The Long Haul

Qantas CEO Alan Joyce has copped plenty of flak since dropping plans to establish a premium airline in Asia.

But I’m not sure if that criticism stands up to scrutiny, as Qantas has a strong track record of expansion in Asia through its Jetstar brand. There is no doubt Jetstar Asia and Vietnam-based Jetstar Pacific have had their difficulties but it is precisely that experience that would have informed Qantas’s negotiations with potential partners in Malaysia and Singapore – and Qantas’s eyes would have been wide open to the cultural and business challenges of operating outside Australia.