As Australia’s west coast airports started to crumble under mounting pressure, it has been revealed that Qantas executives and corporate staffers were enjoying a “wellness festival”.
According to 9News, operational staff at Qantas were furious to hear of the event, which took place art the airline’s headquarters in Mascot.
The purpose of the event was to lure staffers who have been working from home during the pandemic back to the head office.
In the itinerary for the festival, which was obtained by 9News, staff participated in activities such as meditation, Zumba and dog therapy, where office staff could pat a therapy dog.
After facing backlash over the event, Qantas have said the event was not a usual occurrence and was organised a long time ago.
While the majority of the event was held before the chaos started to unravel in Australian airports, the Transport Workers’ Union (TWU) are furious.
The TWU said the event was insulting to both the staff currently working and to those sacked by Qantas during the pandemic.
“This news about Qantas, in a sense, celebrating at HQ is a kick in the guts to these people and their families,” TWU National Secretary Michael Kaine said.
Chaotic scenes are expected to continue at airports across the nation over the Easter long weekend, as Sydney Airport is expected to see travellers in numbers not seen since March 2020.
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