P1 raises an interesting point that I too have been thinking about now for a while.
If
VB are serious about chasing the business market, is it possible that they might have to be prepared to provide some of the same perks that QF have had to do. That is, provide better seats, inflight meals, lounges separate from the great unwashed, etc.
Might those gorgeous young things who make cutesy PAs have to be trained to provide proper meal service? Might they then grow tired of doing more work (including cleaning the aircaft - much dirtier when meals are involved) for the same amount of pay?
Might the pilots, engineers and other staff who see the company making a disproportionately large profit out of their undervalued work (compared to QF) decide that it's time for
VB to pay back some of their efforts through higher wages?
Might the requirement to pay rental on first class gate facilities become more expensive as privatised airports seek to increase their profits? Might the requirement to run their own simulators become increasingly more expensive as the airline expands?
In other words - is it just possible that
VB's costs may start to rise as QF seeks ways to cut their costs?
On a slightly different theme, we at QF have now been told that there is a staff travel backlog for people trying to travel - particularly in Europe and LA. So maybe we have turned the corner (post-SARS, Iraq) before the scaremongering of QF's imminient demise has had its desired affect of scaring the unions into considering pay cuts.