‘I feel the ghost of Alan Joyce in the room’: Qantas battling ‘brand damage’ as shareholders rage at AGM
Qantas shareholders have used the company’s annual general meeting on Friday to once again question the airline’s beneficial treatment of former CEO Alan Joyce.
As reported by News Corp, one angry shareholder claimed “brand damage to the point where Qantas’ own shareholders are cheering on competition from Qatar Airlines,” adding: “I feel the ghost of Alan Joyce in the room. Qantas has a proud reputation of 85 years of great service and then Alan Joyce, which became the personal plaything of the CEO.”
The shareholder continued by suggesting Joyce have $3.4 million rescinded from his final year pay packet: “Alan Joyce deserves base salary in my view.”
Chairman John Mullen pointed out his own presence as proof of change at the airline.
“Nobody is shying away from the issues that happened in the past, but at some point you need to draw the line,” Mullen said.
“I don’t think you could see much more significant change; I’m addressing you as a new chair and we have a new CEO in Vanessa and new management. There has been more dramatic change then occurred in any other public company.”
Qantas CEO Vanessa Hudson addressed the past but looked to the future, saying “the airline has turned a corner” in the past 12 months, “but there is more that can be done.”
“We increased our investment in the things that matter most to our customers. We have seen that reflected in our improved operational performance across Qantas and Jetstar,” she said.
“We have improved our inflight catering and overhauled the app, putting more information and more control in the hands of customers.”
Husdon also spoke about a pending Qantas engineer strike, due to start on Wednesday across all Australian airports.
“We absolutely value our engineers,” she insisted. “I want to thank them as I have thanked everyone for what we have achieved for the last 12-months.
“We want to see pay increases for our metal workers, apprentices and other benefits for these workers.”
“At the moment the union has chosen industrial action, but there is a pathway for a resolution. We want to find a way to work together with the unions.”
“To get an outcome there needs to be a mutual agreement.”
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Nathan Jolly is the Features Editor at Mumbrella. He joined the team in July, 2023.
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I would like see the customer data as our experience wth Qantas was terrible!
The food the leg space the whole experience says they have lost it .
I would suggest ms Hudson should fly with another airline to see the difference.
The ghost of Alan is still there !!
Good luck you have lost me !
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I was once a Platinum Frequent Flyer, flying economy which suggests how often I flew. My disappointment in many aspects of Qantas led me to other airlines. I now only fly Qantas when there is no other logical choice. Andy flights are cheaper & service is not compromised. Thank you Alan, the Chairman & Board, not.
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I quite agree that Joyce did enormous damage to the brand he is despicable in my view and as an ex QANTAS pilot I have no regard for his so called leadership share price is one thing but it is short term only.
He deserves no bonus at all especially when he took Govt funds during Covid then sacked his ground staff.
Thanks
Ron Bishop ex B 737 Captain
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