Qantas boss changed the face of air travel by introducing cheap fares
By Jim Eames
JOHN WARD: 1945 - 2024
It’s probably unsurprising that in addition to a flow of tributes from Australia and around the world, the sudden passing of former Qantas chief executive John Ward has rekindled memories of an airline which has earned a unique place in Australian history.
John Ward in 1993.Credit: Fairfax
Among many thousands of former staff, Ward represented the final years of an era where the then public ownership of Australia’s international carrier provided millions of Australians with a sense of pride, not merely in its original pioneering achievements but perhaps even more importantly for a reputation for safety which had earned an enviable place in the world’s aviation industry.
That being said, it is probably unfair to compare the Qantas of today to the one Ward led as it moved inexorably towards its privatisation and onwards into a markedly different and far more competitive world.
In his own case, Ward would also mark his own path in the business world, one on which he would progress from a relatively minor position as an advanced planning analyst in January 1969 to eventually become its chief executive.
Joining the company with a BSc Degree in computer science and applied mathematics, his initial focus was to lead a small team responsible for the design and implementation of the pricing innovations which would come with the introduction of the giant Boeing 747 in 1971.
It would be through such pricing initiatives that would see the introduction of low-cost fares and would herald an era of mass travel which not only allowed thousands of Australians to fly between Australia and Asia and the UK and Europe, but also assist in the development of tourism as a significant Australian industry.
After a brief secondment as marketing manager to Malaysian Airlines in 1972, to be followed by postings to Germany and then to Singapore as the airline’s regional director for Asia in 1981, he began the path which would equip him well for his eventual role as the airline’s leader.
His appointment as the airline’s general manager, marketing in 1982 showed it was already obvious he was part of a small group of executives which might be eventually groomed as possible successors by the airline’s then-general manager, Keith Hamilton.
All that changed when the airline was shocked by Hamilton’s premature death in December 1984.
John Ward, making the Qantas business more streamlined in 1984.Credit: Fairfax
Ward would serve as deputy under two managing directors, first Ron Yates, then the one-time Australian ambassador to Japan, John Menadue.
With Menadue’s departure in 1989, Ward took the reins as managing director and CEO of a company which was about to experience unprecedented changes in the years ahead.
Primarily prompted by government decisions in relation not only to his own airline but across the whole of Australia’s airline industry, Ward and Qantas chairman Bill Dix found themselves involved in manoeuvres to establish the company’s immediate future.
The high point came in 1992 when then Prime Minister Paul Keating announced the government had approved the sale of Australian Airlines to Qantas as part of a financial restructuring which included the sale of 25 per cent of Qantas to British Airways.
Part of Qantas was sold to British Airways in 1992.Credit: Rob Homer
In financial terms Qantas parted with $400 million for Australian Airlines, while British Airways added more than $600 million to the government’s own coffers. Thus the die would be cast for not only a change to the aviation landscape but the eventual privatisation of Qantas itself.
For Ward, however, the changes were far from over, and he now faced the most formidable challenge of his career: the critical task to somehow convince Australian Airline’s intensely proud and dedicated workforce that they were now to be the domestic arm of Qantas.
Ward set out on an extensive nationwide tour to encourage Australian Airlines staff to accept the changed circumstances, even though many staff were largely hostile. It would take years for the staff of the two merged entities to come together as a unit.
He followed the merger task with a deep involvement in preparations for the sale of Qantas itself until his own resignation in 1993.
Qantas captain Ian Lucas (left) with Qantas chief executive John Ward and the chief executive of the Sydney 2000 Olympic bid, Rod McGeoch.Credit: Peter Rae/Fairfax Media
On leaving Qantas he joined News Corporation, playing a key role in News’ entry into subscription television and the company’s divestment of Ansett Airlines.
Despite occupying other board roles during his retirement he was never far from the aviation industry, as a director of Brisbane and Adelaide airports along with other positions in tourism, aviation, freight and economic regulation.
He is survived by his wife Edna and their son Matthew.
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