In Reply to: I understand posted by mackas on Tuesday, 5. June 2007 at 16:23 Bali Time:
like I said earlier what they did here was a bloody amputation.
I am aware that the Australia Garuda GM put up a fight and so to did others like his Queensland Manager Gary Swailes who has the sad and sorry task of closing his Brisbane office doors for the last time this month after saying final goodbyes to his loyal staff, but it was the "big wigs" above these guys in Jakarta that made the decision to pull the pin not anyone out here.
And as far as the 'financial woes' of Garuda are concerned let's keep this in perspective. Garuda is owned and operated by the Indonesian Government. As much as they whine and moan about profits (or in Garuda's case lack there of) the airline must maintain its links to its traditional heavy traffic customers not close the door completely on them. Australia has always been there for Indonesia especially when times are tough. Besides, could you really see President Bam Bang closing down Garuda, that would be like John Howard closing down Qantas when the Australian Government owned it 100%, it just simply won't happen.
Garuda's own website is currently reporting: 'Garuda books profit of Rp 131 Billion (A$17.7 Million) from operations in first two months of 2007' and also 'Garuda Indonesia to add 25 new aircraft in 2009'. All that profit and new aircraft ordered yet they permanently close offices and lay off staff in Brisbane, Adelaide and New Zealand and all the while Sydney and Melbourne flights are bursting at the seams. What will happen in the busy holiday periods (Christmas etc...) I wonder, you don't just turn everything back on like a light switch, set up offices, employ and train new staff etc...etc... if they made a decision today to resume it would be months before it would happen.
Its so ironic that Garuda has now returning to operational profit, Bali is reporting the highest arrival figures in its history, every other country has returned to Bali in record numbers (except Australia) and every plane that leaves here at the moment outbound to Bali is chockers....there seems to be only one square peg in amongst a lot of round holes there.