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Peter Clark: Aviation commentator on Air New Zealand's performance in April · Early Edition with Ryan Bridge

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: We've got data out on plane arrivals for April this morning.
• 0:03
  Speaker 1: Just sixty percent of Air New Zealand trans Tasman flights
• 0:07
  Speaker 1: in April left on time sixty percent. Compare that with
• 0:11
  Speaker 1: Jetstar seventy eight percent of their trans Tasman flights living
• 0:13
  Speaker 1: on time quantus seventy So why are we so bad?
• 0:16
  Speaker 1: Peter Clark, Aviation commentator, Peter, it's nice to have you
• 0:19
  Speaker 1: on the program.
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  Speaker 2: Good morning, good morning to you.
• 0:22
  Speaker 1: So what's going on here?
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  Speaker 2: Well, I think we've got to take it in perspective.
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  Speaker 2: Air New Zealand is the major carrier, but it's also
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  Speaker 2: got a large fleet and they have a large number
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  Speaker 2: of dispatches across the Tasman every day from Wellington, christ Church,
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  Speaker 2: Queenstown and Auckland, so they've got a lot of aircraft
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  Speaker 2: to turn around to get across, and most of those
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  Speaker 2: aircraft have come in from other destinations, then train shipped
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  Speaker 2: through Auckland and then go across. So there's all of
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  Speaker 2: those factors that have to have to be taken into
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  Speaker 2: accounts when you look at these figures and they are
• 0:58
  Speaker 2: based only on one month the stage.
• 1:01
  Speaker 1: Does it are we quite backed up?
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  Speaker 2: Like?
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  Speaker 1: Do we use our aircraft for these routes a lot
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  Speaker 1: more than these other airlines.
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  Speaker 2: Well, I think you've got to say that also they
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  Speaker 2: utilize their aircraft. They're come in from Los Angeles, come
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  Speaker 2: into Auckland and then they'll head off somewhere else or
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  Speaker 2: head off up into the Pacific across the Tasman. That
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  Speaker 2: the Tasman's operated by a lot of the A three
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  Speaker 2: twenty one aircraft. Now, which are they utilize for that?
• 1:29
  Speaker 2: They have the dispatches for those aircraft going across. But look,
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  Speaker 2: Auckland has congestion, it has problems, and an aircraft gets in,
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  Speaker 2: it's got to be turned around, it's got to be serviced,
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  Speaker 2: it's got to be catered and and then it has
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  Speaker 2: to be sent on its way, and that's the problem. Also,
• 1:48
  Speaker 2: there can be quite good congestion utilization of staff that
• 1:53
  Speaker 2: service the aircraft. A lot of the dispatches, especially in
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  Speaker 2: the morning, there's a lot of aircraft departing out of Auckland.
• 2:01
  Speaker 2: So it's it's it's it's a big it's a big job.
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  Speaker 2: Jetstar probably use their aircraft across the Tasman and then
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  Speaker 2: they use them domestically. The same aircraft up and down
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  Speaker 2: the country, So it's really hard, and I think in
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  Speaker 2: New Zealand do it try hard. There's lots of things.
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  Speaker 2: They probably are over utilizing the aircraft and they turnaround times.
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  Speaker 2: They're not giving themselves enough margin there because they want
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  Speaker 2: to get the aircraft in and out, trying.
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  Speaker 1: To do too much too quickly. What about the I
• 2:35
  Speaker 1: looked at the airline performance. There's a domestic jet routes
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  Speaker 1: for April, and I know you said it's only one month,
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  Speaker 1: but if you look at the trend from January, their
• 2:44
  Speaker 1: performance air New Zone has been slipping month on month.
• 2:48
  Speaker 2: Yeah, I think we are seeing that, and I think
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  Speaker 2: they are having problems at the moment. They've got aircraft
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  Speaker 2: problems with the engines and serviceability there. And look, I
• 2:59
  Speaker 2: only have to say speak from my own self. Just
• 3:02
  Speaker 2: last a week ago, I was in Singapore. I was
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  Speaker 2: at the gate. My Triple seven Air New Zealand flight
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  Speaker 2: was canceled right at the gate to New Zealand. So
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  Speaker 2: that costs the airline a lot of money when they
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  Speaker 2: can't dispatch an aircraft. So they've got to get those
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  Speaker 2: aircraft in the air. And then we look at domestic
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  Speaker 2: look the weather traffic problems at Airport at Auckland. Busy
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  Speaker 2: times there, air traffic control, weather, all of these things
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  Speaker 2: play into operating an aircraft.
• 3:37
  Speaker 1: Now, it's a tricky business, isn't it. Peter appreciate your time.
• 3:39
  Speaker 1: Peter Clark with us this Morning Aviation commentator. For more
• 3:43
  Speaker 1: from Early Edition with Ryan Bridge, Listen live to news
• 3:46
  Speaker 1: Talks it'd be from five am weekdays, or follow the
• 3:49
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