Qantas Reorgs Mgmt. Roles, Unveils New Premium Cabins

Andrew David, CEO of Qantas’ domestic and international operations, will retire from the company in September 2023, Qantas announced Monday. 

The role of CEO of Qantas Domestic and Qantas International was combined during the Covid-19 pandemic and will return to being two separate positions on July 1, when Air New Zealand’s Cameron Wallace will take over the role of CEO of Qantas International and freight. Wallace has been at Air New Zealand for nearly 15 years, most recently as chief revenue officer, according to Linkedin. 

David will remain as CEO of Qantas Domestic until his departure. Both roles will report to Qantas Group CEO Alan Joyce.

Part of Wallace’s remit will be to guide preparations for the company’s “Project Sunrise,” according to Qantas. Project Sunrise, unveiled last week, is the overhaul of the first- and business-class cabins for the carrier’s Airbus A350 fleet for flights between Australia and each New York and London beginning in late 2025.

The aircraft will have more room available as it will include fewer seats: 238, compared with the layouts of more than 300 used by some other carriers, according to Qantas. Each aircraft will include six first-class suites in a 1-1-1 configuration and 52 business suites in a 1-2-1 configuration.

The first-class cabin will have fixed flat beds with a separate lounge recliner and wardrobe, dining table for two and a 32-inch ultra-high-definition TV. The business suite will have a sliding door for privacy, aisle access, a two-meter flat bed, storage, a cushioned leather ottoman, 18-inch ultra-high-definition touch-screen TV, a large dining table and featured lighting.

Both cabins will offer multiple personal-device charging options including wireless induction charging. Free high-speed Wi-Fi from Viasat will be available as well following completion of satellite launches covering the Qantas international network, according to the airline.