Qantas Appoints Vanessa Hudson As Senior Executive Vice President, The Americas

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Oct 02, 2013, 03:19 ET

LOS ANGELES, Oct. 2, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Qantas today announced the appointment of Ms. Vanessa Hudson to the position of Senior Executive Vice President of the Americas.

Vanessa Hudson takes on the role following the retirement of Wally Mariani, and will be responsible for the U.S. including Hawaii and South America.

Qantas International CEO Mr. Simon Hickey said Vanessa is well placed to take on this key leadership role in Qantas' largest offshore market.

"Vanessa Hudson joins the international team at a significant time for Qantas, as we work to deliver the best offering of any airline flying between the U.S. and Australia."

"We have invested significantly in the U.S. market in recent years to ensure we maintain our position as the preferred carrier between the U.S. and Australia. We have hosted both The Oprah Show and The Ellen Show Down Under, both of which have driven increased bookings to travel to Australia," said Mr. Hickey.

"We know Australia is also on the holiday shopping list for millions of people across the U.S., and we look forward to providing them with their first Australian experience as soon as they step onboard our aircraft, with Australian food and wine and a uniquely friendly service."

Vanessa Hudson joins the U.S. team with a wealth of airline experience. Most recently Vanessa held the position of Executive Manager Strategy and Planning for Qantas Domestic. Vanessa has also held a range of senior roles during her time at Qantas in Finance, Customer and Product Development, International and Domestic Network Planning, Pricing and Yield.

Qantas now operates an A380 and refreshed B747 fleet between the U.S. (Dallas, Los Angeles, New York) and Australia, including double daily A380 services from Los Angeles to Sydney and Melbourne, a daily B747 service from Los Angeles to Brisbane (effective December 2), a daily B747 New York to Sydney service and a daily B747 Dallas to Sydney service.

The Qantas First and Business lounges are currently being upgraded at Los Angeles Tom Bradley International Terminal, scheduled to open in first half of 2014.

Qantas also offers connections to New York, Dallas and Los Angeles from over 200 destinations across the U.S. with its partner American Airlines.

About Qantas Airways
Qantas is the only airline offering A380 service from the U.S. on select non-stop flights from Los Angeles to Sydney and to Melbourne. The Qantas A380 features aircraft interiors designed by internationally renowned industrial designer and Qantas Creative Director Marc Newson. Qantas has also introduced refurbished interiors on selected Boeing 747-400 aircraft (B747) offering more customers a premium flying experience, including state-of-the-art Airbus A380-style seats and in-flight entertainment units. Providing 37 flights per week from the U.S., Qantas offers 34 nonstop flights from Los Angeles (to Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane), daily flights from Dallas/Fort Worth to Brisbane/Sydney, daily services from JFK via Los Angeles and three services per week from Honolulu to Sydney.