Here's some figures for thought. These are international airline statistics comparing all airlines flying into and out of Australia.
http://www.bitre.gov.au/publications...ity_1205_M.pdf
Just some extracts out of this 28 page monthly document. This is the most recent, May 2012.
51 airlines operated services into and out of Australia.
1,000,238 inbound passengers on 6,214 inbound flights.
1,096,730 outbound passengers on 6209 outbound flights.
QANTAS International makes up just 2% of international airlines flying in and out of Australia and carried 186,325 inbound passengers (18.6%), 200,064 outbound passengers (18.2%) and flew 1,157 flights in and 1,156 flights out, making up 18.6% of flights in and out.
On average, QANTAS has an 18.4% share of the international market, followed by Singapore at 9.4%, Virgin Australia at 8.9%, Emirates at 8.3% and Jetstar at 8.0%.
When AJ uttered those famous words in August 2011
"When 100 people go to an Australian international airport, right now, only 18 of them choose a QANTAS flight" he failed to mention that the other 82 fly on 50 other different airlines that go to places we don't go, and that the average seat utilisation on a QANTAS flight is 72.15%, much like its competitors SQ at 72.6%, VA at 72.9%, Jetstar at 72.25% and much better than Emirates at 60.15%.
If you choose to delve into the other figures going back, there hasn't been much change in the marketshare over time, and QANTAS maintaining an almost double share of the Australian market over its nearest competitor, and doing it with "aging aircraft, crappier service, outdated less comfortable interiors" and a very poor performing management team. People still want to fly the red tail, even though their choice to is being diminished by poor executive decisions and poor fleet choices.