Families praise Pero plan

The families of three Marlborough Erebus victims are pleased with the efforts of Christchurch entrepreneur Mike Pero who hopes to fly more than 300 people to the Antarctica crash site.

Tomorrow is the 30th anniversary of an Air New Zealand DC10 crash at Mount Erebus which killed all 257 passengers and crew on board. Mr Pero had an agreement with Antarctica Sightseeing Flights to charter a Boeing 747 for 307 people in January, but yesterday Australian airline Qantas, which would have supplied the aircraft, advised that the arrangement was off.

"[Qantas] advised during this peak season that they don't have an aircraft available," Antarctica Sightseeing Flights spokesman Tony Harrington said. "At this stage, it won't go ahead."

Mr Pero blamed the cancellation on the furore in New Zealand after Air New Zealand said on Wednesday his plans were "deeply disrespectful".

Blenheim woman Shirley O'Connor, whose husband Ian and brother Ronnie Brehaut were passengers on the 1979 plane, and Rochelle Stevenson, of Picton, who lost her father, Tony, don't believe Mr Pero's flight plans were in bad taste.

"I think he had good intentions," Mrs O'Connor said. She wondered, however, if the charter flight planned for January 2010 was a little "too quick" after tomorrow's 30th accident anniversary.

"Air NZ have ben working with us and we are going up to Auckland this morning. They paid for our flights up there – they are trying to do their best." Family members of six flight victims were selected to take an Air New Zealand flight to Antarctica this morning. Mrs O'Connor said going to the Ice herself had long been a personal wish but, aged 73 now, she thought a younger family member might enjoy it more. Mrs O'Connor was looking forward to attending the memorial ceremony in Auckland and watching a televised version of the one being held in Antarctica.

Miss Stevenson said she would "love to go to Antarctica" but wanted to make a proper visit and not just do a fly-over. "Looking out an aeroplane window doesn't really cut the mustard," she said. However, Miss Stevenson said she had no hard feelings towards Mr Pero's plans to organise a charter flight. "I think, good on him." It was Air New Zealand which needed to be giving all family members the chance to visit the site, she added.

"It's taking five people down [this time] ... but I think other family members in the years to come should be able to go down, too. It's Air New Zealand's responsibility to take family members really, rather than them having to pay to do the flight."

Miss Stevenson said her family was grateful her father's body had been recovered. The bodies of many other victims had never been found. For their families, the Erebus site was the grave site.

Mr Pero told TV One's Close-Up he was not giving up on the charter flight. "I don't believe at this stage that all possibilities are off. At the end of the day, if people want to go and there's a plane-load of people, in particular the families [of Erebus victims], I don't believe it's over yet." He hoped a flight could still be organised before February, after which weather in Antarctica would rule it out.

"I think it would be good if someone from the Government stepped in and said, `let's resolve this'."

Mr Pero said he was hurt by accusations he was trying to cash in on the grief of victims' relatives. "People who know me well know better than that. I'm astounded. I have nothing to gain out of this; there is absolutely no margin, profit or anything in it for me."

Air NZ chief executive Rob Fyfe said he was personally upset by Mr Pero's sudden plans. "I have been dealing with up to 40 to 50 emails a day for the last couple of months with families and I've tried to build a relationship of trust and do the very best we can for the families," he told TV3's Campbell Live.

"I've talked to family members and they were deeply disturbed ... that someone was preying on their grief and I felt personally quite hurt by that and I guess I reacted in a way that reflected the feelings of the families that were being expressed."

Air NZ international airline group general manager Ed Sims said more than 40 families had written to the airline expressing concern over the charter's timing.'

- With NZPA

- The Marlborough Express