Tag: Brisbane (Page 1 of 2)

Maersk doubles down on growth in Australia with Omnichannel Fulfilment

November 11, 2023 / WIL BALDWIN

A.P. Moller-Maersk AS (OTC: AMKBY) is strengthening its omnichannel-fulfilment capabilities in Australia, with the opening of seven new facilities across the country. As the integrated container and logistics company celebrates its 30th anniversary in Australia, plans are in place to grow its already extensive operations and land-side capabilities.

The seven new facilities are being delivered over the 12 months to Q1 2024 as part of Maersk’s global integrator strategy with clear opportunities identified to expand the regional logistics landscape. This will bring the company’s total number of sites in Australia to eight in total, serviced by 550 full-time employees. Four sites opened earlier this year and three more are coming online between now and Q1 2024. Two of these facilities were integrated into the Maersk network as part of its acquisition of LF Logistics.

Maersk boasts five gateway ports and owned warehouse services in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane, with additional co-owned warehouse services in Perth and Adelaide. Maersk’s addition of seven facilities in Australia brings its footprint from 15,900 sqm in Q1 2023 to 142,500 sqm by end of Q1 2024, adding a total of 126,600 sqm in 12 months.

Six of the seven new sites will be omnichannel facilities, harnessing a variety of channels to interact with customers to fulfil orders. Omnichannel capabilities provide Maersk with better levels of availability and service, reduced working capital and better efficiency. It allows for an improved focus on sustainability by utilising renewable energy sources such as solar panels, smart power management systems and low energy consumption equipment.

The recent opening of Maersk’s Derrimut facility in Melbourne harnesses progressive AI technology to automate current warehousing processes. The facility caters to booming e-commerce fulfilment needs, as well as offering logistics solutions for different industries, including Footwear and Apparel, Beauty and Wellness, Healthcare, and Luxury Fashion products across Australia.

As part of Maersk’s expansion in Australia, exclusive new offerings to customers include the Flex Hub service, which enables customers to reduce warehousing costs and reduce time to market by placing products closer to their end customer markets.

The Captain Peter for reefer containers service allows customers to see the temperature inside reefer containers carrying their produce, allowing them to change it as needed, giving customers more control of how their frozen or refrigerated goods are managed while in transit with Maersk.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including expected delivery dates. Such statements are based on current expectations and projections about our future results, prospects and opportunities and are not guarantees of future performance. Such statements will not be updated unless required by law. Actual results and performance may differ materially from those expressed or forecasted in forward-looking statements due to a number of factors, including those discussed in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

United Airlines has more flights to Australia & New Zealand than any other U.S. airline

November 2, 2023 / WIL BALDWIN

Chicago, Illinois, November 2, 2023 – Kiwis or kangaroos? With United Airlines Holdings Inc (Nasdaq: UAL) new flights to Australia and New Zealand, you don’t have to choose.

New nonstop service between San Francisco and Christchurch starts December 8, making us the only carrier to directly connect the U.S. and the South Island of New Zealand. And that’s not all – our brand-new Los Angeles to Auckland flight started on October 28, plus service from Los Angeles to Brisbane starts shortly on November 29.

Book your Australia or New Zealand adventure today with the U.S. airline serving the most destinations in Australia and New Zealand (hint: that’s us).

Forward-Looking Statements

Regional Express Holdings Ltd (REX) takes delivery of airline’s ninth Boeing 737-800NG

September 24, 2023 / WIL BALDWIN

Rex-Media-Release-9-25-23

Qantas Group provides market update

September 24, 2023 / WIL BALDWIN

September 25, 2023, Qantas Airways Ltd ADR (OTC-QABSY) – The Qantas Group provides the following update to inform the market of a material increase to investment in customer improvements, continued strength in travel demand and the impact of elevated fuel prices.

CUSTOMER IMPROVEMENTS

The Group will invest a further $80 million in customer improvements across FY24 in addition to the $150 million previously budgeted, which will be funded from profits.

This additional investment is aimed at addressing a number of customer ‘pain points’ through improvements such as better contact centre resourcing and training, an increase in the number seats that can be redeemed with Frequent Flyer points, more generous recovery support when operational issues arise, a review of longstanding policies for fairness and improvements to the quality of inflight catering.

Qantas is also working to accelerate some initiatives already underway, such as the re-platforming of the Qantas app. More detail on these actions will be shared in coming weeks.

DEMAND LEVELS

Overall travel demand remains strong, with trading conditions in the first quarter of FY24 similar to the last quarter of FY23.

Qantas and Jetstar expect to carry more than 4 million passengers over the September/October school holidays and football finals period on almost 35,000 domestic and international services. This compares with around 3.7 million passengers on approximately 28,000 services over the same four week period last year.

Latest survey data shows that travel remains a top spending priority among Qantas Frequent Flyers over the next six months, well ahead of entertainment, renovations and homewares[1]. The Group greatly appreciates the continued support from customers choosing Qantas and Jetstar.

FUEL, FX AND FARES

Fuel prices have increased by around 30 per cent since May 2023, including a 10 per cent spike since August. This is driven by a combination of higher oil prices, higher refiner margins and a lower Australian dollar.

If sustained, this is expected to see the Group’s 1H24 fuel bill increase by approximately $200 million to $2.8 billion after hedging[2]. A further $50 million impact is expected due to non-fuel related foreign exchange changes.

The Group will continue to absorb these higher costs, but will monitor fuel prices in the weeks ahead and, if current levels are sustained, will look to adjust its settings. Any changes would look to balance the recovery of higher costs with the importance of affordable travel in an environment where fares are already elevated.

CAPACITY AND NETWORK UPDATE

New aircraft deliveries and wet-leasing arrangements will help Qantas and Jetstar boost international capacity by 12 percentage points by the end of the calendar year – an increase of almost 50 additional flights a week.

This includes Qantas resuming its Sydney-Shanghai services and starting two new routes, Brisbane-Wellington and Brisbane-Honiara, as well as a new Jetstar service from Brisbane to Tokyo.

Both international and domestic capacity for 1H24 is materially unchanged from estimates given in late August 2023.

FINANCIAL FRAMEWORK

The Group remains in a very strong financial position, including its debt levels and continued strong revenue intakes.

The on-market share buyback of up to $500 million announced on 24 August 2023 is now 10 per cent completed. Shareholder approval will be sought at Qantas’ upcoming AGM to increase the headroom for further share buybacks that the Board may choose to do in future in line with the Financial Framework.

[1] QFF sentiment tracker,n=2,019.Data collected between 1 August 2023 and 31 August 2023. Sample of QFF members from Red Planet panel. Based on respondents’ intended changes to upcoming spending across different categories.

[2] Assumes 1H24 underlying into-plane market reference price of approximately A$191 per barrel.

Rex Group member to take delivery of 9th De Havilland Dash 8-400NG

August 29, 2023 / WIL BALDWIN

National Jet Express (NJE), a member of the Rex Group, will shortly take delivery of another De Havilland Dash 8-400NG ‘Next Generation’, fitted with 82 seats.

This will be the ninth Dash 8-400NG to join the NJE fleet and the second to be deployed to support and grow NJE’s long term contract with BHP Mitsubishi Alliance (BMA) after starting operations for the mining giant on 1 July, 2023.

It will enter service in October and operate additional flights to the mining community of Moranbah in the Bowen Basin, 1000 kilometres north of Brisbane.

NJE is also in the advanced stages of negotiation for two further contracts in the mining and construction industries, which are expected to see Dash 8-400NG services expand across other areas of Queensland.

Virgin Australia wheels out country’s first airline baggage tracking tool

August 27, 2023 / WIL BALDWIN

Virgin Australia will launch the country’s first-ever airline baggage tracking tool across more than two thirds of its domestic network tomorrow, allowing guests to know where their bag is at every step of the journey.

With digital tracking now part of everyday life, Virgin Australia’s new seamless travel experience is the latest instalment of the airline’s broader transformation program.

The tool, which has been two years in the making, comes as lost baggage remains a pain point for travellers across the globe. Despite this, Virgin Australia far outperforms the industry average for mishandled baggage, with a mishandled baggage rate of around 1.5 per 1,000 guests – five times better than the last recorded industry average.

The first-to-market technology is set to free guests from the fear of losing their bags next time they fly, with Virgin Australia anticipating a rise in guests checking in baggage as a result of the new tracking tool.

Initially piloted in May 2023, the tracking tool will be available on most domestic routes between major airports, including Sydney-Melbourne, Brisbane-Sydney, Melbourne-Gold Coast, Melbourne-Hobart, Adelaide-Melbourne, Sydney-Sunshine Coast, and more (refer Notes to Editor). The airline’s remaining domestic network, including select services departing Perth, are expected to feature the tracking tool soon.

National Jet Express Takes Off From New Brisbane Base

July 8, 2023 / WIL BALDWIN

National Jet Express (NJE), a Rex Group company, has today firmed up its bold ambition to expand its footprint in the Queensland charter and mining market. NJE today took passengers to the skies for the first time in Queensland, with flight NC344 departing Brisbane at 0700 local time for Moranbah. This comes after NJE was successful in winning a contract to provide air services for BHP Mitsubishi Alliance (BMA).

httpswww.rex_.com_.auViewerpage1

httpswww.rex_.com_.auViewerpage2

Virgin Australia unveils cabin of the future and $110 million fleet-wide aircraft upgrade

July 8, 2023 / WIL BALDWIN

Saturday 8 July 2023: More than 3,000 Virgin Australia team members and their families will today celebrate the arrival of the airline’s first fuel-efficient Boeing 737-8 aircraft which touched down on Australian soil last week.

The celebrations, part of a Virgin Australia Family Day at the airline’s Brisbane Hangar, will be hosted by CEO, Jayne Hrdlicka and Boeing’s President of Australia, New Zealand and South Pacific, Maria Fernandez, who will welcome team members from across the Virgin Australia business, many who have flown in from interstate to have a first look at the new aircraft.

Fresh from the Boeing factory in Seattle and featuring that new plane smell, the Boeing 737-8 aircraft marks an exciting new milestone in the transformation of Virgin Australia with its fleet renewal program well underway as the airline continues to work towards its net zero emissions target by 2050. The aircraft is one of 33 fuel-efficient Boeing 737-8 and 737-10 aircraft Virgin Australia has on order, with more fuel-efficient aircraft set to be delivered in the coming months.

With the arrival of the Boeing 737-8, Virgin Australia has also revealed its highly anticipated new Business Class and Economy cabin interior as well as confirming plans to refresh the interior cabins on the airline’s remaining Boeing fleet, as part of an investment of approximately $110 million to improve the flying experience for customers.

Highlight features of the new Boeing 737-8 cabin interior include:

In-seat power for all Business Class and Economy seats.
Larger overhead lockers, with capacity to stow up to 50 per cent more carry-on baggage (individual guest carry-on luggage limits will not increase).
Wider Business Class seats which also feature leg rests with extendable footrests, storage compartments, tablet/device holders and water bottle holders.
A new Economy seat design, featuring a ribbed backing to elevate comfort and ergonomics.
A personal tablet/device holder for all Economy seats, making it easy to view Virgin Australia in-flight entertainment, movies and TV shows.

Click the link below to see the entire press release!

https://newsroom.virginaustralia.com/release/virgin-australia-unveils-cabin-future-and-110-million-fleet-wide-aircraft-upgrade

Australia Back on Tourist Map as International Visitors Return

February 21, 2022 / WIL BALDWIN

Qantas flights from eight overseas destinations are touching down in Australia today, bringing the first international tourists in almost two years and an eagerly anticipated boost for the country’s tourism industry.

The Qantas Group will fly more than 14,000 passengers into Australia this week as quarantine and border barriers for international tourists come down.

QF12 from Los Angeles was the first to land at 6.20am and flights from other international destinations including Vancouver, Singapore and London will arrive into Sydney throughout the day. Jetstar’s first unrestricted international flight JQ18 will touch down in Melbourne from Phuket at 10.05am and QF70 from Delhi to Melbourne will arrive at 1.35pm.

Qantas Group CEO Alan Joyce said bookings had been strong since the Australian Government announced the country was opening to international visitors, and today’s arrivals will be the first of many.

Qantas restarted its international network for Australian citizens and visa holders on 1 November 2021, with a number of routes coming online since then. Sydney to Dallas recommenced flying on 16 February, and flights to other destinations are scheduled to relaunch in coming weeks including:

Melbourne to Honolulu (Jetstar) – From 1 March
Sydney to Honolulu (Jetstar) – From 3 March
Melbourne to Denpasar (Jetstar) – From 14 March
Sydney to Denpasar (Jetstar) – From 15 March
Brisbane to Singapore – From 27 March
Sydney to Manila – From 27 March
Sydney to Denpasar – From 28 March
Darwin to Dili – From 30 March
Brisbane to Los Angeles – From 1 April

QANTAS Announces Another New Queensland Route to the Whitsundays

July 11, 2021 / WIL BALDWIN

Queenslanders will have more travel options to the world-famous Whitsundays with QantasLink launching direct flights from Brisbane to the Whitsunday Coast (Proserpine) for the first time in seven years.

From 17 September 2021, QantasLink will operate up to seven weekly return flights between Proserpine and Brisbane with its 74-seat Q400 turboprop aircraft, adding more than 1000 seats on the route each week.

It follows the new routes QantasLink commenced from Brisbane to Albury and Cooma earlier this week. Between Qantas, QantasLink and Jetstar, the Group has now launched more than 45 new routes since international borders closed, around half of which are into Queensland.

QantasLink CEO John Gissing said the new route would create stronger connections to the popular tourism destination.

Special fares on the new route are available from $109 one-way at qantas.com or through Travel Agents, until 10 July 2021, unless sold out prior.

The new Brisbane-Proserpine service will complement Jetstar flights to the Whitsunday Coast from Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane.

Qantas has recently extended its Fly Flexible policy, offering customers who book flights before 30 September 2021 with unlimited ‘fee free’ date changes when travelling before 28 February 2022. (A fare difference may apply).

Archives