Jayne Hrdlicka reflects on her time at Virgin Australia, and where to next

Jayne Hrdlicka’s time as Virgin Australia CEO hasn’t been an easy journey. She stepped into the role as the airline was exiting voluntary administration. At the same time, Australia was still battling border closures and COVID lockdowns. On a personal level, during her tenure, her husband and father both sadly passed away. All the while, Hrdlicka still had an airline to run.

Now, the seasoned industry veteran – and former CEO of both Qantas Loyalty and Jetstar – is preparing for her days after Virgin Australia. Back in February, Hrdlicka confirmed her departure from the carrier. But she remains in the role as the search continues for her replacement.

Hrdlicka is usually one to guard her privacy and is ‘media trained’ better than most. But at the CAPA Airline Leader Summit in Brisbane, she’s surprisingly open about the challenges of the last four years, and what’s next.

Hrdlicka on Virgin Australia’s journey through COVID

Winding the clock back to 2020, Hrdlicka reflects on Virgin Australia’s early obstacles, even after its administration.

‘Nobody knew what tomorrow would bring,’ she begins. ‘And wow, nobody expected what actually unfolded in terms of how long the borders would be shut domestically, let alone internationally. I look back and I’m very grateful for the journey because it was very purposeful journey.’

‘The last four and a half years are like dog years. There were so many chapters of COVID, it wasn’t funny.’ But despite the perpetual struggle of the unknown, ‘it was the most rewarding experience for me in my professional career, and the most incredible and the most purposeful.’

‘We serve Australia every day,’ Hrdlicka remarks of Virgin Australia. One of the more rewarding aspects has been ‘putting Virgin Australia back into a position where it could support roughly a third of the travel in this country. And to do that in a way that really leaned in and brought a smile to people’s faces, and helped the country grow and go from strength to strength, that’s really important … and it was extraordinary.’

There’s more to life than running an airline…

Despite the struggles of the pandemic and steering Virgin Australia out of voluntary administration, Hrdlicka has been fighting her own battles behind the scenes. ‘It was one of the most intense and challenging periods you can imagine,’ she begins, speaking at first about the business.

‘I personally love that. I thrive in a challenging environment. But it also happened to coincide with one of the most confronting personal experiences you could ever have.’ For Hrdlicka, this came ‘in a two-pronged way, with the loss of my husband to cancer, and then recently, (I) lost my father. That’s just tough at a time when you’re so consumed in a very purposeful job that you love.’

But what’s next for Hrdlicka once she cedes the role of Virgin Australia CEO? ‘Well, look, the honest answer is, I don’t know. Given circumstances over the last several years, I really need to spend more time with my boys. They’re 17 and 19.’

‘For anybody who has teenagers, they need you on tap. They don’t really want you there on a regular basis,’ she quips, ‘but they need you on tap. And I really haven’t had the ability to do that when they’ve needed me most. So I am going to be available to them.’

‘I’m (also) really looking forward to taking a break,’ Hrdlicka continues. But after that, on the professional front, she’s keen to ‘spend a little bit more time with my tennis colleagues globally. There are some big opportunities there to reset for the future as a sport.’

In addition to her role at Virgin Australia, Hrdlicka remains Chair of Tennis Australia, a position she’s held since 2017.

Hrdlicka looks beyond Virgin Australia

For Hrdlicka, ‘the most important piece of it is just taking a break,’ once her departure from Virgin Australia is finalised. ‘Doing some things that are good for me, and then thinking about what I want to do next.’

‘That’s both exciting and daunting because it’s a journey of possibilities. I have a huge passion for tennis. And so I know I need to put a little bit more time there. We have some big issues globally that we need to address, and then we’ll see.’

Speaking though of the airline industry, ‘I think what’s happening in the US is interesting with the full-service carriers performing incredibly well relative to the low-cost carriers. The difference in cost between the low-cost carriers and full-service carriers has narrowed dramatically.’

‘So there’s structural change happening in one of the world’s biggest aviation markets right now. And I think that’ll be interesting for us all to watch. In Australia, we’ve got a relatively small market compared to the US or Europe, so our degrees of freedom are a little different.’ Notably, Virgin Australia has been pursuing a mid-market strategy that fits neither box.

‘But the look back for me will be ensuring that Virgin Australia found its rightful place in the market. And, that it was delivering very attractive returns to its shareholders, (and) on a path to deliver even better returns to its shareholders.’ For Hrdlicka, running Virgin Australia has been ‘a unique experience, so I’ll forever be grateful for it.’

‘A big part of my heart will always stay with Virgin Australia. And I’ll be a huge fan, cheering from the sidelines to see the airline go from strength to strength. And it will.’

Also read: Virgin Australia CEO Jayne Hrdlicka talks airline strategy and Haneda slots

Featured image courtesy of Boeing. Chris Chamberlin attended the CAPA Airline Leader Summit in Brisbane as a guest of CAPA Centre for Aviation.

---

Stay up to date with the latest news, reviews and guides by subscribing to Point Hacks’ email newsletter.