Qantas is now in such a reputational hole that chairman Richard Goyder has fronted the press twice in three business days to defend the company’s performance and back its boss Alan Joyce. “Being a chief executive is not a popularity contest,” he decreed. “Believe it or not, Alan has a heart.”

Goyder’s apologia was one of terrific overreach. Or was it hyperbole? He didn’t merely say that Joyce is a very good CEO, which is perfectly arguable, he also insisted that Joyce is “the best CEO in Australia by a length of a straight”.