Falling for Vanessa Hudson

Qantas chief executive Vanessa Hudson was asked at The Australian Financial Review's business summit last week whether she'd read my book on the airline. "I have read The Chairman's Lounge, of course I have – and actually, I'm waiting for Joe's royalty cheque, because I also suggested all of our 28,000 staff read it as well". 

Killing your critics with kindness – or at the very least showing them a modicum of respect – is a universe away from the stakeholder relations approach of her predecessor, Alan Joyce, which was banishing those who failed to genuflect deeply enough.

Note that days earlier, on February 27, Hudson delivered a $1.3 billion first-half profit[[That's the statutory profit, not the underlying profit – and if you want to enjoy the history of the difference, I suggest you read the second chapter of The Chairman's Lounge. ]] lauded by the commentariat as a "solid" result that put the airline "back on track". Joyce's final interim profit two years ago was only a sliver more – at $1.4 billion – and met with such epithets as "merciless" and "ruthless". Qantas' ticket prices in financial 2023 ascended to and maintained an eye-watering altitude. Yet from then to now, the company's unit revenue – which is airfares adjusted for distance flown – is down just 13 per cent. This begs the obvious question: were we too hard on Joyce or are we too soft on Hudson?