Australian Aviation Podcast Network

It’s official – after more than 10 years codesharing with Virgin Australia, Etihad has called it quits, announcing the tie-up will end next June irrespective (it seems) of whether the exclusivity arrangement between Virgin and Qatar Airways is approved. With codesharing on Singapore Airlines services beyond Asia also looking likely to get the chop – but not Velocity frequent flyer benefits on those same services – what will this mean for passengers? Adam and Jake try to unpick the details and ask whether the exclusive code-sharing arrangement needs to be restricted. Plus, with regional airports owed millions after Rex went into administration, and rivals rebuking the government’s bailout, is it time to let the airline go?

It’s been three-and-a-half months since Rex went into administration, and while the planes are still flying, so far the administrators have yet to find a buyer for its regional turboprop operations despite securing a deal to sell off the profitable aeromedical wing Pel-Air. Enter the federal government, which has extended its support for the airline to the tune of $80 million in financing, which the administrator has indicated it wants to use to keep the lights on until at least mid-2025 while growing the operational fleet. Adam and Jake discuss whether this latest effort from the government is likely to bear fruit, and what it might mean for Rex’s regional rivals. Plus, Qantas objects to Virgin’s wet-leasing deal with Qatar – but does the Flying Kangaroo have a leg to hop on? 

It’s the book that’s sent shockwaves through the aviation world: The Chairman’s Lounge: The Inside Story of How Qantas Sold Us Out, a deep dive into the Alan Joyce era and how Qantas went from one of the most trusted brands in the country to one of the least. Covering the decisions made during COVID-19 – including the illegal outsourcing of ground handlers and the controversial “flight credits” scheme – as well as the perception of undue influence on politics, failures in customer service, and other topics, author Joe Aston lays out the case against Joyce in a book that has put a national spotlight on aviation. In this Australian Aviation podcast, Jake Nelson speaks to Aston about the revelations in his book, his verdict on Joyce as a whole, and whether he believes new CEO Vanessa Hudson can right the ship.

Alan Joyce may be gone, but his ghost continues to haunt the halls of Qantas HQ at Mascot, with new chairman John Mullen saying at last week’s AGM that the Flying Kangaroo “might well have not survived” COVID-19 without the colourful former CEO and ex-chairman Richard Goyder. His remarks came, however, as a new book from former columnist for The Australian Financial Review, Joe Aston, gave Joyce a good kicking, calling him “increasingly autocratic” and arguing that Qantas “sold [Australia] out”. At the same time, the notorious “Chairman’s Lounge” is in the spotlight again amid fresh controversy over the Prime Minister’s perceived cosy relationship with the airline. On this week’s episode, Adam and Jake discuss what happened at the AGM and whether politicians should think twice about accepting the invitation to the Chairman’s Lounge. Plus, Virgin Australia’s deal with Qatar is threatening to kneecap codeshare partner Etihad – where will the UAE carrier go if its biggest Australian partnership is axed?

It’s BITRE season again, and while domestic aviation still lags the long-term averages, there’s one figure where the industry is unexpectedly ahead: in a rare showing, cancellations for September were below the long-term average even as on-time performance continued to struggle. Meanwhile, in another mixed-bag month for the major airlines, which was ultimately the most reliable – and what were some of the other surprises? Adam and Jake reveal this month’s winner of the newly-christened Huey Award (as well as why it’s called the Huey Award). Plus, is Rex’s 30-year-old Saab fleet putting it in danger of going the same way as Bonza?

Angela Garvey recently won the Excellence Award at our Australian Aviation Summit, the title we grant to the overall winner from our nine individual categories.   However, she is best known for ‘Navigating Aviation’, a confidential counselling and support service she started following a fatal plane crash in her skydiving business in 2006.    More recently, she launched a mental health survey aimed at current and former employees working in the general aviation sector.   Here, she speaks to host Adam Thorn at this week's Safeskies Conference in Canberra.     

Following the publication of the Aviation White Paper, Transport Minister Catherine King has introduced Sydney slot reform legislation to Parliament. The amendments make up a number of changes to procedures at Australia’s most important airport, but how much of a difference will they make? This week, Adam and Jake discuss the latest developments, while also introducing a new member to the team. Plus, with Rex still struggling to find a buyer, should the government step in? 

It’s been a big news week for the two major domestic airlines, with Virgin confirming long-held speculation that Qatar Airways is looking to take a 25 per cent stake (and announcing wet-leased flights to Doha), while Qantas tries to resolve engineering strikes as it increases its international capacity and launches a slick new North American ad campaign. Rex couldn’t escape the headlines either – on the ABC’s Four Corners, chairman John Sharp revealed it had tried to sell its beleaguered domestic jet arm to Virgin before it collapsed; meanwhile, no “obvious” buyers have emerged for its regional operations, according to one source. Adam and Jake digest the week’s news and what it all means for the airlines and their passengers. Plus, Air New Zealand last week briefly had the best flight deals in the skies – but were trans-Tasman flights for under $10 too good to be true?

Between Qantas and Jetstar, Qantas Group is undoubtedly the biggest name in Australia’s skies, with Virgin Australia a fairly distant second – which has led some, including opposition transport spokesperson Bridget McKenzie, to call for its break-up. In a recent poll, almost half of those surveyed thought Qantas should be made to sell its low-cost arm and an overwhelming majority wanted more competition in domestic aviation – but could, and should, it happen? Adam and Jake examine the arguments and ask if there’s any way for a new player to break into the crowded domestic market. Plus, the return of the “sky kittens” – will changes to parallel runway operations at Brisbane to route more flights over the water help keep “purring” over residential areas to a minimum?

It’s been almost two months since Rex collapsed into administration and scrapped its domestic jet services, and the latest BITRE data shows that airfares – both sale prices and standard economy seats – have seen a sharp increase. With the Qantas-Virgin duopoly once again ruling Australia’s skies, how much of this increase can be attributed to loss of competition versus normal seasonal factors? Adam and Jake look at the figures and what the experts are saying. Plus, Embraer says it could have more than 200 E-Jets in Australia by the end of this decade – could this be the key to a regional jet renaissance?

Amanda Harrison attempted to recreate the first solo flight by a woman from England to Australia in 1930. That original journey was undertaken by the pioneering Amy Johnson in a Gipsy Moth, so Harrison, attempting to be as true to the challenge as possible, undertook hers in a 1942 Tiger Moth. Unfortunately, she had to abandon her mission due to airspace restrictions in 2019, but she did have some adventures on the way. In this special podcast, Harrison talks to host Adam Thorn about her incredible flight – and what’s next. 

It’s results season, and Qantas, Air New Zealand and Alliance have all posted profits – though the narrative around them is very different. Qantas is slightly down on last year, but still above pre-COVID profits, while Air New Zealand has seen its own profit slashed in half due to economic headwinds – and while Alliance posted the smallest profit in absolute terms, the record high has it celebrating a successful year. Adam and Jake cut through the spin and discuss what the year’s results say about how the airlines are really doing. Plus, there’s been a lot of buzz in recent weeks about “Koala Airlines” – but are we genuinely going to see a new domestic carrier any time soon?

It’s been a long time coming, and at last, this week saw the release of the federal government’s Aviation White Paper. The government has pushed consumer protections to the forefront of its agenda, with a new independent ombudsman to take over from the industry-funded Airline Customer Advocate, and a Charter of Customer Rights on the horizon. Adam and Jake dig into some of the white paper’s provisions and examine what they might mean for the sector. Plus, as the Rex administration saga rolls on, what has the government been doing to keep the beleaguered airline’s regional services afloat – and could it be doing more?

Joel Neeb is a former F-15 pilot who flew thousands of missions for the US Air Force, including escorting Air Force One and patrolling the skies in the days after 9/11. Rising to become lieutenant colonel, he trained hundreds of others to do the same as chief instructor pilot. More impressively, after he left the military, he became a hugely successful business leader. In this special episode, Neeb, visiting Sydney from the US, talks through his amazing career and the secret sauce that makes the best fighter pilots.  

Later this month, we will host our first Australian Aviation Summit in partnership with Leidos Australia. The event will tackle the biggest topics in the industry, including how the sector can begin to fix its chronic talent shortage. In this special episode, Jesse Young, head of flight operations at Leidos, and Lea Vesic, CEO of RMIT’s Aviation Academy, talk candidly about what it will take to build and retain our future workforce. They examine its causes, effects and what more needs to be done to solve this ongoing challenge. Plus, they also discuss their pioneering collaboration that will see Leidos provide $120,000 worth of scholarship funding to final-year students at RMIT.

With Bonza gone and Rex fighting for its life in voluntary administration, the spotlight has once again turned to an old argument: that slot allocation at Sydney Airport unfairly advantages the major players. As the federal government looks to put Sydney slot management out to tender, do Qantas and Virgin really have their thumbs on the scales, as former ACCC chair Rod Sims has suggested? Adam and Jake look at the arguments on each side and the other factors that played into Bonza and Rex’s respective failures. Plus, Boeing appoints an engineer as its new CEO – is this a positive sign for the planemaker’s culture, or will the same old failures continue?

In a matter of months, a second Australian airline has gone into voluntary administration: this time it’s Rex, whose ambitions of challenging Qantas and Virgin on capital city flights with 737-800s have dramatically hit the rocks. But with its regional Saab 340B flights still running, and the federal government signalling it doesn’t want to see Rex fail, there’s still plenty of hope that the airline won’t completely go the way of Bonza – or, for that matter, its predecessor Ansett. Adam and Jake discuss what went wrong at Rex, the possible paths forward, and whether something needs to be done about the dominance of the Qantas-Virgin duopoly. Plus, Air New Zealand scraps its 2030 sustainability target – are dreams of a greener sky in danger?

In one of the most dramatic tech outages in history, a botched update by cyber security company CrowdStrike last Friday crippled computers around the world – and Australia’s aviation sector did not escape unscathed. Airlines were left unable to check in customers and their baggage, airports were swamped with passengers on delayed and cancelled flights, and planes were grounded across the country, with Jetstar in particular not back to normal until early Saturday morning. Adam and Jake look at what went wrong and whether aviation has put too many of its eggs into one cyber security basket. Plus, as major east coast gateways still lag behind pre-pandemic passenger levels, what’s still holding Australia’s domestic aviation recovery back?

With the ashes yet cooling on Bonza’s funeral pyre, Qantas CEO Vanessa Hudson made an eyebrow-raising suggestion at the Flying Kangaroo’s Perth–Paris launch last week: that Australia can’t sustain more than, say, three major domestic airline groups (coincidentally, the number it has now). As the country reacquaints itself with the old familiar Qantas–Virgin equilibrium – and as Rex continues its push to disrupt the duopoly – will Hudson be vindicated, or will another challenger eventually prove her wrong? Adam and Jake examine the state of play and whether Bonza is truly just another data point against airline competition in Australia. Plus, Rex’s new leadership faces a boardroom coup from the old boss, Melbourne Airport waves the white flag on the long-overdue rail link, and Emirates thumbs its nose at “too clever by half” safety videos.

Australian Aviation is gearing up to host our third annual awards next month in association with UNSW and its School of Aviation. The university recently hosted a panel examining sustainability in the sector, featuring some of the most influential figures in the industry. The panel included Rex’s Ron Bartsch, Qantas’ Harry Jobberns and Jet Zero’s Ed Mason. In this episode, we let you listen in to the debate.