Dear Editor,

About the Samoa Airways debate, the P.M. is right about one thing, it is too early to tell the true state of financial affairs within Samoan Airways. 

Much has been said about passenger loadings, etc, etc but until the full financial statements are available after the end of the financial year, these are anecdotes and stories. 

Members of the public will have to be patient and not speculate. Negative statements and talking down the airline will only drive negative sentiments about the product and frighten people away from using Samoan Airways. 

I am confident that the business model which Samoan Airways has; is based on loss making at the beginning of the venture. 

How long the airline can continue to make losses and the level of these losses will probably be revealed in due course.

As some writers have said, Samoan Airways can compete on price and service, complemented by effective advertising. I have flown twice on the local airline and its services are comparable if not superior to Virgin Australia, Air New Zealand, and Fiji Airways. Samoan Airways’ fares are also cheaper. If not more people are not travelling on the local airline, then a factor could possibly be lazy marketing and advertising.

I am encouraging my overseas relatives to use the local airline purely on the basis on receiving value for money for their dollars.

With the church conferences taking place soon, shouldn’t the airline be making marketing pitches at the various denominations in NZ and Australia about using Samoa Airways. 

Perhaps an added incentive is that each passenger travelling on the local airline will receive additional blessing (or whatever but you get my drift!). The marketing team should be visiting local centres in the two countries and not be focused solely on the big cities.

Lastly, Cabinet should approve the landing fee waiver for the local airline because it deserves every assistance it can get. 

After all, we the taxpayers are the ones who will suffer if the airline does not survive. Go Samoan Airways!!

Vai Autu