HOURS before Air Australia
was grounded last Friday, director Michael James urged staff to ''ignore speculation'' and told them it was ''business as usual''.
In an email on Thursday headed ''A message from Michael'', Mr James told staff that like any airline in its infancy, it was managing costs and opportunities carefully.
''Please ensure that you and your colleagues understand that the only correct information regarding our company's performance or group strategic developments will come from me,'' Mr James wrote in the email, obtained by Fairfax Media.
All other unattributed rumour is exactly that, distracting speculation raised by those without our best interests at heart.''
Staff have since accused Mr James of deception, saying he must have known about the airline's dire financial problems.