All the excitement of the Liberal Party nominations for Hume, closing our National Archives, United Group’s $50 million golden handshake, and Qantas hands out “bags of crap”.
Qantas 
Tips and rumours: Tips and rumours: The Libs in Hume, from an inside source
Did a cosmic ray zap the Airbus?
The Australian Transport Safety Bureau is now considering the remote possibility that a rogue cosmic ray or solar particle caused a Qantas plane to twice dive out of control over Western Australia in October last year, says Ben Sandilands.
Violent plunges of QF72 remain a mystery
Heads hit the roof when a Qantas A300 dipped and dived off Western Australia last year. But a second interim report released today holds no certain answers.
Credibility of Qantas on line over “unusual vibrations” aka a flaming engine
The scorched engine at the centre of the latest allegations about safety standards at Qantas is now being examined by the independent air safety investigator, and the credibility of two unions, the airline’s management and the air safety regulation enforce are all on the line.
Qantas dodges BA-Iberia tie-up
The proposed 4.4 billion pound merger between British Airways and Iberia of Spain is so full of holes that it could very well sink without a trace at the slightest bit of opposition.
The Tiger vs. Qantas battle is turning nasty
The battle of the low-cost trans-border franchises of Singapore Airlines-controlled Tiger and Qantas-directed Jetstar Asia is heating up, with Jetstar’s plans to fly twice daily between Singapore and Tokyo being shot out of the sky this morning.
Qantas unveils its “Airport of the Future”
Qantas CEO Alan Joyce has unveiled the company’s vision for the “Airport of the Future”, a strategy he claims will halve check-in times and allow passengers to check themselves and their baggage in electronically, avoiding the long airport queues.
Jetstar creates a jet stir in Vietnam
The $A53.9 million Qantas investment in Jetstar Pacific has flown into an ideological chasm in the ranks of the Communist Party and government in Vietnam, and it isn’t clear how it can escape.
Tips and rumours: Tips and rumours: When’s Tassie election date?
Bookings have already been made for polling booths for the next Tassie election. Plus, some interesting family connections at Peter Costello’s new plum job with BKK partners.
Tiger bites Roo with Melbourne-Brisbane flights
Another Qantas Cityflyer route is being munched on by Tiger, reports Ben Sandilands: this time, it’s the Melbourne to Brisbane route, with the low-fare airline offering flights up to three times daily from 28 March.
Qantas 767 aborts 700 feet above tarmac and wheels up
Last week, just 700 feet from landing, Qantas pilots were forced to abort a landing when it was realised that the wheels had not been lowered. It was a close call for a Qantas and the Boeing 767 is to be investigated,.
Safety screwed over wrong washer
The aircraft engineers union is pursuing claims that Qantas avoided a detailed safety investigation of a 747 last year, which could have caused some of its engines to fall off in flight.
Qantas flies underwater for the first quarter
Qantas group operational statistics for September confirm that the airline has been flying at a loss for the first quarter of this financial year — just how deep the total group loss will be depends largely on the success of its sales of “loyalty” frequent flyer points.
Tiger bares its teeth at Cityflyer
Low fare airline Tiger Airways continues its assault on Qantas’ Cityflyer operation with the announcement of even more Sydney flights, says Ben Sandilands. Yep: not low fare Jetstar, nor middle market Virgin Blue, but high fare Qantas. Grr.
CHOICE names and shames the shonkiest brands of the year
Consumer advocate CHOICE has named its picks for the shonkiest Australian products and services for 2009. Brands coming under fire this year include Aldi, L’Oreal, Tiffany, Qantas and Tiger Airways.
Qantas report stands like a beacon of poor corporate governance
The Qantas 2009 Remuneration Report stands out like a beacon of poor corporate governance. That a majority of institutional shareholders could actually vote in favour of the resolution makes you wonder: exactly who is watching the watchers?
Harsh US airline penalties highlight lack of them here
Aviation safety regulation in this country is incompetent and ethically corrupt, and significant ministerial oversight hasn’t existed for at least 50 years.
Questions by the plane load for Qantas AGM
The most urgent question for shareholders at next week’s Qantas AGM in Perth isn’t the lavish reward to former CEO Geoff Dixon, but whether the group’s toxic management culture will destroy his replacement Alan Joyce and cripple the carrier.
David Epstein’s spin won’t save Qantas
Former ALP hack David Epstein has avoided providing any illumination on the sensitive issues for Qantas shareholders — like why is Perth hosting their next AGM? — but spinning a line is his favourite game.
Your Say: Daily Mail readers' feedback: Focus and politics
Crikey readers weigh in on the political media cycle that pollies are sucked in to, Rupert Murdoch’s views on the cost of journalism and the years of the Beattie government.
Qantas: The chance for answers goes west
Qantas shareholders meet next week in faraway Perth — well away from where the majority of shareholders actually live. What is Qantas hiding from?
Four airlines, two cities, and a big cat fight
Qantas and Virgin Blue lose a significant amount of control over domestic fares and scheduling from today when Tiger lifts its frequency on the Sydney-Melbourne route to nine times daily each way. The fur will fly, says Ben Sandilands.
Jetstar to take on Qantas (etc) as air wars hot up
Qantas is pulling out all stops to fend off an aggresive Tiger, as Jetstar begins to shadow Qantas’s Cityflyer jets on the hotly contested Melbourne-Sydney route.
Jetstar is eating Qantas
New statistics show the rise of Jetstar at the Qantas brand’s expense. Yes, the child is eating the parent. So when will management bring up the subject with shareholders and employees? asks Ben Sandilands.
Things looking so bad for Qantas they might be good
Today’s traffic results are a mixed blessing for Qantas. Terrible news regarding international passengers, but overall, the group’s passenger numbers rose 6% in August compared to August 2008, clearly lifted by growth by Jetstar.
