Pie in the sky as Australia's Qantas boss gets just dessert

By Benjamin Weir

REUTERS

 

A man is detained by security after throwing a pie at Qantas CEO Alan Joyce during a speech at a business breakfast at a hotel in Perth, Western Australia, May 9, 2017. AAP/Gregory Roberts/via REUTERS

 

SYDNEY (Reuters) - Qantas Airways Ltd Chief Executive Alan Joyce proved he was no cream puff on Tuesday, keeping his cool after a man smeared a cream pie in his face during a business breakfast in Australia's west.

 

Joyce, the head of Australia's flag carrier, was speaking at the event in Perth, capital of Western Australia state, when a man in a business suit walked onto the stage, reached around to rub the pie in his face, and calmly walked away, 7 News television showed.

 

The unidentified man's motive was unclear but he was soon apprehended by security guards. State police later confirmed that officers had been called to an assault at a Perth hotel and that one person was in custody.

 

Joyce at first appeared stunned by the incident but quickly regained his composure to tell the audience he did not know why he had been targeted, Australian media reported, before leaving the stage to clean up.

 

He later told reporters he had been unable to identify what flavor pie he had been hit with.

 

"My issue is I need a good dry cleaner before I leave Perth, so if you have one, please recommend it to me," he said.

 

Long a slapstick comedy favorite, the pie-in-the-face routine has also developed as a form of political protest.

 

News Corp boss Rupert Murdoch was famously hit in the face with a pie while he testified before a British parliamentary inquiry into a phone-hacking scandal in 2011.

 

(Reporting by Benjamin Weir; Editing by Paul Tait)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2017-05-11

Millionaire; thats made every ones life a misery at qantas cant hack a joke protest. Pity the media didnt report why the guy tossed the pie; there is the real story. Mean while the fairy is going to press charges; cant hit a gay man when hes down on his luck.

hard case. good on him for not getting upset and giving the guy any satisfaction.

Apie would be better than any of the food QANTAS served up after he became CEO.Seriously an apple and water is the best they can do.

6 hours ago, 1337markus said:

Millionaire; thats made every ones life a misery at qantas cant hack a joke protest. Pity the media didnt report why the guy tossed the pie; there is the real story. Mean while the <removed> is going to press charges; cant hit a gay man when hes down on his luck.

It would appear that the disease that has hit 25% of the citizens of the USA has hit some of the posters on Thai Visa namely the lowering of their IQs.....if u knew anything about the finances and viability of QANTAS the current CEO has turned this airline from a perpetual money loser into one of the better run airlines in the world....prior to his appointment the hawks were circling waiting to pick it up for nothing and split it up etc....instead it has become very respected amongst its peers and still has majority Australian shareholding....the days of the free handouts in the airline industry are well and truly gone .....if u want first class pay for it

 

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10 hours ago, Phuket Stan said:

It would appear that the disease that has hit 25% of the citizens of the USA has hit some of the posters on Thai Visa namely the lowering of their IQs.....if u knew anything about the finances and viability of QANTAS the current CEO has turned this airline from a perpetual money loser into one of the better run airlines in the world....prior to his appointment the hawks were circling waiting to pick it up for nothing and split it up etc....instead it has become very respected amongst its peers and still has majority Australian shareholding....the days of the free handouts in the airline industry are well and truly gone .....if u want first class pay for it

 

Joyce did not turn this company around. Falling oil prices did.

I am Aussie and would never fly this airline. Lousy ignorant staff, service, never on time airline. Along with the seats that never seem to be cleaned, this airline stinks.

....the security was certainly changed after this pie...

2 minutes ago, Rhys said:

....the security was certainly changed after this pie...

I hope the security measures go so far as to not allow this man never to be allowed seen in public again

PStan my comments are nothing to do with the airline. Before you canvas your opinion do some research. The incident was about a guy who is very religious and what Joyce is saying about his beliefs that upset the guy. That is the story not reported.