An airline founded by a 10-year-old Australian boy and his school friend is already taking off, having grabbed the attention of a long-established competitor. Alex Jacquot, the self-proclaimed CEO of “Oceania Express,” recently had some extra time on his hands and decided to write a letter to Quantas CEO Alan Joyce asking him for advice.
“I’m Alex Jacquot, a 10-year-old boy (please take me seriously) and I want to start an airline,” his handwritten letter began.
Jacquot explained that he’s already worked out what planes are needed, flight numbers and catering. He’s also hired “a CFO, a Head of IT, a Head of maintenance, Head of On Board Services and a Head of Legal.”
Our competitors don't normally ask us for advice, but when an airline leader reached out, we couldn't ignore it.
Naturally, there was only one way to respond: CEO to CEO. pic.twitter.com/JTFpzn5a6Y— Qantas (@Qantas) March 11, 2019
Alex Jacquot, a 10-year-old (who wants you to take him seriously) wrote an extremely cute letter to Alan Joyce, the CEO of Qantas, earnestly asking him for advice in setting up Alex’s new airline, Oceania Express.
The letter reads:
Dear Mr Alan Joyce AO,
I’m Alex Jacquot, a 10 year old boy (please take me seriously) and I want to start an airline. I have already started some stuff like what type of planes I’ll need, flight numbers, catering and more. I’m the CEO of the airline, which by the way is called Oceania Express. I’ve also hired a CFO, a Head of IT, a Head of Maintenance, a Head of On Board Services and a Head of Legal as well, along with my friend Wolf (Vice-CEO) we are both co-founders.
I wanted to write to you because I wanted to ask you three things. Number one: I like working on my airline. Seeing as it is 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.
Number two: Do you have any tips on starting an airline? I’d be very grateful to know what you’d have to say.
Number 3: I’m thinking about, as you are, about 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?
Hope to hear from you soon!
Yours sincerely,
Alex Jacquot, CEO and Co-Founder of Oceania Express.
He offered Jacquot some tips, emphasizing safety and comfort as the most important priorities of a successful airline.
Joyce also invited the boy to a meeting where they could “compare notes” and a tour of the Qantas Operations Centre.
“I ripped open the envelope and I quickly read it and I was so excited, I was running around the house for ten minutes,” Jacquot told 4BC. “I can’t believe it.”
Alex’s mother, Natasha Jacquot, told The Australian that he is now waiting on confirmation dates for his meeting with Joyce.