It's about time a few folks who post here get out and have a good look at the rest of the World!
The ONLY [that's a word meaning uniquely singular] country in the World I can think of in my 38th year of international flying that would even dream of giving away the traffic rights of its own carriers is; you guessed it - AUSTRALIA!
We are blessed with a Government that at every chance [bar one] has grasped the nettle to go along with opening up trade to the World, no matter what the cost to our Industry. Be it GATT or whatever, we've been in there first to "drop our daks in Pitt St" for the World to have a go!
Try to do what SIA are pulling anywhere else and see how you get on? Not past the first post. Note also that I make the point here about "Australian carriers". Watch what happens if Qantas [for one] loses its 51% Ozzie ownership; bilaterals will fall like a pack of cards. Whether or not the World should have bilaterals in this day & age is another matter, but if that's the playing field, let's keep it level.
As to the export of Oz jobs to overseas to keep QF going [??
], that's a side issue of no mean importance and not the subject of this rant. My point is that throwing away your traffic rights to third parties is plain stupid!
Enough for one day.
G'day
