Big Qantas gamble that paid off

For an airline that was widely predicted to fail, Jetstar has done exactly the opposite for parent company Qantas.

The launch of Jetstar 15 years ago with then chief executive Alan Joyce, John Travolta, Magda Szubanski and the airline’s crew.

For an airline that was widely predicted to fail, Jetstar has done ­exactly the opposite for parent company Qantas.

Now 15 years old, the low-fares carrier was originally described as a “huge gamble” based on the fact that at the time no other low-cost airline within a premium airline had succeeded.

There was Air Canada’s short-lived Tango operation, launched in 2001 and gone by 2004. Delta Air Lines tried twice and failed, first with Delta Express and then with Song from 2003 to 2006.

United Airlines also doubled up with disastrous results known as Shuttle and Ted, and British Airways took just three years to see the light with Go Fly, selling off the low-cost airline in 2001.

So the scepticism surrounding Jetstar was hardly surprising, with even the airline’s first chief executive, Alan Joyce, acknowledging that “no one else had done it successfully” at the launch. Back then the Jetstar operation comprised a mere 14 aircraft and 900 staff. Today the airline flies 136 aircraft, including 11 Boeing 787 Dreamliners, employs 8200 people and generates multimillion-dollar profits for the Qantas Group.

A320 captain Lizzie Archibald has been with Jetstar for 12 of its 15 years, following in the footsteps of her Qantas pilot father, uncle and sister.

She said the wide network ­offered endless opportunities for pilots and the introduction of new A321neos from next year would only add to that. “They’re going to open up so many new routes for Jetstar, which is obviously great as a pilot because we get to see new places and operate into new environments,” Ms Archibald said. “The aircraft itself is really exciting too — it’s going to be a lot more efficient and it has some ­exciting technology.”

Despite flying to many of the 87 destinations in Jetstar’s network, Ms Archibald said her favourite route was anything in or out of Sydney.

“Sydney Harbour is just one of the most beautiful sights and you never get tired of it,” she said.