Wednesday 06 January

Qantas traffic share drops as traveller numbers rise almost 10%

According to an article on Travel Today this week, Qantas Group saw its share of international traffic erode in October despite an increase in the number of travellers to and from Australia.  The latest government figures showed international traffic reached 2.202 million in October, up 9.6% on the previous year.

It follows traffic growth of 11.3% in September, the largest month on month increase since March 2005. Among the major airlines, Qantas continues to see its market share eroded by rivals.

Total market share for the Qantas Group was 28.2% in October, down from 30.1% the previous year. Qantas Airways maintained its hold as the number one carrier of international traffic to and from Australia. But its market share tumbled from 24.5% in November 2008 to 20.3%. Jetstar increased its share by 2.3 percentage points in the same period, cementing fourth place on the list at 8%. Singapore Airlines remained in second spot with 10.3% of traffic, down 1.4 points. Air New Zealand was third with 8.2%, down 1.2 points, while Emirates, in fifth, increased its share by 0.5 points to 7.7%.

Editors Comments: Let's see, what could these figures be telling us ?  Oh yes, Qantas have cut routes and other airlines have increased theirs, it's not 'rocket surgery'.  Come on Qantas either get off your hands or let other airlines have your unused routes so they can bring the people that quite obviously want to visit us.