Qantas chairman hails Joyce after pay rise criticism

Qantas chairman Richard Goyder has hailed chief executive Alan Joyce’s performance after criticism that his annual salary increased by 15% to $2.27m. Goyder said executive pay had been “constrained” during the pandemic and argued the airline’s “underlying strength” was an “absolute credit” to Joyce and his team. In 2022, Qantas has faced a string of problems, including huge delays at Easter, hours-long call wait times, and even a revelation that the cabin crew of a Qantas A330 were made to sleep across seats in economy.Last year, the Federal Court ruled the Flying Kangaroo was wrong to outsource 2,000 ground handling roles and subsequently rejected an initial appeal. On Friday, the business’ annual report revealed outgoing Jetstar CEO Gareth Evans earned $1.58m; Qantas domestic and international CE Andrew David $1.45m; CFO Vanessa Hudson $1.44m; and Qantas Loyalty CE Olivia Wirth $1.25m. The airline insisted Joyce’s salary was effectively 77% lower than pre-pandemic levels because of the lack of an annual bonus. Joyce also took no pay for three months in 2020 and for one month in 2021, alongside periods of reduced pay.<br/>