Editorial: Come on, Air NZ, play fair

There were smiles and there were the inevitable bank queues a week or so back as the recipients of 58,000 cheques to the tune of $170 each lined up to deposit them into their accounts.

Like Christmas arriving early it was.

The cheques were sent out to electricity account-holders in Napier and Hastings and were part of a record dividend paid by Unison Networks to the Hawke's Bay Power Consumers' Trust.

As the trust has done in previous years, it shared its good fortune with its shareholders - the people who use the power.

And that is good, fair and noble, because the cost of electricity is not exactly modest.

Nor is the cost of air travel.

So it came to pass that while Qantas has been left reeling with enormous debts and the axe of job losses hanging over hundreds of its employees, Air New Zealand was positively glowing through the announcement its profits had soared 45 per cent over the past year - giving it a $262million payday.

In the business sense, it is clearly a job well done but, in the real sense, it was a result only made possible by the people who filled the seats on their aircraft.

It was also a result made possible because Air New Zealand is adept at playing Monopoly.

There once was an opposition airline called Origin Pacific but it folded in 2006 - eaten up by the competitive tactics of the national carrier.

So if you need to get to Christchurch urgently by air you'll need $389 ... one way.

Fare?

No, it is not fair.

Unison, and the Hawke's Bay Power Consumers Trust, gave all their "passengers" a fine little thank-you letter complete with financial recognition of the bit they played in achieving such a fine result.

So how about it, Air New Zealand? The people of Hawke's Bay (effectively your shareholders) who have no other aviation choice when it comes to getting from here to there have all done their bit to ensure you've had a grand old year and been able to bank a substantial cheque.

Give us some fair fares.