Brindabella Airlines
has ceased its service between Orange and Sydney for the next six and a
half weeks while its pilots are trained to fly larger planes.
Customers
only found out about the suspension yesterday when they attempted to
book tickets for flights and were told the airline was off air until
September 1.
When the airline restarts in Orange it will continue
to offer three flights per day, but all flights will be in larger
30-seater Jetstream 4100 planes.
One businessman, who declined to
be named, said he was shocked by the announcement but said the airline
needed to lift its game if it was to return.
“I’ve been trying to support them,” he said.
“Rex
(Regional Express) have been more reliable, Brindabella have cancelled
services and I’ve missed meetings... it affects people who have planned
their whole day.”
“If they’re going to come back in September
they’ve got to be fair dinkum... even if it’s next year... they’ve got
to do it properly.”
Brindabella’s chief commercial officer James
Blake played down the suspension saying it was “a softer period for
bookings” but would not elaborate on the cause of the downturn.
He said the larger planes would allow cabin crew to serve passengers snacks and refreshments enroute to Sydney.
“Brindabella
Airlines will continue its flight crew training program, which will
result in the majority of its pilots being trained to operate the
airline’s Jetstream 4100 aircraft,” he said.
The businessman said
he flew to Sydney at least once a fortnight, but was often forced to
catch the earlier Rex flight in the morning to get to Sydney in time for
meetings.
“I hope they come back at an earlier time,” he said.
“The later departure doesn’t suit because you can’t do a full day of business.”
Aerodrome
Committee chair Cr Chris Gryllis said the decision to cease the service
was up to Brindabella, but he hoped the airline returned.
“The management have very enthusiastically promised us they want to stick around,” he said.
But the businessman said there was little point having two airlines if one was not viable or reliable.
Passengers
who had flights booked during the suspension have been contacted by
Brindabella to discuss their options, Mr Blake said.
Source: http://www.centralwesterndaily.com.au
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment