It’s the secret Chairman’s Lounge perk that not even all members of the invitation-only club enjoy and now Qantas insiders have lifted the lid on how it helped the Prime Minister get freebie upgrades. While humble mortals need to use their frequent flyer points to upgrade their flights, current and former Qantas insiders have revealed that’s not the case with favoured politicians. Qantas executives call it “reputational management”.
Another word might be soft diplomacy because it’s clear Qantas didn’t dish out the flying favours to everyone. It’s also provided a neat “fix” after former Labor Finance Minister Lindsay Tanner abolished the accrual of Qantas frequent flyer points for politicians for taxpayer-funded flights in 2009. Qantas decided to simply offer upgrades to favoured politicians for free.
And that’s how Anthony Albanese lived the high life when travelling overseas ever since. And under the current disclosure arrangements, that doesn’t break any rules because he simply declared the upgrade without having to say how much it is worth. On some estimates, the flight upgrades are estimated to amount to a six-figure sum over the course of his career.
It’s also worth remembering that all MPs and ministers are authorised to fly business class domestically. So, when you see a politicians has received an upgrade for international travel unless it’s for first class on a work trip, it’s generally an upgrade freebie for a private holiday. Prime Min.