The world economy is picking up and anecdotal evidence suggests 'most' airlines are doing better. No i dont have all the figures but I have that impression.
Qantas is not. Despite 'similar' working conditions and costs.
Qantas is cancelling aircraft orders, buying aircraft and parking them, betting the farm on ventureS across the globe that after 10+ years have failed to nett dollar one, had one failed venture nationalised by a foreign govt, had executives put in gaol for dodgy financial dealings, built expensive lounges (for millions - we arent talking a few chairs and a pie vending machine!) and then after 90 years stopping using the hub, handing on a gaudy platter our entire premium customer portfolio to an airline based at an airport that is grossly overcrowded undergoing repairs making the holding worse, cancelling 50 year destinations againg handing them to our biggest competitor, failing to replace in any meaningful sense the backbone of Longhaul operations after sending good aircraft to be destroyed, alienated the entire Eastern suburbs (wealthiest part of Australia) by forcing passengers onto a natioanal carrier with an avowed centuries old hatred of them (Arabs dont like Jews) gambled the airlines exceptional name in the press with an off the cuff and totally uneducated guess about a major airline incident (Qf32), made massive changes to the most respected centres of aircraft engineering in the world, tried to bully foreign govts into allowing them unfettered access to their own markets, ordered billions of dollars of aircraft for an airline that has a tiny chance (I would say none) of even getting a base, systematically removing the brands USP (unique selling point - Australia) from all its services and front line presentation, had customers willing to spend big money flying with them, but deliberately and systematically forced them onto a discount product by removing premium options for premium customers, consistently destroyed its relationships with political allies, demanded governmental support, attacked its only domestic competitor in corridors of power and publicly for its internal structuring and international relationships and then demands to copy them, says to staff that about 15% will be sacked if they dont get a taxpayer bailout of billions (when competitors are increasing profits) but makes the announcement before having any idea of who is leaving or where they are going from, has a Board and Senior management with NO actual experience in what the company they are paid to control actually does and openly admits to 'having learnt a lot as we only really knew about airlines through 1st Class Lounges' and overseen an 80ish % fall in the share price but pays an extraordinarily huge salary package to its 'managers' - totally ridiculous in comparison to their peers and these minor failures are just off the top of my head without any great thought.
Oh, and they shut down the company at a cost of $200m because staff violently protested against company management direction by wearing red ties and making PA's asking to keep an Australian Icon Australian.
I can totally understand why the problems are seen as staff being greedy by earning what they do in similar businesses, even though a 50% pay cut would make not a jot of difference to anything that deeply concern them...