Alan Joyce’s early exit from Qantas dumps mess on incoming CEO Hudson
Alan Joyce’s early departure from Qantas Airways Ltd. removes the primary lightning rod for public anger over fake-ticket allegations, sky-high fares and flight cancellations and delays as the airline struggled to cope with a post-pandemic travel boom. Now incoming boss Vanessa Hudson has to clean up the mess. Joyce, 57, abruptly stepped down Tuesday, less than a week after the competition watchdog sued Qantas for allegedly selling bogus seats on thousands of flights last year that had already been canceled. His shock exit came just two months before he was due to formally sign off after 15 years at the helm, cutting short his farewell tour. Hudson, who has worked at Qantas for almost three decades, inherits an even tougher job than envisaged when she was announced as Joyce’s successor four months ago. She was already tasked with overseeing a multibillion dollar fleet renewal that has unnerved analysts, and repairing the company’s battered reputation with customers, regulators and lawmakers. She must now fend off calls for structural reform to weaken the 103-year-old airline’s grip on the market. The stage is also set for months of potentially damaging evidence in Australia’s Federal Court as the regulator pursues its bogus ticket case. With the watchdog, customers and emboldened lawmakers pushing for more competition, Qantas’s commercial dominance in Australia is under attack. Latest data from the regulator, the Australian Competition & Consumer Commission, show Qantas and its low-cost unit Jetstar control about 61% of the domestic market. Virgin Australia, owned by buyout firm Bain Capital, has about a third. Qantas’s record-breaking profit for the year ended June 2023 fueled arguments that customers and rivals are losing out. “It’s one thing for Qantas to have the advantage of the incumbent — it’s another thing to use that power to stifle competition,” said Kyle Kimball, a Sunshine Coast-based commercial litigator at law firm Sajen Legal who has acted for airlines including new Australian entrant Bonza. “It’s a disincentive to new businesses.”<br/>
https://portal.staralliance.com/cms/news/hot-topics/2023-09-06/oneworld/alan-joyce2019s-early-exit-from-qantas-dumps-mess-on-incoming-ceo-hudson
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Alan Joyce’s early exit from Qantas dumps mess on incoming CEO Hudson
Alan Joyce’s early departure from Qantas Airways Ltd. removes the primary lightning rod for public anger over fake-ticket allegations, sky-high fares and flight cancellations and delays as the airline struggled to cope with a post-pandemic travel boom. Now incoming boss Vanessa Hudson has to clean up the mess. Joyce, 57, abruptly stepped down Tuesday, less than a week after the competition watchdog sued Qantas for allegedly selling bogus seats on thousands of flights last year that had already been canceled. His shock exit came just two months before he was due to formally sign off after 15 years at the helm, cutting short his farewell tour. Hudson, who has worked at Qantas for almost three decades, inherits an even tougher job than envisaged when she was announced as Joyce’s successor four months ago. She was already tasked with overseeing a multibillion dollar fleet renewal that has unnerved analysts, and repairing the company’s battered reputation with customers, regulators and lawmakers. She must now fend off calls for structural reform to weaken the 103-year-old airline’s grip on the market. The stage is also set for months of potentially damaging evidence in Australia’s Federal Court as the regulator pursues its bogus ticket case. With the watchdog, customers and emboldened lawmakers pushing for more competition, Qantas’s commercial dominance in Australia is under attack. Latest data from the regulator, the Australian Competition & Consumer Commission, show Qantas and its low-cost unit Jetstar control about 61% of the domestic market. Virgin Australia, owned by buyout firm Bain Capital, has about a third. Qantas’s record-breaking profit for the year ended June 2023 fueled arguments that customers and rivals are losing out. “It’s one thing for Qantas to have the advantage of the incumbent — it’s another thing to use that power to stifle competition,” said Kyle Kimball, a Sunshine Coast-based commercial litigator at law firm Sajen Legal who has acted for airlines including new Australian entrant Bonza. “It’s a disincentive to new businesses.”<br/>
