Former Qantas CEO Alan Joyce was in line for $23.6 million as his parting payout, but yesterday the airline said that the golden handshake will be cut by $9.26 million. Several controversies in recent times on Joyce’s watch resulted in heavy criticism from investors over the payout when he headed to the departure gate early last year. So yesterday, the Qantas board referenced those scandals as the reason for the reduced payout – including a High Court ruling that the airline fired its ground staff illegally in 2020, and the $120 million settlement with the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission over its so-called ‘ghost flights’. Qantas’s chairman-elect John Mullen said the salary review is part of the board’s work “to rebuild the trust of all stakeholders”.