Emergency Exit: The highs and lows of the Joyce years

After 15 as CEO of Qantas, Alan Joyce leaves the airline with its reputation in disarray. But was his tenure really that bad? Australian Aviation charts the highs and lows of The Joyce Years

2003–08: Early days – from Jetstar to Qantas

Having run network planning at Qantas since he was poached from Ansett a few years earlier, Alan Joyce was then-Qantas CEO Geoff Dixon’s pick to head up the group’s new low-cost arm, Jetstar, in an effort to stave off competition from new upstart carrier Virgin Blue. Using the bones of Impulse Airlines, a failed low-cost carrier Qantas had bought in 2001, Joyce and his team built Jetstar up as a distinct brand from Qantas: where Jetstar was no-frills, Qantas went upmarket and targeted the premium end of the scale, including business travellers. This was an important strategy to curb the growth of Virgin while not cannibalising Qantas’ own market share.

From its start with a fleet of 14 ex-Impulse 717s, Jetstar saw phenomenal success against Virgin, and would grow to become the most successful low-cost subsidiary of a major airline anywhere in the world, flying not just domestic operations but international routes to destinations such as Christchurch. Joyce, meanwhile, found himself frequently at odds with John Borghetti – then running network management – over resources and scheduling. Borghetti, along with then-CFO Peter Gregg, was seen as a top candidate to eventually replace Dixon when the Qantas CEO retired.