Fallen-favour airline Qantas continues to be hit by drama on multiple fronts after CEO Alan Joyce was forced into early retirement following a difficult few weeks.
This week, Love Island star Tayla Damir hit out at the Courier over the treatment of her French bulldog, who she said was left in a crate for nine hours after being knocked off a flight from Melbourne to Perth.
“Poor Charlie was supposed to board a flight early this morning. Instead, he was left in a crate at the airport for over nine hours with no food,” she explained on Instagram.
“Qantas was okay with trying to put him on a later flight at 5pm tonight, which would mean he was left in a crate without care for more than 14 hours. In what world is that okay?’
However, Qantas has disputed Tayla’s allegations, claiming Charlie was regularly checked, cared for and provided with water.
“Unfortunately the pet was unable to travel on the scheduled flight and was placed on the next available flight later in the day,” a spokesperson told Daily Mail Australia.
The complaint coincides with a parliamentary committee to question Qantas bosses hearing that Australians would have benefited from cheaper airfares by Christmas if the government had not stopped rival Qatar Airways from adding another 28 routes.
The dramas are the latest in a series of problems that have plagued Qantas in recent weeks – with the biggest two potentially costing the airline hundreds of millions of dollars in fines.
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) is taking the airline to Federal Court, claiming it sold tickets for thousands of already canceled flights.
While the High Court agreed earlier this month that the airline’s dismissal of 1,700 employees during the Covid pandemic was illegal under the Fair Work Act.
AFL WAG and Love Island star Tayla Damir hit out at Qantas for leaving her dog ‘in a crate without food for over nine hours’ after a delayed flight from Melbourne to Perth
She later revealed that Charlie had been found and she brought him home, but he seemed “exhausted and dehydrated.”
The parliamentary committee is investigating what role Qantas played in the Transport Minister’s decision to reverse Qatar Airways’ application.
On Thursday, Today host Karl Stefanovic claimed the Albanian government had struck a “cute deal” with Qantas at the expense of consumers and was “up to their ears” in questions over decisions.
Qatar Senior Vice President Matt Raos revealed that the airline found out through the media on July 10 that its bid had been rejected and received a letter 10 days later that was sent on July 14.
“We were surprised and shocked by the decision… to reject our application for additional flights to Australia,” Mr Raos told the hearing.
‘Even more surprising was that the government gave us no reason to reject our application, we really don’t understand why.’
But Raos said the airline had not given up hope of doubling the number of 28 flights per week and would be ready to provide the additional services this year.
“We had plans to deploy those planes well in advance, we need to make sure the planes are aligned,” he said.
‘The aim is to be operational before Christmas, we hope that will be possible.’
Coalition Senator Simon Birimingham commented in response ‘that would be great news for travelers and our tourism sector’.
The ACCC claims Qantas has sold more than 8,000 tickets on already canceled ‘ghost flights’
Qatar estimated the additional flights would bring Australia $3 billion in economic benefits, adding that the Victorian government predicted a second daily flight from Doha to Melbourne would create 900 jobs.
Transport Minister Catherine King did not elaborate on what “national interest” she used to deny the flights, although she did say an invasive search of 13 Australian women at Doha airport in 2020 played a role.
Qatar’s 28 flights are comparable to Emirates’ 84 weekly flights and Etihad’s 63.
Qantas chairman Richard Goyder and new CEO Vanessa Hudson appeared before the committee on Wednesday afternoon to address the mounting criticism.
Hudson has pledged to regain customer trust and may spend hundreds of millions of dollars to do so: bringing back overseas call centers and implementing measures to ensure flights run on schedule.
The parliamentary committee could not summon former boss Alan Joyce on Wednesday because he is abroad.
“He has the right to do what he wants to do, but he has, I think, public responsibilities to lead the way and talk to the Australian people about what has happened here,” Home Affairs Minister Clare O’Neil told Seven’s Sunrise programme.
Mr Goyder, who previously guided Wesfarmers through the 2008 global financial crises, has seen increasing calls from pilots and shareholders to resign.
However, he assured the committee he was the right person to lead Qantas forward and believed he enjoyed the confidence of “major shareholders”.
Qantas CEO Vanessa Hudson (pictured) has promised to regain customer trust
The Australian and International Pilots Association (AIPA) – a union representing most of Qantas’ approximately 3,000 pilots – is calling on the airline’s chairman, Richard Goyder (pictured), to resign
Inquiry chair Bridget McKenzie, a Nationals senator, did not say whether Goyder should resign.
However, she said the board had contributed to the airline’s loss of public status.
“Our once great national airline, which we are proud to call the spirit of Australia’s reputation, has been destroyed not only by its board but also by the behavior of its former CEO and perceived cozy relationship with the Albanian government.” , she told ABC Radio.
The Australian Shareholders’ Association is the latest to add its voice to the call, with CEO Rachel Waterhouse saying a slew of recent Qantas scandals makes his position untenable.