inflight wifi

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pages: 309 words: 100,573

Cockpit Confidential: Everything You Need to Know About Air Travel: Questions, Answers, and Reflections
by Patrick Smith
Published 6 May 2013

On its transatlantic flights, Turkish Airlines brings along a business class chef. It goes without saying, of course, that most folks aren’t riding around on expense accounts and haven’t got $9,000 to drop on a seat to Hong Kong. If it’s any consolation, economy class has its modern-day frills as well. Live TV, on-demand movies, and inflight Wi-Fi are among the common amenities. Some Asian and European carriers have switched to shell-style seats that, when reclined, slide forward rather than tip rearward, preserving space for the person behind you. And although complimentary meals are increasingly rare on shorter flights, buy-onboard options are affordable and often tasty.

…

In addition to a seat that actually conforms to the shape of a human body, below are six things that ought to be standard in any economy class: Lumbar support. Existing seats lack any kind of lower-back cushioning. There is only a vacant space into which your lower back sinks, dragging down and contorting the rest of you. Inflight Wi-Fi and on-demand, in-seat video with a personal screen of at least nine inches. I’m lumping these together because they both capitalize on the strategy of distraction, and that’s what keeping passengers happy is all about. Browsing the Web or watching a movie are ideal time-killers. Five or ten dollars for Internet isn’t unreasonable, but it should be free in first or business.

pages: 362 words: 130,141

The Chairman's Lounge: The inside story of how Qantas sold us out
by Joe Aston
Published 27 Oct 2024

Strong levels of competition in US aviation drove those customer improvements; Qantas had less incentive to invest in them because its domestic competition was weak and its management team was putting customers behind shareholders in its hierarchy of priorities. Equally, it was in 2014 that Delta, United and Emirates introduced inflight wi-fi on their international flights (Singapore Airlines did so even earlier). But it wasn’t until 2024 that Qantas finally began installing wi-fi on its long-haul aircraft. Joyce benefited immensely by delaying so much capital expenditure. The avoided spending flowed straight to the company’s short-term financial performance and on to its share price and then his pay.

…

Abbott, Tony, 274 Abbott government, 156, 201 Aer Lingus, 259 ABC, 197, 200 7:30, 246–9 ABC News, 200 ABC Radio, 278 AM, 273 Media Watch, 16, 204, 310 Radio National, 258–9 The Age, 201, 276 Air New Zealand, 14, 42 post-COVID seat sales, 129 RepTrak rank, 180 Virgin Australia stake, 155 Airbus, 150 A220, 151 A320, 93, 151, 320 A320neo, 151, 161–2 A321, 151 A321LR, 151 A321XLR, 151, 164 A330, 12, 119, 129, 152, 154–5, 161, 163, 206–8, 239 A350, 150, 154, 271 A350-1000ULR, 19, 150 A380, 11, 43, 94, 97, 119, 129, 152–5, 161, 163, 170, 271 non-aviation component manufacturing, 120 aircraft see also by manufacturer biggest unfulfilled order, 150–2 deferred defects, 120 depreciation, 158–9 fuel costs, 172 major heavy maintenance checks schedule, 163 ‘minimum equipment list’, 120 Airline Partners Australia (APA), 7–8 Aitken, Angus, 245 Al Baker, Akbar, 219, 234–6, 271, 291 Al Meer, Badr Mohammed, 311 Albanese, Anthony, 19, 61, 260 Australian Open attendance, 300 big business, relationship with, 300 Dutton’s criticism, 255 flight and club membership benefits, 229–31, 243–4, 250 government stake in Virgin, 39 Hamad Airport incident, 223, 273 Indigenous Voice to Parliament, 240–1 Joyce and, 61, 189, 216, 221–2, 240, 257–8, 266–7, 272, 286, 290–1, 300 King, support of, 242 net favourability rating, 241 Qantas, support of, 189–90, 240, 270, 298 Qantas-Emirates tie-up, support of, 234 Qatar Airways air rights stance, 5, 221–2, 234, 257–8, 270–2, 311 Rex, opinion on, 311 Albanese, Nathan, 225, 231, 240, 242–4, 250 Albanese government, 108, 217, 219, 224 airline competition, approach to, 257, 271 Aviation Green Paper, 257, 272–3 Qantas lobbying, 216, 272, 285–6 Qatar Airways decision, 219, 298 support of Qantas, 224, 260–1, 267 Allco Finance, 7 Alliance Airlines, 207 Allsop, James, 297 Amadeus ticketing system, 306 American Airlines, 130, 154, 236 Andrews, Daniel, 89 Ansett, 31, 59, 82, 154 Managers Lounge, 226 The Australian, 38, 199–200, 239 Australian Airlines, 10, 226 Australian and International Pilots Association (AIPA), 94, 280 Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) airfares, 169, 216 Airline Competition Taskforce, 215–17, 256–7 airline monitoring powers, 45, 259–260 cartel conduct authorisation, 233 complaints about Qantas, 86, 224 COVID-19 flight credits, 249 domestic aviation industry, observations on, 216, 224, 312 ‘ghost flight’ lawsuit, 128, 214, 258–60, 277, 293, 296–7, 305–6 Joyce’s opinion, 215 Qantas flight credit email, 122 Virgin complaint, 34 Australian Council of Superannuation Investors (ACSI), 261, 275, 278, 293 Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU), 108–9 Australian Financial Review (AFR) AFR Magazine, 16, 20 airline competition, 273 Chairman’s Lounge and, 20, 204, 225, 315 Chanticleer column, 21, 26, 43, 95, 136–7 Clark interview, 300 commercial deal, 200 complaint by Joyce and Goyder, 184, 190–1, 316 corporate heads’ contact, 173 COVID-19 flight credit manipulation, 126, 249, 252–4 Goyder and, 145, 147 Hudson and, 176–8, 182, 188, 199, 246 Joyce and, 143, 169–70, 259, 261 Oldmeadow interview, 59 PwC tax leaks scandal, 242 Qantas aging fleet, 163 Qantas boycott, 200–4 Qantas culture and management dynamic, 315–16 Qantas customer complaints, 219 Qantas’ opinion, 192 Qatar Airways air rights campaign, 223 Sharp’s op ed, 84, 86 symbiosis with Qantas, 14–15 Tully and, 130–1 Australian Football League (AFL), 192–3 CEO candidates, 193–7 Gather Round, 190, 194 Australian Grand Prix, 21, 112 Australian Licensed Aircraft Engineers’ Association, 89, 106 Australian Open, 299–300 Australian Securities Exchange (ASX), 26, 38, 82 Australian Services Union (ASU), 104, 115 Australian Shareholders’ Association, 293 AviationKeeper, 117, 137, 175 Bailey, Fran, 5 Bain Capital, 40–1, 45, 82, 90, 220 Baird, Bruce, 3–5, 8 Baird, Lucas, 131 Barron, John, 204 Bates, Stephen, 291 Bensan, Sondal, 147 Benson, Simon, 31–2 Berejiklian government, 89 The Betoota Advocate, 174–5 BGH Capital, 35, 39–40 Biden, Joe, 266 bin Khalifa Al Thani, Sheikh Khalifa, 222 bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Sheikh Mohammed, 6 bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Sheikh Ahmed, 6–7 Birmingham, Simon, 90, 288 Bishop, Robin, 35, 39 Boeing 717, 151, 312 737, 117, 151, 154, 163–4, 170, 312 747, 12 747-400, 153 777, 271 777X, 19 787-9 Dreamliner, 16, 19, 24–5, 27–8, 97, 152–4, 161–3, 206 non-aviation component manufacturing, 120 Bonza, 217, 224, 311–12 Borden, Jenny, 59, 262 Borghetti, John Qantas CEO candidate, 9–11, 22 resignation, 11 Virgin Blue CEO, 155, 202 Bornstein, Josh Oldmeadow, impression of, 59, 62 outsourcing disputes, 78 Qantas, opinion of, 54 TWU v Qantas and, 63, 65, 70, 75, 77, 80 union representation, 54 Boyd, Tony, 136 Boyle, Jane, 14–15 Brandis, George, 56 Branson, Richard, 23, 155 Brenner, Maxine Qantas directorship, 262, 282, 293 Qantas travel benefits, 284–5 questioning of Joyce, 283 retirement, 292 Telstra election, 293 British Airways, 132, 236, 238 Bromberg, Justice Mordy, 106–7 Bromwich, Justice Robert, 106–7 Bureau of Infrastructure and Transport Research Economics, 114 Burke, Tony, 109, 239 Business Council of Australia, 109–10 Byron, Stephen, 217, 256, 313 CAE, 94 Callachor, Damian, 220 Canavan, Matt, 239 Caon, David, 16 Carter, Colin, 314 Cass-Gottlieb, Gina airline sector ombudsman, call for, 217 domestic aviation market description, 216, 224 Qantas ghost flight penalty, 258–9, 297, 305 Cathay Pacific, 129, 236–7 Certis, 112–13 Chalmers, Jim, 256–7, 260 Chenoweth, Neil, 242 Chessell, James, 200, 203, 243 Chief executive officer (CEO) see also by name appointment practices, misconceived, 195–6 celebrity status, 18, 317 Fysh’s guiding principles, 267–8 CHOICE Shonky Award, 178 Civil Aviation Safety Authority, 120, 227 Clark, Tim, 7, 235–7, 300 Classic Reward redemptions, 30 Cleary, Andrew, 15 Clifford, Leigh appointment of Joyce, 158 capital considerations, 162 Chairman’s Lounge, appraisal of, 228 Joyce’s share sale, 215 mentorship, 166 opinion of Joyce, 9, 19, 145, 158 ConnectionSaver software, 164 Cook, Roger, 270 Cormann, Mathias, 38, 40 Coronavirus pandemic see COVID-19 pandemic Corporate Confidence Index (CCI), 143–4, 148 Costello, Peter, 8, 11, 256 Cottee, Annabelle, 16 COVID-19 pandemic ‘11 weeks’ narrative, 27–9, 131–2 see also ‘eleven weeks’ narrative airport security agents, 113 airport staff shortages, 113–14 aviation industry’s recovery modelling, 42–3 AviationKeeper, 117, 137 baggage mishandling, 116, 128, 132, 135, 142 border closures, 23, 27, 82–3 border openings, 97–8 close contact rule exemption, 114 ‘eleven weeks’ narrative, 27–9, 131–2 see also ‘11 weeks’ narrative engineering backlog, 120 European governments’ support, 266 exploitation by Qantas, 43–4, 81 first confirmed Australian infection, 20 flight cancellations, 22, 24, 28, 30, 82, 86, 98, 114, 122–3, 126, 128, 132, 306 Great COVID Reopening of 2022, 30 impact on travel industry, 98, 264 infection rates, 97–8 international travel, resumption of, 134 JobKeeper scheme, 28, 36–40, 50–3, 83, 90, 113–17, 139, 175, 177, 266, 304 Joyce’s observations on passengers, 113 Joyce’s responses, 22, 46–7, 95–6, 98, 101, 135–6 lockdowns, 46, 96 mandatory testing for international travel, 101 Morrison government aviation industry support, 23, 83 on-time performance, 114–17, 127–8, 132, 142 passenger demand for flights, 98 Qantas brand, impact on, 130–1, 134, 136, 268 Qantas carriage contract, flight cancellations and, 22, 24 Qantas cash reserve, 27, 84–5, 99 Qantas domestic capacity, increase in, 133 Qantas executive bonuses, 21, 99 Qantas financial status, 96, 99, 127, 137 Qantas flight credits, 24, 45–6, 82, 85, 122–7, 182, 245–53, 259, 306, 307 Qantas flight grounding, 21–2, 27, 42 Qantas GMC demeanour, 167 Qantas ground handling layoff, 55 Qantas ground handling outsourcing, 78, 133–4, 293 Qantas inflight service, 118 Qantas international flight relaunch, 97 Qantas operational reliability, 113–15 Qantas recovery and retention plan, 99–101 Qantas rescue flights, 20–1 Qantas seat cut, 22, 98 Qantas staff bonuses, 105 Qantas staff cuts, 101–2, 115, 139, 181 Qantas staff training, impact on, 117–18 Qantas ‘underlying/adjusted’ profit, 47–8 Qantas workforce stand-down, 23–4, 27–8, 96, 101, 184 Qatar Airways’ flight continuity, 220, 237, 258, 290 quarantine for overseas passengers, 22 repatriation flights, 21, 51–2, 101, 103–4, 220 resumption of services, 95, 117 ‘revenge travel’, 101, 129 Rex online refund portal, 85 seat capacity, recovery of, 128–30, 210 self-quarantine, 21–2 skilled labour loss, 117 tourism industry support package, 83 United States governments support, 266 vaccination rollout, 95–7 Virgin Australia nationalisation proposal, 32–4 Virgin Australia seat cut, 98 WHO designation, 21 Cromwell Group, 88 Crosby, Lynton, 8 Culbert, Geoff COVID-19 comment, 21 domestic airline competition, 224 post-COVID-19 travel chaos, 112–13 Qatar inquiry evidence, 277 Daily Mail, 319 Daily Telegraph ‘CON AIR’ headline, 260 COVID-19 flight credits, 255 David and, 25, 131–3 Qatar Airways, 234 ‘Re-Joyce’ pun, 14, 263 Dash 8 Q-400 turboprops, 312 David, Andrew criticism of Joyce and, 185 defence of COVID-19 operations, 25, 131–4 docking, 318 inflight incidents, 170 international travel conditions, 211 JobKeeper stance, 50 La Spina’s duties, absorption of, 49 Oldmeadow’s relationship with Qantas, 58 request to Joyce to shorten trip, 135 sacking of staff, 318 TWU v Qantas evidence, 64, 66–7, 70–1, 75–8, 80, 107, 247 Davidson, Louise, 278, 294 de Kretser, Ayesha, 223 de Rome, Belinda, 11 Deloitte, 39–41, 45, 287 Delta, 164 Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT), 21, 103, 290, 298 Department of Infrastructure and Transport, 221 Devine, Miranda, 15–16 Diamond Princess, 21 Dick, Cameron, 89 Dillon, Andrew, 190, 197 Dixon, Geoff advertising, 52 AFR aviation reporters and, 15 aircraft orders, 152, 154 Baird and, 3 child, 9 Clark’s recollection, 300 ‘constant shock syndrome’, 21 engineers’ pay increase, 11 meeting with Mullen, 302 politicians and, 3, 7–8 pre-tax profits, 155 privatisation and efficiency, 264 purchase of 737-800s, 154 Qantas leveraged buyout, 7 retirement, 14 Singapore Airlines’ market bid, 6 speechwriter, 10 succession and, 9 two-brand strategy, 313 Doyle, Rohan, 71–3, 304–5 Dubinsky, Rick, 60 Dutton, Peter, 255, 273, 313 Earnings Before Interest Tax (EBIT), 210 Echo Law, 248–9, 259 Eddington, Rod, 237–8, 266 Elliott, Shayne, 256 Embraer, 207 Emirates, 6 A380 fleet, 153 Adelaide flights, 258 adviser, 7 event sponsorship, 6, 300 increased access grant, 299 in-flight wi-fi, 164 post-COVID seat sales, 129 Qantas alliance, 7, 156, 229, 233–7 Qatar Airways, relationship with, 233, 236, 300 Wolgan Valley development, 6–7 Enterprise bargaining agreement (EBA) ground crew, 61–2 long-haul cabin crew, 101–5, 108, 110 pilot, 119 short-haul cabin crew, 110 Epstein, David, 11 Etihad Airways cabin crew training facility flight allocation use, post-COVID, 277 Qatar Airways, competition with, 233 seat sales, post-COVID, 129 state subsidisation, 220 UAE frequencies for use, 299 Virgin Australia alliance, 14–15, 23, 155 Evans, Gareth, 51 EY, 65–6 Fair Work Commission, 61, 65, 102, 110 Fairfax Media, 201–2 Farrell, Don, 224, 290 Farrow, John, 111 Ferguson, Adele, 201 Ferguson, Sarah, 246–9 Finch, Andrew ACCCC claim, defence to, 296–7 allegation against TWU, 50 power of attorney delegation, 76, 303 Qatar inquiry, 285–9, 309 resignation, 309 Saar review, 318 TWU v Qantas evidence, 67–77, 104–8, 276, 309 Find My Credit online portal, 248 Finnair, 206–8, 239 Flanagan, Maurice, 6 Flight Attendants’ Association of Australia (FAAA), 101–3, 108–11 Flight Centre, 20, 128, 270 Follett, Matthew, 73 Forager Funds, 147 Freshwater Strategy, 241 Frydenberg, Josh ACCC airline monitoring power, 45 aviation support package, 23 domestic aviation market competition, 45, 215 JobKeeper announcement, 36 Rex support, 40, 83 Virgin takeover, 38–9 Future Fund, 293 Fysh, Hudson, 267–8, 307–8 Gaske, Emeline, 104, 115, 121–2 Ghoshal, Sumantra, 165 Gibian, Mark TWU v Qantas hearing, 68–75 union representation, 55 Gillard government, 61 Gissing, John, 79–80, 185, 262 Glass Lewis, 293 Global Financial Crisis, 155, 165 Goodwin, James, 60, 224 Goyder, Janine, 145 Goyder, Richard AFR op ed, 145–6 AIPA assessment, 280 CCI reference, 143, 148 CEO naming gaffe, 200 character, 19, 275, 315 complaint against AFR, 184, 187–91, 218, 316 COVID-19 position, 96 decision-making style, 192–4, 196 defence of Joyce, 187 defence of Qantas, 278, 292, 294 dynamic with Joyce, 167, 186, 189, 199 exchanges with author, 190–1, 218–19 executive appointments, 34, 144, 167, 193, 319 Hudson, support for, 185–6 investor relations, 278–9, 291–2 Joyce and, vii, 1, 143–5, 148, 187, 262–3, 274, 317–19 Joyce’s bonus ‘claw-back’ claim, 277–8 ‘mistakes were made’ acknowledgement, 292–3 ‘Over to you, Gil’ nickname, 193 preservation of role, 274 Qantas board ‘fully engaged’ claim, 261–2 Qantas board tenure, 281 Qantas reliability pronouncement, 169 Qantas share buy-back, defence of, 146–7 Qatar inquiry, 285, 288–9 remuneration, 285 reputational damage, 321 response to criticism, 276 retirement, 292, 319 sale of Joyce shares, 214, 279 scepticism of ability, 167 Simon the Likeable comparison, 194 successor, 292, 301 survivability of football codes and COVID-19, 34 travel benefits, 285 work without pay election, 21 GQ, 18 Grant, Martin, 16 Gray, Ben, 8, 35, 39–40 Gregg, Peter, 9, 11 Gregory, Sean, 242 The Guardian, 198, 245 Gurney, Rob, 236 Hamad International Airport (Doha), 222–5, 273 Harbison, Peter, 26 Harcourt, Tansy, 14–15 Harle, Simon, 8, 35 Harris, Peter, 224 Harris review, 256, 273 Haydon, Jodie, 231 Hazzard, Brad, 114 Hehir, Grant, 36 Henry, Ken, 256 Herald Sun, 260 Herbert Smith Freehills, 55–6, 71–3, –7, 303 Hewitt, Angus, 245 Hey, Jacqueline, 282–3, 292, 301 HNA Group, 23 Hockey, Joe, 9, 11, 156 Hogan, James, 14 Hogg, Kate, 13 Holdforth, Lucinda, 10, 13–14 Howard, John, 11 Howard government, 5, 7–9 Howes, Paul, 15 Hrdlicka, Jayne, 322 Qatar air rights concerns, 221–3, 232–3, 255–6, 270–1, 300 resignation, 309 Tennis Australia role, 299–300 Hudson, Vanessa AFR tax op ed, 176–8, 182, 188, 310 apology to customers, 279, 286, 306 approach, 308–10 bonus for cost reduction, 280 booking and change fee amendment, 307 commencement at Qantas, 59 customer complaints, dismissal of, 199 customer improvements, 264, 279 docking, 318 domestic market, comment on, 312–13 ‘Feel the Difference’ mantra, 309 flight credit manipulation, 249 flight credit rule change, 307 investor presentation, 210–12 Joyce’s opinion, 182, 186 Keighery hiring, 14 loan arrangements, 24–7 ‘low speak up’ culture and, 318 Marcolina appointment, 309–10 media queries, responses to, 197–8, 245 Mullen and, 320 promotion to chief financial officer, 19 Qantas board changes and, 296 Qantas CEO appointment, 197, 200 Qantas CEO candidacy, 185–6 Qantas performance claims, 244, 265 Qantas property footprint review, 87–91 Qatar inquiry, 285–90 scepticism, 309 trading update announcement, 279–80 Yangoyan promotion, 104 Hughes, Colin, 63–6, 77 Hume, Jane, 250, 256 Hutchinson, Belinda, 282, 294 Hywood, Greg, 201–2, 204 ‘I Still Call Australia Home’ commercial, 19, 52, 133 Iberia, 236 Indigenous Voice to Parliament, 240–1, 260, 316–17 Industrial relations cabin crew pay deal, 102–3 cabin crew reduction, 117, 238–9 EBAs see Enterprise bargaining agreement (EBA) industrial action, 59–62, 106, 110–11 Jetstar ground crew, 62 Jobs and Skills Summit, changes arising from, 108–9 Joyce’s stance, 18, 62, 109 licensed aircraft engineers, 11–12, 106, 121 pilots’ strike, 59 Qantas’ approach and attitude, 12, 54, 104–10 Qantas flight grounding, 59–62, 110 Qantas staff ‘fragmentation’, 109 right to strike, 63–4, 103, 105 Seremetidis stand down, 297–8, 315 shutdown, 60–1 TWU and see Transport Workers’ Union (TWU) wage policies, 61–2, 105–6, 184 International Air Transport Association (ATA), 43, 211, 311 Isom, Robert, 236 ISS, 275, 293 Jackson, Margaret, 5–10 Jacques, Jean-Sébastien, 191 Jetstar ‘380 million airfares for under $100’ claim, 253 A320, 93, 151 A320neo, 161 COVID-19 flight credits, 22, 122, 248, 252–4, 260 domestic market capacity, 82, 312 fleet management, 43, 151–2 forced divestment, 313 flight cancellations, 22, 132 government assistance, 51 ground crew strike, 62 growth, 55, 152–3 head office consolidation, 87–8 international market share, 152, 156 Joyce’s role, 9, 55 on-time performance, 114, 116, 128, 132, 142, 169 outsourcing, 49, 116 pilot training, 206 recruitment post-COVID-19, 121 resumption of domestic aircraft service, 95 seat availability post-COVID-19, 129 staff cuts, 50 TWU pay deals, 60 undercutting, 312 Jobs and Skills Summit, 108–9 Jones, Paul CEO candidacy, 309 Lee J’s findings, 247, 309 TWU v Qantas evidence, 58, 64, 71, 77, 81, 247, 309 Jones, Stephen, 257 Joyce, Alan 7:30 interview, 246–9 ‘11 weeks’ narrative, 25–8 see also ‘eleven weeks’ narrative 787-9 Dreamliner inaugural flight, 16 A330 freighter conversion, justification of, 207–8 ACCC concerns, dismissal of, 215, 217 acknowledgement of criticism, 169–70 Aer Lingus flight booking model, 259 AFR advertising boycott, 200, 203–4 AFR businessperson of the year, 18 age at appointment, 166 airfare prices, 171–3 Albanese and, 61, 189, 216, 221–2, 240, 257–8, 266–7, 272, 286, 290–1, 300 ‘announceables’, 181–2 annus mirabilis, 18 apology to frequent flyers, 137 argument with Devine, 15 The Betoota Advocate satire, 174–5 board supervision of, 317 celebrity status, 18, 166 CEO designate, naming as, 11 CEO role, perception of, 140 Chairman’s Lounge and see Qantas Chairman’s Lounge challenges to, 1, 19–20, 29, 166–7, 283, 315–16 character assessment, 87, 91, 140–1, 158, 166–7, 185, 192, 199–205, 208–10, 215, 247, 251–2, 263, 268 Clark’s support, 300 Clifford’s opinion, 9, 19, 145, 158 ‘command-and-control structure’, adoption of, 167, 315, 320 Companion of the Order of Australia, 18 compartmental thinking, 205 complaint against AFR, 184, 187–8, 192, 316 concession on decline in standards, 136 cost reduction program, 44, 121, 155, 217–18, 264 COVID-19 situation, optimisation of, 43–4, 95 criticism by corporate heads, 136 customer service, attitude towards, 169, 265–6, 268 decision-making authority, 69–70 delayed capital expenditure, benefits of, 164–5 delegation of authority, 70, 76, 142, 303 ‘democratisation of air travel’ claim, 253 depreciation of aircraft, interpretation of, 159 ‘efficiency’ rationale for record profit, 217 egging of mansion, 131, 212 ‘eleven weeks’ narrative, 25–8 see also ‘11 weeks’ narrative email to staff on COVID-19 ‘challenges’, 135–6 engineer recruitment announcement, 180–1 Fairfax Media coverage, 201–2 final financial results announcement, 244 Finnair wet-lease, explanation of, 208 fleet management, 150–5, 160–4, 246, 264–5 flight credit manipulation, 127, 247–9, 259–60 flight grounding, 21, 110 flight training centre dedication, 206 Fysh, comparison with, 267–8 ‘giant wave of international airline capacity’ lament, 156 government assistance to Virgin Australia, stance on, 32–5 Goyder and, vii, 1, 143–5, 148, 187, 262–3, 274, 279, 316–19 GQ man of the year, 18 growth of Jetstar, 152–3 hiring, 9 ‘holy trinity’ achievement, 148 identity as CEO, 205 illusory truth effect and, 26 impact and influence, 10, 91, 165–6, 263, 266–9, 275, 315 industrial relations stance, 18, 62, 109–10 investment minimisation tactic, 166 investors and, 215, 275–6, 278 JobKeeper scheme, 36–7 King meeting, 221, 238 ‘kitchen-sinking’, 158 leadership style, 1, 167, 185, 315, 317, 320 legacy mode, adoption of, 199 liability, 184 marriage, 18 marriage equality campaign, 18, 166, 316–17 McManus’ impression, 110, 268 media questioning, 344–5 mentor, 166 net favourability rating, 241 O’Brien meeting, 263 post-COVID holiday, 131, 135, 140 power, 19, 209–10 praise for Hudson, 182, 186 profit inflation, 155, 159–60 property portfolio, 131, 212–13 public approval, value of, 205 public figure, renunciation as, 140–1, 181, 208 public scrutiny, 204 Qantas board, relationship with, 283 Qantas financial status, assertions on, 26–9, 139, 157–8, 244, 264–5 Qantas headquarters relocation, 93 Qantas post-COVID performance claims, 145–6, 169, 171–2, 197 Qantas share buy-back, motivation behind, 146–7 Qantas shareholding, 45, 96, 100, 137–8, 148, 160, 212–13, 244–6, 261, 264 Qantas workforce stand-down, 24 Qatar inquiry, 286 relationship with Oldmeadow, 59, 62 remuneration and bonuses, 1, 18, 96, 100–1, 108, 137–8, 148, 159, 160, 183–4, 213, 246, 251–2, 261–3, 275–6, 277–8, 282, 293, 318 ‘reprioritisation of capital’, 161 reputation, 19–20, 49, 179, 181, 215, 260–1, 265 resignation, 20, 261–2, 267, 272 resignation requests, 141, 143 retirement, 26, 213, 262 revenue optimisation practices, 259 review of media coverage, 185 Rex, opinion on, 84–7 sale of shares, 212–14, 244–5, 279, 316 Senate questioning see Senate inquiry into Qatar decision (Qatar inquiry; Senate Select Committee on the Cost of Living shrinking of Qantas International fleet, 152–3 stripping of bonus, 1, 318 successor, 19, 185, 197 Sydney Theatre Company chair, 180 tenure, extension of, 45, 199 trade unions, opinion on, 142 TWU v Qantas response, 107–8 ‘very little government support’ remark, 138–40 Virgin Australia complaint against, 34, 140 workforce rationalisation, 43, 142 zero-profit flights, promotion of, 51–2 Joyce, Anthony, 259 Joyce, Geoff, 8 ‘Joyced’, 131 JWS Research, 18 Kaine, Michael call for Joyce’s resignation, 50 impression of EBA, 105 Joyce’s industrial relations decision, 61–2 Oldmeadow advice, view on, 57 Oldmeadow’s impression, 305 opinion of Oldmeadow, 58–60 outsourcing decision, advice on, 54–5 Qantas’ reliability during COVID-19, 115 Sheldon briefing, 239 TWU v Qantas analysis, 65, 70, 73–4, 76, 80 Keighery, Danielle, 14 Keltner, Dacher, 209 Kidon, Filip, 292 King, Catherine, 36, 241–2, 257 ACCC monitoring of Qantas, 216 Qantas Chairman’s Lounge and, 289 Qatar Airways air rights decision, 221–5, 238, 241, 250, 256–7, 271–3, 286, 298–9, 311 Qatar inquiry response, 276–7 slot system action, 312 Turner’s labelling, 299 King & Wood Mallesons, 314 Kirkland, Alan, 256 KLM, 132 Knight, Elizabeth, 145 Koch, David, 322 KPMG, 157 La Spina, Tino, 49, 67, 92, 161 Labor Party, 36, 260–1 see also by politician name Lane, Sabra, 273 Lee, Michael appointment of mediator, 297 Brandis’ esteem, 56 outsourcing proposal, characterisation of, 303 TWU case and see Transport Worker’s Union of Australia v Qantas (TWU v Qantas) Leigh, Andrew, 257 L’Estrange, Michael, 191, 281, 285 Levine, Michele, 179, 242, 265 Liberal Party, 8 see also by name Littleproud, David, 313 Lloyd, Shane, 18, 212–13 LOGOS, 93–4 Lucas, Tony facility ownership and control, view on, 94 Finnair wet-lease, opinion on, 207 Qantas decision-making, assessment of, 280–1 Qantas fleet purchase, opinion of, 154–5 Qantas pilot training, 119–20 Qantas staffing during COVID-19, concerns about, 116–18, 128 ‘raise’ process analogy, 281 Lufthansa, 132 McCormack, Michael, 35–6, 40–1, 220, 271 Macquarie AirFinance, 39 Macquarie Bank, 7–8 McGinnes, Andrew AFR advertising boycott, 203 AFR articles meeting, 187 air turn-backs and diversions letter, 171 description of author, 173 flight increase announcement, 206 Hudson and, 296 Joyce’s resignation, 262 Qantas tax argument, 177 Qatar inquiry, 286 resignation, 309 Rex dispatch, 86–7 Saar review, 318 Senate inquiry responses, 250, 252, 254 tone of press releases, 91, 131, 146 McGowan, Mark, 98 McKenzie, Bridget competition in aviation, 313 COVID-era bonus query, 261 Qatar inquiry role, 251, 286–8 McLachlan, Gillon, 144–5, 192–7, 276 McManus, Angela, 111 McManus, Sally Joyce’s legacy, opinion of, 260–1 Qantas job cuts, scrutiny of, 239 Qantas’ role in law reform, 109–110 strength of Qantas brand, 268 Mader, Wayne, 61–2 Malinauskas, Peter, 190, 194, 258, 270 Marc Newson Skybeds, 161 Marcolina, Rob, 309–10 Marles, Richard, 260 Maurice Blackburn, 54 Miles, Steven, 270 Millen, Sonia industrial negotiations and, 111 Reed’s opinion, 104–5 TWU v Qantas evidence, 70–2, 104 Miller, Michael, 204 Minns, Stephen, 314 Minogue, Kylie, 189 Moody’s, 156 Moore-Wilton, Max, 234 Morrison, Scott Benson and, 31–2 domestic travel, promotion of, 83 Dreamliner reception, 19 Hamad Airport incident description, 222 Hawaiian holiday, 141 JobKeeper announcement, 36 predecessor, 3 self-appointment to ministries, 40 Virgin support, 38–40 Morrison government COVID-19 management and see COVID-19 pandemic job losses as threat, 83 Qatar flight doubling grant, 220–1 Movember, 317 Mullen, Jacqui, 300 Mullen, John chairman appointment, 301 company directorships, 319–20 corporate activism, take on, 316–17 Joyce, opinion on, 1, 318–19 media approach, 310 removal of AFR, opinion on, 315 vision, 320 Munger, Charlie, 37, 285 Murdoch, Lachlan, 15, 145 Murdoch, Sarah, 15 Murray, Crispin see also Pendal conversations with Goyder, 292 Joyce, opinion of, 17–18, 165–7, 265 Joyce’s share sale, 214–15 Project Sunrise, view on, 18 Qantas’ focus, criticism of, 127 Qantas investment, opinion of, 162 Qantas share buy-back, support of, 148 Rio Tinto analogy, 274–5, 292 Nanshan Group, 23 National Party, 36, 40–1 National Press Club, 8, 300 Nationalisation, 32 Net promotor score (NPS), 198 News Corp Australia, 15, 200, 204, 296 Newson, Marc, 16 Nicholas, Paul, 64, 77 Nine Entertainment Co., 200, 203 O’Brien, Kerry, 263, 269 O’Connor, Brendan, 180 Offshoring heavy maintenance, 44, 94 Oldmeadow, Ian creation of QGS, 60 industrial relations career, 58–9 Joyce and, 62 O’Toole meeting, 110–11 outsourcing advice, 58, 81, 105, 303–5 Qantas mass sacking concerns, 62 Qantas pay deals, 61 Oldmeadow, Justine, 58–9, 81, 111, 303–4 Oldmeadow Consulting, 57–9 O’Neil, Michele, 239 O’Neill, Meg, 144, 193 oneworld alliance, 235–6 O’Sullivan, Matt, 201 O’Toole, Teri bargaining agreement negotiations, view on, 102–3, 108–11 Qantas outsourcing and sackings, opinion on, 115, 121 Outsourcing call centres, impact on, 115, 122 flying, 207 ground handling, 49–50, 54–8, 65, 107, 133, 142, 146, 293 in-house bid (IHB), 65–7, 70 Joyce’s fight with unions, 142 Lee J’s summation, 303 pilot training, 94, 206 proposal meeting, 303 risks, 304–5 savings, 80 TWU case see Transport Workers’ Union Of Australia v Qantas (TWU v Qantas) Ownership Matters, 293 Paatsch, Dean, 167, 209 Parker, Andrew, 7 Parker, Doug, 262, 281 Parker & Partners, 7 Payne, Marise, 222 Pendal see also Murray, Crispin Clifford, praise for, 166 defence of Qantas, 147–8 Goyder and, 274 Joyce, view on, 17–18, 44, 166 Joyce share sale, concern about, 214 vote against Sampson, 294 Perrottet, Dominic, 89 Perry, Neil, 16, 189, 239 Pocock, Barbara, 291 Pocock, David, 289–91 Points Plus Pay option, 30 Popple, Brad, 72 Project Rubicon, 88 Project Sunrise, 18, 93, 150, 163, 211 Project Winton, 151 Prostate Cancer Foundation, 317 Purvinas, Steve inflight incidents, 170 Joyce, opinion of, 62 parts availability, concern about, 120 pay rise offer, characterisation of, 105–6 Qantas heavy maintenance facility proposal, 89 Qantas recruiting practice, 121 ‘slow-bake’ pledge, 60 PwC, 93, 242–3, 290 Qantas 2023 AGM, 281, 292–5 2023 annual report, 277–8 ACCC actions see Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) activism, 316–17 advantage over Virgin, 313–14 advertising boycott, 202–4 AFR feud, 200–4 AFR symbiosis, 14–15 airfare pricing, 105, 127–9, 168, 171–2, 210, 216–17, 219, 233, 265, 283, 296 Albanese’s praise, 189–90 anti-competitiveness, 6, 216, 224, 268, 271, 300 app capabilities, 164 asset write-down, 157–9 Australian jobs and, 238–9 board member benefits, 284–5 booking fee changes, 307 brand damage, 130–1, 134, 136, 268, 281, 296 call centres, 25, 115, 122, 124, 164 capacity forecasts, 101, 110 capital expenditure, delayed, 148, 160–5 capital-intensive business, 161–2 Cass-Gottlieb’s description, 305 centenary celebrations, 189–90 CEO hiring practice, 9 commercial advantages, 32 commercial deals with media, 200–2 commercial objective, 266 Commonwealth government spending, 227–8 communications to customers, 136 company tax, 175–8, 284, 310 comparative adequacy mantra, 133 compensation mentality, 92 complexity of company, 140 conflict-avoidance of board, 316 connection time, management of, 164 contract execution policy, 68–9 ‘corporate welfare-seeking’, 90 COVID-19, operations during see COVID-19 pandemic credit rating downgrade, 156 culture, 10, 75, 91, 133, 166, 205, 310, 315–17, 320–1 customer expectations, absolute, 127, 132–3 customer experience, 148, 164, 198–9 customer improvements, 264, 279–80 customer satisfaction, 44–6, 123, 126, 130–1, 136, 142–3, 147, 172, 182, 199, 219, 224, 268, 308 customer loyalty strategies, 307, 314 debt financing, 25, 29, 44–5 delivery of A380s, 11 delusion, 209 denialism, 115, 133 domestic market dominance, 82, 216, 312–14 economic efficiency, 90 Emirates alliance, 7, 156, 229–36 employees see Qantas staff engineering and spare parts backlog, 120 executive versus staff, disparity of treatment, 104–5 external communications, tone of, 315, 318 ‘final frontier’ of aviation, 18 financial interests, prioritisation of, 1, 30, 127, 148, 178, 246, 315 financial liability, 30, 127 fleet see Qantas fleet flight credit class action, 248–9, 259 flight simulators, 91–5, 119 foreign ownership cap, 33 fuel costs, 172, 279–80 Fysh’s ideals and guiding principles, 267–8, 307–8 ‘ghost flights’ lawsuit see Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) government lobbying, 216, 272, 285–6 government subsidies and support, 50–3, 89, 92–3, 137, 139, 156, 174–8, 242, 246, 256, 264, 266 head office, 10, 87, 88 ‘holy trinity’, 17 Indigenous Voice to Parliament support, 240, 260, 316–17 inflation rates, contribution to, 168 inflight catering, 28, 94, 130, 169, 198–9 inflight incidents, 12–13, 170–1 influence, 5 insolvency, 29, 31 institutional investors, 147–8 integrated operations centre (IOC), 12 international market share reduction, 152 investment inadequacies, 154, 156, 161–4 investor sentiment, 278–9 Labor government support, 260–1, 267 labour hire agencies and, 54, 239 ‘lazy’ capital, unlocking of, 94 media influence, 310–11 Miller’s criticism, 204 monopoly, 39, 314 national carrier status, 24, 105, 127, 133, 141–3, 266, 270, 290 national property footprint, review of, 87–93 nature pre-Joyce, 10 NPS, 198 on-time performance, 142, 169, 198 ‘operational transformation’ priorities, 63 powerlessness over price notion, 173 pre-tax annual loss record, 157 privatisation, 133, 264 ‘productivity improvement’ rationalisation, 43 profit, 17, 106, 148–9, 157, 159, 172, 174, 178, 210, 217, 244, 280, 308 profitless revenue growth, 52 public sentiment, 134, 174, 179, 189, 197, 204, 225, 242, 247, 255, 260, 283, 314–15 Qatar Airways, schism with, 220–1, 233, 236 relativism, financial and moral, 184 repayment of debt, 50, 128, 177–8, 246, 256 RepTrak rankings, 136, 179–80, 296, 308 reputational damage, 179, 192, 198 request for approval (RFA), 70–5 Rio Tinto analogy, 191, 274–5, 281, 292 risk management policy, 67–8 Saar review, 314–18 safety reputation, 12, 91, 133 sale of surplus land, 93–4 share buy-back, 138, 146–8, 159, 197, 210, 214 share prices, 17, 21, 25, 27, 95, 147, 157–60, 213, 308 shareholder engagement, 294–5 shareholder gratification ‘within reason’, 162 shareholder presentation, 210–12 Sharp’s opinion, 84–5, 172, 256 Shonky Award, 178 Singapore Airlines, competition with, 237 skirmish with Rex, 83–4 slot hoarding practice, 224, 256, 260 ‘Spirit of Australia’ tagline, 133 ‘structural uplift’ in domestic revenue, 218 sustainability credentials, 162 Sydney Airport tenancy, 92 technology spending, 164 trading updates, 97, 150, 159, 210, 279–80 ‘transformation costs’, 48 travel agent commission, slashing of, 95 TWU v Qantas decision, impact of, 276 ‘underlying/adjusted’ profit, 47–9, 53, 150, 306 undertakings, nature of, 93 Virgin Australia collapse, role in, 33, 38–40, 140 website problems, 164 wi-fi, in-flight, 164 Qantas Airports, 55 Qantas Airways Limited (QAL), 59–65, 109 Qantas Cabin Crew Australia (QCCA), 102, 109 Qantas Chairman’s Lounge, 169, 260 AFR courtesy copies, 200, 204, 315 benefits for Qantas, 227–9 establishment, 226 inducement, nature of, 232 invitation-only status, 2 Joyce’s influence, 228, 231–2 membership, 4, 227–8, 231–2, 289, 291, 302 Mullen and, 302 network, 226 opacity, 229 perks, 226–7 Pocock queries, 289 politicians and, 4, 225, 229–32, 242 status credits, 228 Sydney Morning Herald poll, 291 symbolism, 2, 204, 227 Qantas Domestic EBIT margin, 210 fleet, 154 market share, 155–6, 216 Qantas Drive, 89–92 Qantas fleet see also by manufacturer age, 154, 160, 163–4, 314 capability gap, 207 delivery post-Joyce, 165 disinvestment, 163, 264–5 extended retirement age claim, 163 flying hours, increase in, 163–4 Joyce’s management, 150–5, 160–4, 246, 264–5 refurbishment, 314 renewal, 149–55, 160–2 selection, 152 wet-lease, 206–7 Qantas Freight, 95, 207–8 Qantas Frequent Flyer program accrual on government travel, end of, 228 apology, 137 COVID-19 flight credit bookings, 248 COVID-19 points balances, 129 major overhaul, 307 membership, 139, 314 redemption seats, 136, 198, 280 Qantas Ground Services (QGS) employment conditions, QAL compared, 63, 109 limit on workforce, 61 motive for establishment, 60 Qantas Group, 60, 152, 160–1, 252 Qantas Group Engineering Academy, 180 Qantas Group Management Committee (GMC) ‘black hat’/chief challenger role, 167 Carter bonus inquiry, 314 Jones’ cost savings document, 64 nature of, 80 Oldmeadow attendance, 58 ‘operational transformation’ documents, 63 outsourcing decision, 67–70, 304 Qantas International COVID-19 grounding, 42 EBIT margin, 210 fleet write-down, 159 pilot stand down, 118 post-COVID-19 fleet, 94, 129 relaunch, push back of, 95 shrinking, 152–3, 155 Qantas Loyalty, 95 ‘Qantas News’, 14 Qantas Pass, 125–6 Qantas pilots COVID-19 and, 118–19 EBA, 119 Finnair wet-leasing, 206–8, 239 Joyce’s fleet management, impression of, 208 New Zealand, 239 preservation program, 118 promotion, 119 seniority by aircraft system, 119 training, 91, 94, 118–20 training centre, 91–5, 118, 206 Qantas staff adequacy, insistence on, 121–2 baggage handlers, grounding of, 60–2 ‘bargaining chips’ for subsidies, 91 condemnation of treatment, 64, 80, 107, 146–7, 211, 240, 247, 266, 279–80, 293, 297–8 cost reduction, 55, 60, 64, 80, 118, 121, 155–6, 172, 264 COVID-19 impact see COVID-19 pandemic culture, 10 disaggregation, 59–60 ‘discretionary bonuses’, exclusion of, 48 division strategy, 60 head office, 87–91 identity, 104 industrial relations issues see Industrial relations JobKeeper payments, 37–8, 50–1, 139, 177, 304 legacy, 59–63, 102, 104 long-haul flight attendants, 101–4, 108, 110 loyalty, 104, 266 licensed aircraft mechanical engineers, 106, 121, 180–1 New Zealand cabin crew, 239 outsourcing see Outsourcing part-time majority, 121 pilots see Qantas pilots Qantas share offer, 100 Qantas’ treatment, 104 QCCA see Qantas Cabin Crew Australia (QCCA) QGS see Qantas Ground Services (QGS) rationalisation, 43, 142, 181 recruitment post-COVID-19, 121, 135, 180–1, 238 redundancies and sacking, 43, 49, 62, 88, 95, 115–16, 121, 180, 184, 240, 247, 264, 297 relocation, 88, 92–3 short-haul crew, 110–11, 169 specialists, 88, 117 training, 117–18 QantasLink, 79, 104, 151, 207 Qatar Airways, 5, 42 Australian air rights campaign, 219, 220–4, 236–7, 241–2, 250, 255–60, 270–2, 290, 299, 311 continuity during COVID-19, 220, 237, 258, 290 economic benefits of increased flights, 233 ‘fair competition’ lobbying, 220 fleet age and capability, 225 growth, 234–5 Hamad Airport incident and, 222–5, 273 Israel evacuation, 298 post-COVID seat sales, 129 profit, 241 Qantas’ concerns, 220–1, 236 Senate inquiry see Senate inquiry into Qatar decision (Qatar inquiry) Virgin Australia alliance, 220–1, 233, 311 QFuture, 155 Rangiah, Justice Darryl, 106–7 Reed, Steven, 102–5, 117 Regional Express (Rex) administration, 311–12 expansion, 217 government support, 35–6, 83 Joyce’s opinion, 86–7 National Party choice, 40 online refund portal, 85–6 Qantas size compared, 87 refund portal, 85–6 skirmish with Qantas, 83 slot hoarding, impact of, 224 RepTrak advice to Qantas, 181–2 confidential briefing pack, 179–80 Qantas rankings, 136, 296, 308 Rio Tinto Juukan Gorge disaster, 191, 274–5, 281, 292 Robb, Andrew, 256 Roy Morgan, 17, 136–7, 179, 242 Rudd, Kevin, 11 Russell, David, 298 Ryan, Monique, 291 Saar, Tom, 314 review, 314–18 Samaras, Kos, 241, 300 Same Job, Same Pay legislation, 109, 305 Sampson, Todd, 282, 293–4 Sams, Peter, 102 Sayers, Luke, 322 Scheinkestel, Nora, 301 Scherer, Christian, 150–1, 154, 163 Schneider, William, 292 Scriven, Jon, 167 Scurrah, Paul, 22, 31–4, 36, 38–40 Senate inquiry into Qatar decision (Qatar inquiry), 270, 276, 285–6 Finch’s assertions, 287–8 Hrdlicka’s evidence, 221, 223 Hudson’s responses, 286–90 Joyce and, 258, 286 King’s response, 276–7 outcome, 290 Qantas Chairman’s Lounge queries, 289–90 Qantas’ written responses, 289 Senate Select Committee on the Cost of Living, 239–40, 247, 250 COVID-19 flight credits, 251–5, 260 Joyce’s remuneration and bonuses, 251 McGinnes responses, 252 parties, 250 Qantas’ credibility, 255 Seremetidis, Theo, 297–8, 315 Sharp, John, 36, 83–6, 172, 256 Sheldon, Tony evidence gathering, 249 Finch, impression of, 288–9 Joyce and, 205, 239–40, 302 ‘Joyced’ reputation of Qantas, 131 meetings with Albanese, 61 Mullen, impression of, 301–2 Qantas, relationship with, 11–12 Qantas’ progressive political stances, view on, 317 Sampson, opinion of, 294 Senate Select Committee questions, 250, 252–5 senator office, 110 Shorten, Bill, 239, 276 Sims, Rod competition policy review, 256–7, 273 COVID-19 flight credits, 46 Virgin complaint against Qantas, 34–5 Singapore Airlines air rights request, 5, 7 competition with Qantas, 237 continuity during COVID-19, 42 in-flight wi-fi, 164 ownership, 5 post-COVID seat sales, 129 Qantas financial position compared, 139 Skytrax ranking, 219 Virgin Australia stake, 23, 155 Sky News, 27, 32–3, 219, 245, 265 Skytrax World Airline Awards, 219, 311 slot hoarding, 224, 256, 260, 312 Smith, Heather, 281 ‘Snakes on a Plane’ incident, 12–13 Sodhi, Gaurav, 147 Standard & Poor’s, 156 Stefanovic, Karl, 218, 260 Strawbridge, Vaughan, 40 Strong, James, 59, 152, 264 Stutchbury, Michael AFR boycott, opinion on, 202–4 AFR coverage meeting, 173, 187–8 Albanese Chairman’s Lounge membership, 231, 243 Hudson op ed, publication of, 176 Joyce’s leadership, assessment of, 202–3 Qatar Airways air rights campaign, 273 Sukkar, Michael, 35 Sumers, Brian, 19 Svensson, Markus, 169, 179, 198, 203, 236 Swan, Wayne, 270 Swissport, 297, 304 Sydney Airport, 21, 88–9, 112, 224 Sydney Gateway Project, 91 Sydney Morning Herald Goyder’s ‘best CEO in Australia’ claim, 143 Joyce op ed, 171 Joyce share sale, questions on, 244–5 Joyce’s extended tenure, 199 Joyce’s management, coverage of, 201–2 Qantas AFR boycott article, 200–1, 203 Qantas Chairman’s Lounge poll, 291 Qantas headquarters, NSW government offer regarding, 93 Qatar Airways air rights campaign, 223–4 Sydney Night Patrol, 112 Sydney Theatre Company, 180 Tadros, Edmund, 242 Tanner, Lindsay, 228 Tebbutt, Carmel, 231 Telstra, 293 Texas Pacific Group (TPG), 7–8 Tonagh, Peter, 15 Transport Workers’ Union (TWU), 11–12, 50 call for Joyce’s resignation, 50 flight attendants’ pay deal, 102–3 ground handling pay deals, 60 IHB for ground handling workforce, 65–7 Joyce’s impression, 76 membership, 63 Transport Workers’ Union of Australia v Qantas Airways Limited (TWU v Qantas) accounting implications, 108 evidence and analysis, 62–79 facts in dispute, 56 Federal Court judgment, 78, 106–7, 247, 276, 303–4, 309 High Court judgment, 276, 293 media coverage, 75–6 mediation, 297, 302 parties, 55–6 Qantas appeal, 106, 108 Qantas press releases, 78–80, 107 settlement, 297, 302–3 Treacher, Karl, 130 Trivers, Robert, 209 Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP) (US), 35 Trump, Donald, 21, 79, 266 Tully, Stephanie, 130, 250, 252–4 Turkish Airlines, 299 Turner, Graham ‘Skroo’, 20, 223, 256, 299 Tyler, Tony, 262 Ukraine invasion, 206–7 United Airlines, 5, 42, 60, 164 United Arab Emirates, 6, 234–5 Universal Air Travel Plan (UATP), 125–6 Vaile, Mark, 6–7 Velocity Frequent Flyer program, 23 Virgin Australia administration, 42–3 airline stakes, 155 baggage handling, in-sourcing, 134, 297 baggage tracking, in-app, 164 collapse, 31, 33, 38–41, 263–4 Commonwealth government spending, 228 complaint against Qantas, 34–5 corporate travel account loss, 82 COVID-19 job losses, 83 COVID-19 seat cuts, 98 debt, 22–3 domestic ground handling, 116 domestic market share, 155–6, 216 Etihad Alliance, 14–15 Fairfax Media deal, 202 government support, 33–9, 90 Jetstar undercutting, 312 JobKeeper, impact of, 37–8 Joyce’s view on nationalisation, 32 loan proposal, 38 long-haul operation, 129 on-time performance, 114, 116, 127–8, 142, 169, 198 Qantas compared, 90, 313–14 Qatar alliance, 220–1, 233, 311 rebranding, 155 redundancies, 50 RepTrak ranking, 308 restructuring, 41, 45 sale to Bain Capital, 40, 45, 82 slot hoarding practice, 224 unionised staff hire, 297 Virgin Beyond, 231, 291 Virgin Blue, 11, 60, 155 Virgin Group, 23, 155 Walker, Bret, 106 Wallace, Cam, 14 Waterhouse, Rachel, 295 Watson-Brown, Elizabeth, 291 Watson-Wheeler, Kylie, 194–6 Webber, Tony competition in aviation, 271 government-funded airfares, opinion of, 83 Qatar air rights campaign, 233–4, 277 Webster, Alison, 19 The Weekend Australian, 139 Westacott, Jennifer, 32, 109–10 Western Sydney Airport, 87–8 White, Linda, 110 Whittaker, Paul, 15 Wirth, Olivia CEO candidate, 185, 200 Frequent Flyer overhaul, 307 Howes and, 15 Joyce and, 11, 262 Oldmeadow meeting, 59 resignation, 296 Wong, Penny, 272 Wood, Danielle, 256–7 Woodward, Richard, 61 World Health Organization (WHO), 21 Yangoyan, Rachel, 104 Yates, Peter, 8 Young, Neil, 55–6, 67–8, 73 First published in Australia in 2024 by Scribner, an imprint of Simon & Schuster (Australia) Pty Limited Level 4, 32 York St, Sydney NSW 2000 Simon & Schuster: Celebrating 100 Years of Publishing in 2024.

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pages: 315 words: 99,065

The Virgin Way: Everything I Know About Leadership
by Richard Branson
Published 8 Sep 2014

Other interesting, and more successful, brand marriages I’ve spotted are: Apple and Nike – who developed a wireless system that allows sneakers to talk to the owner’s iPod and record their activities; Audi and Leica – with a camera not a car; JBL and Nokia on matching smartphone and portable speakers; and perhaps most tempting of all the trio of HP, Google and GoGo the leading supplier of inflight WiFi systems to the world’s airlines, who hooked up to produce the very cool ‘Chromebook 11’ laptop, which among other things features complimentary in-flight WiFi on all GoGo-equipped airlines. This last one is a great example of the really smart upsides than can come from partnering with the right people. The free inflight GoGo offer (which usually costs between ten and fifteen dollars per trip) means that if you are a frequent flier you could recoup the entire price of the laptop (around $300) in as few as a dozen or so round-trip flights – clever stuff!

pages: 314 words: 83,631

Tubes: A Journey to the Center of the Internet
by Andrew Blum
Published 28 May 2012

But what did that mean when the place I was coming home from was everywhere? The morning I left Oregon, I’d opened my laptop in the airport lounge to write some emails, read a few blog posts, and do the things I always do while sitting in front of the screen. Then, even more strangely, I did the same thing on the plane, paying the few bucks for the inflight Wi-Fi, flying above the earth but still connected to the grid. It was all one fluid expanse, the vast continent be damned—on the Internet’s own terms, at least. But I hadn’t traveled tens of thousands of miles, crossed oceans and continents, to believe that was the whole story. This may not have been the most arduous of journeys—the Internet settles in mostly pleasant places—but it was a journey nonetheless.

pages: 234 words: 57,267

Python Network Programming Cookbook
by M. Omar Faruque Sarker
Published 15 Feb 2014

If we choose technology as the category, you can get the latest news on technology, as shown in the following command: $ python 6_6_read_bbc_news_feed.py ==== Reading technology news feed from bbc.co.uk (2013-08-20 19:02:33.940014)==== Enter the type of news feed: Available options are: world, uk, health, sci-tech, business, technology News feed type:technology Xbox One courts indie developers http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-23765453#sa-ns_mchannel=rss&ns_source=PublicRSS20-sa Microsoft is to give away free Xbox One development kits to encourage independent developers to self-publish games for its forthcoming console. Fast in-flight wi-fi by early 2014 http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-23768536#sa-ns_mchannel=rss&ns_source=PublicRSS20-sa Passengers on planes, trains and ships may soon be able to take advantage of high-speed wi-fi connections, says Ofcom. Anonymous 'hacks council website' http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-surrey-23772635#sa-ns_mchannel=rss&ns_source=PublicRSS20-sa A Surrey council blames hackers Anonymous after references to a Guardian journalist's partner detained at Heathrow Airport appear on its website.

Industry 4.0: The Industrial Internet of Things
by Alasdair Gilchrist
Published 27 Jun 2016

Yet, here is the strange thing—the designers, presumably with years to design and plan ahead, and with sufficient budget to issue contracts to perhaps redesign or reimagine required components, still ended up launching an airliner with multiple networks. The A380 launched with so-called state of the art infotainment systems, in so much as it supported IP and Ethernet for video, music and in-flight Wi-Fi. However, for the flight control systems it stayed with the traditional CAN bus as the physical topology as it was industry proven, a common interface, and even though its communication throughput was limited to 125-500Kbps that was sufficient, as performance was deterministic. However, the A380 also had a legacy bus network installed in the cockpit to support the VHF radio equipment.

pages: 304 words: 89,879

Liftoff: Elon Musk and the Desperate Early Days That Launched SpaceX
by Eric Berger
Published 2 Mar 2021

As director of propulsion for the mission, he felt pride that the rocket had lifted off, and eagerness at the prospect of going all the way to orbit the next time out. Hollman passed a couple of days on Omelek helping to clean up, organize the debris, and batten down the site until the next launch attempt. This left little time for internet browsing until he settled into a commercial flight from Honolulu to Los Angeles. Tapping into the plane’s rudimentary in-flight WiFi, Hollman remembers slowly loading news accounts of the failure. Eventually, he found some that suggested Musk blamed him and Thomas for failing to properly tighten the B-nut on the kerosene fuel line. It did not seem fair. There was no data to support the accusation. By the time his flight landed in Los Angeles, Hollman was pissed.

pages: 489 words: 106,008

Risk: A User's Guide
by Stanley McChrystal and Anna Butrico
Published 4 Oct 2021

Mitigation(s): FlyVA can work closely with its labor unions to ensure its workers are satisfied with wages, benefits, working hours and conditions, etc. RISK: FlyVA’s IT systems experience a major disruption. Source: IT Department Probability: High. FlyVA depends on a combination of its own IT network, as well as a variety of third-party vendors, to operate its kiosks, apps, in-flight wi-fi, etc. Networks may experience malfunctions due to natural disasters, computer viruses, and even hackers. Consequences: Serious disruptions in customer service, potential delays, and flight cancellations can occur if FlyVA’s systems experience disruption. FlyVA may also experience increased costs, compromise client-sensitive data, and lose its own data and revenue.

pages: 348 words: 110,533

Among the Braves: Hope, Struggle, and Exile in the Battle for Hong Kong and the Future of Global Democracy
by Shibani Mahtani and Timothy McLaughlin
Published 7 Nov 2023

A spokeswoman later nervously told us that the case was “very sensitive” and it was “hard to explain” why her department couldn’t say anything. The handouts felt like hush money. As the five boarded the plane, officials handed them back their phones for the first time since July 2020. Once airborne, they badgered Zebra to use his credit card so they could purchase in-flight WiFi. They wanted desperately to reconnect with the world. Turning on their phones for the first time, freshly powered up, came with a rush of joy. After scrolling through Instagram, Tommy spent the hours in the air running over and over in his head what he would say when he got the chance to call his family.

pages: 373 words: 112,822

The Upstarts: How Uber, Airbnb, and the Killer Companies of the New Silicon Valley Are Changing the World
by Brad Stone
Published 30 Jan 2017

The next morning, Michael and Kalanick left New York City for a Goldman Sachs conference in Las Vegas. Michael recalls walking the concourse at LaGuardia Airport with Kalanick and glancing up at a television in an airport lounge to see his picture on CNN. It all seemed surreal. On the plane, Michael and Kalanick sat side by side with their laptops connected to the in-flight Wi-Fi and watched as a torrent of anti-Uber Tweets rolled in reacting to Michael’s comments at the dinner. “I was literally trying to distract him,” Michael recalls. “I was thinking, Oh my God, I’m going to get fired before we land.” He had never blundered in such a public way before. At a previous point in his career, Kalanick might have gone to war with his online critics, defensively seeking to protect his beloved brand.

pages: 412 words: 122,655

The Fund: Ray Dalio, Bridgewater Associates, and the Unraveling of a Wall Street Legend
by Rob Copeland
Published 7 Nov 2023

He was the founding editor in chief of Chief Investment Officer magazine, a quarterly that published specialized pieces for what could charitably be described as a limited audience. He was familiar with Bridgewater, in part because the hedge fund had helped get the magazine off the ground by paying it to publish some stories (“Risk Parity Consultant Views Survey, Sponsored by Bridgewater”). Using in-flight Wi-Fi, McDaniel shot off an email to a Bridgewater staffer. Would Dalio be interested in chatting for a piece that compared him to Steve Jobs? Before the plane was wheels down, McDaniel confirmed a three-hour, one-on-one interview with the founder of the world’s biggest hedge fund at his Manhattan town house.

pages: 1,104 words: 302,176

The Rise and Fall of American Growth: The U.S. Standard of Living Since the Civil War (The Princeton Economic History of the Western World)
by Robert J. Gordon
Published 12 Jan 2016

This has gone furthest for international travel, where on most airlines economy-class passengers can choose from a wide range of movie, audio, and game options, albeit from a small seat-back screen half or less the size of the screens showing the same entertainment options in premium classes. On domestic flights, options range from a variety of live TV options on Jet Blue and selected planes of several other airlines to no entertainment at all on Southwest. By 2014, inflight Wi-Fi had become available on most flights, although usage rates of less than 10 percent suggested that passengers did not consider Wi-Fi availability to be worth the trouble, at least for the prices charged. CONCLUSION This account of advances in transportation since 1940 provides a mixed assessment of the pace of progress.

pages: 603 words: 182,781

Aerotropolis
by John D. Kasarda and Greg Lindsay
Published 2 Jan 2009

Whereas Time magazine once grandly estimated that the advent of jets had shrunk the world by precisely 40 percent, today, it is said, the world is flat. And where air travel itself was once dizzyingly fast, now it’s too slow for our always-on selves. Ironically, aircraft cabins became the last refuge from our BlackBerrys before finally succumbing to in-flight WiFi last year. The reason we mourn that vanished era so is that the Jet Age was the all-too-brief flowering of our romance with speed. Later, we fell for seamlessness instead, spurning the freedom to go anywhere anytime for the ability to be nowhere all the time. We traded the clouds for the cloud, and we’re living in an Instant Age.