Canberra 22nd August : Australia’s flag carrier Qantas has issued an apology in writing and offered refunds to millions of customers in an effort to regain trust from the public following several months of delays and operational mishaps. “On behalf of the national carrier, I’d like apologize and assure you that we are striving to get back at our top,” Qantas CEO Alan Joyce stated in a statement.
Joyce has been subject to intense scrutiny because the airline has experienced severe shortages of staff, mass delays and cancellations of flights, as well as misdirected luggage, according to Xinhua news agency.
In addition to the statement, the CEO also sent an audio message to frequent travellers stating that even with “good justifications” for the operating issues that included staff shortages caused by the Covid-19 pandemic as well as a tight labor market and extreme weather conditions in the eastern part of Australia the situation was not enough.
As well as the apology, the company will give out $50 ($34) vouchers to passengers flying between Australia and New Zealand, the extension of frequent flyer bonuses and also the expansion of frequent reward points for frequent flyers.
The airline will roll out a number of initiatives to address the operational obstacles which include hiring of 1,500 new employees since April, as well as a whopping $15 million of investment to ease the customer’s travel experience.
In 2020 the airline outsourcing its baggage handling staff which resulted in 1,700 job losses.
The move was deemed to be a violation of Australia’s work regulations by the Federal Court, and has been viewed by many as the main reason for the country’s fight to satisfy the growth of the demand for aviation.
The Transport Workers Union (TWU) is the union that represents workers in the transport industry, issued an appeal for Joyce to step down and criticized Joyce’s decision as a CEO seeking to “buy off forgiveness”.
TWU National Assistant Secretary Nick McIntosh told the local media on Monday that the once-great airline that was well-known for its security and high-quality work had destroyed its image during the pandemic.
“Qantas requires a re-set and it has to begin from the top .We have to establish an independent body in place that has the ability to examine the root causes in this business.”
