Alex Jacquot is a 10-year-old boy who lives in Australia. He's also an aspiring airline CEO, who wrote a letter last month to Qantas Airways CEO Alan Joyce, asking for advice on getting his future company off the ground.
He starts it off by introducing himself and asking the CEO to please take him seriously. After all, he's already the CEO of his very own airline, which he's named "Oceania Express." He's also already hired a CFO, a head of IT, a Head of Maintenance, a Head of On-Board Services, and a Head of Legal. And he's got a co-founder in the form of his friend Wolf. Oh, and he's already "started some stuff, like what type of planes I'll need, flight numbers, catering and more."
So he only really has three questions:
1)"Seeing as it's the school holidays, I have more time to work. But I don't have anything to do that I can think of. Do you have any ideas of what I can do? Seeing as you are the CEO of Qantas, I thought I'd ask you."
2)"Do you have any tips on starting an airline? I'd be very grateful to know what you'd have to say."
3)"I'm thinking about, as you are, an A350 for Sydney/Melbourne to London flights. Seeing as it is a 25-hour flight, we are having a lot of trouble thinking about sleep. Do you have any advice?"
@Qantas/Twitter
Now, Qantas doesn't usually give advice to competitors. But, as they mentioned in a tweet that has since gone viral, they made an exception this time around.
Joyce wrote to Jacquot to thank him for bringing the new airline to his attention, as he had "heard some rumors of another entrant in the market." He also noted that while the young CEO's "newly appointed Head of Legal" might take issue with him accepting advice from a competitor, he would go ahead and answer his queries since he "too was once a young boy who was so curious about flight and all its possibilities."
He said his "number one tip for starting an airline is to put safety" first and "do everything you can to make travel as comfortable and affordable as possible" for passengers.
He noted that the question of sleep on very long flights is one that they're also currently grappling with as they work out the logistics of their planned non-stop flight from Australia to London, given that they'd like to make "the journey more comfortable for all."
As such, Joyce ended the letter by proposing a meeting between "the CEO of Australia's oldest airline" and "the CEO of Australia's newest airline," to compare notes and take a look at the operations center.
@Qantas/Twitter
Unsurprisingly, the 10-year-old was elated when he received the response from Joyce.
"I ripped open the envelope and I quickly read it and I was so excited, I was running around the house for ten minutes. I can’t believe it," Jacquot told Brisbane’s 4BC.
It might seem silly, but stuff like this can have a major impact on a young person's career. For proof of this, find out how a Letter to Steven Spielberg Changed This Jurassic Park Fan’s Life.
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