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Qantas knows how to virtue signal and become embroiled in scandals, but can it still provide a good service to the Australian customer?

Qantas acted illegally during the pandemic when it outsourced 1,700 ground handler jobs in the biggest unlawful sacking in Australian history, the High Court ruled this week.

The carrier had justified its decision to lay off staff at 10 airports in November 2020 as a cost-saving measure. However, the High Court unanimously upheld an earlier federal court ruling that found Qantas outsourced labour in part to prevent its staff from engaging in impending industrial action — a breach of the Fair Work Act.

Michael Kaine, national secretary of the Transport Workers’ Union (TWU), which brought the successful suit against Qantas, called the carrier’s unlawful behaviour part of the “spiteful management style” of outgoing CEO Alan Joyce.

Following the High Court win on Wednesday, Kaine called for the entire Qantas board of directors to step down.

“The final act of this board should be to strip Alan Joyce of his bonuses and follow him out the door,” he told reporters.

A Tidal Wave of Woke Activism

The landmark ruling has not only exposed the airline to a colossal compensation bill — it has also further tarnished the brand once dubbed Australia’s ‘national carrier’ and that still fancies itself as ‘The Spirit of Australia’.

Thanks in no small part to Alan Joyce’s leadership since 2008, Qantas has increasingly traded in its good name to score woke brownie points, even as its customer service and integrity has suffered.

Last year, Qantas lost its top five spot in the world’s best airline rankings, amid a groundswell of customer dissatisfaction. Indeed, Qantas saw complaints soar by 70% in 2020 due to cancellations, delays and lost baggage, as cited by the TWU and reported by The Guardian.

Not to worry, Qantas has focussed on what really matters: becoming an official partner for the Sydney Mardi Gras, splashing ‘pride’ livery across its aircraft, serving pride cookies to its passengers, pressuring Rugby Australia to sack Israel Folau for his Christian convictions, and imposing crippling vaccine mandates on its staff and customers.

More lately, Qantas has put its fingers on the scale of the Voice referendum, shamelessly painting onto three of its aircraft the logo of the ‘Yes’ campaign, and offering free flights to its activists to promote their agenda around the country.

Even global icon Jordan Peterson has begged Qantas to stop with its tiresome welcome to country “moral lessons”.

Given the souring opinion polls, Qantas’ support for the Voice has likely alienated not only half its own customer base, but well over half the Australian population, whose taxes bailed out the carrier to the tune of $1.856 billion during the Covid era.

Legal Scandals Everywhere

Awarded a $24 million golden handshake as his parting gift, Alan Joyce stepped down from a Qantas leadership up to its neck in legal scandals.

The flying kangaroo is currently the subject of a class action lawsuit for refusing to refund flight credits accrued by thousands of passengers amid Covid shutdowns.

A recent investigation by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) also found that Qantas advertised and sold tickets for more than 8,000 flights it had already cancelled in its system.

Meanwhile, the Qantas-chummy Albanese government has faced fierce criticism for rejecting Qatar Airways’ request for a busier flight schedule in Australia, at a time when more competition would have brought much-needed downward pressure on airfares.

At the same time, conflict-of-interest questions have arisen with the revelation that Anthony Albanese’s son Nathan, all of Australia’s High Court judges, and five of ACCC’s seven commissioners have free access to Qantas’ exclusive Chairman’s Lounge.

Not only that, but Qantas has showered the bosses of its key regulators with the ritzy lounge passes, in a move even the Guardian has sharply criticised:

Known as the most exclusive club in Australia, lounge access is being heavily scrutinised amid a broader question over whether Qantas enjoys outsized influence over decision-makers in Australia — an allegation the airline and Albanese government deny…

Qantas’s soft diplomacy reaches far deeper into the corridors of power than previously known, stretching across the political, corporate and legal industries, as well as the top ranks of the public service.

Lounge membership is infamously confidential, adding to the mystique of a facility designed to be an oasis tucked away from the busyness of an airport. Members can get a complimentary on-demand medium-rare steak, while those outside pay for overpriced hamburgers.

Back to the Basics Please

As James Macpherson contends, “It’s years since Qantas could lay claim to being ‘The Spirit of Australia’.”

“I remember when Australians were proud of Qantas,” he writes. “These days, Qantas is the cringe of Australia.”

Alan Joyce’s exit is a big step in the right direction. But to save the brand and win back the trust of the Australian public, Qantas needs to take a much longer look in the mirror.

The political activism, virtue signalling and woke lecturing need to stop. Corporatist corruption must be rooted out. No more shady favours, backroom handshakes, or inequitable handouts.

Back to the basics: affordable flights, good customer service, luggage that doesn’t go missing, and flights that actually arrive on time.

Surely that’s not too much to ask?

Image via Unsplash.