Alan Joyce released a memoir about his time as Qantas CEO... but there's a question that remains unanswered about Albo and his son

Published: 06:45, 3 August 2026 | Updated: 06:45, 3 August 2026 Former Qantas CEO Alan Joyce has avoided answering whether he gave Nathan Albanese a membership to the exclusive Qantas Chairman's Lounge at the personal request of his father, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, in 2022. In his new book Riding in the Jet Stream, Joyce writes that members of the Lounge - dubbed elsewhere 'the most exclusive club in the country' - include 'All federal politicians, most state politicians, high court and federal judges, editors of national newspapers, a few journalists, and high-profile celebrities. 'On top of that, the rough rule of thumb is that if your company gave Qantas around $1 million in annual revenue, you’d likely receive a Chairman’s Lounge membership.' The Lounge became the centre of a political storm in 2023 when it was revealed in a column written by Joe Aton for the Australian Financial Review that Joyce had granted the young Albanese, then a 23-year-old university student, membership of the club at the behest of his father shortly after he was elected Prime Minister. Adding fuel to the fire, Prime Minister Albanese failed to declare the membership initially in his statement of registrable interests.  At the time, Aston wrote that the decision was 'the stuff tinpot African republics are made of'.  Aston further elaborated on the scandal in his 2024 book The Chairman's Lounge.  'According to multiple senior Qantas sources, who requested not to be named, soon after Albanese became Prime Minister in 2022, he asked (Qantas CEO Alan) Joyce to make his son Nathan a member too,' he wrote. Former Qantas CEO Alan Joyce has avoided answering whether he gave Nathan Albanese a membership to the exclusive Qantas Chairman's Lounge at the personal request of his father, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese , in 2022  Access to the Qantas Chairman's Lounge is on a strictly invite-only basis In a wide-ranging interview with the Weekend Australian Magazine reflecting on his 15-year tenure as CEO of Qantas, Joyce was asked why he chose to omit mention of the palaver in his book, despite addressing numerous other Qantas scandals including the ghost flights saga, mass worker lay-offs and the failure to refund flights at the height of the Covid pandemic. 'I have a bit of a problem … I’ve never confirmed who’s in, or the membership of the Chairman’s Lounge,' Joyce said. When pressed further, he added: 'I think it’s up to the Prime Minister to speak about that.'  However, Joyce was eager to refute suggestions that he had ever upgraded the Prime Minister to Business or First Class. 'Claims were aired that I’d personally upgraded the Prime Minister’s flights. My first thought was, "That’s news to me"', he said. 'To be certain, I rang Jenny [Jenny Mason, former Deputy Chief of Staff for Albanese] and asked her: "Did I ever instruct you to arrange an upgrade for the Prime Minister?" "No," she said, adding that (she) always signed a form, and I’m assured there’s no record of me authorising an upgrade for the Prime Minister.' Joyce also rejected the idea that 'granting someone access [to the Lounge] could influence decisions of national importance'. In addition to offering luxury perks like fine dining, Chairman's Lounge members have access to free upgrades when available, and a hotline to Qantas's customer service. Joyce was eager to refute suggestions that he had ever upgraded the Prime Minister to Business or First Class  Albanese and Joyce reportedly enjoyed a close relationship while Joyce was CEO, with Aston writing in his book that the Prime Minister would 'liaise with Joyce directly about his personal travel'. Joyce is currently on a media blitz to promote his memoir and has recently given several lengthy interviews about his controversial tenure with the national carrier.