just read article (below) courtesy of e-Travel blackboard newsletter, which is interesting to say the least ....
Qantas Airways chief executive, Geoff Dixon has revealed the airline's alliance talks with the new Indonesian budget carrier, Adam Air, but says it is still early at this stage to make any decisions on the purchase of a stake in Adam Air.
'We have had discussions with Adam Air, there is no way that they've progressed to an extent that we would be making any decisions on it,' Mr Dixon told Nine Network television's program, Business Sunday.
'It is a country with 250 million people close by. We are obviously interested in that,' he said.
The Indonesian transportation minister had already shown his approval if Qantas were to acquire a 20 per cent stake (the maximum allowed) in privately-owned PT Adam SkyConnection Airlines, the Indonesian media reported this month.
Qantas's low-cost subsidiary Jetstar was approved in December to fly to cities within six to ten hours of Australia by January 2007.
'We have Jetstar Asia which is situated in Singapore, we have Jetstar in Australia and we are going to start Jetstar to travel outside Australia, so we are putting a lot of dots together,' Mr Dixon said.
Qantas has recently announced a 9.6 per cent drop in first-half profit ended on 31 December 2005 and has warned of more job losses due to business restructure.
Dixon said Qantas was considering to transfer the maintenance of its long-haul fleet of wide-body aircraft possibly to China, a move that would put about 2,500 jobs at risk.