Qantas Chairman Richard Goyder has penned an opinion editorial sharing the context around the airline’s recent performance and ongoing issues in the aviation industry, referring to the situation as a “hole that global aviation is pulling itself out of” and that Qantas will “fix it” by October.
“An industry that was able to juggle multiple supply chains to deliver just-in-time precision before COVID is losing bags and relying on fellow travellers to find them,” Mr Goyder wrote.
“This is what happens when you shut down an entire sector for more than two years. Companies make deep cuts to survive. Skilled people walk away because the uncertainty seems endless. And then it suddenly has to spring back to life with all the precision of a Swiss watch at the same time COVID is driving high levels of sick leave.”
Using the Swiss watch analogy, he referenced the multiple moving parts that need to spring back into action and operate in unison – airport security, air traffic control and connecting airlines – that also have labour shortages.
“Qantas is a little different to airlines worldwide that have struggled with this scenario. As we said last month in our direct apology to customers, too many flights have been cancelled, too many trips delayed, and too many bags misplaced. It’s unacceptable, and we know it,” he wrote.
“We’re well on the way to fixing it. Service levels improved towards pre-COVID standards in August and September. By October, we expect to be back to our best.”
Common criticisms
The Qantas Chairman addressed the main criticisms levelled at the airline, including outsourcing of ground handling, high fares and poor service, the buyback, the CEO’s performance and the carrier’s perceived lack of direction.
“The CEO and the Board are always accountable, but judging Qantas’ recent performance by pre-COVID standards and finding Alan Joyce lacking, as a result, is like saying the pandemic never happened,” he wrote.
“Anyone who understands the industry thinks Alan and his team have done exceptionally well to steer the airline through a crisis that sent other airlines (and their creditors) packing. People who think Qantas couldn’t have failed or was enriched by government handouts are simply wrong.”
Mr Goyder also took aim at business journalists, saying they were too keen to write Qantas off and had not reported on the carrier’s recent performance turnaround.
“The data showing the improvement received far less media attention than stories showing how bad things got,” he wrote, adding that some unions had leveraged the criticism to fit their objectives.
The Qantas Chairman added that the service failures since the airline restarted operations should be assessed in context with the global aviation industry.
“Any reasonable assessment has to start with how Qantas compares in an industry that’s working incredibly hard to get back on its feet. We’ll continue that hard work to meet the high standards all stakeholders expect from us.”
To find out more, visit qantasnewsroom.com.au
