“Qantas will make a profit this year and has received the highest customer satisfaction rating ever,” Alan Joyce, Chief Executive, told delegates to this week’s CAPA 2015 Airlines in Transition gathering of CEOs at the Powerscourt Hotel Resort & Spa at Enniskerry, Co Wicklow, in his keynote address on ‘Evolution of a Hybrid Airline Group’.
“We do see a great benefit out of being a member of Oneworld,” he added, in response to Conor McCarthy, Executive Chairman, Dublin Aerospace, and co-founder of Air Asia, who said that the global alliances had produced “a patchwork quilt of brands and had saved each airline having to have their own lounges, while consumers get marginal benefits”.
Paschal Donohoe, Minister of Transport, Tourism and Sport, addressing the Aer Lingus / IAG issue, said: “Aer Lingus provides 40% of the seats from our three main airports, Dublin, Cork and Shannon. There have been difficult discussions with IAG, but they have always been workmanlike and held in a positive way. I want to see those discussions concluded within the next few weeks.”
Asked by Irish Travel Trade News for his personal view of the future for Ireland’s regional airports, the Minister said: “I see it as positive. Their governing structures are working well and each is working very hard to secure their futures and we are working with the European Commission to put funding in place.”
