Qantas grounds jets over soaring fuel bill

Qantas has blamed the relentless rise in fuel prices for the first major cut in its services since the SARS crisis hit the airline industry five years ago, after announcing plans to retire and ground some of its domestic aircraft from July.

Reflecting moves by several US airlines to ground some aircraft rather than fly on uneconomic routes, Qantas has announced its plans to exit several low-yielding routes, including the Sydney-Gold Coast route in order to cut costs.

The airline said the domestic cuts equate to the grounding of six jets.

Within a week, Qantas said it will follow through with extra cuts to its international network.

Sydney Morning Herald