Schoolboy ends up with business deal after penning letter to Qantas boss asking for advice
Most 10-year-old's only have dreams of their future careers, but one boy has taken his aspirations a step further by contacting the boss of Qantas to pitch his fledgling airline.
Alex Jacquot wrote to Qantas CEO Alan Joyce about the new airline he had set up, ‘Oceania Express’, with his best friend.
His handwritten note prompted the boss of one of Australia’s largest carriers to invite him to its Sydney headquarters for a meet-and-greet on Wednesday.
In the letter, Alex asked Mr Joyce for “any tips on starting an airline” and informed him he had already hired a CFO, head of legal, and head of IT.
Alex began the letter: “I'm Alex Jacquot, a 10-year-old boy (please take me seriously)… I want to start an airline.”
He explained he had already organised what types of planes he will need to start up the airline, flight numbers, catering and more.
During the meeting between the two airline CEOs, they signed a non-binding memorandum of understanding.
The deal will come into effect once Alex has finished school – in 2026.
Alex was presented with a new logo, business cards and an artist's impression of the Oceania Express brand on a state-of-the-art Boeing Dreamliner.
The 10-year-old and his business partners, deputy CEO Wolf Stringer, also 10, and head of inflight service, Alex’s seven-year-old sister Mila, were given a behind-the-scenes look at the inner workings of Qantas.
The domain name oceaniaexpress.com.au has also been registered on Alex’s behalf by the Qantas CEO.
Mr Joyce said: “In his letter, Alex asked me to take him seriously. So we did. It’s hard not to be impressed by his enthusiasm.
“The aviation industry needs people who think big and Alex has that in spades. It was a pleasure meeting with him and his co-founders.”
Alex said: “This is a big day for our little airline.
“We’ve got a lot to learn from them but they can learn from us, too."
Mr Joyce said since Alex’s letter, Qantas had received “scores of notes” from other schoolchildren with a passion for aviation and the carrier has now launched a new 'Future High Flyers' programme.
It will offer a select number of children to experience a day with the national carrier.
“There are clearly a lot of budding airline executives out there, probably because it’s an industry that really captures the imagination,” Mr Joyce added.