Reviewing a year's worth of plane speaking, by Chris Twyman - 14th January 2005
(Credit: The Sydney Morning Herald)

Chris Twyman fires up his retrospective quote radar.

People might think 15c isn't much ... but it's certainly better than nothing. We think it is a very good top-end result.

The 1500 creditors of failed airline Tasman Pacific Airways are brought back to earth by liquidator Jeff Meltzer. Some might think that 15 out of 100 is down the other end, which is where they were being kicked.

It became very clear that if you weren't young, blonde, gorgeous and with legs up to your armpits, you had no chance.

A complaint by one of eight experienced female flight attendants taking Virgin Blue to Queensland's Anti-Discrimination Board after being asked to perform a song-and-dance routine in their interviews.

I believe in this business that you are one second away from disaster.

Qantas supremo Geoff Dixon remains cautious after interim profit took off, surprising the most bullish of analysts.

The people of the Pacific will have long memories of what they paid for so many years. Therefore, any jump that our competitors have in lowering fares in the Pacific doesn't really change our long-term strategy.

Virgin's Blue's head of strategy, David Huttner, responds to Air New Zealand's slashing of fares to its key Pacific island destinations.

We had the most successful launch of any low-cost carrier, we believe, in the history of aviation.

Alan Joyce, chief of Qantas budget subsidiary Jetstar, lets fly with superlatives.

For a rooster that is yet to fly, [Alan Joyce] is doing a lot of crowing.

Virgin Blue's David Huttner tries to ruffle some rival feathers.

We made a business decision. We made a call, we were confident we were going to get in and we didn't.

Jetstar spokesman Simon Westaway after a flight had to land at Newcastle after missing Sydney Airport's curfew. Passengers had to hit the road to finish the journey.

All I can say is that I haven't sold any stock myself.

Virgin Blue chief Brett Godfrey shrugs off a share slump and competition from Jetstar.

Working at high altitude in a pressurised cabin for hours on end can be quite exhausting.

A statement on Qantas's website flies in the face of the airline's arguing that a 30-hour working week for cabin crews was not unreasonable.

Let me squash this rumour that I'm about to leave. As many of you know, I've still got a couple of laps in me yet.

The Australian-born boss of British Airways, Rod Eddington, insists he's not out of puff.

We're here to send a message to corporate Australia that the greed has got to stop. [The directors are] filling wheelbarrows full of money.

Linda White, assistant national secretary of the Australian Services Union, is seen in company with a bloke in a baggy kangaroo costume as protesters at the Qantas AGM oppose a proposed increase in directors' remuneration.

Certainly not. I love these articles. Sometimes one reads that there's rumours . . . and I start thinking it's very often the journalists themselves that create the rumours, but anyway.

Sir Richard Branson, billionaire owner of many things and a quintessential media magnet, does himself no good while denying he will sell his 25 per cent stake in Virgin Blue.

They are allowed to collude on fares. They are allowed to sit in dark rooms and look at how they can take the passenger for a ride.

Sir Richard barks at the watchdog and two rivals over the ACCC-approved Joint Services Agreement which allows Qantas and British Airways to fix prices on flights to London.

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