The Airline: Qantas Airways

Qantas Airways Limited is the flag carrier of Australia. The name was originally "QANTAS", an acronym/initialism for "Queensland and Northern Territory Aerial Services". Nicknamed "The Flying Kangaroo", the airline is based in Sydney, with its main hub at Sydney Airport. It is Australia's largest airline, the oldest continuously operated airline in the world and the second oldest in the world overall. Qantas headquarters are located in the Qantas Centre in the Mascot suburb of the City of Botany Bay, Sydney, New South Wales.



Currently the airline is considered a four-star airline by research consultancy firm Skytrax.[citation needed] In 2011, Qantas was voted the eighth best airline in the world by the firm, a drop from 2010 (seventh), 2009 (sixth), 2008 (third), 2007 (fifth), 2006 (second), and 2005 (second). In 2010, Qantas retained a 65 percent share of the Australian domestic market, however the airline struggles to compete with other carriers in its international operations.