Due to the reduction in demand for flight services following the recent events in Bali, Air Paradise International has been left with no recourse but to implement a rationalisation of scheduled services on its Australian Routes.
Whilst this post is relative only to Adelaide services, there will be an impact from this decision on all Ports serviced by API.
From an Adelaide perspective, we should be happy that API will continue to maintain two services each week, particularly in view of Garuda Indonesia's decision to suspend indefinately - effective today - its Friday service Adelaide/Denpasar. This leaves Garuda with just one flight each week - Tuesday (direct) returning from Bali on Monday evenings (via Melbourne).
Air Paradise has found it necessary to revise the days it flys in/out of Adelaide. For the period from 02 November 2005 to 25 March 2006, the following schedules will apply.
OUTBOUND ADL/DPS:
Non-Stop WED AD071 10.50/14.10
Via MEL SAT AD071 08.05/14.25
INBOUND DPS/ADL:
Via MEL TUE AD070 22.35/09.40+1
Non-Stop FRI AD070 23.15/06.60+1
Air Paradise management have been extremely pro-active since 01 October in liaising with their key agents and wholesalers to ascertain the sentiments of clients and to gauge the impact the incidents on 01 October were having. They are working closely with wholesalers and agents to ensure that the impact from these necessary changes on their passengers is as minimal as possible.
I realise that, particularly for Adelaide passengers who, since the inception of API flights between here and Bali, have enjoyed direct and non-stop services in each direction regardless of which departure day they chose, there will be some disappointment with the possibility of one flight being via Melbourne. Still, an extension of stay in Bali for just a couple more nights will ensure that both flights will be non-stop; I reckon we may see more Adelaide passengers taking advantage of this option.
Thanks must go to API for their determination to maintain all operational routes and ensuring that no Port into which they are flying is discriminated against by having a major disruption to the frequency of their services.
We now have the invideous task of going through all of our many forward bookings to change them in accordance with the new API schedules!