Qantas staff overjoyed after Alan Joyce’s early exit from the airline: ‘We’re celebrating wildly’
Qantas staff overjoyed after Alan Joyce’s early departure from the airline: ‘We celebrate the wild’
The abrupt departure of Qantas boss Alan Joyce sparked jubilant staff celebrations as a former captain stepped into the saga to blow the airline over the “unimaginable” crisis.
Joyce, 57, was due to retire in November, but has come under mounting pressure in recent days, sending the airline into crisis mode and departing early on Tuesday.
Retired Qantas pilot captain Richard de Crespigny was aboard a flight on Tuesday when news broke in the air that Joyce was gone, sparking extraordinary celebrations.
Qantas boss Alan Joyce abruptly left Qantas on Tuesday. He is pictured with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and his partner Jodie Haydon
“Involvement in Qantas has never been this low. In fact, there are currently two planes grounded due to ground handling mishaps.”
“You have to remember that they fired ground handlers two years ago, unjustly, and the airline and passengers suffered as a result.”
Pilots and cabin crew weren’t the only Qantas staff cheering.
“We’re celebrating not just because he’s leaving, but because his hero story has failed miserably,” a ground crew member told A Current Affair on Tuesday.
Customer response was just as vicious.
De Crespigny, who has worked for Qantas for 34 years, warned that the airline will not regain trust overnight.
“It’s built in teaspoons and destroyed with shovelloads,” he said.
“It takes incredible skill, determination and empathy to build it; it must be protected.’
Former Qantas captain Richard de Crespigny (pictured) was traveling when news of Joyce’s death broke out on Tuesday, sparking wild celebrations
The abrupt departure of Qantas boss Alan Joyce has sparked jubilant celebrations among Qantas staff (stock photo of Qantas crew)
He denounced the board of his former workplace, saying it is “inconceivable” that management continues to receive pay raises while the airline is underperforming.
“For the passengers and staff who have suffered from Qantas’s poor management…they find it inconceivable that the CEO and executives would receive a huge pay rise if the airline went bankrupt,” added Mr. De Crespigny.
Joyce was initially loved and respected by Qanta staff when he first stepped into the role 15 years ago.
“He founded Jetstar, a successful low-cost airline, where most have failed,” Mr De Crespigny told A Current Affair on Tuesday.
Relations turned sour after Mr Joyce locked out workers in a labor dispute before hundreds of staff lost their jobs amid the Covid-19 pandemic.
“Some of them didn’t come out well at all. They lost their jobs, they lost their homes, they lost their marriages,” De Crespigny said.
“The workers who kept Qantas afloat… they really suffered enormously.
And it was not a good vision to see the management team, the CEO, continue to receive bonuses at the expense of perhaps baggage handlers and other people who have lost their jobs. This is not a good example of leadership.”
