Editing Oneworld (section)

==== Virgin Australia-Qatar Airways partnership ====
In late 2022, Qatar Airways also launched a comprehensive partnership with Qantas' main rival [[Virgin Australia]],<ref>{{Cite web |last=Graham |first=Matt |date=2022-09-05 |title=Virgin Australia Launches Partnership with Qatar Airways |url=https://www.australianfrequentflyer.com.au/virgin-australia-partner-with-qatar-airways/ |access-date=2024-11-16 |website=Australian Frequent Flyer |language=en-US}}</ref> and significantly reduced and devalued Oneworld benefits available for [[Qantas Frequent Flyer]] members,<ref>{{Cite web |last=Graham |first=Matt |date=2023-02-20 |title=Qantas Flyers Lose Even More Qatar Airways Reward Seat Access |url=https://www.australianfrequentflyer.com.au/qantas-flyers-lose-even-more-qatar-airways-reward-seat-access/ |access-date=2024-11-16 |website=Australian Frequent Flyer |language=en-US}}</ref> further escalating tensions with Qantas. 

Qatar Airways also started to discourage its customers from using Qantas lounges, while Qantas in the most part refused to recognise Doha as a destination available to book flights to and from on its website.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-03-09 |title=Qantas website not recognising Doha as destination?? |url=https://www.australianfrequentflyer.com.au/community/threads/qantas-website-not-recognising-doha-as-destination.113110/ |access-date=2024-11-16 |website=Australian Frequent Flyer |language=en-US}}</ref>

Starting from late 2022 after the Virgin Australia partnership was launched, Qantas vehemently opposed Qatar's application, with similar reasons to its 2018 argument, and made several representations to the Government.

Qantas stated that Qatar Airways will be "distorting" the Australian travel market through its access to Qatar's sovereign wealth fund as well as pointing out that Qatar Airways may potentially be evading Australian law by engaging in tactics such as exploiting international flight landing agreements into smaller Australian cities.<ref name=":1" /> 

Qantas also argued that Qatar Airways' additional flights would be severely detrimental to the Australian tourism industry as it would fly out more Australians who spend domestically than it would bring in people from overseas due to the "disproportionately high" number of Australian-based outbound passengers on Qatar Airways flights.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Qantas APH Submissions 2023 |url=https://www.aph.gov.au/DocumentStore.ashx?usesession=true}}</ref> 

Al Baker, on a subsequent television interview, furiously insulted the Australian carrier for its commentary, criticising its absence in flying international flights during the pandemic, despite Qantas not being financially able to sustain international flights during this period.<ref name=":1" /><ref>{{Cite web |date=2022-11-07 |title=Qatar Airways in public spat with Qantas over flights and ticket prices |url=https://www.9news.com.au/national/qatar-airways-in-public-spat-with-qantas-over-flights-and-ticket-prices/384f7899-b6ce-47d3-a8b2-424504b09db6 |access-date=2024-11-16 |website=www.9news.com.au}}</ref> 

In July 2023, after successful lobbying from the Australian flag carrier, the Australian government, which switched to [[Australian Labor Party|Labor]] in May 2022, rejected Qatar Airways' new request for additional flights into Australia's major ports, further inflaming Qatar Airways.<ref name=":3" /> 

In October 2024, Qatar Airways announced plans to purchase a 25% stake in Virgin Australia,<ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-10-01 |title=Qatar Airways Group announces intention to acquire 25% minority stake in Virgin Australia |url=https://newsroom.virginaustralia.com/release/qatar-airways-group-announces-intention-acquire-25-minority-stake-virgin-australia |access-date=2024-10-07 |website=Virgin Australia Newsroom |language=en}}</ref>  a move widely seen as a workaround to the blocking of extra international flights from Doha<ref name=":3">{{Cite news |date=2023-10-03 |title='Time wasting': Transport minister rebuffs request to front airlines inquiry |url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-10-03/transport-minister-rebuffs-request-to-front-airlines-inquiry/102930208 |access-date=2024-10-24 |work=ABC News |language=en-AU}}</ref> and Qantas's role in that outcome. 

The investment was approved by Australia's [[Foreign Investment Review Board]] and Competition & Consumer Commission in February 2025 allowing the flights to commence as planned in June 2025 between the capital cities and Doha.<ref>{{Cite news |date=2025-02-27 |title=Virgin Australia and Qatar Airways Partnership Takes Off |url=https://www.qatarairways.com/press-releases/en-WW/247368-virgin-australia-and-qatar-airways-partnership-takes-off |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20250304163325/https://www.qatarairways.com/press-releases/en-WW/247368-virgin-australia-and-qatar-airways-partnership-takes-off |archive-date=2025-03-04 |access-date=2025-03-05 |work=Qatar Airways newsroom |language=en}}</ref> The partnership will increase code-share and collaboration between Virgin Australia and Qatar, further undermining the relationship with Qantas and considerably escalate already tense hostilities between the two Oneworld carriers.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Barrett |first=Jonathan |date=2024-09-30 |title=Qatar Airways plan to buy 25% stake in Virgin Australia could boost competition with Qantas |url=https://www.theguardian.com/business/2024/oct/01/qatar-airways-bid-buy-virgin-stake-australia |access-date=2024-10-07 |work=The Guardian |language=en-GB |issn=0261-3077}}</ref>

Qantas has stated that they welcome competition in Australian's aviation sector<ref>{{Cite web |last=Harrison |first=James |date=2025-02-27 |title=Qantas CEO Vanessa Hudson 'welcomes' competition from Qatar Airways-Virgin Australia deal after opposing capacity bid |url=https://www.skynews.com.au/business/markets/qantas-ceo-vanessa-hudson-welcomes-competition-from-qatar-airwaysvirgin-australia-deal-after-opposing-capacity-bid/news-story/37b31b558fae7d6ddeb1382192373b61 |access-date=2025-03-05 |website=SkyNews Australia}}</ref> but neither airline has commented how this latest change will impact their relationship and their interactions with the OneWorld Alliance.