Jetstar bid to mop up discretionary dollars
A report by Scott Rochfort in the Sydney Morning Herald says that Jetstar has launched its “biggest ever” sale, in an attempt to head off the planned entry of the Singapore Airlines-backed Tiger Airways into the domestic market.
Amid speculation Tiger has chosen Melbourne’s Tullamarine Airport as its new domestic hub, the Jetstar sale has fuelled talk the Qantas budget offshoot might be looking to spoil an imminent announcement from its new low-cost rival.
“They probably heard Tiger is about to announce something,” said the executive chairman of the Centre for Asia Pacific Aviation, Peter Harbison.
Jetstar has sent out teaser emails of the planned sale to its 200,000-odd Jetmail subscribers since Friday, and urged people to sign up their friends and family for the sale.
“It does suggest that the AOC [Air Operators Certificate application] is proceeding pretty quickly for Tiger,” Mr Harbison said.
The Civil Aviation Safety Authority declined to comment on the progress of Tiger’s AOC, but there is talk the airline could have permission to fly commercially in Australia as soon as September.
Tiger has so far declined to provide an update on its progress.
Mr Harbison said Jetstar might be aiming to dent early demand for Tiger flights, adding, “They might want to mop up a whole lot of discretionary spending before Tiger enters the market”.
While Tiger is yet to indicate where it plans to fly, Mr Harbison said Jetstar might instead target “the routes they think Tiger will enter”.
Tiger has hinted it might replicate its route structure in Asia, where it flies a mixture of leisure and main city trunk routes.
It is expected Tiger will not only target domestic routes but the booming outbound demand for flights to Asia, which Jetstar has already attempted to tap.
Tiger could do this by linking its domestic network to its international network, which connects through Darwin and Perth.
Tiger was expected to announce its Australian base last week when its shareholders – Singapore Airlines, Indigo Partners, Temasek and the Ryan family – were due to hold a board meeting last week.
“We’ve heard nothing,” said Brisbane Airport spokesman Jim Carden, who dismissed suggestions the airport’s domestic terminal did not have enough space for Tiger’s five aircraft.”
There’s space now and there will be space in the future,” he said, noting the airport had plans for a “substantial expansion” of the terminal later this year.
Melbourne Airport spokesman Tom Perry said: “We haven’t heard anything.” But he said the airport did have plenty of room.
Report by The Mole
John Alwyn-Jones
Vegas’s Billion-Dollar Secrets – What They Don’t Want Tourists to Know
Visit Florida’s New CEO Bryan Griffin Shares His Vision for State Tourism with Graham
Chicago’s Tourism Renaissance: Graham Interviews Kristin Reynolds of Choose Chicago
Graham Talks with Cassandra McCauley of MMGY NextFactor About the Latest Industry Research
Destination International’s Andreas Weissenborn: Research, Advocacy, and Destination Impact
Graham and Don Welsh Discuss the Success of Destinations International’s Annual Conference
Graham and CEO Andre Kiwitz on Ventura Travel’s UK Move and Recruitment for the Role
Brett Laiken and Graham Discuss Florida’s Tourism Momentum and Global Appeal
Graham and Elliot Ferguson on Positioning DC as a Cultural and Inclusive Global Destination
Graham Talks to Fraser Last About His England-to-Ireland Trek for Mental Health Awareness
Kathy Nelson Tells Graham About the Honour of Hosting the World Cup and Kansas City’s Future
Graham McKenzie on Sir Richie Richardson’s Dual Passion for Golf and His Homeland, Antigua
ADS PRO 
Qatar Airways offers flexible payment options for European travellers
Airlines suspend Madagascar services following unrest and army revolt
Digital Travel Reporter of the Mirror totally seduced by HotelPlanner AI Travel Agent
Phocuswright reveals the world's largest travel markets in volume in 2025
Strike action set to cause travel chaos at Brussels airports