"They'll be flying again by the time you're ready to go anywhere" Kate assured Sacha when they next spoke. "I mean you're not planning on flying tomorrow, are you?"

"No."

"And I'm pretty sure they like making money over at Qantas, so they'll start flying again as soon as they feel like Alan Joyce feels like his made his point."

"You think that's all it's about?" Sacha asked. "Making a point?"

"Isn't that what it's always about with men?" Kate countered.

"People in general" Sacha said.

"Well either way it won't last long. And you're going - what, January? February?"

"I guess so."

"So there you go. Do you seriously think anyone's going to let an airline be grounded over Christmas? You'll be fine. Anyway, there are other airlines."

"Cheaper ones."

"That's for sure." Kate paused. "But don't go flying any of those super-cheap airlines. Go for a good solid mid-range airline."

"Even on a cheap airline the chances of a crash are pretty minimal" Sacha said.

"Yeah, great" Kate said sarcastically, "that's exactly what I'll tell mum and dad when you decide to buy a five-dollar trip on some biplane flying out of the Solomon Islands. It'll give them such peace of mind."