>From the QF website (below) is a press release outlining the assistance = the airline will give to those people in Canberra. For those who are not = aware, Canberra has been hit by massive bushfires over the weekend and = has resulted in 4 deaths and nearly 400 homes being lost. Whilst I am = not a big fan of QF, I must commend them on this. --- Latest News Qantas Canberra Bushfire Assistance SYDNEY, 19 January 2003 Qantas today offered free domestic seats to Canberra residents who had = lost their homes to bushfires and needed to relocate to other Australian = cities. Qantas Executive General Manager Sales and Marketing John Borghetti said = the airline would do everything possible to help people who wanted to = fly their families to shelter and safety. "We are also offering a special discount fare, available until the end = of January, for people wanting to travel to Canberra to assist their = families. "We believe we will be able to accommodate everyone on our normal = scheduled services over the next few days, but stand ready to add = additional flights as required," Mr Borghetti said. Mr Borghetti said Qantas was also: * Arranging to fly volunteer firefighters to Canberra for free, = including 60 firefighters already booked from Brisbane on Monday = morning; and * Positioning staff from Sydney to Canberra to assist at the airport, = and to relieve Qantas staff who had lost or were defending their own = homes. He said Qantas was in contact with support groups to investigate other = ways of providing assistance for people affected by the fires, including = offering Qantas blankets and free meals through Qantas Flight Catering. Mr Borghetti said the airline would tomorrow launch an appeal for Qantas = staff to donate to bushfire victims, kicking off the appeal with $20,000 = and then matching staff donations dollar for dollar. People wanting to inquire about the free seats out of Canberra and the = discounted return fares to Canberra should contact Qantas on 13 22 23. Issued by Qantas Public Affairs (2856)=20 Email: qantasmedia@qantas.com.au