In Reply to: What about the staff in Darwin posted by bali_zen on Sunday, 19. April 2009 at 16:04 Bali Time:
in times like these.
As you say, they are still, under the most difficult circumstances, still trying their best to assist passengers affected by the quick closure. Whilst I can understand Garuda's decision to pull-out of the Darwin market, the speed with which this has been done seems a little strange to me. It would appear that forward bookings must have been exceptionally low and looking worse as time progressed. Garuda is operating at peak loadings on many routes and until new aircraft arrive, its fleet is operating at full capacity; the aircraft deployed on the Darwin route can easily be re-allocated to one which will generate revenue and profits.
I feel really sad for the Darwin Garuda Staff - as of course I did with my Garuda friends in both Adelaide and Brisbane. It is not as though Jetstar will be opening a Darwin Office and offering them positions. It is yet another case where the "personal touch" and genuine warmth of service will be lost. Garuda being a stand-alone International Carrier also suffered by its inability to lock-into bookings for passengers travelling from outside the N.T.
As I have said before, time will tell but ultimately Darwin and "The Top End" will once more be the loser in this unfortunate chain of events.