But as Jim Thorne, the publisher and Managing Editor of Australian Aviation magazine explains, it's Ansett that's really bearing the brunt in the more competitive Australian Aviation Industry. The trouble is with Ansett is that it really has a lot to pick up. It's losing market share to Qantas and also the two new incumbents. I think you've really got a situation where, for reasons that nobody's really able to get a definitive high handle on at the moment, is that Virgin Blue and Impulse seems to have taken more Ansett traffic than they took from Qantas. The new kids on the block, Impulse and Virgin Blue, have certainly made their presence felt.
Competition is terrific for the consumer.
Everybody loves lower fares and that's absolutely understandable. What is never uppermost in the minds of the consumer is what is sustainable in the long term in that sort of environment, and only history's going to tell us that. The industry's in a tough phase at the moment. So, it's going to be interesting. One thing that can't be denied is the fact that more people are flying than ever before.