Transcript
JEFFREY HUNTER: It's something I've always wanted to do and then I found the opportunity to do it and it came to a reality now, another reason is we need a second airline to help with the inconvenience with one airline flying around this area here if their airplanes are not operating for any defect reasons then the people are stranded so it's always good to have two airlines, if one is down the other one is picking up the stranded passengers, that's what we do. We take people from A to B and you don't really want them stranded at one place, it'll cost them.
JO O'BRIEN: Are there problems with the existing services would you say?
JH: Well it can be when it's overloaded, airplanes do have limitations and when they're tired they will let you know.
JO: So you believe there's enough business for both of you?
JH: There is enough business for two airlines, my airplane is tiny, it's only a nine seater airplane. I'm about to find out.
JO: It's quite a risky gamble you're taking then.
JH: Everything's a risk if you don't do it you'll never find out.
JO: I imagine it's quite a big financial investment getting an airline off the ground though.
JH: yeah, airplanes, they're expensive, it was quite a significant undertaking but I know it'll work, like I said the current airline Polynesian's upgrading now, there are times they struggle with the demand.
JO: We've been reading criticism of long delays and that kind of thing, do you think that could play in your favour?
JH: I don't want to criticise my opposition, all I can say is it's good to have extra capacity so that we can support and try to get rid of the inconvenience of the travelling time.
JO: And will your service be any different?
JH: The only difference is the speed, the comfort that we provide, the airplane speed is twice faster than Polynesian is using and our planes are air conditioned. Nine seat is comfortable, you won't have to sit next to the other person because it's a single seat. We'll also be providing a service to Tonga we're waiting for a permit from the Tonga government and are hoping to start that service before the end of the year. I also want to help out the Tongan people because for them to go from here to Tonga, from Pago and Apia to Tonga they have to either travel to Fiji or travel to New Zealand to get back to Tonga the Niue flight, I'm also looking at, that will be next year.
JO: But are there other airlines currently flying between Samoa and Tonga?
JH: No, it stopped in 2009, the flights between the neighbouring islands, it's a love hate relationship, it's on, off, on, off. I've done these routes in the past twenty years and it's really tough for the Island nations with this kind of on-off service.
