MARK COLVIN: Qantas had bad news to spare today, in the air and on the ground. The airline was forced to turn back a plane to China when the landing gear got stuck in the down position.Qantas also had to tell investors that they'd be getting no dividends from their shares this time around and flyers that they should brace for higher ticket prices.
The Qantas boss Alan Joyce announced that profit for the first half of the financial year had fallen by three-quarters and first-class seats were being cut. The market reacted by savaging the share price.