Key Points
- Qantas CEO Alan Joyce has announced he's bringing forward his planned retirement.
- Qantas has had its fair share of turbulence under his leadership, including fights with its workers and the ACCC.
- However, some say that Joyce has made commendable achievements during his time in the role.
Qantas chief executive officer Alan Joyce has announced he is retiring two months early, after a and criticism.
The outgoing CEO said he was proud of his time leading the company.
“There is a lot I am proud of over my 22 years at Qantas, including the past 15 years as CEO," he said in a statement on Tuesday.
"There have been many ups and downs, and there is clearly much work still to be done, especially to make sure we always deliver for our customers.
"But I leave knowing that the company is fundamentally strong and has a bright future."
So how will history remember Alan Joyce's 15-year tenure as chief executive of Australia's national carrier?
Marriage equality, pride and pie
Joyce, who is openly gay, was a ahead of the 2017 national postal survey, and campaigned for a yes vote.
Later that year, Joyce was named the world's top LGBTIQ+ business leader in a list compiled by networking group OUTstanding and the Financial Times.
Joyce pledged to continue his advocacy through Qantas, and under his leadership the company has promoted the Sydney Mardi Gras and was the official airline of Sydney World Pride.
Equality Australia CEO Anna Brown said Joyce had helped make marriage equality a reality for the LGBTIQ+ community.
“Alan has been an advocate for LGBTIQ+ rights and his campaigning for marriage equality, along with his personal donation of $1 million, helped to make it a reality in Australia," Brown said.
“As a high-profile figure in the business world, Alan made a point of being open about his sexuality and used his profile to encourage others to be out and proud.”
Support for the Voice to Parliament
Marriage equality is not the only cause Qantas has supported under Joyce, with the national carrier also backing the Yes campaign ahead of the upcoming referendum for an Indigenous Voice to Parliament.
In August, Qantas unveiled three aircraft featuring the Yes23 logo, and is supporting the campaign and the Uluru Dialogue teams to travel and engage with regional and remote Australians ahead of the referendum.
Joyce said support for an Indigenous Voice to Parliament continued the national carrier’s "long commitment to reconciliation" and the notion of a "fair go".
Qantas and the COVID-19 pandemic
Joyce led the airline through the COVID-19 pandemic, which was the "most challenging period in living memory," according to the Qantas website.
As borders closed, flights around the world were grounded, with only a minimum network of flights continuing to operate for vital services and repatriation.
Qantas CEO Alan Joyce is stepping down from the role two months early. Source: AAP / Bianca De Marchi
During the pandemic, the airline racked up $7 billion in statutory losses.
In August 2023, the company reported it made an underlying profit before tax of $2.47 billion for the 12 months to June 30, which Joyce described as a "remarkable turnaround" from the challenges of the pandemic.
Post-pandemic fallout
While Qantas has financially recovered from COVID-19, the aftermath has been tumultuous.
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) has launched court action after Qantas allegedly advertised tickets for flights that had already been cancelled.
Qantas also faced public backlash over almost $570 million in outstanding flight credits from the pandemic, which were due to expire at the end of 2023. The expiration date has now been scrapped.
Qantas has also come under pressure to pay back the money it received from the federal government at the height of the pandemic.
It was given $2.7 billion, including $900 million from the JobKeeper program.
Industrial action and worker strikes
Throughout Joyce's time at Qantas, there have been numerous conflicts between the company's workers and management.
Amid continuing unrest in 2011, he grounded all Qantas domestic and international flights and locked out the company's staff.
In 2018, Qantas was criticised for asking workers to "volunteer" to do unpaid extra hours over the Christmas period.
There is also a case currently before the High Court in which Qantas is accused of illegally outsourcing 1,700 workers.
In 2022, domestic flight attendants voted in favour of strikes amid a standoff with management over a two-year wage freeze.
Transport Workers Union national secretary Michael Kaine said Joyce's departure was "welcome news for workers".
"Australians are rightfully furious with the Joyce regime, which has seen three unprecedented court challenges from workers, a safety regulator and the consumer watchdog," he said.
"On top of that, Joyce led 15 years of wage suppression, grounding of the fleet and illegal outsourcing."
A 'mixed' legacy
Jake Nelson, a senior journalist at Australian Aviation, said Joyce would be leaving a "mixed" legacy.
"This is not how he would have wanted to go out," he said.
"He has created a lot of controversies during his time at Qantas, or been embroiled in a fair few controversies, but he also has his accomplishments to look back on.
"He is probably not going out the way he wanted to, but he does have a legacy that he can look back on and perhaps he will be proud of a few of the things he accomplished."
