Haylyn,
I respect your service ,dedication and pride.
I can also see how 'every current and past' QF employee agrees with you.
However, sentimental rants will not save QF
Take your blinkers off and get into the real world.
QF never was the envy of the "world".
A picture of a clown on a tail would be just as recognizable as a red rat.
Safety is a function of statistics and we all know those have been massaged.
The "safest airline" was only a line in a movie and you didn't actually believe Dustin Hoffman in RainMan, did you?
QF pilots are not the best in the world although ,they would give the "arrogance stakes" a good run.
QF always was a small ,government backed (read protected) sheltered work shop. In world aviation, small potatoes.
They treated the employees like mushrooms and it looks like the employees believed the bullsh-t.
Meanwhile the others were doing it better with deals, new equipment ,better service ,lower costs and, making much more money.
QF Int is dead in the water because it has not been able to move into the new world order.
TAA,East West,Ansett ,Pan AM,TWA and even Boeing Airlines no longer exist.
Soon , Qantas will probably join them.
Virgin will expand to take up what ever void is left over after the major players feeding frenzy and it will be as if QF was never there.
I do feel for you.