Ann: Qantas Group Market Update, page-6

QAN also said this morning more international staff would be offered voluntary redundancy, but all have to apply to the company, which I assume will then select the 'hundreds' to be made redundant.

This must be cheaper for QAN than initiating compulsory retrenchments.

It's a sign that QAN does not believe international travel (in the foreseeable future) will return to the level at which it was at prior to the pandemic.

The huge reduction (by 80 per cent) in commissions to travel agents is more a run-of-the-mill costcutting measure, but as a travel agent said to me this morning, the industry association (AFTA) will in time negotiate with QAN as it's 14 months until the decrease supposedly kicks in.

My bet is QAN will regret having made this public pronouncement as heaps of us continue to use travel agents, so if they start promoting competitors even more, QAN will immediately suffer revenue losses. (I'm talking about when more borders open up in hopefully 2022, not today as there's uncertainty today, and QAN already said non-NZ international bookings for its now cancelled October -= December 2021 flights were low).