Qantas and Virgin Australia increase domestic airfare by 96 percent

The man who claims he created Qantas’ iconic slogan ‘Spirit of Australia’ has angrily demanded they remove the title, saying it is a ‘tragic inappropriate’ to describe the airline under attack.

Phillip Adams, columnist for The Weekend Australian magazine and host of ABC Radio National, said he convinced former chairman Jim Leslie to adopt the tagline in the 1980s and Peter Allen to allow his iconic song I Still Call Australia Home to become Qantas’ national anthem.

However, last week the former advertising guru directed an angry message at airline boss Alan Joyce demanding they stop the catchphrase because of an ongoing scandal involving laid-off staff, canceled flights, lost baggage and lengthy delays.

‘Alan Joyce. You are forced to repeat yourself. I am the author of ‘The Australian Spirit’. Then deserved, now tragically inappropriate,” he wrote on Twitter.

‘My slogan is hereby vetoed. Please remove it from all airframes, tickets and advertisements.’

Phillip Adams claims he gave former Qantas boss Peter Leslie the tagline ‘Spirit of Australia’ in the 1980s – and he now wants the airline to remove its iconic slogan

‘Alan Joyce. You are forced to repeat yourself. I am the author of ‘The Australian Spirit’. Then deserved, now tragically inappropriate,’ Mr Adams wrote on Twitter

In a statement to Daily Mail Australia, Qantas said: ‘The Tagline Spirit of Australia is an iconic part of the Qantas brand and is not going anywhere.’

This is the latest row between Adams and Qantas after the airline revoked its columnist membership to the Chairman’s Lounge – described as “Australia’s most exclusive club”.

Decorated with designer furnishings, the lounge serves top shelf liquor, five-star food and features private meeting rooms, large bathrooms and fluffy bathrobes.

Those lucky enough to get inside can look forward to meeting Prime Ministers, top celebrities, and influential businessmen.

The Chair’s Lounge is considered a privilege so Mr Adams was furious that Qantas refused to renew its membership in 2019.

“I barely messed up the facility and I was really surprised that I have such a huge media footprint,” a disillusioned Adams told The Australian.

Mr Adams says lounge members are likely to see a famous figure or media identity (pictured, lounge in Brisbane)

Members invited to be part of the exclusive club are given a matte black card after being personally signed by the Qantas boss.

Each membership is valid for two years and the invitation has nothing to do with points or frequent flyer status.

‘Membership is highly sought after and a great asset for Qantas to use in our commercial endeavors’ Qantas CEO Alan Joyce has said of the club in the past.

Mr Adams said he had ‘no idea’ why he was kicked out of the exclusive club, admitting he had a number of secrets to tell about the events behind the secret door.

Broadcaster Phillip Adams (pictured) is furious that Qantas refuses to renew his membership in the Chairman’s Lounge

‘So many CL stories I could smell and tell but wouldn’t (once accepted you have to sign the Official Secrets Act). And now I’m out on my ass. Don’t know why,’ he wrote in The Australian.

‘I was given the bad news a few days after they kicked out Fraser Anning, so it’s probably a left wing right wing, to keep the books and Boeing in balance.

‘However, there is another potential reason. Too old? Then there’s no need to throw me out – let nature take its course. Too infrequent to make flyers? Well, lately I rarely fly, due to poor health and bad weather.

‘A lifetime of loyalty that is rewarded with unfaithfulness. Is this the Australian spirit? With a broken heart, pacemaker… I can no longer call Qantas home.’

The airline had said last week it would reduce the number of domestic flights by five percent for July, August and September – adding to the 10 percent it announced in May.

Qantas Domestic was reportedly making 4,500 flights per week ahead of the Covid pandemic, meaning a 15 per cent reduction would lead to 675 fewer flights.

It was also forced to apologize to the more than 300 passengers who were recently stranded at Dallas/Forth Worth Airport for 24 hours – with many forced to sleep on the floor.

Members of the federal government are also known to have special memberships in exclusive lounges (pictured, lounge in Brisbane)

Customers said there was no Qantas presence at the airport, and the airline was unreachable despite many efforts from Aussies waiting to fly home and American staff.

Disgruntled workers recently revealed to Daily Mail Australia last month what it’s like to work for Flying Kangaroo, hurling extraordinary charges against the airline amid fierce court battles that could result in millions of dollars in payouts.

The Transport Workers Union took Qantas to court in late 2020, when it ruled that the airline illegally fired nearly 2,000 baggage handlers, cleaners and ground staff before shifting their jobs to foreign-owned providers, including Swissport.

The trickle-down effect has jaded customers, including Frequent Flyer members, saying they look for other airlines when flying.

The Labor Union said Qantas’ problems started at the top, pointing to airline Alan Joyce’s mismanagement of the pandemic and thousands of laid-off staff.

Customers say there is a shortage of support staff at the airport causing major delays, missed flights and lost baggage

‘Fish rotting from the head. The short-term focus of senior management on increasing profits to see the share price drop has shattered the once trusted Qantas service and angered Australians,’ TWU National Secretary Michael Kaine told Daily Mail Australia.

‘Blaming passengers for delays over the long Easter weekend while refusing to rehire trained workers who were illegally fired despite clear demand for experienced workers in the industry shows how untouchable the management team led by Joyce is.’

The airline, which argued outsourcing was a necessary financial measure during the Covid pandemic, appealed the decision and lost – but has since taken the case to the High Court in a last-ditch effort to avoid paying huge compensation bills.

Cost-cutting was magnified by the pandemic, with 15,000 workers laid off without pay or forced to take time off in mid-2020, while another 2,500 were suspended in August 2021 – despite Qantas receiving $2 billion in government aid.

Qantas maintains the move is necessary as it lost $22 billion in revenue and more than $5 billion in losses during the pandemic. He also said government grants were partly used to continue repatriation and flights of goods during the pandemic.

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