Regional Express announced today that the bussing solution for its inbound passengers was now in jeopardy.
The deal, which Rex had hammered out with Adelaide Airport Limited (AAL) to alleviate the tremendous difficulties for inbound regional passengers, was at risk because AAL is refusing to provide a second much needed bus at peak periods and for back-up.
Geoff Breust, Rex Managing Director, said that he was very disappointed by this decision and felt that once again the interests of regional Australia were being ignored by the non-accountable decisions of a monopoly infrastructure provider.
'Rex has decades of airport bussing experience, having more than 100 flights a day at congested Sydney Airport, all catered for by buses. So we speak with great experience when we tell AAL that at least two buses are needed at peak periods. One bus will not allow us to meet our turnaround times and flight schedule, causing continued inconvenience to regional South Australian travellers. Also, these are special buses that do not exist anywhere else in South Australia. Common sense dictates that a second bus is needed in case of break downs,' Mr Breust said.
'We even made a commitment to AAL that Rex will pay for all additional costs of our recommended bussing solution so that there would not be any negative cost impact either to AAL or to the other airlines. We were completely flabbergasted when AAL wrote to us and said that they would not agree to the second bus. No logical reasons were given for the refusal.’
Mr Breust said that if reason did not prevail regional commuters, especially the elderly, sick and families, will continue to have to put up with conditions that border on the inhumane every time they fly into Adelaide. He added that Rex would continue doing everything it could to find an acceptable outcome for its regional passengers and had again written to AAL to reconsider its position.
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