Editorial: Graceless attack hard to fathom

OPINION: This newspaper was fast out of the blocks to congratulate Air New Zealand chief executive Rob Fyfe for saying sorry to the families of the victims of the 1979 Mount Erebus disaster for the way they were treated.

While Mr Fyfe's apology was carefully worded, and arguably 30 years too late, it was a genuine attempt to right the wrongs of the past, particularly to the families of the air crew who had been blamed for the disaster which cost 257 lives.

The belated apology appeared to be motivated by two key factors. The first was Mr Fyfe's personal experience of the Perpignan air disaster last year, where an Air New Zealand-owned Airbus was lost on a test flight. This gave him an insight into what the Erebus families must have gone through and how unsatisfactory the airline's response had been.

The second was the 30th anniversary of the crash on November 28. To recognise the anniversary the airline arranged for a small number of family members to visit the ice.

Logistics on the ice are difficult and places on the trip had to be picked by ballot which upset some. The airline had gone to a lot of trouble but no doubt it was aware it would generate positive publicity of its commemoration on the ice.

All was fine until entrepreneur Mike Pero unveiled plans to arrange a chartered flight over Antarctica in January, and offered seats – at a price – to families of victims. Mr Pero pledged to donate any profits from the flight to charity, and said his motives were altruistic. Air New Zealand's response was vicious. Mr Pero's offer, according to the airline, was nothing more than "commercial opportunism of the lowest kind" and was "deeply disrespectful." The airline's approach looked graceless and undid what good had been done to repair the tarnish the Erebus disaster had left. The airline painted itself as an advocate for the families of the victims, saying many had been concerned over the timing of Mr Pero's announcement.

There is no doubt Mr Pero is an ace marketeer. He has long had an interest in the airline industry, including a disastrous investment in failed Nelson airline Origin Pacific. His timing may not have been great, but his motives were honourable.

It is difficult to fathom what motivated the vitriolic response. Conspiracy theorists will assume it was because Mr Pero had stolen the airline's thunder ahead of its planned commemoration. Or the airline may be miffed that he tapped into the fact that there is a genuine desire by a large number of relatives to fly to Antarctica.

Whatever reservations the airline had about Mr Pero's taste, timing or motives, it would have been better to keep its mouth shut.

His plan is now on hold, but the whole incident left a sour taste.

- © Fairfax NZ News