The point was that while there may be orders for aircraft, where is the growth of the airline. Only asking because as a frequent traveller, I know how few QF options there are, compared to any other airline you'd care to name (EK, TG, CX etc). I recall reading over the last few years on these boards the laments by various people about how QF seemed to be shrinking, reducing, cutting, and other carriers have taken up the capacity. I realise it's no good being a big, unprofitable airline, but with a bit of forsight how much profit could there be in the good times (now) if your airline was able to cater to the demand (which is obviously there).
Oh ok, point taken. I guess the question(s) should be have Qantas profits (due largely to favourable market conditions) been reasonable or have they been super normal? have they reduced costs too far chewing away more than just the fat? Has the airline been left in a weaker position than it should be to fight off the vast army of new competition?