Slam, SQ made no secret of their plans to expand Ansett international into the Pacific market if they acquired News Corps. 50% stake. Both AirNZ and Qantas did not want to see this happen as it would impinge on their most profitable routes. I rather suspect that this was part the AirNZ board's stupid decision to purchase the remaining stake without performing due diligence. It was when AirNZ realised that AN needed capital injection and restructuring that we were cut adrift and scuttled. It is pretty evident that Anderson met with Helen Clarke to lobby against SQ buying further into AirNZ and providing funds for AN's restructing(and I dont think anyone from AN would disagree that restructuring was needed). The result was that AN went broke and the NZ taxpayer had to bail out AirNZ to the cost of $880M. All so Helen would not be seen to be selling off the farm prior to an election! She really has taken the NZ public for a massive ride! Had SQ/AN/TE been aligned by way of common ownership, the result would have been an enhancement of services across the Pacific and better competion in Oz. Not only that but there would be enhanced job security NOW for those at AirNZ. And THAT would have been a good idea! Fact of the matter is that lower fares=more PAX fromUSA=more demand for tourism services in Oz and NZ+more jobs for pilots.