Dispirited Australia: after losing the trust of a nation, can the Qantas brand bounce back?

But within a few short months travellers have savagely turned on the airline as Qantas struggles with the legacy of the pandemic and the results of its corporate decision-making.

Now the news and social media are filled with horror stories from irate passengers whose bags have gone missing, who are stuck in eternal security queues, or who have been stranded when flights have been cancelled.

In Adelaide this week, security scanners were on the blink, and bags were wantonly swapped between lines. In Canberra, people were hustled to gates, then turned around and sent away.

For some it has been inconvenient and frustrating, but for others the problems at Qantas have had serious financial and career consequences.

The Melbourne metal band Thornhill set off on a 30-stop tour of the US earlier this month.

The band landed after a long flight from Perth via Sydney.

The band lost income in show fees and merchandise sales, after already paying double the price for the latest trip compared to the last.

But senior management, and above all the high-profile chief executive, Alan Joyce, have come in for savage criticism.

Qantas picked up $2bn in taxpayer funds during Covid, and delivered first class bonuses to executives, while pilots and engineers are fighting for higher pay.

But regardless of exactly what has gone so wrong to trash the reputation of a national icon in such a short space of time, it faces an uphill battle to regain the trust of the Australian public. Can the Qantas brand be fixed?

Qantas has never been shy about trading on its history as an aviation pioneer in the outback, and its periodic contributions amid national crises.

Born in 1920, it initially ferried mail as well as people, and for a while operated as a flying doctor service.

By the second world war, it was moving supplies and troops, and evacuating people from danger zones.

In 1974, a Qantas Boeing 747 evacuated 674 people from Darwin in the wake of Cyclone Tracy, and in 2002 Qantas planes brought the wounded home after the Bali bombings.

The national airline inspired deep, patriotic, loyal devotion, which helps to explain the sense of hurt, even betrayal, in reaction to its recent troubles.

In the middle of 2021, when people were deeply exhausted by the pandemic but optimistic that some sort of end was in sight, Qantas put out a true-to-brand tearjerker advertisement.

That historical equity, he says, also means it will all even out.

Qantas apologised to travellers this week. In an interview on the Sydney radio station 2GB, senior manager Andrew David acknowledged the airline had let customers down.

In a separate statement earlier this month, he said some criticism was fair, but some of the problems were global.

Restarting the airline after it was grounded by the pandemic was complex, he said. A tight labour market and rising Covid cases were the headwinds, not the baggage handler outsourcing. Qantas was now recruiting staff and cutting flights.

Phillip Adams wants his slogan back. Customers want their bags back.

Qantas wants its reputation back, and only time will tell where it will land.