Originally Posted by handbrake
Romulus,
Your posts are often wise, however don't underestimate the general fear of flying that many paying passengers experience covertly or overtly.
To compare the off-shoring of other brands is a fair and wise view, however the QF brand of safety is instilled in many(Rainmain included!).
Whilst many of us have come to terms with a reduction in quality as manufacturing goes OS, many accept the concept of a dodgy pilot/airline is harder to 'suck up' at 30 000 feet.
All of which is pretty fair until someone asks - which is the best airline to fly with?
If the answer comes back as Singapore, Cathay, Emirates or whatever then by definition people don't overly care about Qantas or outsourced engineering.
Most Australians have an attachment to Qantas as a result of domestic activity, your choices (in steroetypes) are:
1: Qantas: Good, top shelf brand, sign of status etc
2: Virgin: Young hip upstart, not really business but pretty funky
3: Tiger: Air Bogan
Now they're not really fair stereotypes but I reckon you'd get about 80% agreeement with them.
As for overseas quality declining are you sure we even care about that? Where are most BMWs made? Louis Vuitton handbags?
Yet people still pay a premium for them.
Qantas' problems will skyrocket once people stop feeling attached to them as a brand, but do not make the mistake fo thinking that becasue customers are attached to the brand they are attached to keeping engineers or pilots in Australia.