Sunfish:
It is actually not about third world workers in Qf case. The 'real' staff at QF work for basically the same rates as they would work for any number of foreign airlines. And THAT is the tragedy, despite what the incompetent buffoons in charge dictate to the media, it is at its base level utter garbage.
The 'legacy' costs of Qantas Mainline are the costs that the idiots getting paid millions forced on the company by thinking they should be earning the same pay as the APA boys, playing finance games and not listening to anyone who had any operational experience of airlines or indeed anyone with even a quarter of a brain who said '777's'.
So.... There is no way in the world/universe that a 380 burning 13k of fuel per hour carrying 100-150 more pax than a 777 that burns 6k per hour is EVER going to compete.
And that is the problem. The buffoons in charge blame equal cost labour to make up for their total incompetence.
Who cares? They want to destroy the iCon and their incompetence actually increases the likelihood of 'proving' the case.
Scrotum Face has a nice Chateau in France (like Abeles did) and no doubt Elaine will achieve the same lofty personal bank account from the following the same path as dictated by Grand Poobah Clifford and Scroaty... All I can say is, I would LOVE be hit with the same barrage sales pitch that Airbus must have done on these guys - it MUST be a worlds best...