Qantas strips top brass of first class flights
Even the Qantas board has been downgraded on the airline's new A350 planes.
Working for an airline is the conventional route to securing ubiquitous access to the wonders of first class travel on an economy class income. This has always been the principal appeal of a career at Qantas (speaking from experience), even for those who stay long enough, and rise high enough, to draw a first class income (not speaking from experience).
In my book The Chairman's Lounge, I deal extensively with the free international first class and domestic business class flights provided to senior Qantas executives and members of the Qantas board, plus their spouses and children (relevant excerpt here). For the uninitiated, any Qantas director (with children under 26) who uses their full travel entitlements can take flights each year whose market value (and grossed up for fringe benefits tax to represent their true after-tax cost) is well in excess of $500,000.
Those executives and directors even continue to receive free flights for as many years post-retirement as their years of service. For instance, Maxine Brenner joined the Qantas board in 2013 and left in 2024. Qantas shareholders will therefore be shouting the pointy-end travel of her hubby Jodee Rich (of One.Tel fame) until 2034. It is completely obscene and no small reason why Qantas remains one of the genuine trophy boards of the ASX 100. Qantas chairman John Mullen saw fit to change a lot about the company when he took over in 2024, but steadfastly refused to touch this.
