Flight Centre scolds Qatar Airways blocking in new campaign

Flight Centre scolds Qatar Airways blocking in new campaign
By James Harrison


Flight Centre has begun an advertising campaign criticising the Federal Government’s decision to block additional capacity into Australia for Qatar Airways.

Earlier this year, the transport minister Catherine King blocked Qatar Airways’ request to double its Australian capacity, arguing that it would not be in the national interest. The government sought the advice of Qantas for this decision, which was the subject of much inquiry when the airline’s boss Alan Joyce faced a senate inquiry last week.

Flight Centre’s new ad

Flight Centre’s founder and managing director, Graham ‘Skroo’ Turner, has been quite vocal in his critique of the decision, telling this publication he believes the final decision could have come from Anthony Albanese himself.

Speaking on the campaign, Skroo said the travel industry urgently needed more competition in the skies to reduce airfares for Christmas.

“It’s pretty obvious, we just don’t have the capacity into Australia at the moment,” he told Channel Nine.

Graham ‘Skroo’ Turner (Kat Stanley)

“We think the capacity is at about 75 per cent internationally and obviously the demand is enormous and airfares are too expensive.

“A lot of people can’t afford the sort of airfare prices. There are some good specials around but on average they are about 40 or 50 per cent more expensive than pre-COVID and this is important to Australia.”

He went on to say that the ad will run “for a while… unless the government acts.”

The ad is now running in newspapers across the country.

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