Well, we're only 3/4 of the way through what has already proven to undoubtedly be the most turmultuous and dynamic year in the history of Australian/NZ aviation, and there may be even more surprises in store yet.
Who's game enough to hazard a guess as to where the cards will have fallen in 5 years time?
My money's on the good old duopoly, but not as we know it. Qantas will still be around, but as for the other half of the duo, I'm not sure that Virgin Blue would neccessarily fill the void in the wake of Ansett's demise (which unfortunately seems imminent), at least not in their current form.
VB has done extremely well in capturing their target market to date, but their target market has not been the entire market.
Whilst the Ansett we know today might not be around, it would not be at all surprising to see the brand name still floating around for a little while yet, TWA style.
There'll probably also be two international airlines also, but I'm not sure that QF's new venture would survive "as is" either, but might undergo a few amalgamations/ownership transfers/re-evaluations in order to better cater to the available market, and make further use of a few marketing holes to be left in the wake of the "2001 Aviation Crossroads".
Any other thoughts??