From today's Sydney Daily Telegraph:
Frequent flyers flights plan
By GEOFF EASDOWN
02jan02
MORE than 2.6 million Ansett travellers might recover frequent flyer points they lost in the collapse of the airline.
A plan to reward travellers with old points for travelling with the new carrier is being negotiated with the Ansett administrators. However, only a percentage of the points are likely to be returned to loyalty card holders.
It was also announced yesterday that James Hogan, an Australian executive working in Europe, would become the new CEO of the airline.
He was formerly chief operating officer of UK airline BMI British Midland.
An Ansett spokeswoman said Mr Hogan would take up his new job before February 1, the scheduled date for the revived Ansett to fly again.
Up to 10 separate arrangements for the frequent flyer points were being discussed, Ansett administrator Mark Mentha said last night.
One suggestion involves rewarding travellers with up to five old points for every registered air mile flown with their new carrier.
It is understood that old points were likely to be rewarded according to the frequency of travel used by Global Rewards travellers.
Travellers would also chalk up new loyalty points with the new carrier each time they travelled.
Passengers who stockpiled large numbers of points with the old carrier were likely to get a better rewards deal under the plan.
A final agreement on the old points-for-new scheme is expected to be sealed at talks between Tesna and the Ansett administrators, Mark Mentha and Mark Korda early in the new year.
It is believed the deal could apply immediately the expected takeover of the carrier by the Tesna syndicate becomes official on February 1.
They are believed to be putting in place a series of arrangements to win creditor support this month for their $1.1 billion offer.
Ansett creditors, frequent flyers included, are expected to approve the takeover at a mass meeting in Melbourne on January 29.
Mr Mentha said the points deal was one of several issues that signified the seriousness of the Fox-Lew bid.
Ansett sources say the stored points average about 26,000 a member and could be worth up to $1 billion.
Ansett's 2.6 million registered frequent flyers and 1.3 million Golden Wing Club members were deemed by a recent Federal Court judgement to be unsecured creditors of the airline, and will be admitted to the vital creditors' meeting on January 29.
The Fox-Lew group also announced the appointment of Adam Moroney as Ansett's new chief financial officer.
He was previously senior vice-president finance and chief financial officer for Air New Zealand.
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kpc