The future of Qantas

The future of Qantas. What does one make of the current problems in Qantas. The airline appears to be having a lot of mechanical troubles on flights...running at about one problem a month. The unions attribute the problem to the outsourcing of jobs to Singapore. I am inclined to agree. There is of course the possibility of union staff sabotaging the reputation of Qantas in order to get the airline to resume maintenance in Australia. Would airline unions resort to extortion to protect their position in the industry? I think so ...particularly if it was merely to change perceptions rather than actually 'down an aircraft'.

The reality was always that this was always bad policy for Qantas. It should not have outsourced to Asia. This is fine for 'discount airline' Jetstar, but it was bad policy for Qantas. The problem is also that Qantas probably had no experience handling the cultural shift to Asia, and its track record is suffering as a result.

Oil fire may have caused engine failure on Qantas jet nydailynews.com

It seems only a matter of time before there is a serious accident. Then I think we can expect the government to buy back into Qantas to restore 'Australian jobs'. The problem was probably that it never really lost its 'public sector' culture after privatisation...like Commonwealth Bank.

The Qantas A380 passenger jet after it was forced to make an emergency ...guardian.co.uk

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Andrew Sheldon www.sheldonthinks.com

Discount airlines flying to Australia

There are a number of discount airlines servicing Australia. I just found a new one - so I thought I would provide a list of the discount airlines now that I am aware of:

1. China Southern Airlines - See their website. They fly to Sydney, Brisbane, and soon to Auckland (NZ). Looking at their website, its a shocker. A sign that Chinese companies just have no idea about customer service. They are expensive too, but more importantly, it would be a nightmare to compare prices. I'd hate to think about the actual flight expensive. I am having flashbacks of a Garuda flight years ago...when they lost my luggage for 4 days. I went to a conference in Goa (India) in my Bali shorts.

2. Tiger Airways - see website. They are Singapore based, they fly to Melbourne and Perth only. I get bombarded with admails from this group, but their offers are always poor, and their routes are limited.

3. Air Asia X Airlines - See website. They are based in Kuala Lumpur, so this will most likely be your transit point. The positive aspects about KL is that its a pretty attractive city, far cheaper than Singapore, just as beautiful, without being as clinical, or broadly as authoritarian...just tight on the social values, so you probably shouldn't feel your GF's legs at the dinner table. They fly to Gold Coast, Perth, Sydney I think, as well as Christchurch (NZ).

4. Jetstar - Jetstar is a Qantas subsidiary, so they fly out of all Australian cities, as well as Auckland and Christchurch. They probably represent the best value, but the service is often dodgy. I've had many issues. i.e. Like telling my family they can't fly through Sydney when they knew we could. They refused to listen until the nth hour. Yes, that's you Page in Christchurch. Problem with Australian immigration as well. They didn't know the rules.

5. Pacific Blue - see website. They fly out of most Australian cities to NZ, Asia, etc. I always find them more pricey than Jetstar.

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Andrew Sheldon www.sheldonthinks.com

Sydney - the best place in Australia?

Reading this story I am inclined to agree with the author. Sydney would have to be one of the best places to live in the world....if not the best. I must say though there are a few issues I thought he missed:

1. Intellectual pursuits - Sydney offers philosophy groups which hang out in pubs and bars, so you can always have an interesting chat. This is not of course the typical way of spending an everything, but for some, they will be pleased with the opportunity. There are of course political parties you can join, but I found those non-participatory, i.e. Basically it matters little what you say, these people are not interested and offer no logical process of review/analysis.

2. Physical attributes - Sydney has one of the best locations in terms of physical assets, i.e. The harbour is actually three harbours/river systems all in one basin. It means you were unlucky not to grow up without a beach/harbour view. Great mountain (really valley) vistas are not far away, i.e. Blue Mountains and Fitzroy Falls

3. National parks - Sydney is surrounded by national parks. The Royal National Park, in the south, is the world's 2nd national park (after Yellowstone NP), and it is viewable as you fly into Sydbney. The Qantas pilots like to show it off. The Blue Mountains national park to the West is spectacular, along with Jenolan Caves. There are also national parks in the NW and north, as well as the city centre. Yes, the Sydney Harbour National Park protects fauna and flora in the city centre, i.e. Along the harbour and coastal foreshores and harbour islands. If you have the good fortune to live in the city, great if you are close to harbour, river or coastal walks.

4. Climate - Sydney has a very nice climate. Unlike Brisbane its not too hot in Sydney. In the last 20 years, its hardly ever gone above 32degC, and in winter it does not get below 5-8degC, depending on which part of the city you live in. If you live in the West you might get to 2degC. The rainfall is great at 1280mm, just enough to keep the city green, and its not intrusive into your lifestyle. The city experiences a range of climatic conditions, i.e. It is silent rain, or eventful storms...not boring depressing, overcast like Japan. Most days are cloudless, deep blue sky. When I stay in Sydney, there is just 1-2 months when I am not wearing a T-shirt.

5. The space - I love the 'space' of Australia. The ease with which you can get away from people. The lack of traffic congestion. Admittedly, I have not been living in Sydney much for the last few years.

6. The sounds and smells - You will think we weird - but I love the sounds and smells of Sydney, or Australia. The Sydney Blue Gum is a magnificent tree. These trees in windy weather produce a 'rustling' sound which is very peaceful. The same can be said of the sound of wave action on Sydney beaches. The wildness of that Pacific surf is unmatched...not in NZ or Japan. The smells are also special, as well as the sounds of the wild bird life.

7. Safety - Sydney is a pretty safe place. There are some youth gangs in certain parts of the city, but its otherwise a pretty safe place away from certain precincts. I feel it is more dangerous in NZ than Australia.

The bad news about Sydney, and indeed Australia, is:

1. The fascist government. No worse perhaps than the US government, but certainly little better. Perhaps Australians are just enjoying themselves too much to care. For me, its a deal breaker. I'd prefer to live in another country than finance political tyranny.

2. Poisonous snakes, spiders. The good news is that little else will kill you and snakes find you coming. If you don't pick up ground objects you will probably avoid spiders. But there is a certain appeal to NZ, which has none of these issues. Except politicians of course.

3. The sun - Australia's sun is very strong. The good news is that if you are in the shade its very pleasant because its very dry air. The direct sun is very strong, so take care in summer.

4. Remote - It will be argued by some that Australia is remote from other places. Sydney is close to New Zealand, which ranks highly as a place to live as well, or to holiday, and the two countries have a Closer Economic Relationship (CER) which makes integration easy. Sydney is 9 hours flight from Tokyo. But who's want to leave.

5. Sydney is expensive. The government strictly regulates land subdivision, so the cost of land is very high, and there are a lot of international investors buying in Sydney, because it is a nice place to live. Many Australians abroad buy in Australia with the intent of eventually retiring here...as do many foreigners like Chinese, Koreans and Japanese.

You do not necessarily have to live right in Sydney to enjoy these benefits.

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Andrew Sheldon www.sheldonthinks.com