Qantas has reduced CEO Vanessa Hudson’s bonus by $250,000 following a significant cyber breach affecting millions of frequent flyers. The airline, one of Australia’s largest, provides domestic and international air transportation services. It also offers freight and logistics solutions. The decision to dock Hudson’s bonus comes after a cyberattack exposed the personal data of approximately 5.7 million Qantas frequent flyers.
Despite the financial penalty, Qantas has stated that it will not take any further action against Hudson in relation to the record fine imposed for illegally sacking 1,821 ground workers. The airline had faced considerable criticism for its handling of the worker dismissals, which occurred during the COVID-19 pandemic.
With the reduction to her bonus, Hudson is now expected to receive a total compensation package of $6.3 million. This reflects a 15 percentage point decrease in her annual bonus targets, specifically attributed to the fallout from the data breach.
The airline has been working to remediate the issues that led to the cyberattack and has implemented additional security measures to protect customer data. The company continues to navigate the repercussions of both the cyber breach and the prior legal battles concerning the dismissed ground workers.
