Airport making Budget wait

Press, 6 October 1987, Page 9

Airport making Budget wait

Business boomed yesterday for Budget Rent A Car at Auckland Airport — but not at Christchurch.

Budget’s managing director, Mr Duncan Leitch, is not happy that the High Court decision that convinced the Auckland Regional Authority to allow the company on to the airport is not good enough for the Christchurch City Council. Budget has applied to the council four times for a chance to tender for a booth at the airport, but this has brought no action.

The chairman of the council’s airport committee, Cr Morgan Fahey, confirmed yesterday that the council would take no step towards allowing Budget on to the airport until the “legal matters” had been solved. That, said Cr Fahey, included an appeal against the High Court decision that the council believed was pending. The decision, by Mr Justice Barker in July, had cleared the way for Budget at Auckland’s

three terminals, said Mr Leitch. "That decision was 81 pages long, and Mr Justice Barker came down strongly in favour of free competition. His decision clearly indicated that Budget was at a disadvantage through not being allowed to tender for airport space.

“That decision was accepted by the Auckland Regional Authority, which had been involved in legal questions for two to three years about it. I would have thought the Christchurch City Council would have followed Auckland’s lead.” Mr Leitch said he was aware that Avis Rent-A-Car was appealing against the decision. Budget would not wait the six to nine months an appeal could take to get on to Christchurch Airport. "I hope we will not have to resort to legal means, especially not after the legal negotla-

tions we have been through, but we can’t afford to wait to get on to equal terms with our competitors at Christchurch.” Budget was anxious to get a national network complete as soon as possible.

“We have suffered a substantial loss of income for years by being excluded from Auckland and Christchurch Airports. Since the High Court hearing went our way we have ordered 1100 new cars to service these airports. Now it seems Christchurch is still refusing to act within the law.” The first day of business at the Auckland terminals yesterday had been excellent, Mr Leitch said.

“We probably did double our usual business. It is so much more convenient for us and the customers. Now we want to get on to Christchurch Airport and our customers want that too.”