The government’s aviation white paper will review why more than 80 per cent of government bookings are made with one airline.
The new charter of rights for airline customers is just one of 56 proposed reforms that will govern the nation’s aviation sector for decades to come.
Transport Minister Catherine King has confirmed regional flights booked with Rex will be covered in a bid to keep the regional airline solvent.
A graveyard has filled with airline groups that have tried and failed to challenge the duopoly in the skies,from Compass to Tiger Airways and Bonza. Rex is just the latest.
EY partner Sam Freeman says he’s received a lot of early interest in Rex and is preparing to kick off the sales process as soon as next week.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the regional routes that Rex provides must continue,but its decision to move into capital city services had been misguided.
Sydney cardiologist Rachael Cordina regularly does an early morning dash to regional NSW,usually on a Rex flight. Now country towns are worried after the airline went into administration.
The airline has cancelled all flights between major airports after halting its domestic 737 services,prompting Virgin and Qantas to offer free rebooking for Rex customers.
Rex has become the latest to discover just how difficult,if not impossible,it is to crack the Qantas/Virgin duopoly. But all may not be lost.
The Australian regional carrier’s financial future is in question as Transport Minister Catherine King says the federal government will step in if need be to help the airline.
If the government wants to do better for consumers in a cost-of-living crisis it should talk less and act more and embark on reform of the airline industry that allows competition to flourish.