Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

Qantas CEO Responds To 10-Year-Old's Adorable Letter Asking For Advice On Starting His Own Airline

Qantas CEO Responds To 10-Year-Old's Adorable Letter Asking For Advice On Starting His Own Airline
@Qantas and @electriccaves (Twitter)

On today's edition of News That Will Make Your Heart Smile, we'd like to share the story of how Alan Joyce, the CEO of Australian airline Qantas, made one little boy's heart soar.


Alex Jacquot is a 10-year-old boy, wrote to Joyce to ask for advice on operating his "airline,"Oceania Express."

"I have already started some stuff like what types of planes I'll need, flight numbers, catering and more," Jacquot wrote in part.

He added that and he chose to name himself and his co-founder CEOs. Additionally, he sought advice on hiring a chief financial officer, head of maintenance, head of onboard services and head of legal.

He also asked the CEO for advice on how to ensure that passengers sleep comfortably on a 25-hour flight from Sydney to London.

"Seeing as it is the school holidays, I have more time to work," he wrote. "But I don't have anything to do (that I can think of). Do you have any ideas of what I can do?"

Jacquot received a swift response from Joyce himself, which Qantas shared to its official Twitter account.

"Our competitors don't normally ask us for advice, but when an airline leader reached out, we couldn't ignore it," the company wrote. "Naturally, there was only one way to respond: CEO to CEO."

In his own letter, Joyce wrote that he doesn't typically provide advice to his competitors, but that he remembers when he "too was a young boy who was so curious about flight and all its possibilities."

"My number one tip for starting an airlines id to put safety front and center," Joyce wrote. "And do everything you can to make travel as comfortable and affordable as possible for your passengers."

He then invited Jacqout to a private meeting to "compare notes on what it's like to run an airline."

"I would like to invite you to a Project Sunrise meeting between myself, as the CEO of Australia's oldest airline, and you, as the CEO of Australia's newest airline," Joyce replied. "And I'd like to offer you a tour of our Operations Centre (where we keep an eye on every Qantas flight, wherever they are in the world."

The letters soon went viral and Qantas earned significant praise for taking a young boy and his dream of flying seriously.





Investment professional Paola Rojas summed things up rather well:



Jacquot, as you can imagine, was ecstatic, telling Brisbane-based radio station 4BC:

"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."

We want to know how that meeting goes! Fly high, little one.

More from News

Francois Arnaud; Miley Cyrus
Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for Critics Choice Association; Taylor Hill/FilmMagic

'Heated Rivalry' Star Has Cheeky Reaction After Miley Cyrus Says She Wants To Do Music For Season 2

The HBO Max series Heated Rivalry is pretty much THE break-out TV hit of the past several months, so no wonder singer Miley Cyrus says she's "so in" on collaborating on season two.

But one of the stars of the show, François Arnaud, doesn't seem so sure it's quite the right fit.

Keep ReadingShow less
Mark Kelly; Pete Hegseth
Jacek Boczarski/Anadolu via Getty Images; Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

Mark Kelly Rips Pete Hegseth After Pentagon Moves To Cut His Pension And Demote Him Over Video About Illegal Orders

Senator Mark Kelly, who flew combat missions during the Gulf War in the U.S. Navy before being selected as a NASA Space Shuttle pilot, blasted MAGA Republican President Donald Trump's Secretary of Defense, Pete Hegseth, for his part in the latest Trump administration attempt to lash out at their political rivals.

Hegseth previously demanded the Navy provide punishment recommendations to the Pentagon's Office of General Counsel for the retired Captain, who flew 39 combat missions during the Gulf War before going to space four times for NASA.

Keep ReadingShow less
Tucker Carlson Dragged After Offering Truly Bonkers Theory For Why Trump Captured Nicolás Maduro

Tucker Carlson Dragged After Offering Truly Bonkers Theory For Why Trump Captured Nicolás Maduro

Former Fox News host turned far-right podcaster Tucker Carlson raised eyebrows after he claimed that President Donald Trump captured Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro in order to bring same-sex marriage to the people of a country now in a dangerous state of flux after the U.S. invaded.

Weirdly, he claimed “pro-gay forces” were secretly driving regime change, pointing to Nobel Peace Prize recipient and opposition leader María Corina Machado's support for same-sex marriage. He suggested this is proof that "globo homo," his term for progressive liberal elites, are hard at work.

Keep ReadingShow less
Jimmy Kimmel; Donald Trump
Amy Sussman/Getty Images for Critics Choice Association; Win McNamee/Getty Images

Jimmy Kimmel Thanks Trump After Winning Critics Choice Award In A Roast For The Ages

Late-night host Jimmy Kimmel mockingly thanked President Donald Trump when he took home the Critics Choice Award on Sunday for Best Talk Show, suggesting Trump helped him win the honor in part because of 'all the many ridiculous things you do each and every day."

Kimmel's remarks were considerably pointed considering the role Trump played in pulling Kimmel off the air this past autumn.

Keep ReadingShow less
Groom placing wedding ring on bride's finger
Photo by Jeongim Kwon on Unsplash

Married People Explain How Often They Take Their Wedding Ring Off

When two people get married, there's an assumption that others tend to make: that the couple will wear their wedding rings no matter what, and if they don't, it's a sign of a troubled marriage and a lack of commitment.

But there are lots of reasons not to wear wedding rings full-time, from cleanliness to safety to health concerns.

Keep ReadingShow less