Did Albo ask Qantas for perks and favours?

The Daily Mail reports:

Shortly after winning the prime ministership in May 2022, Mr Albanese asked then-Qantas CEO Alan Joyce to make Nathan, 23, a member of the Chairman’s Lounge, an invitation only perk of the airline, a new book claims. …

Mr Albanese defended the arrangement saying his son became his ‘plus one’ after his marriage to former Labor MP Carmel Tebbutt ended. 

But that does not account for his partner Ms Haydon also reportedly being a ‘plus one’ for the Lounge. 

It is also claimed in The Chairman’s Lounge book, by former Australian Financial Review columnist Joe Aston, that Nathan’s Chairman’s Lounge membership was not listed on Mr Albanese’s register of interests, which logs gifts of significance to MPs. …

He denied getting special treatment.

‘People get plus ones, and if anyone knows anything about aviation, what they will know is that there are regularly, regularly, a range of airlines will put in,’ Mr Albanese said.

In his book, Aston also claims Mr Albanese personally approached Mr Joyce to get dozens of free Qantas flight upgrades including with an international partner on a trip to Rome. 

Mr Albanese said he had declared ‘every single flight upgrade’ which were purchased by himself.

‘From time to time members of parliament receive upgrades, what’s important is that they are declared, all of mine have been declared, I note that a range of them go back a long period of time,’ he said.

An airline upgrading a politician at their discretion is quite routine and normal. A politician personally contacting an airline CEO to ask for upgrades or perks for family members in not normal. It isn’t quite clear whether what happened here is the former or latter, but if it is the latter, the PM is in a lot of trouble.

Albanese was the actual Minister of Transport in the previous Labor Government. To have the Transport Minister asking an airline CEO for favours, when he regulates the airlines, is a terrible look.