Western Sydney Airport (WSI) Discussion

[offshore171]

it'll be like visiting a whole new country, but without needing a passport"

A bit like Tasmania.

 

[HS-TQE]

SIA is advertising ground staff for its operations, roles start in August for training.

I’d say Jetstar might kick off operations perhaps just prior to Christmas with a flight from OOL/BNE/MEL, if fuel pricing drops.

Hard to see how Qantas will operate anything. Alliance is obviously off the table now, NJS has a stalled EA. Might be wise to get Jetstar to run first up to see how the demand is.

I would say JQ's announcement is not too far away, however, I'd think QF would be holding off until the 4-month mark depending on fuel prices and/or sorting out issues with the subsidiaries (NJS) or contractors (Alliance). I can't see Network getting involved.

I'd think QF may want to show off a mainline aircraft on WSI opening day, but I won't be surprised if they do delay QF-branded services out of WSI if they decide to launch group revenue services with just JQ to start off with.

 

[alexczarn]

SIA is advertising ground staff for its operations, roles start in August for training.

I’d say Jetstar might kick off operations perhaps just prior to Christmas with a flight from OOL/BNE/MEL, if fuel pricing drops.

Hard to see how Qantas will operate anything. Alliance is obviously off the table now, NJS has a stalled EA. Might be wise to get Jetstar to run first up to see how the demand is.

Am I missing something re Alliance? Are they and QF breaking up per se?

 

[Saab34]

Am I missing something re Alliance? Are they and QF breaking up per se?

There has been a breakdown with Alliance trying to get more funding from Qantas because it underbid on its main contract.

Seems very unlikely they would negotiate a new WSI contract with them. They just made 20 pilots redundant and are selling assets.

The QQ/QF wet lease appears to run until the end of next year.

 

[HS-TQE]

Another 'aspiring' ULCC startup, aiming to base itself at WSI. Zinc Airlines.

A third airline to bust the cosy Qantas and Virgin Australia duopoly? It’s a hope that, over the decades, has lured many dreamers and hundreds of millions of dollars, but has proven elusive. And yet – even as fuel prices rise, and economic uncertainties grow – there is another contender.

Peter Kelly ran Ansett’s Golden Wing Club before being poached to run Qantas’ frequent flyer program. That was in the nineties and noughties. Now he wants to raise $200 million to fund a new airline known as Zinc, modelled on the world’s most profitable low-cost carrier, Ryanair.

Kelly, who has run an aviation consultancy since leaving Qantas and was involved in the founding of now-defunct Cypriot carrier Cobalt Air, is banking on the opening of Western Sydney International Airport this year to change the economics of flying, and give his new airline a chance to succeed.

“One of the main features of an ultra-low-cost carrier model is its efficiency,” says Kelly, who was part of the team that set up Jetstar. “Some think it’s about not paying staff and low costs; it’s not. Our model is about sweating the assets and running the planes for 12 hours a day minimum.

“Jetstar is operating a larger model with the number of places they fly to – the type of network they have, with a large number of aircraft and places, they can’t apply the same model,” he says, adding that Zinc would fly between Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane, and later expand to the Gold Coast.

Sources:

Zinc Airlines

Australia's first ultra low-cost carrier. Purpose-built for Western Sydney International Airport.

www.flyzinc.au

Former Qantas insider wants to build the Ryanair of Australia

Peter Kelly is looking to raise $200 million to launch Zinc, an ultra-low-cost carrier based at Western Sydney International, to break the domestic duopoly.

www.afr.com

 

[RooFlyer]

I suspect Zinc will undergo ~ ferrokinesis to lead before too long.

 

[Saab34]

I like the bit around the Zinc thinking the ACCC will provide cover them if Jetstar adds some capacity. The issue for them is Jetstar will have WSI covered long before they even start operations.

So let’s spend a few hundred million to launch a carrier at a secondary airport going up against another LCC that has scale. What on earth are these people smoking.

 

[elanshin]

I like the bit around the Zinc thinking the ACCC will provide cover them if Jetstar adds some capacity. The issue for them is Jetstar will have WSI covered long before they even start operations.

So let’s spend a few hundred million to launch a carrier at a secondary airport going up against another LCC that has scale. What on earth are these people smoking.

Hey some people have more money than sense. And the ones operating want a good paycheck then parachute out.

 

[Milemuncher]

Watched a presentation from WSI head of commercial today - said to expect announcements on domestic routes very soon.