There's a REALLY complex game going on here.
It is NOT in Qantas' interest to have
VB go under - it would rather have 'the devil it knows' in
VB - and not face the prospect of being a monopoly airlne [for all intents and purposes] - with subsequent detailed scrutiny by a host of government regulatory and competition watchdogs.
It IS in Qantas' interest to have the smaller competitor talk up the gloom and doom - take the heat from Joe Public - raise their prices - and allow Qantas to do likewise "in the interests of off-setting cost pressures.
The "behind the scenes" sweetheart deals have been going on for some time now - with markets carved up between QF, J* and
VB [look at the Tassie services] - so don't believe that some sort of 'silent handshake' deals haven't been going on re fuel prices.
If Qantas want to play tough and want to chance their arm with a monopoly - with all that entails - they could put
VB out of business in 2 weeks.