United Kingdom
United States
Asia Pacific
Virgin Blue applauds Tribunal decision
Virgin Blue on Friday applauded a decision of the Australian Competition Tribunal to declare the Airside Services at Sydney Airport, ending a three year period of unfettered price increases in airport landing fees.
“It is the right decision and this is a very important case for consumers, for airlines and for many other industries,” said Brett Godfrey, Chief Executive.
“We asked for nothing more than to have fair and equitable commercial pricing negotiations with airports, with the safety net of being able to refer the matter to an independent arbitrator, should it be necessary,” he said.
“When monopoly suppliers dramatically increase the operating costs of companies, eventually those costs must be passed on to the consumer and we have pursued this outcome for over three years always believing that ever increasing fees at some airports set a worrying precedent as to just what is acceptable behaviour by monopolists.
Sydney Airport fees increased 97% prior to the sale of the airport and for Virgin Blue a further 52% in less than two years, through the changing of the charging methodology from weight based charges to per passenger charging.
The most recent report by the ACCC showed airport prices have increased by between 50 and 200% over the past three years.
The hearing before the Australian Competition Tribunal took place in October 2004. The decision and a short summary of reasons were released by the Australian Competition Tribunal on Friday with the full decision due to be handed down today.
Graham Muldoon
Mark Jaronski of Explore Georgia on FIFA World Cup 2026
Connecting Small Businesses to Global Tourism Markets: Nate Huff of Tourism Exchange
North Carolina’s Resilience: Wit Tuttell on Recovery and Tourism
Kittipong Prapattong’s Plan for Thailand’s Tourism Growth: Taxes, Visas, and Campaigns
James Jin: Didatravel’s Journey from China to Global Reach and the Impact of AI on Travel
Darien Schaefer on Pensacola’s Evolution: From Small Town to Global Destination
Florida Tourism’s Next Frontier: Dana Young on Expanding Beyond the Classics
Patrick Harrison on Tampa Bay Tourism’s Resilience and Marketing Strategy
Bubba O’Keefe on Clarksdale’s Vibrant Music Scene
Commemorating Elvis and Embracing Tupelo’s Culture with Jennie Bradford Curlee
Craig Ray and the Expansion of the Blues Trail
Presenting Mississippi’s Cultural Trails with Katie Coats
Dozens fall ill in P&O Cruises ship outbreak
Turkish Airlines flight in emergency landing after pilot dies
BA suspending all Heathrow to Abu Dhabi flights
Unexpected wave rocks cruise ship
Woman dies after going overboard in English Channel