The sky's the limit - Today Tonight
Fasten your seatbelt and make sure your tray tables are upright, because the battle of the skies is about to begin.
For the last ninety years, the Qantas kangaroo has been king of the Australian skies. Now two newcomers are determined to see that all change.
“We're not a legacy carrier. The advantage we have on our side is we have built a business from scratch over the past six years, a culture, a service,” said James Hogan, CEO of United Arab Emirates owned airline, Etihad.
Etihad is the third major player in Australian aviation. James, born and raised in Melbourne, says he has been given direct instructions to build the best airline in the world from scratch.
In Australia, Etihad is now a household name – not bad for an airline founded in 2003. But James said it didn't happen by accident, it has been a vicious and deliberate push into the Australian market.
It started in his hometown of Melbourne.
“We were able to take advantage of the Etihad Stadium naming rights being available, so through the stadium we're well known. We are certainly part of the vernacular in Melbourne,” he said.
And even though James has been out of the country for twenty years, to use a line from his competitors, he still very much ‘calls Australia home’.
It was James, in 2002, who led the charge trying to save his much loved Ansett Airlines.
“When I talk to people about it, I use a sporting analogy quite often. You've got to be determined to win,” he said.
Etihad is about as Australian as an overseas airline can get. James has stacked his staff with Aussies and in his brand new empire, the more the merrier.
John Borghetti Aussie CEO of V Australia believes his company and Etihad “will do it better than anybody”.
If James Hogan is number three in the airline business, John Borghetti is number two and has his sights set on number one.
“I think the big thing here is that we will be able to offer Australians, and for that matter people from overseas, a product that will allow you to go in one stop from Australia to anywhere in Europe or the UK,” Mr Borghetti said.
And they plan to do it by taking a direct stab at the national carrier, Qantas, who currently only flies direct to only two European cities. On the Etihad / V Australia ticket, you can go to 17 cities in Europe and North Africa direct.
And if you need another selling point, those frequent flyer points you chalk up on your way to London, you can use on Virgin Blue back home.
“I think competition is good in any market and certainly in aviation it’s no different. What we are aiming to do is bring more competition, not just at the leisure end of the market, where we have been very strong and will continue to be very strong, but also at the business end of the market. And I think Australia needs that,” Mr Borghetti said.
What makes it all more remarkable is the fact that these men didn't float into cushy jobs after university – they worked from the ground up. While James was slaving away at the check-in counter at Ansett, John was in the mail room at Qantas.
Proving to us all, if you're willing to have a go, the sky’s the limit.
“I think we have both been very lucky. The truth is you know life is like that, if you work hard, you stay focused and you do the best you can, then nine times out of 10 things turn out for the best,” Mr Borghetti said.
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