Sorry Ferris, Qantas has not grown because of it's own frankenstein, Jetstar.
Err, no, I don't think Jetstar is competing with EK. It may have sucked up the cash QF could've used to defend it's market share, but let's face it, Jetstar is really just a method of reducing T&Cs. They couldn't get over the union hurdles in QF, so they just went around them. QF has made no attempt whatsoever to defend the market share the ME carriers have taken/grown.
So, the Canadians could;
- follow QF- cede market share to international aspirants such as EK, hunker down and .....I'm not really sure what the plan is after that (because hoping a low-yield, LCC will provide a long term alternative on international routes is planning to fail).
Is this just where globalisation takes us- labour sourced from the cheapest place, every part of the 'business' outsourced etc etc.? This can only lead to increased leveling of the playing field ie. living standards in the developed nations fall and eventually meet the rising standards in developing nations...
- continue to hope that the authorities will not bow to market forces/political pressure/the inevitable and continue to protect AC
- open them up to competition, hoping that AC has the management capable of going head to head (using product differentiation/quality/pricing whatever) with the likes of EK.
The job market in Oz is stuffed because of LCC's.
Would you be saying that if Dixon et al had taken a different tack ie. dumped heaps of capacity on any competition (their usual modus operandi)? I could quite easily see a QF twice or three times as big as it currently is, doing almost all the flying that has gone to the likes of EK, SIA, Etihad, QR etc etc. It would have to look differently if treated as an ongoing business needing investment in product, marketing etc instead of, as it was, a cash cow for a very few golden years. What would the pilot job market look like then?
Low standard- you are not doing your self any favours. If you cannot compete with their product, the answer isnt to hurl insults at them. Or, if you think they are deserving of such ridicule- open the routes up and go to the market with that message. How much faith do you have in Canadians to "do the right thing"?? Better still- show how, exactly, they exploit an unfair competitive advantage. Claiming EK has nothing to offer Canada is disingenuous. You need to demonstrate that what they have to offer comes at a cost.