Virgin Australia’s corporate affairs and sustainability manager, Christian Bennett, has departed the airline with immediate effect, following controversy over a social media post that drew criticism during a recent Senate hearing on aviation consumer protection laws.

Mr Bennett, who joined Virgin Australia from Woolworths in 2022, came under scrutiny after a LinkedIn post he made was cited by Senator Josh Dolega at the hearing. The post criticized Airbnb’s cancellation and refund policies, describing the company as profiting while customers were left waiting for reimbursements and scrambling to make alternative arrangements. The post, which was later deleted, also lamented a “notable drop” in Airbnb’s services and appeal.

Senator Dolega characterized the post as “tone deaf,” particularly given ongoing frustrations experienced by Virgin Australia passengers and the fact that the airline was set to retain $93 million when Covid-related travel credits expired at the end of June. He questioned whether the post violated Virgin Australia’s communications code of conduct, which emphasizes that all statements made by staff reflect on both the individual and the company as a whole. Senator Dolega’s remarks highlighted the perceived disconnect between Mr Bennett’s criticism of another company’s customer service and the airline’s own challenges.

Virgin Australia’s newly appointed chief customer officer, Andrew Cleary, acknowledged that the post was made in a personal capacity but appeared uneasy during the questioning. Mr Bennett did not attend the hearing, as he was on leave in the United States at that time.

In a statement, Virgin Australia CEO Dave Emerson expressed gratitude for Mr Bennett’s contributions over his four years with the company, noting his role in developing the airline’s sustainability strategy and shaping communications around major initiatives such as the planned 2025 initial public offering. Mr Emerson cited a serious skiing accident Mr Bennett suffered in January and his routine commuting between Melbourne and Brisbane as factors influencing his decision to leave.

Following Mr Bennett’s departure, Virgin Australia announced changes to its executive structure: responsibility for sustainability will shift to marketing manager Libby Minogue, while corporate affairs will temporarily report directly to the CEO.

Mr Bennett is the third senior executive to exit Virgin Australia this year. In April, former Velocity CEO Nick Rohrlach left for family reasons, while chief strategy and transformation officer Alistair Hartley resigned to join former Virgin CEO Jayne Hrdlicka at the Endeavour Group. The airline has also been undertaking back-office restructuring, eliminating approximately a dozen roles.

Staff were informed on Monday morning that Mr Bennett would not be returning from leave.