BNEA320. Not necessarily that Qantas salaries are way to high, but rather that most pilots salaries are far to low. The fact that Australia allows almost open slather access to the Australian aviation market means that we are all potentially subject to the lowest world pay rates. That's the only way to compete with low cost foreign carriers. Australia has a recent history of being the first to surrender local employment to overseas competition. Despite the rhetoric of 'free trade', most countries protect their internal industries. Alan Joyce is engaged in reducing Qantas to the same cost structure as Jetstar and later even lower. He won't rest until that goal is achieved or he is replaced. Qantas will rise again as a brand when it's operating costs are the same as Jet Star. Untill then it is being strangled by culpable neglect.