User:OAlexander/EW

Bryan Grey (1929 in Melbourne - 8 May 2001, Hamilton, Victoria) was an Australian aviation entrepreneur. The great-great-grandson of Charles Grey, 2nd Earl Grey, a former British prime minister is best known for heading Compass Airlines, the first, albeit short-lived, new entrant into the domestic airline market after deregulation in 1990.

Life
Bryan Grey was born in a working class background in Melbourne. He was considered very gifted and the Marist Brothers created a scholarship especially for him to allow him to continue his education without hardship. After this he joined Ansett where he rose through the ranks. He was considered a protege of the airline's founder, Sir Reginald "Reg" Ansett

Papua New Guinea
In the 1960s Grey came to Papua New Guinea, initially as company secretary, later as assistant general manager of Ansett Airlines based in Lae. His time at Ansett coincided with the massive airlifts between Madang and the Highlands prior to the opening of The Highlands Highway as an all-weather road. In 1973 he joined Territory Airlines, 1975 renamed to Talair, as General Manager and concentrated on the tourist business of tour operator Talco Territory.

From 1976 to 1979 Bryan Grey led, as successor of the company's first managing director Ralph Conley, Air Niugini. This period was marked by the, at times controversial, expansion of the airlines' international and domestic services.

It is reported from Papua New Guinea, that in every airline he served he mixed easily with staff. On the occasion of his departure from PNG Post-Courier wrote, "Since he took over the helm [at Air Niugini] three years ago the airline has grown from a marginal profit earner into an efficient money-maker. As he leaves Papua New Guinea Mr Grey has the satisfaction he has put the Air Niugini Bird of Paradise on the map..."

Return to Australia - takeover of East-West
After his return to Australia Grey initially joined Ansett Transport Industries, where he resigned in March 1982. Grey's demise from Ansett was furthered when former Qantas chairman Sir Lennox Hewitt joined Ansett as executive director and third in charge after after Rupert Murdoch and Sir Reginald Ansett. he was even considered Grey had a falling out with Sir Lennox when he was still with Qantas and his career prospects were thus dimmed.

After this he formed in Sydney together with former Citicorp Australia merchant banking executive Duke Minks, ''East-West Development Pty. Ltd.'', which had own assets of AUD 50,000, with the specific purpose to acquire East-West Airlines, based in Tamworth (NSW) and then Australia's third largest domestic carrier, but struggling in the environment of the days to break even. With a loan of AUD 8.5 million from the Nauru Phosphate Royalties Trust they purchased East-West in a share buy-out. The take over was deemed controversial, as discussions queried how far the involvement of Nauruan capital constituted quasi a foreign takeover.

In those days, passenger transport between Australian capital cities was regulated through the Two Airlines Policy, which allowed only two airlines - in that period namely state owned Trans Australia Airlines and private Ansett - to operate flights between state capital cities. East-West, already in 1981, became the first "third" carrier operating between Sydney and Canberra. Under Grey circumvented this, by offering flights between Sydney and Melbourne with a short landing in Albury roughly half-way and Sydney to Brisbane with a short stopover in Newcastle. East-West primarily flew Fokker F27 prop-jets and F28 jets but would eventually operate larger Boeing 737-300 aircraft for passenger operations. Bryan Grey a former airline executive with Ansett and Air Niugini formed in Sydney together with former Citicorp Australia merchant banking executive Duke Minks, ''East-West Development Pty. Ltd.'', which had own assets of AUD 50,000, with the specific purpose to acquire East-West Airlines. With a loan of AUD 8.5 million from the Nauru Phosphate Royalties Trust they purchased East-West in a share buy-out. The take over was deemed controversial, as discussions queried how far the involvement of Nauruan capital constituted quasi a foreign takeover.

In the following years East-West competed vigorously with major airlines Ansett and Australian Airlines on inter-capital routes. The Australian aviation industry was highly regulated at the time under the Two Airlines Policy, which prevented East-West from flying directly between major capital cities, so they instead offered services between major cities via regional centres. Routes included Melbourne to Sydney via Albury or Sydney to Brisbane via Newcastle and Coolangatta. East-West primarily flew Fokker F27 prop-jets and F28 jets but would eventually operate larger Boeing 737-300 aircraft for passenger operations and Boeing 727-200s for cargo interests. East-West sold in June 1983 return tickets between Sydney and Melbourne via Albury which took about two hours 45 minutes for AUD 120, which was about half of the standard fare of AUD 248 for direct flights by the duopoly carriers, taking one hour 15 minutes. According to Brian Grey the service attracted about 4000 customers per month.

Because of its operating structure, East-West was able to significantly undercut other airlines. East West Airlines aggressive "Third Airline" campaign forced the Australian Government to eventually scrap the Two Airline Policy. The Hawke-lead Labour Government worked to protect the anti-competitive agreement which had kept Australian air fares seemingly inflated for many years.

Managing Director Bryan Grey along with marketing consultant John Williams created a massive nationwide media campaign and thus attracted many first time flyers with what could be described as Australia's first truly discounted fares in a now deregulated arena. East West set the scene for other airlines to enter the Australian domestic market years later.

In December 1983 it was attempted airline to sell East-West for "more than AUD 20 million" according to industry sources to Perth-based Skywest Airlines. In particular the NSW government opposed the plan. Later East-West was sold to Ansett's owners TNT and News Corporation for a reported AUD 35 million. It continued to operate as a separate entity until 1993 when its operations were fully merged into Ansett.

Later years
In his later years, from approximately 1997, Bryan Grey suffered from prostate cancer from which he died in 2001. He was predeceased by his first wife, Jean, and is survived by their six children, 19 grandchildren and his second wife, Heather. Brian Grey was interred in Hamilton, Victoria, a town near the Grampians where he had a property and from which Reg Ansett launched Ansett in 1936. He was a dedicated racehorse owner and breeder.

Links
Ben Sandilands: Bryan Grey, The Sydney Morning Herald, 10 May 2001. (http://www.canberracarriers.com.au/canberra-carriers-articles/2001/5/10/bryan-grey/)