Virgin attacks Qantas in full page ad in The Daily Telegraph
Virgin Australia has published an open letter to the Australian public in The Daily Telegraph urging the Federal Government not to provide financial assistance to rival Qantas.
The letter, signed by Virgin boss by Sir Richard Branson, attacks Qantas’ attempts to hold its 65 per cent domestic market share at the cost of its financial welfare.
It reads: “Qantas has gone to its shareholders on numerous occasions over the last few years to wage its capacity war against us. Now that the shareholders have turned that tap off, the company is turning to the Australian taxpayer to try to bail it out.
“Qantas already has the majority of Federal Government’s spending on travel. For the sake of true competition Qantas should not be granted further special privileges over all its competitors.
“We don’t care what the government does with the Qantas Sale Act, what is most important is that the Government doesn’t provide financial assistance to Qantas, enabling them to reinstate their monopoly. It is not right for the industry and it will not benefit the Australian traveling public or the economy.”
The letter follows on from Prime Minister Tony Abbott indicating the government would consider lifting foreign ownership restrictions on the airline as it continued to struggle financially, announcing it would cut 1,000 jobs over the next 12 months at the end of last year.
Virgin Australia works with a roster of agencies including Clemenger BBDO Sydney, Open Haus, Hulsboch, Mitchell & Partners, Autumn:01, Cru Digital and Big Fish. According to Jan – June 2012 Nielsen figures the brand has a media spend of $6m.
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But he’s more than happy to scoop up billions of pounds in subsidies himself http://www.theguardian.com/com.....il-profits
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The ultimate opportunist – we only hear from this freeloader when he has something to sell – usually himself surrounded by a rent-a-crowd of bikini babes – or to bag his competitors. At least what’s left of poor old Qantas remains Australian, despite the best efforts of Alan Joyce to put it into a death spiral while giving away its overseas routes to Emirates, another opportunist bankrolled by a bunch of wheeling dealing Middle Eastern sheiks.
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This time Virgin is not the first to have had a poke at Qantas! …and they wont get lucky either!
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Ah good ole Richard pipes up again. Remember people this airline may have Australia in its name but it is not! $350 million dollar was given to them from their O/S owners. Some may love Qantas and others hate them, but remember who has been here from the very start supporting this country. Look at how and where they fly, they only pick routes that make them money, and that is not working for them. They have a total of 3 international routes on their own metal! Support our Aussie Icon, would hate to see it disappear and there to be only one Australian airline – VIRGIN O/S AIRLINE
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