I can tell you why Qantas sent 850 jobs to India in just two words

November 11, 2026 — 10:30am

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Qantas has spent decades and millions of dollars telling us it’s the Spirit of Australia. But on Tuesday it told 850 of its own staff that their jobs are being outsourced to Accenture and offshored to India. In the very same year it made a $1.29 billion profit.

I can tell you why decisions like this get made in two short words – executive bonuses. When bonuses are tied to profits, company leaders make short-term decisions that benefit themselves. And the cost of long-term brand damage is really difficult to quantify, so they don’t bother.

But a brand isn’t a logo or a slogan. A brand is a promise, and a good brand is a promise kept. It’s not what you say about yourself, it’s what your customers feel about you.

Nobody ever flew Qantas because it was cheap, and it’s been a long time since it was the best airline in the sky. It was once the safest, but all the others caught up with that. So we flew it because of how it made us feel. And if you were able to watch those kids singing I Still Call Australia Home without a lump in your throat, well, you’re a monster.

We pay more for that feeling, and Qantas knows we do. And before anyone........

© Brisbane Times