"His hero narrative has massively failed": Qantas staff's brutal response to Alan Joyce's early exit
A former Qantas pilot and several current staff members have recounted the moment they found out about now former-CEO Alan Joyce's early exit from the company.
Joyce was planning to retire from his CEO role in November, but shocked the nation on Tuesday when he decided he would be stepping back, effective immediately.
His resignation comes after 22 years in the role, as Qantas continues to face mounting pressures over unprecedented customer dissatisfaction, and a looming glass action lawsuit over cancelled flights.
Upon hearing the news, past and present Qantas employees erupted in celebration.
Retired Qantas pilot captain Richard de Crespigny was on board a flight on Tuesday when the news broke mid-air that Joyce was gone, sparking extraordinary celebrations.
"I was on a flight from Sydney to Melbourne this morning and when I landed the cabin crew were giving each other high-fives," de Crespigny told A Current Affair.
Another ground staff member said, "We're celebrating wildly, not just because he's leaving but because his hero narrative has massively failed."
Mr de Crespigny, who worked for Qantas for 34 years warned the airline won't regain trust overnight just because Joyce has taken off.
"It's built in teaspoons and destroyed in shovel loads," he said.
"It takes incredible skill, determination and empathy to build it up; it's got to be protected."
Mr de Crespigny went on to say the Qantas business restructure after the travel industry was decimated by the Covid pandemic was not good enough, and the upper management made some terrible decisions.
During the pandemic, Mr Joyce locked out employees during an industrial dispute before hundreds of staff lost their jobs during the Covid-19 pandemic.
"Some of them didn't come out of it well at all. They lost their jobs, they lost their houses, they lost their marriages," de Crespigny said.
"The workers that held Qantas up … they really suffered greatly."
"And it hasn't been a good vision to see the executive team, the CEO, continue to get bonuses at the expense of maybe baggage handlers and other people that have lost their jobs. This is not a good example of leadership."
Image credits: A Current Affair