What are your thoughts on an Emirates - Qantas alliance?

What are your thoughts on an Emirates - Qantas alliance?

Would you be ok if Emirates were to invest in Qantas?

By be "ok" I mean would you be happy for an investment from Emirates?

I reckon Qantas would be better off joing with Qatar as there is more room for growth for Qantas as Qater only flies to Melbourne and three times a week to Perth. Anyone a fan of Qatar-Qantas?

Yes - could One World bring Qatar on board?  I am all for Qantas Qatar as first choie.

Interesting question about oneworld; I am no expert but I think there is a reason none of the middle eastern airlines are part of the alliances?

I don't see the benefits to Qantas as an airline for Emirates to invest, as a Qantas customer. Minority stakes mean little, maybe code shares, but they can do that without an equity investment. Further, what skills do Emirates have? They have grown significantly due to cheap fuel and fortunate geography. This isn't something that it can share with Qantas. What would be much better for Qantas long term, I think, is a full blown merger with another regional airline. One option would be Cathay Pacific, which has a fair degree of route overlap with Qantas International, and be able to help Qantas lower its operating costs due to lower asian maintenance costs etc. It has also a very well run airline that is profitable without the benefit of much government assistance, unlike the Singaporeans or the Middle-East airlines.

Sorry to correct you on this but Royal Jordanian are the first middle eastern airline to join oneworld, (taken from oneworlds website), and their service is excellent.

Interesting point that you make about QF joining up with CX.  The other option is a merger with B.A though I am not a fan of B.A.  Like CX and QF there is no government subsidy.

A merger with BA has been discussed and considered by both sides in the past but has generally come to nothing because (I believe) there are little synergies with little route overlap, and because their skill set (and problem set) are very similar. A merger would not be able to reduce overhead or operating costs.

I think a JV between Qantas and Emirates would be good for Qantas.  This would enable QF to expand its destinations in Europe, Subcontinent & the Middle East without the risk of operating their own services.

Cathay will not tie up with Qantas, as there is ongoing hostilities between the two airlines.  This would be a very good option for Asian desitinations, which Malaysian will not be able to provide.

Wouldn't it allow its loyal passengers fly cheaper/more conveniently via dubai and eventually make its existing routes via singapore more unprofitable?

True that Cathay and Qantas are not the best of friends. Perhaps a simple hostile takeover then? (assuming the takeover laws could be changed). 

Even patriotic, loyal Qantas passengers need to be realistic about its long term survival. No one wants to see a future where all our long time gold memberships become worthless! 

I haven't heard of hostilities between Cathay and Qantas, could u please elaborate a little bit? Thanks.

Oh QF and CX absolutely hate each other - as spinoza pointed out, quite rightly, you just need to look at the timetable and route overlap between CX and QF International to see that they are, effectively, direct competitors. As far as I can remember - from the last time I checked - the only active/meaningful codeshare between CX and QF International is the CX HKG-FCO service. 

They may be sitting in the same alliance, and, in my opinion, one just needs to look at what QF and CX could have done if they were actually best buds, by emulating a lot of what QF and BA are doing, especially with QF axing the HKG-LHR service in favour of codesharing with BA.

For what it's worth, I think that another benefit of a tie up - and notwithstanding the fact that I'd love to sit back and watch a hostile takeover, as you'd be pitting the Swire Group and Air China up against the FATA (i.e. Swanny's almost unfettered discretion) and the Qantas Sale Act which isn't going to be a pretty slanging match - is that QF could really learn something from CX's consistent in flight service standards...

If Qantas and Cathay had the same relationship as QF and BA, imagine what would happen!

Emirates simply doesn't need or want Qantas. Qantas's growing division/profit area is Jetstar which couldn't me more incompatible with EK's full service wide body business model