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Qantas CEO Alan Joyce apologises for airport chaos, offers loyalty program customers $50 flight vouchers

Qantas chief executive Alan Joyce says it's "not good enough" that customers have been copping delays and cancellations. 

Qantas chief executive Alan Joyce has apologised to customers after months of flight cancellations, delays and luggage mishandling. 

The company, which has suffered severe reputational blows in the past year, offered a series of benefits for members of its Frequent Flyers club as a way of making amends. 

But the Transport Workers Union say it's not enough — and wants Mr Joyce to resign. 

What did Alan Joyce say?

"Over the past few months, too many of you have had flights delayed, flights cancelled and bags misplaced.

"There are good reasons why, but when it comes to what you expect from Qantas, it's not good enough.

"On behalf of the national carrier, I want to apologise and assure you that we're working hard to get back to our best."

What is Qantas doing to stop the airport chaos?

Qantas said it had hired 1,500 new people since April, with a statement from the company saying there was "more to come". 

Mr Joyce said the company had been adjusting flight schedules to have more crew in reserve as back-up for staff having to take sick leave.

He said Qantas had seen a 50 per cent increase in crew on sick leave. 

The company also said it had invested $15 million in "new technology at key airports to help smooth the travel experience".

The company is offering all Australian and New Zealand members of its Frequent Flyers club a $50 flight voucher.  (ABC News: Giulio Saggin, file photo)

Is this enough to fix Qantas's problems?

The Transport Workers Union doesn't think so — it wants Mr Joyce to resign. 

Here's the union's national secretary Michael Kaine:

"You can't buy off forgiveness.

"What you've got is a company that has been smashing workers for years now, most recently when it outsourced nearly 2,000 workers during the pandemic.

"We could really have done with those 2,000 experienced workers when we were trying to get aviation back up and running."

The union's assistant national secretary Nick McIntosh criticised Qantas for outsourcing jobs and cutting workers' hours and conditions:

"This is what's led to part of the trashing of this once great airline.

"Qantas needs a reset and that's got to start at the top."

The Transport Worker's Union says Qantas has "trashed" its reputation by mistreating its workforce.

So everything is back to normal then?

Not quite. 

Here's Mr Joyce again:

"We're already seeing a sustained improvement in baggage handling and on-time performance, and while factors out of our control like weather can have an impact on our schedule, we expect things to keep improving each week."

What benefits are they offering?

They're only for members of Qantas's Frequent Flyer program — so people who aren't part of the club won't get anything. 

All members will be given a voucher to knock $50 off a Qantas flight. 

There are also more perks for high-ranking members, including status extensions and extra Qantas lounge invitations.

Qantas said members would receive emails with more details on Monday. 

Editor's note (26/8/22): This story has been updated to more prominently highlight the Transport Workers Union position in relation to Mr Joyce's apology and to remove references that may be considered as advertising material.

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