VA puts the boot into QF over Italian traffic rights.

[markis10]

Qantas recently applied to the International Air Services Commission (IASC) to renew a determination giving it 600 seats a week on services to Italy, the maximum currently available, but Virgin has lodged a counterclaim for half of that capacity.
A short letter from Virgin group executive government and international relations Jane McKeon said that the airline was seeking from the IASC the allocation of 300 seats per week to support the introduction of codeshare services on Singapore Airlines’ and Etihad Airways’ flights to Italy.
A Virgin spokeswoman said that a substantive submission backing the airline’s claim would be lodged soon.

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[whatmeworry]

Weird how neither physically fly there, but they both are fighting over "virtual seats".

 

[markis10]

Obviously trying to get some of the Italian Australian market, Borghetti is a pretty popular Italian name

 

[anat0l]

I assume the only reason for the objection is because 600 seats is the current nominal maximum that can be accessed by either carrier?

Otherwise, there would be no reason why VA should object, but simply lodge their bid for seats.

 

[oz_mark]

I assume the only reason for the objection is because 600 seats is the current nominal maximum that can be accessed by either carrier?

Otherwise, there would be no reason why VA should object, but simply lodge their bid for seats.

Which is pretty much what VA did. The 600 seat capacity allocated to Qantas is up for renewal, and VA have said they'd like 300 seats a week as part of that capacity.

There is actually 1000 seats a week available, but the other 400 are allocated to Qantas for codeshares on British Airways.

The other interesting thing is that Qantas has applied to offer the codeshare services on Cathay Pacific, while elsewhere they have said they would be terminating the codeshare.

There may well be a juggling act on all this.