Chanticleer

Qantas finds clearer air, but its past must fuel longer turnaround

The airline’s annual general meeting highlighted good progress, but the mistakes of the past should continue to shape the next stage of its comeback.

Oct 25, 2024 – 2.01pm

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Qantas chief executive Vanessa Hudson came to the airline’s annual general meeting in Hobart on Friday having studied the Oprah Winfrey playbook – there were goodies for everyone.

Frequent fliers were told they would be able to book seats on domestic flights through the new Classic Plus tier of the airline’s loyalty program. Staff got a $1000 thank-you bonus and a $40 million training and skills program. Investors got a positive trading update for better revenue growth trends in the domestic business; Qantas shares ticked up to a new all-time high on Friday morning, up 64 per cent in the last 12 months.

James Thomson is senior Chanticleer columnist based in Melbourne. He was the Companies editor and editor of BRW Magazine.