The boss of Australian airline Qantas has said he will leave his job immediately following allegations the airline sold tickets for flights that had already been cancelled.
Chief Executive Alan Joyce said that after 15 years running the national carrier he was bringing forward his planned retirement date.
The airline said Vanessa Hudson would take over as managing director and group Chief Executive following his departure.
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission said it was taking the action after Qantas “engaged in false, misleading or deceptive conduct by advertising tickets for more than 8,000 flights that it had already cancelled but not removed from sale”.
The commission said that in many cases, Qantas continued selling tickets or delayed telling ticket-holders the flights had been cancelled.
The commission said that this often led customers to have less time to make alternative arrangements and to potentially pay higher prices for new flights.
Qantas previously acknowledged its standards had fallen well short of expectations as the airline emerged from the Covid-19 pandemic.
