FoxtrotAlpha18, chill.
Everything is getting a bit heated, then some dill comes along on the forum and throws petrol on the fire with a bit of quite flagrant trolling (and no I'm not referring to you - I think we all know who I'm talking about).
There are many angry little bunnies out there at the moment because we are seeing more and more everyday examples of the Qantas spin-machine telling quite blatant porky-pies. The sort which, if it were me telling them as a kid, would earn me several strokes of the cane handled feather-duster from my mother plus a threat that my nose would grow as long as Pinocchio's.
What then amplifies this problem is the fact that investigative journalism, or even journalistic cross-checking, has largely ceased to exist in the modern-day media. I don't know why, but it certainly has. They just regurgitate the press release, and Qantas will continue to give their
PR department unlimited resources and an extremely long leash for that stuff while the dispute continues.
Then the meat in the sandwich really is Joe Public. Joe Public is
sometimes (and I accept the fact that some are smart enough not to be) easily swayed by stuff he hears and reads, especially when the added influence of his own personal political biases is considered. That's just human nature when you're unaware of other surrounding facts. This becomes frustrating if you're a Qantas pilot like myself. You get phone calls from relatives asking if you
really earn half a million dollars per year. Is it true that you're demanding 10 free First Class International return tickets per year, and if so, can your 2nd cousin twice removed from Widgiemooltha please have one? Can your Aunty Mary please use your free facial voucher in the Qantas First Class Lounge? And on, and on, it goes.
No-one seriously believes (I don't think) that Thomas is on the Qantas payroll. However they are entitled to be a bit peeved that he regurgitates Qantas spin without checking facts.