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☆ Qantas to fight regulator over cancelled flights tickets sale case
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Qantas aircraft are seen on the tarmac at Melbourne International Airport in Melbourne, Australia, November 6, 2018. REUTERS/Phil Noble/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsOct 30 (Reuters) - Qantas Airways Ltd (QAN.AX) on Monday said it will defend itself against Australia's competition regulator's accusations that the flagship carrier sold tickets to thousands of flights after they were after they were cancelled. Qantas said the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission's (ACCC) case, which accuses it of selling the tickets for flights for more than 48 hours after they were cancelled, does not constitute "fee for no service". "This is consistent with our obligations under consumer law and is what we did during the period the ACCC examined," Qantas said. Reporting by Sameer Manekar in Bengaluru; Editing by Grant McCoolOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Phil Noble, Sameer Manekar, Grant McCool Organizations: Qantas, Melbourne International Airport, REUTERS, Qantas Airways Ltd, Australian Competition, Consumer Commission's, Australian Stock Exchange, Thomson Locations: Melbourne, Australia, Bengaluru

☆ Australia antitrust watchdog to oversee domestic air travel sector
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

A Qantas plane takes off from Kingsford Smith International Airport, following the coronavirus outbreak, in Sydney, Australia, March 18, 2020. REUTERS/Loren Elliott Acquire Licensing RightsCompanies Qantas Airways Ltd FollowSYDNEY, Oct 18 (Reuters) - Australia will ask its competition watchdog to monitor domestic passenger flights in a bid to boost competition in a sector dominated by national carrier Qantas, which is under scrutiny for alleged anti-competitive behaviour. The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) will monitor prices, costs and profits in the domestic air passenger sector, according to a joint statement from Treasurer Jim Chalmers and Transport Minister Catherine King on Wednesday. "A competitive airline industry helps to put downward pressure on prices and deliver more choice for Australians facing cost-of-living pressures," the statement said. "ACCC market scrutiny will help ensure airlines compete on their merits, bring to light any inappropriate market conduct should it occur, and provide continued transparency at a time when new and expanding airlines are still trying to establish themselves."

Persons: Loren Elliott, Jim Chalmers, Catherine King, Alan Joyce, Lewis Jackson, Muralikumar Organizations: Qantas, Kingsford Smith International, REUTERS, Rights Companies Qantas Airways Ltd, SYDNEY, Australian Competition, Consumer Commission, Transport, Qatar Airways, Thomson Locations: Sydney, Australia

☆ Qantas chairman refuses to quit amid investor pressure - ABC News
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Qantas aircraft are seen on the tarmac at Melbourne International Airport in Melbourne, Australia, November 6, 2018. But any suggestion that we took fees for no service is just wrong," Goyder said. The ABC report did not mention the names of investors and consumers who have called for Goyder's resignation. Goyder was appointed to the board in November 2017 and named chairman in October 2018. Goyder said Qantas has accepted the ruling and new CEO Vanessa Hudson will work towards settling the case, according to ABC News.

Persons: Phil Noble, Alan Joyce, Richard Goyder, Goyder, Vanessa Hudson, Roushni Nair, Sonia Cheema Organizations: Qantas, Melbourne International Airport, REUTERS, Rights Companies Qantas Airways, Australia's Qantas Airways, ABC, ABC News, Thomson Locations: Melbourne, Australia, Bengaluru

☆ Qantas ex-CEO takes 900% pay rise, but bonus cut amid scandals
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-20 | by ( Byron Kaye | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Alan Joyce, Chief Executive Officer of Qantas, speaks with members of the media at an event celebrating Qantas' 100th birthday at Sydney Airport in Sydney, Australia, November 16, 2020. Most of the amount was share-based incentives that Joyce was allowed to cash in after they vested, according to the report. It could also "claw back" unvested stock bonuses for Joyce, currently worth A$6 million, it said. Joyce's final pay packet encapsulates his decade and a half of running the company, which dominates Australian air travel. Qantas must return to the Federal Court to determine what it must pay in penalties and compensation to affected workers.

Persons: Alan Joyce, Loren Elliott, Joyce, Richard Goyder, disquiet, Alan, Goyder, Byron Kaye, Sameer Manekar, Rashmi Aich, Gerry Doyle Organizations: Qantas, Sydney Airport, REUTERS, Rights Companies Qantas Airways Ltd, Australia's Qantas Airways, Consumer Commission, High Court, Federal, Thomson Locations: Sydney, Australia, Bengaluru

☆ Australian regulator seeks 'hundreds of millions' in fines for Qantas
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The maximum penalty Qantas faces is 10% of annual turnover, which was A$19.8 billion in the year to June, according to Australian consumer laws. Cass-Gottlieb said the ACCC would seek a fine for Qantas that was "significantly more than" the record A$125 million ($81 million) automaker Volkswagen was fined in 2019 for breaching Australian consumer laws. "We consider these penalties have been too low, we think the penalty should be in hundreds of millions, not tens of millions", she added. The regulator has said that Qantas kept selling tickets for an average of 16 days after it had cancelled flights for reasons often within its control. ($1 = 1.5420 Australian dollars)Reporting by Renju Jose in Sydney; editing by Miral FahmyOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Loren Elliott, Gina Cass, Gottlieb, Cass, Renju Jose, Miral Organizations: Qantas, Sydney Airport, REUTERS, Rights Companies Qantas Airways Ltd, Qantas Airways, Australian Competition, Consumer Commission, Australia, ABC Radio, Volkswagen, Thomson Locations: Australia, Sydney, Francisco

☆ Australia regulator sues Qantas alleging sale of tickets on cancelled flights
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-31 | by ( Byron Kaye | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Qantas aircraft are seen on the tarmac at Melbourne International Airport in Melbourne, Australia, November 6, 2018. REUTERS/Phil Noble//File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsCompanies Qantas Airways Ltd FollowSYDNEY, Aug 31 (Reuters) - Australia's competition regulator sued Qantas Airways (QAN.AX) on Thursday, accusing it of selling tickets to thousands of flights after they were cancelled, putting the airline at risk of huge fines and reputational turbulence. The airline kept selling tickets for an average of 16 days after it had cancelled flights for reasons often within its control, such as "network optimisation", the ACCC added. Qantas kept selling tickets to one Sydney-to-San Francisco flight 40 days after it had been cancelled, the regulator said. At the Senate hearing, Joyce confirmed Qantas had written to the federal government in 2022 asking it to deny a request from Qatar Airways, a Qantas competitor on international routes, to increase flights to Australia.

Persons: Phil Noble, Rico Merkert, Alan Joyce, Joyce, Gina Cass, Gottlieb, Byron Kaye, Poonam, Shailesh Kuber, Rashmi Aich, Gerry Doyle, Edmund Klamann Organizations: Qantas, Melbourne International Airport, REUTERS, Rights Companies Qantas Airways Ltd, SYDNEY, Qantas Airways, Australian Competition, Consumer Commission, ACCC, Sydney University's Institute of Transport, Logistics Studies, Australia, Senate, Qatar Airways, Qatar, Thomson Locations: Melbourne, Australia, Sydney, Francisco, Bengaluru

☆ Qantas focuses on international capacity recovery after record annual profit
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

"Travel demand is incredibly robust and we've taken delivery of more aircraft and opened up new routes to help meet it," Qantas Group CEO Alan Joyce said. Qantas said its group domestic capacity is expected to remain above pre-COVID levels throughout fiscal 2024. Additionally, its profit was helped by the completion of the group's A$1 billion recovery programme launched in 2020, in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. The results beat the mid-point of Qantas' profit outlook of A$2.43 billion to A$2.48 billion, nearly A$850 million higher than its 2018 record levels of A$1.60 billion. The company, however, did not announce a final dividend, continuing the trend of non-payment for the past three years.

Persons: Loren Elliott, Alan Joyce, Refinitiv Eikon, Roushni Nair, Archishma Iyer, Shailesh Kuber, Sherry Jacob, Phillips Organizations: Qantas, Sydney Airport, REUTERS, Australia's Qantas Airways Ltd, Thomson Locations: Sydney, Australia, Bengaluru

☆ Qantas CEO Alan Joyce sells $11 mln in shares ahead of retirement
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

June 6 (Reuters) - Australia's Qantas Airways Ltd's (QAN.AX) outgoing chief executive, Alan Joyce, on Tuesday sold A$16.9 million ($11.3 million) of shares in the airline, ahead of his retirement in November. Joyce, who served as the airline's CEO for 15 long years, has offloaded 2.5 million shares for A$6.75 a piece, leaving him with a holding of just 228,924 in the company, according to an exchange filing. The stake disposal by the soon-to-be former chief executive comes after the flagship carrier named finance chief Vanessa Hudson as its next CEO. Shares in the airline finished Tuesday's session down 4.1%, marking its worst day in over 11 weeks. ($1 = 1.4995 Australian dollars)Reporting by Roushni Nair in Bengaluru; Editing by Nivedita BhattacharjeeOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Alan Joyce, Joyce, Vanessa Hudson, Hudson, Roushni Nair, Nivedita Organizations: Australia's Qantas Airways, Thomson Locations: Bengaluru

☆ Qantas eyes return to 100% of pre-COVID capacity by March 2024
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

May 19 (Reuters) - Qantas Airways Ltd (QAN.AX), Australia's flagship carrier, said on Friday it expects its international capacity to reach about 100% of pre-COVID-19 levels by March 2024, as it plans to add more seats and aircraft to its global network. The carrier plans to add about 1 million seats to its international network over a 12-month period starting late-October, Qantas said. "The rebound in demand for international travel since borders reopened has been incredibly strong...," CEO Alan Joyce said in a statement, while flagging a mismatch between supply and demand for international flying. Qantas swung to a record profit in the first half of this financial year as raging travel demand jacked up fares and earnings. The airline will need about 300 more pilots and cabin crew by the end of the year to support extra flying, it said.

A Virgin Australia spokesperson confirmed the contents of the internal email. A Bain Capital spokesperson declined to comment. "I can also confirm the IPO planning is well advanced," Cotton said in the email to staff seen by Reuters. Virgin Australia Chief Executive Jayne Hrdlicka said on Monday that she would take several weeks of leave to spend time with family after the death of her husband from cancer. Bain Capital bought Virgin Australia in 2020 after it was placed in voluntary administration, the closest Australian equivalent to Chapter 11 bankruptcy.

Hudson will be one of the few female executives leading a major company in Australia, although rival carrier Virgin Australia also has a woman as its CEO, Jayne Hrdlicka. "I come with an understanding of this organization that is very deep," Hudson told reporters in her first news conference as CEO designate. "Vanessa has been market-facing as CFO since October 2019, which will have prepared her well for the very public role as Qantas CEO," RBC Capital Markets analyst Owen Birrell said in a note. Though men still account for far more top executive roles in Australian-listed companies, a growing number of high-profile CEO roles are occupied by women, including at the No. Qantas said Hudson would continue in her current role until taking over as Qantas' 13th CEO at the 2023 annual general meeting.

SYDNEY, May 2 (Reuters) - Australia's flagship carrier, Qantas Airways Ltd (QAN.AX), said on Tuesday that long-serving CEO Alan Joyce would step aside in November, and named Vanessa Hudson as its next chief executive officer. * November 2008 - Irish-born Alan Joyce is appointed as Qantas chief executive. * April 2009 - Joyce cuts 1,750 jobs, the first major cull under his leadership, as the airline feels the full impact of the global financial crisis. * October 2016 - Joyce orchestrates a turnaround and delivers record profits and the first dividend to shareholders since 2009. * February 2023 - The airline swings to a record first-half profit on a strong demand recovery and high ticket prices.

☆ Factbox: Long-serving Qantas executive Vanessa Hudson named as next CEO
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

SYDNEY, May 2 (Reuters) - Australia's flagship carrier, Qantas Airways Ltd (QAN.AX), on Tuesday named its finance chief Vanessa Hudson to serve as its new chief executive starting in November, making her the first woman to lead the century-old airline. *Hudson is a trained accountant who has worked at Qantas since 1994 in several roles and lives in Sydney with her husband and two daughters. *She started as chief financial officer in October 2019, just a few months before the COVID-19 pandemic devastated the travel industry globally. *She has also overseen the airline's fleet replacement and expansion plans as part of her role as chief financial officer, including a multi-billion dollar order for Airbus SE (AIR.PA) jets placed last year. *In recent months, Hudson was seen as a likely candidate to succeed Joyce, who had led the airline since 2008.

SummarySummary Companies Hudson is the first female CEO to lead the airlineNew CEO to take over from Alan Joyce in NovemberMay 2 (Reuters) - Australia's flagship carrier, Qantas Airways Ltd (QAN.AX), on Tuesday named its finance chief Vanessa Hudson as its new chief executive officer, making her the first woman to lead the century-old airline. Hudson's appointment makes her one of the few female executives leading an airline, including Virgin Australia CEO Jayne Hrdlicka. "Vanessa has been market-facing as CFO since October 2019, which will have prepared her well for the very public role as Qantas CEO," RBC Capital Markets analyst Owen Birrell said in a note. SUCCESSION PLANSJoyce, 56, served as Qantas CEO for more than 14 years and helped navigate the airline through the COVID-19 pandemic, fluctuating fuel prices, and competition. Qantas said Hudson would continue in her current role until taking over as Qantas' 13th CEO at the 2023 annual general meeting.

☆ Qantas names finance head Vanessa Hudson as its first female CEO
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

May 2 (Reuters) - Australia's flag carrier, Qantas Airways Ltd (QAN.AX), on Tuesday, said it would be appointing finance chief Vanessa Hudson as its new chief executive officer once Alan Joyce retires in November. In its history, Qantas has never had a female CEO. He's faced more than his fair share of challenges as CEO and he's managed them exceptionally well," Qantas Chairman Richard Goyder said. Qantas said Hudson will continue in her current role while also designating for the role of CEO. She will take over as Qantas' 13th CEO at the 2023 annual general meeting.

☆ Alliance Aviation says Australian regulator delays Qantas deal review again
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] FILE PHOTO: Qantas aircraft are seen on the tarmac at Melbourne International Airport in Melbourne, Australia, November 6, 2018. REUTERS/Phil Noble/File Photo/File PhotoMarch 20 (Reuters) - Australia's Alliance Aviation Services Ltd (AQZ.AX) said on Monday the country's competition regulator has delayed a review until April 20 of the proposed acquisition of the charter operator by Qantas Airways Ltd (QAN.AX). This marked the fourth delay so far by the Australian Competition & Consumer Commission (ACCC) on the carrier's A$610.8 million ($409.97 million) acquisition offer of Alliance Aviation. Last May, Qantas announced plans to buy the remaining 80% stake in Alliance Aviation in an all-stock deal to expand its footprint in the charter business. Under the agreement, Qantas said the number of wet-lease aircraft options available from Alliance Airlines, a unit of Alliance Aviation Services, will be up to 12 additional Embraer E190 aircraft.

☆ Alliance Aviation Services says Australian regulator delays Qantas deal review
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

March 20 (Reuters) - Australia's Alliance Aviation Services Ltd (AQZ.AX) said on Monday the country's competition regulator had delayed a review of the proposed acquisition of the charter operator by Qantas Airways Ltd (QAN.AX). The Australian Competition & Consumer Commission (ACCC) has delayed its decision until April 20, marking the fourth delay so far on the carrier's A$610.8 million ($409.97 million) buy of Alliance Aviation Services. In May last year, Qantas said it would buy the remaining 80% stake in Alliance Aviation Services in an all-stock deal to expand its footprint in the charter business. ACCC and Qantas did not immediately respond to Reuters' requests for comment. ($1 = 1.4899 Australian dollars)Reporting by Upasana Singh and Navya Mittal in Bengaluru; Editing by Tom Hogue and Rashmi AichOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Australia's second largest airline is in talks with banks including Goldman Sachs (GS.N) and UBS (UBSG.S) about the loan, said the sources, although no decision has been made yet and the size of the debt has not been finalised. The sources did not wish to be identified as the discussions were private. The airline's owner Bain Capital and Goldman Sachs declined to comment. Bain said in January it would explore re-listing Virgin, which it bought for A$3.5 billion ($2.45 billion) including liabilities in 2020 after it was placed in voluntary administration, the closest Australian equivalent to Chapter 11 bankruptcy. It hired Goldman, UBS and Barrenjoey last month as lead managers for the potential initial public offering (IPO).

A year ago, many airlines were still burning through cash as some countries were slow to remove coronavirus-related travel restrictions. Now, with borders fully open, some of those carriers are posting big profits. British Airways-owner International Consolidated Airlines Group SA said Friday it was back in the black last year for the first time since the pandemic began. Singapore Airlines Ltd. earlier this month posted a record net profit for the nine months ended in December. Qantas Airways Ltd. this week reported a record pretax profit for its most recent half year.

A year ago, many airlines were still burning through cash as some countries were slow to remove coronavirus-related travel restrictions. Now, with borders fully open, some of those carriers are posting big profits. British Airways -owner International Consolidated Airlines Group SA said Friday it was back in the black last year for the first time since the pandemic began. Singapore Airlines Ltd. earlier this month posted a record net profit for the nine months ending in December. Qantas Airways Ltd. this week posted a record pretax profit for its most recent half year.

Regional rival Air New Zealand Ltd (AIR.NZ) also reported a swing to profit in the first half ended Dec. 31 on Thursday, along with a muted outlook. Qantas Chief Executive Alan Joyce said cost of living pressures would hit discretionary spending "at some point" but so far the airline expected robust demand into mid-2024 at least. Qantas said it was facing delays of up to six months in new aircraft deliveries from Airbus SE (AIR.PA) alongside other airlines around the world. The Australian carrier said it would bolster its fleet by acquiring some older Airbus planes and exercising nine options for A220 purchases to help meet travel demand growth. "Outlook for RASK is to reduce, however off what we estimate were elevated levels," said Citi analysts in a client note.

☆ Qantas swings to first-half profit, announces buy-back
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Feb 23 (Reuters) - Qantas Airways Ltd (QAN.AX) posted first-half profit at the top end of its forecast range and announced a A$500 million ($340.30 million) share buy-back on Thursday, as demand for air travel rebounded strongly despite higher fares. The airline said the turnaround to profit was "underpinned by strong travel demand with revenue strength offsetting record fuel prices" during the period. Qantas Chief Executive Alan Joyce said "supply chain and resourcing issues meant capacity hasn't kept up with demand." "Now those challenges are starting to unwind, we can add more capacity and that will put downward pressure on fares." Qantas warned ongoing challenges in the industry, including aircraft manufacturer delays, supply chain snarls and labor constraints, continued to adversely affect operations.

SYDNEY, Jan 16 (Reuters) - Bain Capital said on Monday it is looking to relist Virgin Australia - a move that comes as the domestic aviation market bounces back strongly from its pandemic lows. "In the coming months we will consider how to best position Virgin Australia for continued growth and long term prosperity," Mike Murphy, a Sydney-based partner at the U.S. private equity firm said in a statement. "It is Bain Capital’s current intention to retain a significant shareholding in a future IPO of Virgin Australia." Bain bought Virgin Australia for A$3.5 billion ($2.45 billion) including liabilities in 2020 after the airline was placed in voluntary administration. There were just $614.2 million worth of IPOs in Australia in 2022, down nearly 93% from $8.4 billion a year earlier, according to Refinitiv data.

☆ Qantas disappointed by domestic cabin crew's industrial action vote
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-24 | by ( Jamie Freed | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

SYDNEY, Nov 24 (Reuters) - Qantas Airways Ltd (QAN.AX) said on Thursday it was disappointed that domestic cabin crew had voted in favour of industrial action that could include work stoppages of up to 24 hours amid negotiations over a fresh deal involving pay and conditions. The Flight Attendants' Association of Australia (FAAA), which had raised concerns that the proposed Qantas pay deal would extend duty lengths and reduce rest provisions, said 99% of votes received were in favour of industrial action. "The FAAA aims to take a measured approach to any industrial action which minimises disruption to the travelling public, especially over the upcoming Christmas holiday peak," the union said in a statement. "This is a very disappointing step by FAAA given we're continuing to negotiate towards a new agreement," a Qantas spokesperson said. Pilots at low-cost arm Jetstar this week voted in favour of a new pay deal, according to the Australian Federation of Air Pilots.

☆ Qantas soars on profit view hike, likely shareholder returns next year
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

In its second profit upgrade in six weeks, the carrier expects first-half underlying profit before tax between A$1.35 billion and A$1.45 billion ($898.02 million and $964.54 million), above prior expectation of between A$1.2 billion and A$1.3 billion. Analysts at UBS in a note said "strong demand plus Qantas' strategy to focus on profitability rather than growth will support earnings momentum into FY24". Qantas now also expects its net debt to be between A$2.3 billion and A$2.5 billion by 2022 end, A$900 million lower than its previous estimate. "Low levels of net debt put the board in a position to consider future shareholder returns in February 2023," the airline said, adding 76% of the A$400 million share buyback program announced in August has been completed. UBS expects Qantas to announce additional share buy-backs of A$300 million in second-half of fiscal 2023 and A$500 million in fiscal 2024.

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