It’s the book that’s sent shockwaves through the aviation world: The Chairman’s Lounge: The Inside Story of How Qantas Sold Us Out, a deep dive into the Alan Joyce era and how Qantas went from one of the most trusted brands in the country to one of the least.

Covering the decisions made during COVID-19 – including the illegal outsourcing of ground handlers and the controversial “flight credits” scheme – as well as the perception of undue influence on politics, failures in customer service, and other topics, author Joe Aston lays out the case against Joyce in a book that has put a national spotlight on aviation.

In this Australian Aviation podcast, Jake Nelson speaks to Aston about the revelations in his book, his verdict on Joyce as a whole, and whether he believes new CEO Vanessa Hudson can right the ship.

Alan Joyce may be gone, but his ghost continues to haunt the halls of Qantas HQ at Mascot, with new chairman John Mullen saying at last week’s AGM that the Flying Kangaroo “might well have not survived” COVID-19 without the colourful former CEO and ex-chairman Richard Goyder.

His remarks came, however, as a new book from former columnist for The Australian Financial Review, Joe Aston, gave Joyce a good kicking, calling him “increasingly autocratic” and arguing that Qantas “sold [Australia] out”. At the same time, the notorious “Chairman’s Lounge” is in the spotlight again amid fresh controversy over the Prime Minister’s perceived cosy relationship with the airline.

On this week’s episode, Adam and Jake discuss what happened at the AGM and whether politicians should think twice about accepting the invitation to the Chairman’s Lounge.
Plus, Virgin Australia’s deal with Qatar is threatening to kneecap codeshare partner Etihad – where will the UAE carrier go if its biggest Australian partnership is axed?

It’s BITRE season again, and while domestic aviation still lags the long-term averages, there’s one figure where the industry is unexpectedly ahead: in a rare showing, cancellations for September were below the long-term average even as on-time performance continued to struggle.

Meanwhile, in another mixed-bag month for the major airlines, which was ultimately the most reliable – and what were some of the other surprises?

Adam and Jake reveal this month’s winner of the newly-christened Huey Award (as well as why it’s called the Huey Award).

Plus, is Rex’s 30-year-old Saab fleet putting it in danger of going the same way as Bonza?