Hundreds of Qantas staff across major airports, including Sydney, put down tools today pushing for better pay. Qantas vowed to continue efforts to resurrect its tarnished brand at the annual general meeting in Hobart, but stakeholders and passengers still have questions over how the airline is run.
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00:00A broken-down baggage system meant chaos for passengers at Adelaide Airport.
00:08The baggage system is currently offline.
00:11Worried about going through security at the moment because the line-up is huge.
00:15You don't know if we're going to miss our flight or anything.
00:17And there's been strike action by Qantas engineers across the country at peak travel times.
00:24No more delays! It's time for fair pay!
00:27It's all been happening against the backdrop of the airline's annual general meeting in Hobart.
00:32There is no pretending that last year was anything other than a very difficult year for Qantas.
00:37Selling tickets for cancelled flights and the illegal sacking of 1,700 workers during the pandemic
00:44has hurt the airline's brand and will cost it hundreds of millions of dollars.
00:50I can assure you that the issues that caused the difficulties and reputational damage last year
00:55have been and are being comprehensively addressed.
00:59While the airline is determined to move on, some shareholders are keen to look back.
01:05As I look around here, I feel the ghost of Alan Joyce in the room.
01:10Disquiet from some shareholders about financial incentives for executives
01:15failed to lead to a spill of the entire board.
01:18We do feel that Qantas listened to us and our concerns.
01:23As for customers and the airline's pledge to do better...
01:27I think they're probably on track.
01:29I think it's got a fair way to go, really.
01:31I fly a lot. I think they've been pretty incredible.
01:33In a bid to restore its reputation, the airline is offering more frequent flyer seats
01:38and is upgrading its fleet.
01:40But its announcement of a $1,000 bonus for employees is unlikely to appease all workers.
01:48Bonuses are a one-off. They don't pay the bills.
01:51They don't really lift your head above water and the cost of living crisis, which we are in the middle of.
01:55We are looking forward for solutions that deliver improvement in pay,
02:00in conditions for our people, while ensuring that we can continue to invest.
02:04An airline navigating a path out of troubled times.