Joyce's messy exit

Qantas' longest-serving CEO is out, but the airline faces a monumental PR disaster!

THE CONTROVERSIAL LEGACY OF ALAN JOYCE

The Long-time Qantas CEO has left the airline amidst much turbulence. It was a glittering career nonetheless, that saw him lead qanats from the ashes to billions in profits. A Special report

An airline's future is its good name. Qantas has for decades thrived on its reputation. Alan Joyce has the challenge before him to continue that tradition" "A These were the welcome words from the Sydney Morning Herald when Alan Joyce was appointed as the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Qantas in July 2008.

Now, a decade and a half later Joyce a divisive figure amongst most Aussies has resigned months before the end of his term and leaves a company that has its reputation in tatters and little goodwill amongst the travelling public.

Joyce's move in accepting $2.7 billion in taxpayer support during COVID-19 without intending to repay it, has further damaged the airline's reputation. Joyce adamantly refused to consider repaying these funds, despite mounting public scrutiny. The bailout looked terrible when Qantas announced a record $2.47 billion profit last month.

As the SMH said, ' The once much-loved is battling both friends and regulators airline VZU Fiercely loyal have customers taken the company to court and the company has taken its formerly proud workforce unions to court; the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission's revelation that Qantas had secretly cancelled flights despite selling tickets worth more than half a billion dollars has prompted unprecedented Federal Court action from the watchdog Australian Securities and Investments Commission.