And a final P.S. Ron and Eddy, exactly why do you think Qantas is a target for a takeover?
1. Is it because it is a lean and mean, well managed company, staffed by highly motivated people whose energy and competitive spirits will stop at nothing to achieve customer satisfaction?
2. Is it because Qantas staff and management are an indivisable team, finely honed to be the best airline staff in the world, in the furnaces of international competiton?
3. Is it because no other airline in the world can match its cost structure that provides its shareholders with above average returns while its customers receive higher than average value for money as measured by customer satisfaction surveys?
4. Is it because Australians will fight to get a seat on a Qantas aircraft in preference to any other airline in the world?
Come on, I'm all ears to hear your answer.
Mine is that it is a fat, dumb, and happy because it effectively is a monopoly, and new investors are going to rip the costs out of it while still trying to retain the monopoly. It is in that knowledge that the Government needs to decide its actions.