Tough Challenge
It will be a very big challenge ahead for Alan Joyce now he is in charge of the entire Qantas Group.
He did a very good job in helping to get Jetstar off the ground and this is his reward.
One also needs to take in to account that he had the benefit of Qantas backing when purchasing shiny new aircraft(at cheap prices) with well established infrastructure already in place provided by Qantas.Not many stand alone LCC's have this backing in the formative years.
People are keen to draw quick comparisons to Michael O Leary from Ryanair.
Let us not forget that Joyce has simply copied the Ryanair/Easyjet/Southwest model.
He may well be a good manager but he is no visionary. A very good copycat perhaps.This does not make him a poor manager however.
Mainline has an old fleet so it will be interesting to see how he will also handle the other aspects of the Group such as Frequent flyer/ Freight/ Holidays e.t.c.
I think the doom and gloom prospects are overplayed.Jetstar is a low cost product that could not compete on premium routes as it is not a premium product.It has and will continue to have its place just as mainline will continue to.
I wish him all the best for what will be a tough job ahead.If he treats his staff with respect then perhaps the outcome could be positive for all employees and shareholders.
Lets give the man a chance.