3 in 4 Aussies would support government taking a piece of Rex

The deal is a significant breakthrough for the Flying Kangaroo in its bid to encourage Air New Zealand flyers to switch to Qantas services.

The airline said QF7168, scheduled to depart Melbourne at 5pm for a 6:40pm arrival, would carry 485 passengers, the equivalent of almost three cancelled Boeing 737-800 aircraft that normally fly the busy route.

In an internal memo to Virgin staff obtained by Australian Aviation, outgoing CEO Jayne Hrdlicka said the airline had made roughly $236 million in profit off the back of $2.8 billion in revenue in the six months to December 31, and had carried nearly 4…