AUSTRALIA has a new airline franchise operation with the introduction in Adelaide of RegionalLink Airlines Pty Ltd, a national coalition of carriers which will operate under a single brand and will share core functions, including: reservations, purchasing, yield management, airport services and information technology. The new group, owned by Darwin-based Capiteq Ltd, will become the lead franchisor to a range of participating regional airlines by the end of 2004, operating flights throughout regional Australia. The first members of RegionalLink Airlines are two Capiteq subsidiaries, the Darwin-based Airnorth Regional and Airlines of South Australia, which were acquired late last year. A third carrier, Adelaide-based tourist and charter airline, Emu Airways, has just been acquired by Capiteq, and several more airlines, including O”Connor Airlines of Mt Gambier, South Australia, have entered preliminary discussions to become RegionalLink franchise partners ” the first example of franchising in the Australian airline industry.
http://www.airnorth.com.au