Source : http://www.stuff.co.nz/business/industries/3768303/Fly-Direct-grounded-before-take-off Fly Direct, which was to provide ski package flights into Wanaka from Christchurch and Wellington, has been placed in liquidation before its first snow season flight. The company owned by Aucklander Jef Kay was due to start flights from July 1 according to marketing manager Sarah Moore but had not sold enough tickets to make it a going concern. However around 500 people who signed up to packages offered by the company via flydirect.co.nz are understood to have been left out of pocket. Kay is listed in the Companies Office as a sole director of companies including Kiwijet Ltd, Wanaka Flight Services and Base FM. Moore said around 250 packages had been sold which impacted around 500 people. The company had decided it could not continue as a business and Waterstone Insolvency had been appointed as liquidator. In a statement Kay said the company was very disappointed to have to withdraw from the charter-based series, "both from the passenger's perspective as well as the Wanaka-based accommodation and activity providers". "However, the enduring summer, the lingering effects of the Global Financial Crisis, and the resulting downturn in local tourism have all contributed to the slow sales of ski packages.'' Fly Direct would be processing passenger refunds over the next few weeks, he said. However, liquidator Damien Grant said it was too early to say how passenger pre-payments would be handled in terms of the liquidation.
I guess it's good that they decided to pull the plug before getting in too deep, but it's sure leavng it pretty late in the game to be deciding that it's not a viable business!
ReplyDeleteThat's the sort of thing they should have established LONG ago.