Kaptin M quite right AN was a mess by the time that AirNZ acquired 100% ownership,however not beyond saving!
Ansett had a long history of uninterested owners who had taken what they liked from it, but the minute it required something back it was up for sale.
If the sheep shaggers had simply kept 50% and allowed SIA the other 50% AN would still be a viable and strong Australian carrier.
If there is one person to blame for AN's demise it's Cushing and his master plan for Brierley to exit AirNZ.Despite all the bleeting from across the pond about having to buy AN to access the aussie market,Cushing bought the other half of AN in an attempt to force SIA to buy out Brierley's investment in AirNZ.
So when SIA attempted to throw the life ring to AN,AirNZ was there to cut the tether and allowed it to drown in years of mismanagement and uninterested owners.
There is hostility towards AirNZ and rightly so,however our own government and deputy PM made a trip across the pond in Aug. last year to persuade the NZ government not to allow SIA to increase its stake in case it marginalised poor little QANTAS.
Ansett staff have a right to be mad about its demise and like the pre-89ers deserve a grieving period,I just hope that in 13years time they have got on with their lives.