Big Hairy Potatoes, this thread is not about why Ansett fell over or apportioning blame thereof.
The fact that Ansett fell over is history and books have been written about who/when why.
The point made about
VB is that when your opposition falls over (for whatever reason) and you are there to take up the slack, then it's a no-brainer so to speak.
Rapid expansion is always frought with danger, but if well handled and done in a cautious fashion then
VB would reap the rewards.
This is not apparently the case according to Terry McCrann, Peter Switzer and all of the financial journalists that have listed a series of serious flaws in management decisions that
VB have taken of late with their rapid expansion.
They also spoke of the dangers of taking on Qantas by expanding rapidly rather than accepting profits at an existing level.
Rich-Fine-Green, good point made about the realistic share price expectations with the Virgin Float and spot on.
And yes, Chris Corrigan is a smart cookie, but from what I read even he didnt have the nerve to directly take on P&O Ports (equivalent of Qantas but only larger!) in the shipping game.
It appears that
VB has done just that and it could cost them not only future expansion but also the jobs of alot of good people in the interim.
Riding the gravy train is easy, but knowing where to get off is even more important.