You are right about giving QF a kick in the guts being a national past time. And I for one say that they have deserved most of what they get. Especially during Scrotums tenure.
But when the sh1t hits the fan somewhere in the world and aussies need to get home, they all come crying to Qantas. Even if the ticket they hold is for another airline. And more often than not Qantas does help these people. This is something they do well and they still do it.
While they still offer this sort of service then I believe there is still life in the company.
Maybe now JB is at
VB he will take this piece of QF with him, not many airlines do this for anyone.
Having said all this I do wish they would pour more into QF rather than letting them rest on their laurels. Things have changed since Geoff and Maggie and co p1ssed off but there still loads of things that can be improved.