The boss of Australian airline Qantas says he will leave his job immediately — two months earlier than planned — following a series of embarrassing revelations about the company, including allegations it sold tickets for flights that had already been canceled.
FILE - Qantas passenger jets cross as they taxi at Sydney Airport in Sydney, Australia, on Sept. 5, 2022. Australias consumer watchdog on Friday, Sept. 1, 2023, called for Qantas Airways to be punished with a record fine for allegedly selling tickets on thousands of flights that had already been canceled.
– The boss of Australian airline Qantas said Tuesday he would leave his job immediately — two months earlier than planned — following a series of embarrassing revelations about the company, including allegations itChief Executive Alan Joyce said that after 15 years running the national carrier he was bringing forward his planned retirement date.would take over as managing director and group chief executive from Wednesday. The announcement came after a difficult few weeks for Qantas and Joyce. He was grilled by Australian senators last week on flight delays and costs, while a consumer watchdog group announced Thursday it was taking legal action against Qantas and would seek a penalty that would run into the hundreds of millions of dollars. The Australian Competition & Consumer Commission said it was taking the action after Qantas “engaged in false, misleading or deceptive conduct by advertising tickets for more than 8,000 flights that it had already canceled but not removed from sale.” The commission said that in many cases, Qantas continued selling tickets or delayed telling ticketholders the flights had been canceled. That often led customers to have less time to make alternative arrangements and to potentially paying higher prices for new flights, the commission said. Qantas previously acknowledged its standards had fallen well short of expectations as the airline emerged from the COVID-19 pandemic.“In the last few weeks, the focus on Qantas and events of the past make it clear to me that the company needs to move ahead with its renewal as a priority,” he said in his statement."The best thing I can do under these circumstances is to bring forward my retirement and hand over to Vanessa and the new management team now, knowing they will do an excellent job.” Last month Qantas announced a record pre-tax annual profit of nearly 2.5 billion Australian dollars , up from a loss of almost AU$2 billion the previous year. The airline has since come under pressure to pay back the AU$2.7 billion it received from the Australian government during the coronavirus pandemic.“Alan has always had the best interests of Qantas front and center, and today shows that,” Goyder said. Shareholders will formally vote on the appointment of Hudson as managing director at the company’s annual general meeting in November. Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
Please follow us on Google to support us United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Qantas apologises after Aussie regulator alleges ticket sale for cancelled flights By ReutersQantas apologises after Aussie regulator alleges ticket sale for cancelled flights
Read more »
Qantas CEO to step down early as airline's reputation under scrutiny By ReutersQantas CEO to step down early as airline's reputation under scrutiny
Read more »
Qantas CEO Alan Joyce to step down early as airline's reputation under scrutinyAustralia's competition regulator sued the airline for allegedly selling tickets for thousands of canceled flights.
Read more »
Qantas boss retires early after allegations the Australian airline sold tickets for canceled flightsThe boss of Australian airline Qantas says he will leave his job immediately — two months earlier than planned — following a series of embarrassing revelations about the company, including allegations it sold tickets for flights that had already been canceled.
Read more »
Qantas boss retires early after allegations the Australian airline sold tickets for canceled flightsThe boss of Australian airline Qantas says he will leave his job immediately — two months earlier than planned — following a series of embarrassing revelations about the company, including allegations it sold tickets for flights that had already been canceled.
Read more »