A good read.
Only a couple of missing bits.
First...and don't all groan at once...but in 1989 the airline's management took a deliberate management decision to launch a suicidal internal war against its pilots. The Abeles "no prisoners taken" approach was a horrific management decision that ripped the still beating heart from Ansett.
HUNDREDS AND HUNDREDS OF MILLIONS WENT DOWN THE GURGLER! And this is putting aside ALL questions about how the AFAP was run, the role of picket line crossers etc. They're for us to bicker about. He was responsible to the shareholders for handling their interests and did a job that could get him a job at Enron any day. At any time he wanted, Abeles could have said "Enough" and secured a reasonable return to work plan that would have saved a fortune. The only fortune Ansett ever had, or would have, as we now know.
Second...the article says:"
The savior in many respects, for both TNT and News Corp, was the deregulation of the Trans Tasman market and the perceived necessity by Air New Zealand to buy into Ansett"
The "perceived necessity" was in fact a heavy handed Corporate State (Hawke...then Keating) which for some obvious and well know reasons took upon itself the role of salesman for large chunks of Ansett stock. ANZ never had a choice if they wanted to grow. The one chance they did have...the Single Aviation Market...was torpedoed by Keating (via Laurie Brereton) on the eve of its commencement. Keating also torpedoed ANZ's possible buyout of Compass 2 when it ceased operations just days before the 1993 election. He was pushing ANZ into a corner from where they would have no choice but to take the basket case Ansett off his (and his friends) hands.
Oh well..the less attractive aspects of the Two Airline Policy were bound to die hard.
Good thing pilots have perfect hindsight I suppose.
Cheers
Sherm