Olivia is among countless frustrated Qantas customers. Will the airline's reputation recover?

Qantas has released its full-year results, revealing revenue loss has halved, and says it will now focus on "operational challenges". But can the damage done to its reputation be repaired?

Olivia Dennis is among countless Qantas customers frustrated after the airline lost their luggage. Source: Supplied / Olivia Dennis

Key Points

• Qantas has released its full-year results, and says it will now focus on "operational challenges"
• But can the damage done to its reputation be repaired?

Being forced to travel without her luggage wasn't what Olivia Dennis was expecting when she flew to Europe last month to be reunited with family and friends after years of pandemic-induced separation.

After Qantas left her main suitcase in Melbourne five weeks ago, she's regretting giving the national carrier "the benefit of the doubt".

"It got sent to me in Copenhagen, but then it got lost again in Copenhagen,” she told SBS News.

"The last I heard, about two weeks ago, the bag was being sent back to Melbourne, and upon speaking to Qantas earlier this week, they can't find it at Melbourne airport."

Ms Dennis said she's been forced to spend over $2,000 on replacement clothes, toiletries, and phone calls chasing up her luggage with the airline.

"It's also quite frustrating because you can't claim anything on insurance either for a delayed bag or for a lost bag because to do that you need documentation from Qantas and Qantas won't provide that documentation at the moment," she said.

Ms Dennis is the latest in a long line of passengers left frustrated by Qantas' poor customer service.

Last month, the airline apologised after a litany of complaints from frustrated customers who have endured delayed and cancelled flights, long queues at airports and lost baggage.

Qantas Group Chief Executive Officer Alan Joyce said the company's debt was now below-target. Source: AAP

Releasing its full-year results on Thursday, Qantas declared "the existential crisis posed by the pandemic (was) now over", with its net loss after tax for the year to 30 June narrowed to $860 million, compared to $1.7 billion the year before.

"These figures are staggering and getting through to the other side has obviously been tough," CEO Alan Joyce said.

Qantas said it would now focus on responding to current operational challenges.

Monash University aviation expert Professor Greg Bamber said the struggles facing the airline were a result of it prioritising profits over people.

"Qantas is outsourcing important elements of its business, which is a high-risk and mistaken strategy," he told SBS News.

"Simultaneously, it decided to pay extravagant bonuses to top executives, while Qantas blames the poor service on staff shortages and the customers for not being 'match fit'.

"These contradictory decisions send mixed messages to Qantas customers, workers and other stakeholders."

Earlier this month, the airline asked its senior executives to work as baggage handlers because of labour shortages - a serious issue across Australia's long-locked-down economy.

The move was controversial because Qantas had sacked about 2,000 ground staff during COVID-19 lockdowns - a mass axing Australia's federal court ruled in May was illegal.

Qantas has vowed to appeal the verdict to the High Court.

Professor Bamber said the Australian carrier's "valuable brand" could be at risk if it continues with its current "mistaken" strategy of outsourcing staff to foreign nations.

Qantas has taken several hits to its reputation in recent months. Source: AAP / JOEL CARRETT

"Should Qantas try harder to foster more cooperation and harmony with its staff and their unions, who would then be more highly motivated to stay with Qantas and to provide a much better service to their internal and external customers?," he said.

Mr Joyce apologised earlier this week to domestic Qantas customers for the lengthy delays at airports across the country as travel rebounded, offering flight vouchers to frequent flyers worth $50.

The Transport Workers' Union’s national secretary Michael Kaine labelled the voucher offer a "stunt" as he criticised the airline for sacking the baggage handlers, which he said contributed to the chaos some Qantas customers have faced.

"The thousands of passengers who’ve spent hours in call centre queues following cancelled flights, delays and lost luggage won’t want to waste more of their time attempting to cash in a voucher to buy themselves more of the same chaos.

With AAP and AFP