Qantas - I smell a Rodent.

[Sunfish]

Looking elsewhere in the forums, I note that the largest shareholder in Qantas is a nominee company.

I also note that Qantas is supposed to be preparing for war with its cabin staff, presumably with its Pilots and ground staff later.

I also note that Qantas is moving into Asia.

I also note that BA has pulled out.

I also note that the composition of the Qantas Board is slightly odd, as it contains at least one person who could not possibly offer much to ordinary Qantas shareholders, but who has plenty of political pull.

Individually, none of these things matter, however I smell a very large and furry rodent. This is too much of a coincidence.

So OK, I'm given to conspiracy theories and I have no love for Sydney-centric Qantas, precisley because it is run by Sydney siders for the benefit of the NSW push (labor and liberal, doesn't matter which) that has done so much damage to this country.

Qantas is a very valuable brand name and I have a suspicion that there are plans afoot to take that brand international, and also to dud the ordinary shareholders in the process, and it won't be the first time something like this has happened to an Australian airline.

[Otto2]

NSW push or putsch? The SYD - centric attitude is rife.
I guess that that someone on the board is there "in case of a rainy day".

[NS Driver]

I attended some months ago a session on the future strategy of Qantas and the direction it is taking. May I say at the outset the session was not a Qantas initiation but organised by a group to analyse the Qantas direction. The main thrust of the talk was about the "BRAND" and how the Qantas board and senior management see the brand. What was clear is that there is a push by Qantas to move the company towards a "NIKE" situation where the Brand is the only substantial thing the company owns. Marketeers control every facet of the airlines operations. Marketing budgets are up around the level of total payroll. Outsourcing and contracting are continuing unabated. And the hierarchy truly believe all Qantas staff is paid too much (except themselves). Qantas sets its goals years out and what we are seeing today is nothing what it will be like in 2, 5, 10 years. The FA issue with basing crews in London is just a piece of the jigsaw, next will be the Tech Crews. Eventually the only thing Australian about Qantas will be the name. You will board a flight in London and be greeted by Biggles rather than Crocodile Dundee, irrelative to the Marketeers as long as the Brand is projected more and more. Qantas in the future will be an entity in name only with very little Australian substance. What needs to be asked is "Is this really the Spirit of Australia"?