Former Qantas CEO Alan Joyce is set to write a memoir, with his agent confirming plans for a book about his career as head of the national carrier.
Mr Joyce’s manager Robert Joske confirmed this week that he was talking to publishers about a deal for the airline boss’ memoirs.
‘There’s a lot of interest from publishers,’ Mr Joske told The n Financial Review.
Mr Joyce was appointed as Qantas’ boss in 2008 and led the national carrier until he stepped down in September 2023 – two months shy of his previously announced departure date.
In his 15-year stint as the airline’s CEO, Mr Joyce faced intense criticism over the airline’s perceive service decline, and was the subject of a number of controversies.
In 2011, Mr Joyce controversially grounded all flights to curb union disputes over power and wages.
The decision was polarising but the vitriol soon turned to admiration as shareholders watched Qantas’ price skyrocket from $1.17 in 2014 to $7.34 by the end of 2019.
In 2020, the airline teetered on the brink of collapse after the n government banned domestic and international travel during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Mr Joyce used $2.7billion in n taxpayer funds – including $900million in JobKeeper payments, cash for repatriation flights and a share of the government’s $1.2billion aviation support package – to keep the airline afloat.
Qantas had also illegally sacked 1,700 ground crew and staff during the pandemic period.
In 2022, Qantas rushed its aircrafts back into the air to meet a soaring demand for travel following the Covid-19 pandemic.
While demand for flights was at an all-time high, so was customer dissatisfaction – as it became impossible for passengers to redeem their credits due to an overloaded call centre and mass flight cancellations.
By June the same year, Qantas had cut a further five per cent of capacity on top of the 10 per cent it had already announced – allegedly in response to rising fuel costs.
The airline was then able to inflate ticket prices by more than 40 per cent, recording a $2.5billion profit three months later in September.
Mr Joyce was also accused of playing a central role in preventing Qatar Airways from expanding into , which would have increased competition and kept downward pressure on prices.
The government of Anthony Albanese – who had a close friendship with Mr Joyce – rejected Qatar’s 2023 proposal to add an extra 28 n routes.
Experts believed Qatar’s expansion would have reduced airfares by 40 per cent and could have boosted the country’s tourism industry by a whopping $788million.
Mr Albanese and Transport Minister Catherine King had met with Mr Joyce several times in the lead up to Qatar’s proposal being blocked.
Mr Albanese denied his personal friendship had influenced the decision which was a boon for Qantas.
The pair’s relationship was called into question in the book The Chairman’s Lounge, written by former n Financial Review columnist Joe Aston in 2024.
The book sold around 60,000 copies and alleges Mr Albanese personally approached Mr Joyce to get dozens of free Qantas flight upgrades.
Mr Albanese has vehemently denied that he had directly contacted the CEO to seek upgrades and said he booked flights using Qantas’ booking system.
The AFR also reported that Mr Albanese’ son Nathan was given access to Qantas’ exclusive Chairman’s Lounge while travelling.
Mr Joyce was also the subject of Peter Harbison’s 2023 book Alan Joyce & Qantas – where he and most of the airline’s executives were interviewed.