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Alan Joyce and Qantas: The Trials and Transformation of an Australian Icon
The twists and turns of the last 15 years of the Qantas story contain all the ingredients of a corporate thriller, with constant shocks to the system, and boardroom dramas and disasters narrowly avoided. During this tumultuous period, as CEO of Australia’s iconic airline, Alan Joyce became one of the best-known corporate figures in Australia, and one of the most polarising.
He’s had to steer the company through cyclones and bushfires, volcanic ash clouds and a tsunami, a pandemic, two fleet groundings, intense union battles and a bitter turf-war. He’s been through mass sackings, defections from his inner circle, calls for his resignation, personal bust-ups and betrayals, and question-marks over the survival of the company.
He’s been vilified in the media and lauded in the corporate world, copped a pie in the face, battled homophobia, fought for diversity, endured death threats, Senate grillings, a cancer scare, record-high oil prices, record-low customer ratings, wildly fluctuating interest rates and share prices, huge profits and crippling losses, and a horrific period of post-COVID recovery.
By any standard, it’s been a remarkable ride. Through it all, Qantas has emerged a transformed airline, wearing some scars but more fit for purpose than ever, primed for the future. Throughout, the Aussie-Irishman Joyce has been unerringly true to his principles – personal and professional. But what will his legacy be when the contrails of his tenure fade?
Global aviation expert Peter Harbison tells the full and unvarnished story of this fascinating period of the Qantas journey, through the insights and anecdotes of business leaders, politicians, union bosses, analysts, media critics, rivals and insiders – and the man at the helm through it Alan Joyce.
He’s had to steer the company through cyclones and bushfires, volcanic ash clouds and a tsunami, a pandemic, two fleet groundings, intense union battles and a bitter turf-war. He’s been through mass sackings, defections from his inner circle, calls for his resignation, personal bust-ups and betrayals, and question-marks over the survival of the company.
He’s been vilified in the media and lauded in the corporate world, copped a pie in the face, battled homophobia, fought for diversity, endured death threats, Senate grillings, a cancer scare, record-high oil prices, record-low customer ratings, wildly fluctuating interest rates and share prices, huge profits and crippling losses, and a horrific period of post-COVID recovery.
By any standard, it’s been a remarkable ride. Through it all, Qantas has emerged a transformed airline, wearing some scars but more fit for purpose than ever, primed for the future. Throughout, the Aussie-Irishman Joyce has been unerringly true to his principles – personal and professional. But what will his legacy be when the contrails of his tenure fade?
Global aviation expert Peter Harbison tells the full and unvarnished story of this fascinating period of the Qantas journey, through the insights and anecdotes of business leaders, politicians, union bosses, analysts, media critics, rivals and insiders – and the man at the helm through it Alan Joyce.
- GenresBiography
453 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 10, 2023
7 people are currently reading
19 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
February 11, 2024
Didn’t finish it. Hard to believe the author would have written this book considering how far up Alan Joyce they were imbedded. Glosses over a lot of history that portrays Joyce in anything but a positive light.
April 7, 2024
If you are after a balanced view on Joyce, this is not your book. The author is shamelessly and actively pro Joyce.
Also, the author tends to endlessly repeat himself, which makes for a laborious read. You could cut ⅔ of the book and still have the same amount of actual content.
Also, the author tends to endlessly repeat himself, which makes for a laborious read. You could cut ⅔ of the book and still have the same amount of actual content.
June 6, 2024
I found the earlier Qantas years more interesting and less prone to bias, perhaps more factual. The later years up to the current days seem more prone to defending Joyce in all the decision that were by him. Even as the book was going to print, more criticism of Joyce hit the front pages, the author skims over more of the accusations and fails to adequately assess them impartially. Although I think that’s a problem with all modern history, hence, preferring earlier chapters.
I previously had read an excellent biography on John Borghetti, so it was interesting to read about the same events in Australian history from a different perspective. The book wasn’t a page turner, at times a bit of slog, filled with too many financials and figures of profitability. You learn a lot about Qantas’ financial health but far less (disappointingly) about the man himself (Alan Joyce), what makes him tick and the real lives of the people running Qantas.
I previously had read an excellent biography on John Borghetti, so it was interesting to read about the same events in Australian history from a different perspective. The book wasn’t a page turner, at times a bit of slog, filled with too many financials and figures of profitability. You learn a lot about Qantas’ financial health but far less (disappointingly) about the man himself (Alan Joyce), what makes him tick and the real lives of the people running Qantas.
March 3, 2025
A book about Qantas and its CEO, who shaped the Australian Icon for fifteen years, written by an aviation expert, who promised full and unvarnished history of this interesting period. I do not think this promise was fulfilled. Instead, I got a portrait of a man who did not make any mistakes during his tenure and had always the Qantas best interests in mind. Unfortunately this seems not always to include his customers or employees.
When Joyce decided to sack its 1,700 ground staff workers, his senior executive Andrew David commented: "It was a decision we had to make, but it is not a decision you make lightly. When you're in leadership roles, you have to make these calls for the majority. It was tough. There are people that get impacted - and they had been with us for a long time. We had analysed everything, and the risks were greater of not making that decision than they were of making that decision." How these risks were assessed was never made transparent outside. The fact that High Court of Australia judged that decision illegal and open to compensation, questions the competence of the board and the man, who was compensated with 130 million Australian dollars for his inconvenience.
It was a disappointing read for me. Two stars only.
When Joyce decided to sack its 1,700 ground staff workers, his senior executive Andrew David commented: "It was a decision we had to make, but it is not a decision you make lightly. When you're in leadership roles, you have to make these calls for the majority. It was tough. There are people that get impacted - and they had been with us for a long time. We had analysed everything, and the risks were greater of not making that decision than they were of making that decision." How these risks were assessed was never made transparent outside. The fact that High Court of Australia judged that decision illegal and open to compensation, questions the competence of the board and the man, who was compensated with 130 million Australian dollars for his inconvenience.
It was a disappointing read for me. Two stars only.
October 16, 2025
Not really my kind of book. Billionaires bore me. I like flying to places for a holiday, though I'm always more than happy to get off the plane by the time it gets there. I thought this book might shed some light to me on why apparently Qantas is so controversial these days. It's always on the news, or rather I should say its former CEO, Mr Alan Joyce, is always on the news. Judging from this book, I figure the anti-woke crowd hate that he uses his platform to preach for such "ludicrous" rights as constitutional recognition and empowerment for Indigenous Australians - I mean, how dare he? Stick to planes, fly boy. No one is allowed to have principles or passions or even opinions beyond their direct line of work. His being gay probably doesn't help much either, though they'd be loath to admit that.
Then, I guess, there is a certain, more traditional type of Labor voter who doesn't like that he fired lots of employees during the golden years of 2020-21. And that airlines workers - ground and air-based - are not paid enough to match their workload. But what do I know? The stuff about the unions bullying and intimidating Qantas workers to join their crusade against Joyce was kind of interesting and couldn't help but make me sympathise with him more.
But otherwise, I just found this boring. And it's clear from the first page that this isn't a balanced, critical review of Joyce's tenure. The writer clearly thinks the world of him.
Then, I guess, there is a certain, more traditional type of Labor voter who doesn't like that he fired lots of employees during the golden years of 2020-21. And that airlines workers - ground and air-based - are not paid enough to match their workload. But what do I know? The stuff about the unions bullying and intimidating Qantas workers to join their crusade against Joyce was kind of interesting and couldn't help but make me sympathise with him more.
But otherwise, I just found this boring. And it's clear from the first page that this isn't a balanced, critical review of Joyce's tenure. The writer clearly thinks the world of him.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews