The story behind Qantas’ rapid descent, and what’s next

On Tuesday, amid mounting pressure, Qantas chief executive Alan Joyce announced he was stepping down, handing over the reins to Vanessa Hudson two months earlier than expected.

Qantas has long wielded power in Canberra armed with its Chairman’s Lounge memberships and pseudo-national carrier status.

But a growing backlash against the airline’s poor customer service and anger over Joyce’s sizeable pay packet showed cracks were starting to emerge. And then on Friday the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission dropped a bombshell.

This week in The Fin podcast, aviation reporter Ayesha de Kretser and Rear Window columnist Joe Aston on the early departure and legacy of Alan Joyce, who else should be held to account for the mess Qantas finds itself in and whether the government will have to revisit its decision on Qatar Airways.

Listen below or stream The Fin on Apple, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.

Explore the big issues in business, markets and politics with the journalists who know the inside story. New episodes of The Fin are published every Thursday.