E&OE TRANSCRIPT
RADIO INTERVIEW
TRIPLE M GRILL TEAM: MATTY JOHNS, MARK GEYER, GUS WORLAND, CHRIS PAGE
TUESDAY, 29 SEPTEMBER 2015
SUBJECT/S: Flights to the NRL Grand Final
MARK GEYER: While history might have been made with two Queensland teams being in the grand final for the first ever time, history’s also being made with some of the prices on the air online tickets that they’ve asked to come from Brisbane down to here. Our EP here, Mr Matty White, has tried to book some of our footy talent back to Brisbane on Monday. The cheapest flights he could get were $700 one way.
MATTY JOHNS: $790!
GUS WORLAND: $790. Nearly eight hundred bucks!
MATTY JOHNS: And I tell you what, MG, keep going when it gets to Townsville. I mean, we’re talking $2100 some of them have gone to.
GUS WORLAND: That’s a joke.
MARK GEYER: Wow. So, look I think with the airlines I suppose what they’ve done is not technically illegal, it’s morally wrong and wouldn’t pass the good blokes test. But one man who is up in arms is MP Jimmy Chalmers from up there. He’s tweeted us yesterday and said “Spot-on @triplemfooty - airlines shouldn't rip-off diehard QLD fans heading to the NRL Grand Final @TripleM_NRL”. We’ve got Jim on the line. G’day Jimmy, how are you mate?
JIM CHALMERS, SHADOW PARLIAMENTARY SECRETARY TO THE LEADER OF THE OPPOSITION: G’day Mark, really good thanks mate.
MARK GEYER: Mate, as the Member for Rankin there in Queensland, what are your constituents saying?
CHALMERS: I think a lot of people right around Queensland and probably around the country think that if we’re serious about rugby league being the people’s game, we need to make the grand final accessible to the real fans. So for a lot of people in Queensland, an all-Queensland final is a dream come true and they shouldn’t have to take out a second mortgage to get there.
MARK GEYER: That’s true.
GUS WORLAND: You’re absolutely right Jim, and what can you do about it though? Is there anything you can do except, you know, obviously talk to us and do your best through your twitter followers and so forth, but your hands are tied a bit aren’t they?
CHALMERS: Well you guys are doing a great job, I think, highlighting the issue. The airlines have said that they’re monitoring the situation to see if they should put more flights on. I think that’s a very reasonable thing that they should be doing. We want there to be more flights at more reasonable prices so that people aren’t getting ripped off getting to the game.
MATTY JOHNS: I tell you the best thing people should do, people – don’t forget. Don’t forget. I mean these airlines promote themselves as warm and fuzzy, trustworthy, always on time, and always doing the right thing. But the moment they spot an opportunity to rip people off, that’s exactly what they do.
CHALMERS: Matty, I think people understand that when there’s more demand the price goes up a bit, but the airlines shouldn’t go overboard with it. They shouldn’t be ridiculous about it.
MARK GEYER: Exactly. I mean, if they want goodwill, here’s an opportunity. I mean if they want goodwill and people to, you know, you all of a sudden have a certain airline – I always fly with them – then the airlines should do the right thing by the people. As you said mate, an all-Queensland grand final, you’ve got a lot of hard-working people from Townsville that want to get down to the game, and, mate, they shouldn’t have to mortgage their home to do it.
CHALMERS: Yeah, there’s a big opportunity for them to stand up today and say we’ll put on some more flights and we’ll make the prices a bit more reasonable. There are people contemplating today a forty hour round car trip and things like that. There would be people contemplating driving home after the game to Queensland.
MATTY JOHNS: Tired.
CHALMERS: We can’t have that. We can’t have people paying the big prices and taking the big risks.
MARK GEYER: Even trains might be an option. But I tell you, this is probably something above our heads. Maybe the Government needs to step in, Jim?
CHALMERS: Yeah, well it’s hard to see what the Government could do at short notice, so I’m not too critical of that. I saw that you had Malcolm on earlier. I’m not too critical about their lack of action. I think that the companies can step in here and do the right thing and I think they should do that today.
MARK GEYER: That one way $790 to Brisbane, that’s economy by the way.
GUS WORLAND: What? Is that the seats down – further down the plane?
MARK GEYER: Yeah, down the back.
MATTY JOHNS: Well I think the NRL’s got a role to play here. The NRL should step in and start to pressure some of these airlines, particularly these airlines that are classed as partners of the NRL.
CHALMERS: There was a journo up in Mackay who did a tweet saying that it’s cheaper to fly to Paris for dinner than it is to get to the grand final. Then the Courier Mail – the paper up here – did a great story today saying it’s cheaper to go and watch Jarryd Hayne play for the 49ers than it is to get to the GF.
MARK GEYER: Well I wouldn’t want to watch the 49ers.
MATTY JOHNS: Pagey, you flew to Paris two nights ago didn’t you?
GUS WORLAND: What did you have?
CHRIS PAGE: Escargot baby, and beef cheek.
GUS WORLAND: Jim, Member for Rankin in South East Queensland. Jimmy Chalmers, thanks very much for your time this morning, mate.
CHALMERS: Thanks boys. Go the Broncos!
ENDS
