Air price war looms

www.fijitimes.com - Wednesday, November 18, 2009

A MARKET share battle in the aviation industry will see price used as a tool to attract customers to Fiji.

Budget airline V Australia will commence flights to Nadi with a $AUD199 ($F347) one-way fare.

National carrier Air Pacific immediately matched the fare.

Air Pacific managing director John Campbell said the new fare would be applicable in the low season - predominantly late January, February and March.

"It was offered by Air Pacific and Virgin Blue, if one does it, the other one does it too," he said.

Mr Campbell said they would not reveal their plans to counter V Australia's offer.

"It is often better to keep a competitor guessing," he said.

He said the airline expected to carry around 70,000 people on its international flights for this month alone.

"That is around 70 per cent of the seats that we have on offer."

"Because we are halfway through November, bookings continue to flow in and the position today is not where it will be by the end of month."

V Australia is a full service airline of Virgin Blue Airlines.

Questions sent to V Australia regarding their inaugural flight to Fiji on December 18 remain unanswered.