forced
to make major adjustments; 20 per cent of freight late.
* Tasmania's $100 million abalone industry unable to reach its Asian export markets.
ADVERTISING
* Ansett's advertising agency, George Patterson Bates, retrenched 20 Melbourne staff.
HIRE CARS
* Hertz, Thrifty and Delta Europcar expecting short-term spike in demand, but Ansett's preferred partner, Avis, has been hit hard.
TERMINALS
* Retail chains, including RM Williams, McDonald's, Beach Culture, Fish Records and Newslink have closed stores in Ansett terminals, but most staff relocated.
* Spotless Catering staff stood down.
* Job losses expected at Group 4 Securitas, which screened passengers for Ansett.
NSW
* 7,200 jobs at risk.
* Regional NSW likely to lose hundreds of millions in tourism dollars.
Source: Premier Bob Carr
TRAVELLING PUBLIC
* Stranded Ansett passengers can travel free with Qantas or Virgin until September 27.
* Ansett ticket holders eligible for discount
fares on Qantas and Virgin until October 31.
* Other discount tickets scarce.
* Many flights fully booked.
STAR ALLIANCE TICKET HOLDERS
* Each member airline will make its own policy on the validity of tickets issued by Ansett
using Ansett Global Rewards points.
* Singapore Airlines, Scandinavian Airlines, United Airlines and Thai Airlines said Ansett tickets issued before September 13 would be honoured.
* Air New Zealand says tickets issued by Ansett before September 14 for travel on Air New Zealand would be honoured.
* Air Canada reservation centre said only Anset tickets issued before April 1 would be honoured.
* Lauda Air reservation centre said all tickets issued by Ansett had no value.
* ANA will honour all tickets booked on its flights.
© 2001 Sydney Morning Herald
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