Leadership Matters: Qantas chief Alan Joyce says airport snarls will continue for ‘weeks or months’

Qantas boss Alan Joyce says the airport queues and baggage snarls plaguing Australian airports will continue for “weeks or months” before they improve — but that Australia is in a much better position than Europe. Speaking at a Leadership Matters breakfast hosted by The West Australian on Wednesday, Mr Joyce said recent talks at an International Air Transport Association conference focused on the issue — but airlines worldwide were facing the same problems. “We’ve had issues and long queues and a lot of lost baggage — we are putting plans in place of 20 per cent more reserves than pre-Easter,” he said. “Sydney Airport recruited 5000 people so airport security queues are not as bad as Easter. “I think it will get better ... in weeks or months, Australia gets to the position (it was) before COVID. In Europe, it will be years to that level.” Mr Joyce acknowledged that Qantas and Jetstar — and rival Virgin Australia — were not providing the service they would want to, but that the issues were being worked through. Providing some global perspective, he said, there were 18,000 bags stranded at Heathrow Airport in London on Saturday. Asked about his tenure — outlasting many of his political and corporate rivals — Mr Joyce paid tribute to his company, adding that the fact “a gay Irishman” could be the boss of the national carrier proved there was a meritocracy in Australia. “I’ve been focused on getting Qantas through this crisis,” he said. “I think there’s no better role in Australia than the CEO of Qantas ... because it’s such an amazing company, we’re amazing people and an amazing history.”