Earlier this year, on returning to Sydney from overseas without an ongoing booking to Armidale, I was asked to pay $459 for a one-way trip home for a flight departing in five hours. In a state of disbelief, I took a taxi to Central Station in time to catch a very comfortable and pleasant trip home, courtesy of Country Rail for $75, 1st class.
In highlighting “prohibitive Qantas fares”, Margaret O’Connor raises an important issue for regional commuters using Armidale airport as their flight hub to and from Sydney. At the current on the spot rate of $960+ return (net of tax) – the equivalent of $30,000 for a return economy flight to UK, it would be hard to find a more expensive economy flight per kilometre in the world of aviation.
Back in 2009, Qantas and Rex gave up competing on four routes to became sole providers on two each. The attention of ACCC was drawn to this arrangement but, apart from finding Rex had become monopoly provider on a Southern route carrying the same number of passengers as Qantas enjoyed on the Armidale Sydney route, more evidence was considered necessary in order to prove an extraordinary coincidence of timing to be deliberate collusion.
When RailCorp spoke of pulling trains out of Armidale, the protest was loud enough and strong enough by concerned citizens to de-rail the intent. But when, after 35 years of two airlines servicing Armidale Sydney, one pulled out to hand the other a monopoly, no voices were raised by regional Councils, the University, TAFE, Regional Development, Chambers of Commerce and so forth. Richard Torbay said it was a Federal matter and a letter to Tony Windsor resulted in a bland response from the Ministry of Transport.
With only one airline servicing Sydney and none servicing Brisbane, a key pull factor for drawing students, families and commerce to the region has been lost, and is unlikely to return, as long as those in positions of influence fly blissfully unaware of cost, and/or competition returns. In the meantime, responding to a fall in bookings, Qantas will inevitably cut back on the number of flights without lowering fares; this in turn will reinforce a push rather than a pull factor, to locations where direct flights to Sydney, Brisbane or Melbourne, are accessible at reasonable rates.
On a personal note, the ability to fly to Brisbane and Sydney at reasonable rates, has been instrumental in keeping my business and family in Armidale for over 30 years.
Keith Cleland
