ANSETT FLIES AGAIN - $99 "KICK START" FARES ON SALE FROM TODAY. REGIONAL FLIGHTS RETURN TO 27 CENTRES

Ansett will fly again on the Sydney-Melbourne route from this Saturday using five Airbus A320 aircraft and selling most of its seats for a limited time as A$99 one way "Kick-Start" fares.

The "Kick Start" fares go on sale from 9.00am today (27 September) and can be purchased via the Ansett internet site at www.ansett.com.au. or Ansett Reservations on 13 13 00 (a A$5 booking fee applies).

Dubbed "Ansett Mark II" the restart operation is the combined effort of staff and management with the support of Ansett Administrators Mark Mentha and Mark Korda.

The airline will be run by Ansett staff from Ansett terminals. It will operate up to 32 flights daily between Melbourne and Sydney with 144 seat Airbus A320 aircraft and will aim to add services to Brisbane and Perth within 7-10 days.

First flights this Saturday will take-off simultaneously from Melbourne and Sydney domestic airports at 9.00am.

Ansett Mark II will offer a back to basics service - a single class cabin, no on-board catering and no frequent flyer points. Golden Wing lounges and Executive Lounges will remain closed.

Also from tomorrow, with the resumption of Kendell Airlines services, Ansett's regional airline subsidiaries will all have returned to the air.

The partial restart of Kendell Airlines, Hazelton Airlines, Aeropelican and Skywest in the past week means 27 regional towns and centres will have air links restored from tomorrow.

Flight operations by the regional airlines are as follows:

AEROPELICAN

Aeropelican is currently operating a minimum of two return flights per day between Belmont and Sydney. Departures from Sydney are from the Domestic Express Terminal - not the usual Ansett terminal.

KENDELL

Kendell will recommence operations on its South Australian network effective from Thursday 27 September. Services will be scaled up to a maximum of 41 flights per day from Adelaide, including flights to Port Lincoln, Olympic Dam, Mount Gambier, Ceduna, Broken Hill, Whyalla, Coober Pedy and Kingscote.

HAZELTON

Hazelton Airlines is currently offering return services Sydney-Dubbo-Broken Hill and Sydney-Orange-Griffith.

SKYWEST

Skywest Airlines is operating up to 20 flights per day on routes throughout Western Australia including flights from Perth to Albany, Esperance, Kalgoorlie, Geraldton, Monkey Mia, Carnarvon, Exmouth/Learmonth, Laverton, Leonora, Leinster, and Newman. The airline is also operating charter flights to Karratha, Leonora and Plutonic.