The Chairman's Lounge

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From the must-read journalist on how power, money and influence work in this country, the full story of how one of the nations favourite brands brought itself to ground.

Before Covid, both Qantas and its CEO Alan Joyce were flying high, the darlings of customers, staff and investors. After Covid hit, only money mattered in particular, the companys share price and extraordinary executive bonuses. Illegally redundant workers, unethical flight credits, abysmal customer service, antique aircraft: these became Qantas new brand.

How did things go so badly wrong Why were customers at the end of the queue And how did an increasingly autocratic Joyce constantly get his own way, with the Qantas board and with both Liberal and Labor governments, which handed over billions in subsidies and protected lucrative flight routes from foreign competition For the first time, The Chairmans Lounge tells the full story of how one company banked the nations loyalty and then cashed in on it.

In his celebrated column Rear Window for the Australian Financial Review, Joe Astons reporting of the ethical failings of Qantas spurred the early retirement of its CEO and the resignation of its chairman. With fresh interviews and revelations, written in Astons trademark swashbuckling style, The Chairmans Lounge is the definitive account of how Qantas was brought to ground and who did it. It is a parable of our times.

A masterclass in investigative journalism A scathing, unflinching takedown of greed, delusion and a shameless abuse of power, both jaw-dropping and brilliantly incisive
Adele Ferguson

Author Bio

Joe Aston is one of Australias most influential commentators on business, finance and politics.For 12 years he struck fear into the hearts of the nations political and corporate leaders with his must-read column Rear Window inthe Australian Financial Review. He interrogated some of the countrys biggest business stories including Rio Tintos Juukan Gorge scandal; CPA Australia and its Naked CEO Alex Malley; and the decline and fall of both Magellan Financial Group and Qantas. In 2023, Joe and hisAFRcolleagues won a Walkley Award for their coverage of the PwC tax leaks scandal. AFReditor-in-chief Michael Stutchbury says Aston turned a gossip column into a form of journalism like never before seen in Australia, and arguably the world. Joe resigned from theAFR in October last year.He lives in Sydney.