Qantas has refuted all “conspiracy theories” made by a regional airline, calling the statements “extreme” and “ridiculous.”
The Australian company Rex has announced that the airline has been forced to cut five more regional areas of its services, in order to improve the financial performance of the business.
In doing so, Rex punished Australian airline Qantas for “predatory behavior” claiming to have caused the routes cut off. In a sensational response, Qantas has refuted Rex’s “strange conspiracy theories.”
From June 30, Rex will stop serving Bathurst, Grafton, Lismore and Kangaroo Island regional centers. Ballina will also be removed from the network from July 2, with two more routes pending review.
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In a statement from the airline, Rex’s vice president, the Honorable John Sharp AM, blamed competing airline Qantas for the completion of the routes.
“It is unfortunate that these regional communities are the collateral damage of Qantas’ heartless harassment and behavior, ”Sharp said.
“This behavior is even more inconceivable after receiving more than $ 2 billion in federal bailouts over the past two years.”
“Qantas’ well-publicized predatory actions on Rex’s regional routes have left Rex no longer able to subsidize these marginal routes.”
Sharp said the decision was made with a “heavy heart” but had to be made “in an effort to improve Rex’s financial performance”.
Qantas answers the “ridiculous” claims.
In response to the allegations, a Qantas spokesman said Rex’s statement was “simply ridiculous”. They said the allegations were an example of a regional career trying to “prepare more bizarre conspiracy theories.”
“Rex’s claims against Qantas have become so unlikely that we had to create a dedicated page on our website to refute them and update them fairly regularly,” they said.
“Rex always seeks to blame others when he withdraws from regional routes, but none of his claims accumulate in the scrutiny.”
Qantas also refuted claims that Rex’s fall in these regions was the result of the carrier’s predatory behavior.
“Rex has a monopoly on three of these routes that he’s abandoning, so if he can’t make them work, he has no one else to blame more than himself,” they said.
Rex says he does not have the funds to subsidize these routes, but has no problem finding money to invest in more aircraft for operations in his capital 737.
“This should be confusing for regional customers, as Rex’s motto is that his heart is in the country.”
Completion comes when the route from Canberra to Sydney was cut
Last week, the regional company announced that it was withdrawing its route from Canberra to Sydney, just one year after launching the service in 2021. The move came weeks after Jetstar, a wholly owned subsidiary of the Qantas Group, entered on the market, with flights from Melbourne and the Gold Coast.
“Unfortunately, with the entry of an additional operator and the high charges imposed by Sydney Airport as of June 1 it means the route is no longer viable for Rex,” Sharp said.
“Resources will be diverted to other routes that will allow for a better return.”
At the time, Sydney Airport also responded to the complaints, saying they were trying to keep Rex on the route from Sydney to Canberra.
“Sydney Airport has made several attempts to support Rex’s operations on the Sydney-Canberra route, and we were making good progress in reaching an agreement,” the statement said.
“Rex’s suggestion that Sydney Airport is partially responsible for the departure of the route is disappointing and inaccurate.”
The rift between Rex and QantasLink (the regional airline branch) has come to an end.
In February 2021, QantasLink CEO John Gissing accused the regional operator of making a “classic Rex rage” after accusing the carrier or predatory business behavior.
“Rex believes they have the established right to be the sole carrier on some regional routes,” Gissing said. Farm online.
“Rex ‘s idea of competition is that it’ s something that happens to other people.
“It looks like Rex is trying to blame Qantas for other challenges they may have.”
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