Galangal....
....yes, 80% of the crew who work on the A380 are employees of a company called Qantas Cabin Crew Australia (QCCA). This is a company set up by Qantas Airways Ltd and its one and only purpose is to "provide cabin crew labour to Qantas Airways Ltd". Employees of QCCA are on very different terms and conditions to their counterparts at Qantas Airlines (eg. no bidding for work; no seniority; lower wages; longer hours). This is unlike BA's B-Scalers who even though are on a lower rate of pay, are still on the same T&C of the A-Scalers.
I just read in the Financial Review yesterday that Qantas was the one who had beckoned BA to the table. I didn't know this...but Qantas, being a pokey little international airline, is worth slightly more money than BA ($4.4bn market capitalisation compared to $4.2bn). The newspaper said that analysts would not recommend the merger to shareholders since BA was facing $6.9bn of debt and Qantas only had $4.4bn...that is a whopping $2.5bn more. Other interesting facts include: passengers carried (QF=38.6m; BA=36.0m); revenue (QF=$16.2bn; BA=$20.1bn); employees (QF=33,670; BA=45,140).
Analysts also could not understand why QF would merge with BA since Singapore Airlines would provide more synergies and benefits than BA would. The newspaper also said that the merger would be listed in both London and Sydney; that the chairman would be rotated between BA and QF; and that advisers in HKG are finalising the terms of the merger at the moment.
Not to sound condescending to our BA colleagues....but I would rather see QF merge with SIA since they have more money, more clout and more prestige. Singapore is also closer to Sydney than London is and it provides a gateway to the growth markets of Asia. I think it would be silly to merge with BA given that Singapore has more money to slosh about than BA. Also Singapore has a fleet of A380s already and this would tie in syngergistically with Qantas' fleet of A380s.
I really hope that Qantas isn't merging with BA simply because England is the "Mother Country". Think dollars please QF...not historical ties!!!!!!! I want more money....not more debt!.
Apologies to our BA colleagues.....I'm making a pure financial and commercial judgement here....nothing to do with quality or subjective value. Just looking at it from a purely entrepreneurial aspect and nothing else.