The loss of 5000 airline jobs comes hard on the heels of the collapse of Australia's heavily subsidised automotive industry, with thousands of job losses from the closure of Holden, Ford and Toyota manufacturing plants. As with the automotive sector, there are murmurs of Australian government intervention. Qantas shares plunged on the news, down almost 7% at $A1.18, with 31 million changing hands; valued at more than $A36.5 million. Qantas yesterday booked a before-tax loss of $A252 million for the six months to December, compared with a $A220 million profit a year ago.