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Qantas turns on a dime

Scott Jagow Dec 14, 2006
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Qantas turns on a dime

Scott Jagow Dec 14, 2006
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TEXT OF STORY

SCOTT JAGOW: Yesterday we told Australia’s Qantas turned down two private equity firms that wanted to buy the airline.

Well, that was yesterday. Today, Qantas accepted a bid that was sweetened a little bit.

Mark Pilling of Airline Business Magazine believes this could spark a wave of airline mergers over the next six months.

MARK PILLING: The airline industry’s been crying out for freedom to consolidate for years and it’s often prevented by government and national ownership restrictions. So this is not a case of the airline industry being behind the demand curve, because it wants to consolidate.

The $8.6 billion Qantas deal is one of the biggest corporate takeovers in Australian history.

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