It was one of the most jarring emails in recent Australian corporate history. Less than two weeks after delivering a $2.47 billion profit, 1.5 times as big as ever posted before, Qantas CEO Alan Joyce was telling staff he was bowing out.
“Yesterday we said that the company’s reputation had been hit hard on a number of fronts, that we understood why, and that we are committed to fixing it. I have no doubt that Qantas will rebound,” he wrote in an email sent to staff on Wednesday.
Ayesha de KretserSenior reporterAyesha de Kretser is a senior reporter with The Australian Financial Review covering the aviation and tourism sectors. She has previously reported on banking, mining and commodity markets. Connect with Ayesha on Twitter. Email Ayesha at ayesha.dekretser@afr.com.au
Joe AstonColumnistJoe Aston is the founder of Rampart and the best-selling author of The Chairman’s Lounge: The inside story of how Qantas sold us out. From 2012 to 2023, Joe helmed The Australian Financial Review’s Rear Window column. Email Joe at hello@rampart.news
