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turned their venom on the
COVID illness across all airline Goyder, who also announced “
suppliers created havoc. airlines’ chairman Richard
Mr Joyce at the time In virtually all cases
famously said about long he would retire at the 2024 flight changes were
security queues that passen- AGM.
gers weren’t “match fit” but Next came a Senate Inquiry made weeks and
the stark reality was the air- which quicky degenerated months ahead giving
line industry across the globe into a Shakespearean tragedy passengers plenty of
wasn’t fit at all. with politicians clamouring for
the best TV grab. The head time to make minor
of the inquiry, controversial adjustments to their
Social Media Power Senator Bridget McKenzie, travel plans.”
Mr Joyce, who is openly gay even called for Qantas to be
and an advocate for a range broken up.
of sometimes controversial
causes became a huge target
for online social media abuse. But the lay media was having
One newspaper received ACCC Action none of that explanation and
portrayed Qantas as uncaring,
a number of vile letters crit- Complicating matters for ruthless and solely focused on
ical of Mr Joyce, prompting Qantas, Australia’s consumer profit.
the Editor-In-Chief to ask his watchdog the Australian
Business Editor to “give me an Competition and Consumer Not helping the profit aspect
article criticising Alan Joyce.” Commission took the airline was the airline reporting an all-
According to reports from to court over alleged “ghost time record underlying profit
SproutSocial.com and Deloitte, flights” in 2022. It claimed that for FY23 of A$2.47 billion and
75% of consumers say that Qantas was selling tickets on a Statutory After-Tax Profit of
social media gives them power non-existent flights for profit. A$1.74 billion. That was a sig-
while 47% use it to complain. nificant reversal from the A$7
The two organisations also The ACCC’s case relates billion in accumulated statutory
report that 60% of the world to flights that Qantas can- losses over three prior years.
uses social media. celled that were left on sale With that came renewed
In Australia media compa- for longer than 48 hours. This focus on Mr Joyce’s final
nies chasing online clicks occurred when the airline was payout for the FY23 year
pounced on every misstep forced to take 20 aircraft out of which was $23.6 million.
from Qantas, virtually ignoring service to be used for backups
Virgin Australia, which had for flight disruptions caused by However much of that is
similar issues and they largely shortages of spare parts. long term bonuses withheld
ignored the fact that it was a during COVID. What has been
global problem. While this occurred, some ignored is that Mr Joyce took
Quickly all rational debate flights were left in the system Qantas’s share price in 2009
too long but Qantas claims
was forgotten and unless that 100% of impacted domes- from $A1.70 to A$7.35 just as
analysts and commentators tic passengers were offered the ill winds of COVID started
were following the narrative same-day flights depart- to swirl around.
they were ignored or even in ing prior to or within one hour Ignored in the social media
some cases criticised by the after their scheduled departure attacks was that according
interviewer. time. The airline adds that to the Australian Financial
The furore forced Mr Joyce to 98% of impacted international Review, Mr Joyce’s base
retire ahead of the scheduled passengers were offered salary was just $2.3 million,
Qantas AGM in November, reaccommodating options on against the median of the top
but rather than defuse the flights within a day of their 300 ASX listed executives in
situation, the union movement scheduled departure date. Australia of $2.7 million.
ASIAN AIRLINES & AEROSPACE OCTOBER - DECEMBER 2023 | 9
