Borg,
In general I think it gets down to good old Aussie "Tall Poppy knocking". We are famous for it.
Backing the underdog, is also a common in our society.
QANTAS are by no means introuble and generally they do give good service. But I think one can not afford to be slack minded or too complacent about ones position in the industry. Anything goes these days and an unregulated competitive playing field will determine the winners and losers.
An example of how ones fortunes can turn around is the current situation at DELTA in the USA. Southwest last month superceded their pax figures . Proving that the "Monilyth Airline" ie PANAM genre, is starting to squander under the pressure of the "Lost Cost Boys".
Delta are hurting and they were or still are one of the big 4 in the states.
Competition is a healthy necessity for a productive aviation industry. That goes for any industry incedently.
Sheep