Page 8 - AAA OCTOBER - DECEMEBER 2023 Latest Magazine | GBP
P. 8
aircraft were grounded virtually business grounds. to change its schedule 90
overnight as the industry shut- That decision would come times creating havoc for the
down, while well-oiled supply back to haunt Qantas as it was airline and its workers and
chains collapsed. a big win for unions in their costing tens of millions.
When COVID hit in 2020, effort to portray the airline as When Australia did finally
Mr Joyce agreed to stay on uncaring and ruthless. open all its domestic and then
to steer the airline though The airline did receive a international borders, the
the pandemic and the airline total of about A$2.5 billion in country’s airlines were hit by a
set about a multi-billion cost assistance during COVID with tsunami of revenge travel.
saving program to survive. about half used for contracts Millions of Australians
In April 2020 Qantas was just to keep the airline flying a lim- scrambled to book tickets,
11 weeks away from bank- ited mainly domestic network while those with travel cred-
ruptcy while the airline’s debt for cargo, mail and a handful its choked call centres with
peaked at A$6.4 billion during of passengers. The balance rebooking.
the pandemic. was for a “Job Keeper” allow- Qantas had to process more
One area of attention was ance to retain some staff. than 415,000 itinerary changes
its baggage handlers and Keeping all staff on would in the months of February and
in August 2020 the airline have cost over A$12 billion March 2022 alone.
announced an outsourcing for the two years of COVID Chaos ensued with chronic
of that function at 10 airports lockdown. staff shortages and ongoing
around Australia where it did Qantas was forced to sell
the work in-house at the time many of its 787s on a lease-
with a projected annual saving back arrangement as well as
of $100 million in operating property near its headquarters “
costs. The 1,700 staff were to survive. The media in
offered and did bid for the
work but were found to be During the pandemic Qantas Australia went into
uncompetitive. faced a unique situation in overdrive responding
Later it would be deemed which different states opened to social media posts
and shut their borders often
by the Australian courts that with little notice, responding to
the move, under the country’s outbreaks and then the need and tweets about
complex Fair Work Act, was for the containment of COVID. delays, lost baggage
unlawful, although the judge and ruined trips.”
said that the airline made Over the two years of the
the decision on legitimate pandemic, Qantas was forced
Chairman
Richard Goyder
and CEO
Vanessa Hudson
8 | OCTOBER - DECEMBER 2023 WWW.GBP.COM.SG/AAA
