Former Qantas CEO Alan Joyce speaks out after losing his $9 million bonus after scathing internal review

Former Qantas chief executive Alan Joyce has revealed his plans to lay low for a year after losing his $9 million bonus after a scathing internal review.

Mr Joyce left Qantas in September — two months earlier than planned — with the airline’s reputation in tatters over a string of public relations disasters.

Mr Joyce lost $9.23m from his remuneration package — which includes over $8m in shares — leaving him with a $1.8m payout.

While Mr Joyce has yet to address the huge cut to his final pay packet, he spoke of his plans for his spare time while walking through Sydney with his husband Shane Lloyd.

“I’ve been told I have to take a year off,” he told the Daily Mail, while reportedly nodding towards Mr Lloyd.

In January, he was left with even more spare time after quitting as chair of the Sydney Theatre Company a month after the company was engulfed in controversy, sparked by actors wearing Palestinian scarves.

He told the Daily Mail he planned to return to the company as a director at some point and would be looking at charity work.

A Qantas review, released last week, found a litany of issues under Mr Joyce’s leadership, including the illegal sacking of 1700 workers, the selling of tickets on already cancelled flights and allegations of anti-competitive behaviour.

The Qantas board said Joyce had “overall accountability and responsibility for the outcomes of the business.

“While there were no findings of deliberate wrongdoing, the review found that mistakes were made by the board and management which contributed to the group’s significant reputational and customer service issues,” the airline said.

Earlier this year, Qantas admitted to misleading passenger over the ghost flights and agreed to a $100m penalty and a $20m customer remediation program. It is still locked in talks over compensation for the sacked groundworkers.