It amazes me how people love to cut down tall poppies in Australia.
The all round good guy Vizard gets sprung doing a little insider trading and whammo he's public enemy number one.
I just don't think insider trading is a severe crime - let's face it, it's all that separates the stock market from the gaming industry. Without real knowledge of what a company is doing, when you buy shares all you are doing is gambling.
I bet if the tables were turned that there is not a person here who would not trade shares with insuide knowledge in order to make a profit.
Inside trading becomes a different issue when it causes people to get hurt, but when all that happens is someone makes profit - how is that bad?
Rant over now - and back to the original thread - I love Adelaide, and I love the idea of an all business class airline.
Australian business travelers are desperate for an airline to provide them with an intercity travel service that treats them in a manner that would reflect their job/demographic status. When they travel they stay in five star hotels often paying in excess of $300 per night, so why would they want to be crammed in to sardine seating and treated with contempt by underpaid staff in low cost carriers?
QF business class is too expensive for what it is, and it's not half the business class service that Ansett provided. There is a firm demand for a mid range quality business class seat at a reasonable price.
The only people who care about the age of the aircraft are the airline staff, as a well maintained ageing aircraft can be safe, and trust me I have seen some poorly maintained new aircraft in my aviation career. - Tell me - who is up for flying in an A380 SYD-LA shortly after it gets here ??? NOT ME !!!
All this said, with the SA government dropping the airline because it has changed it's business plan, I am disappointed. The SA government's lack of foresight is what is keeping the state in the economic dark ages. Sure supporting an airline is a long bow to draw, but is it any worse than supporting a dying car manufacturer years beyond it's viabilities end? Time for the SA government to wake up and encourage business rather than keeping the state a sleepy backwater forever.