Alan Joyce says Qantas survived the COVID-19 period because of decisions he made during the crisis, according to comments reported by multiple outlets. In media interviews, Joyce also responds to criticism of the airline’s performance in the post-pandemic period, acknowledging problems that have affected customers and staff. The reports say he concedes that Qantas faces challenges including rising airfares in the years after borders reopened. The outlets also state that Joyce refers to claims involving illegal job cuts, saying the airline struggled amid restructuring decisions that attracted scrutiny. The coverage is framed around Joyce taking responsibility for aspects of Qantas’s actions during and after the pandemic, including the impact on fares and employment. While the articles vary in wording, they consistently describe Joyce as attributing Qantas’s COVID survival to his leadership decisions and as acknowledging that the airline later endured financial and operational difficulties marked by higher prices and contentious workforce changes.