Originally Posted by qf94
I'm unaware of people from QF being poached by EK or SQ, but there could be some.
Point being that it had to be ALLOWED for in projected staff losses so if it happened Qantas were covered.
As for the rest, it's hard to blame AJ and Co for choosing the 380 based on decisions made later. At some point a decision had to be made and the 380 was it. One can always call for more time or analysis but that is a recipe for getting nothing done at all, the ultimate disaster.
With regard to flight times I can only say that as a customer who (or more accurately whose employer) generally pays a premium rate to fly Business I organise my timetable around the 380 flights. Quieter, far more comfortable, and if that means an hour extra so be it, well worth it.
When the 787 gets here I reckon that will have a similar effect on my timetable choices so this isn't a A v B thing, it's simply choosing to fly in the next generation of aircraft that provide more to the customer. Not saying the 777 isn't a good aircraft, it's just not AS good as the new ones.
Again, with hindsight and the delays in the 787 program and all the rest Qantas should probably have bought the 777 but they didn't. Decision based on information available at the time and if the 787 had been on time and on spec then QF would have stolen a march over the competition who bought the older technology.