QF-SQ merger !!! ???

[maninblack]

Just read this on another forum...views? any info?

[FONT=ARIAL, Helvetica, Geneva][FONT=ARIAL,]"Just saw on CNBC Asia Qantas had a Board Meeting in New [/FONT][FONT=ARIAL,]York about a merger or major alliance. Singapore Airlines is the partner mentioned. Interesting developments, the board really went as far from Sydney as they could."[/FONT][/FONT]

 

[Mal]

LMAO. Qantas and SQ?

I seriously doubt it.

Is this info on Airliners.net?

 

[oz_mark]

After the failed Allco thig, I don't think it something GD would gamble on as he heads towards the end of his tenure at QF.

 

[Mal]

SMH has an interesting article:

Qantas-Singapore Airlines alliance would be unlikely

Speculation that Qantas chief executive Geoff Dixon may use his last year at the helm of the Kangaroo carrier to forge a merger or "regional alliance'' with Singapore Airlines would be an ambitious feat to say the least.

The merger idea first surfaced in 2004 before Qantas reportedly went cold on the idea, fearing it could eat into its lucrative earnings on the Pacific route, which Singapore has been trying to get a foothold in for years. Today's Australian Financial Review said merger talks could be back on the agenda.

 

[dajop]

As far fetched as this sounds, if you take a "macro" view of the world, it seems that SQ and QF both have formidable competition from EK which is just expanding like crazy, so to respond to this with a merger or alliance between SQ and QF may make sense. I can't help but think with what's going on the US there's a chance that the alliances we know today will look quite different in the future (eg Continental to * etc).

 

[Evan]

Also SQ and QF have similar fleets.... some reduction potential... I think SQ engineering already does a lot of work for QF anyway.

Of course not that i think it will happen.

E

 

[auriga]

can only be bad for customers!

 

[NYCguy]

can only be bad for customers!

How so? Even if a (seemingly unlikely) merger between QF and SQ actually got off the ground, there is plenty of quality competition about - EK on the Europe routes for a start.

 

[pauly7]

Wonder, hypothetically who would break from their alliances... QF is a founding member of OW... and I'm pretty sure SQ is of star?

 

[NYCguy]

Wonder, hypothetically who would break from their alliances... QF is a founding member of OW... and I'm pretty sure SQ is of star?

There's plenty of *A presence in Asia without SQ - TG, NH, OZ, CA and (to a lesser extent) FM. SQ does have a significant presence in Australia, and it remains to be seen whether the Federal Govt and/or ACCC would entertain an alliance such as QF/SQ, especially given Qantas' moaning and wailing about matters like allowing more competition on the AU/US routes.

 

[dajop]

Wonder, hypothetically who would break from their alliances... QF is a founding member of OW... and I'm pretty sure SQ is of star?

SQ was not a founding member of star. I get the sense the linkage of SQ to star is not as strong as many star elites would like (and they've even dropped reference to being a "membah of stah alliants" from their onboard announcements ) Effectively * gold members are way down the pecking order behind two tiers of PPS members and SQ gold members, and don't even get access to the main SQ business lounges in SIN (instead inferior lounges).

 

[Keith009]

...and don't even get access to the main SQ business lounges in SIN (instead inferior lounges).

Neither do pax with Krisflyer Gold status, which apparently is a status tier created solely to satisfy SQ's contractual obligations to the *A agreement.