Wow, QF Observer weighs into the discussion with a wild right hook and WHAM! What a post!
There are, however, a couple of points I've got to raise with you.
You claim frontline employees have no idea how to run a business. I agree that for the vast majority this is true but I would also suspect that most Qantas employees would have some pretty good ideas regarding how not to run a business.
Could you clarify the point you are trying to make regarding the engineering dispute of last year? Yes, the long term ramifications of the dispute are extensive and immeasureable something both sides were undoubtably well aware of during discussions. This makes Qantas management look even more foolish. Why hold out, dig their heels in and contribute to the extensive damage the dispute caused instead of coughing up what, even at the time, is a small amount in comparison to the real financial cost?
Last year Qantas was fined AU$69.3M for its role in price fixing in the air freight industry. It also put aside another AU$64M for further potential fines. Far from exemplary management.
You mention your being astounded upon learning that some cabin crew earn over AU$85k for the "superior" Qantas service which involved "pouring a couple of cups of coffee, and throwing a couple of cookies down the isle". How's life with Virgin? They must be throwing the coffee down the isle and pouring cups of cookie crumbs for you these days, based on your accounts.
Yeah 85k is a staggering amount of money and the reality is that the crew earning that sort of money are on the way out. QCD, QCCA, foreign-based crew and so on are the way of the future and I'm sure you'll find their remuneration far more palatable, and perhaps even their service. Remember, while these people are primarily seen in a service role they spend more time training for when the proverbial hits the fan. Just as your pilots are actively monitoring, assessing and analysing both what's going on and what could go wrong, for much of the time, so are your cabin crew! That's been proven during a number of incidents over the past few years where the cabin crew's performance and conduct has been widely acclaimed.
Is 85k too much? Probably, but it's a hangover from the "good old days" which are long gone. The experience these people have and are able to pass on to the new crew, however, is invaluable. We want crew who are enthusiastic, professional and undistracted by monetary struggles. Remember that next time you have a hole blown in the side of your aeroplane over the South China Sea.
You also blame EBAs for keeping down the "true talent" and rewarding the "lazy and inept". It surprises me that someone with your background could make such a statement. Sure in a time of contraction there are going to be people who keep their jobs while others better suited will lose theirs. Don't blame the award! It is the role of the company and its managers (and in light of this thread that I include fleet managers, the training departments, and both check and line captains) to ensure that the lazy and inept don't fester. Surely every department should have adequate systems in place to ensure the right people are getting the right jobs and the dead-wood is removed. It should never come to forced redundancies in difficult times to flush out the bad eggs. First in, last off. I feel truly awful for the people it affects but it's fair.
Finally, I don't think anyone on this forum considers the role of a senior executive to be easy. You complain of the pressure of losing your job as a daily concern. Good. I'm sure it is and I'm glad. These people hold the livelyhoods of hundreds, if not thousands, of people in their hands and I WANT them to feel pressure because of that. I WANT every decision they make to put their career in the balance because I WANT them to be assured beyond all compare that they've considered all of their options and made the right decision. Do I think that'd be stressful? Without a doubt. But guess what, you are all compensated accordingly. You chose to be there, you make decisions that can have a monumental impact on peoples' lives and when people to see you making decisions that cost them their homes, their income and/or their jobs, only to see you walking off with huge bonuses, they are not going to like you. Rest assured though, it's nothing personal and you got paid well to do it. Don't hate the player, hate the game.