Geoffrey Thomas

Qantas will launch a new long-haul low-cost airline under the Jetstar brand to start services by January 2007, which according to Qantas CEO Geoff Dixon "will have a fleet of 60 narrow and widebody aircraft within five years".

It will come as no surprise to business executives that our bodies do not like to be stuffed into an aluminium tube and hurled through the air at 900 kilometres an hour.

Once labelled an airline of last resort, the born-again Air New Zealand has now become a frontrunner on Australia-New Zealand-US routes with a starkly different product at the cutting edge of industry trends.

For those who have recently had their bottom squeezed for 20-plus hours in economy flying to the UK to ease the squeeze on the company’s bottom line, relief is at hand. It’s called premium economy.

As late as 1969, Western Australia’s ‘major’ internal airline MacRoberston Miller Airlines (MMA) had a tiny fleet of just six prop jet aircraft and eight DC-3s to serve the entire State.

Something that comes first is usually considered to be foremost, chief, highest in ranking or original.

The dream of Perth to London non-stop flights may be closer than we think, with Qantas putting the latest version of the 777 – the world’s longest range commercial aircraft – under the microscope.

The State Government is shortly expected to announce a far-reaching, performance-based sole-source contract for the operation of marginal air services in regional parts of Western Australia.

The Western Australian aviation skies are set for a significant colour change as a result of last Friday’s decision to award National Jet Systems (NJS) the contract to operate Boeing 717s for QantasLink on intra-WA routes and around Australia.

A decision expected this week by Qantas on the future operator of a fleet of 106-seat twin-engine Boeing 717s will go a long way to determining the future direction of the state’s airline system.