Arthur - it’s the lies, not the decision per se that is the issue!
Ken - As long as there are meals and beverages consumed on aircraft, there is a business case to supply them. As with Engineering and everything else that was once absolutely worlds best standard, these entities have been decimated, Qantas has offloaded anything that is attractive to others, most likely for a relative pittance. If there is a single dollar to made in a year, Qantas should be making it and not immediately offloading it so a major competitor can then use that dollar against them.
For Qantas to be failing to buy aircraft (are aircraft considered ‘core’ to an airline??) AND offloading major assets like catering - to its’ primary competitor, no less - the situation must be extreme. Is it extreme because there is no money left for Joyce to maintain his exorbitant salary/boasting rights, or is the airline starting to grind to a halt through gross mismanagement (crewing/outsourcing etc)?