Australia’s highest court finds Qantas illegally fired 1,700 ground staff during pandemic

By ROD McGUIRK
Associated Press

CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — Qantas Airways has lost its challenge to a court ruling that the Australian flag carrier had illegally fired 1,700 baggage handlers, cleaners and other ground staff at the height of pandemic travel disruptions. Seven High Court judges on Wednesday unanimously rejected Qantas’ appeal against a Federal Court full-bench decision. That court upheld a Federal Court judge’s ruling that the sacking of Qantas staff at 10 Australian airports in 2020 was illegal. The ruling is another major blow for the airline, which Australia’s consumer watchdog is suing for allegedly selling thousands of tickets mid-2022 for flights that had already been canceled.