America: My Time

Chapter 365 A Foolish Test

Chapter 365 A Foolish Test
It has to be said that getting so many Japanese bigwigs together in such a short time is no easy feat. Upon reaching the second floor, John saw the same Japanese figures who had previously participated in Universal Studios. However, not everyone present was the same group; there were also some John didn't recognize.

No one objected to the renovation of Universal Studios; they felt it was indeed a good option. However, most people believed that the renovation should involve adding a new attraction rather than altering the original Universal theme. John naturally had no reason to object to this decision.

“Mr. John, please take good care of the construction of the Australian iron ore mine. This is related to our cooperation with those mining giants. Only you can help us now. As soon as the railway there starts construction, we can transfer funds to Quantum Mining’s account at any time. We have also prepared the personnel to guide the railway. You can go there whenever you need us!”

As soon as the representative of the First Commercial Bank, representing the overall interests of Japan, finished speaking, John couldn't help but sigh inwardly. He was shocked by the speed of these Japanese bastards. In such a short time, these guys had completed all the preparations. It seemed that they had been prepared in advance and did not think that they would refuse. Everything was within their expectations.

“No problem, the Australian side will start construction soon. As long as you are ready, I will let you know. How could I refuse such a win-win situation? Of course, I will do my best to help!” John did not believe that these guys were only concerned about this matter. If it were just this matter, they would not have taken it so seriously.

Although John didn't know anything about the strangers hidden among the crowd, he was certain of one thing: these guys were all Japanese government officials, or at least their aura was different.

“Mr. John, Gulfstream Aerospace is developing rapidly these days. I wonder if there is any possibility of cooperation between us? I heard that de Havilland Aircraft’s development model has completed its test flight. If there are no problems, Neon Aviation is willing to cooperate with them. We also need regional jets!”

When Neon Airlines said those words, John immediately understood their intentions. They were trying to bribe him with sweet talk. Their minds were probably not on de Havilland Aircraft Company, but on Hughes Aircraft Company. They were after his satellite positioning system.

Of course, John had no intention of developing it independently, nor did he have the funds to invest in it. The initial satellite communication network was already the most he could do, which put considerable pressure on Hughes Aircraft Company, as well as Legendary Entertainment and Phoenix Group. If they continued to invest in satellite positioning, neither Hughes Aircraft Company nor Gulfstream Aerospace would be able to hold on.

"I am naturally willing to accept such a good thing. To be honest, the reason for Pan Am's acquisition of Transatlantic Airlines is that we want to do some testing on regional aircraft. As you know, I am under a lot of pressure from the United States. It is almost impossible to get Pan Am to make any changes."

At this point, John brought up Pan Am, which made the Japanese guys feel that John was under a lot of pressure in this matter. They felt that investing a little money to further their cooperation with John in Gulfstream Aerospace was a good thing, and only with such cooperation could they have a reason to make more demands.

“John, there are no problems with ANA. As long as you agree, the transaction can be completed at any time.” Akio Morita said at this moment. It should be noted that John had initially asked him to complete this acquisition, and it was not a big deal.

"Thank you for your help, Mr. Morita. To be honest, Pan Am's acquisition of Transatlantic Airlines was not about acquiring Japan's regional market or competing with Japanese airlines for that market. What we wanted to develop was the low-cost carrier market that you all don't pay much attention to, like Pan Am's EasyJet. We wanted to pursue differentiated development."

Low-cost carriers, whether private companies like ANA or state-owned airlines like Air Japan, are not targeting the low-cost carrier market. More accurately, they look down on low-cost carriers. In their eyes, low-cost carriers are not worth mentioning. Even though low-cost carriers in the United States are quite good, they do not think that this would be suitable for Japan.

"Mr. John, you're so optimistic about Japan's low-cost carrier market?" Upon hearing John's words, the staff at Japan Airlines couldn't help but frown. This was a situation they hadn't anticipated, and even ANA hadn't expected it.

“It’s not that I’m optimistic about low-cost carriers in Japan, but rather that I need to conduct this kind of test in Japan, a test targeting the Asian market. Japan is the best choice in all of Asia because it has the necessary conditions. If Japan fails, we can naturally abandon this expansion. The aviation market requires a gradual investment.” “Mr. John, is your acquisition of British Golden Lion also part of this preparation? Are you also trying to enter the low-cost carrier market?” At this moment, many people thought of Pan Am’s acquisition offer for British Golden Lion.

"No, Lion Air has no intention of transforming into a low-cost carrier. As a low-cost carrier, the UK is not a suitable location. We can't put all our eggs in one basket. Pan Am's target is Ireland. We will carry out such a plan after the acquisition of Lion Air is completed."

Although John was telling the truth, the Japanese guys didn't dare to completely believe him. In their view, this was very likely just a bait thrown out by Pan Am. Anyone who fell for it and participated in this battle would fall into John's little fox's trap. Pan Am would never make such an acquisition, otherwise it wouldn't have dragged on for so long, and so many people wouldn't have known about this acquisition. All of this was completely different from John's previous acquisitions.

In the past, John was known for his swift and decisive acquisitions, completing everything with lightning speed. However, this time there were too many unusual moves. First, there was the small, relatively weak company, Transocean Airlines; then there was Far Eastern Air Transport from Taiwan, a company with considerable debt; then there was Lion Air, which caused quite a stir; and finally, there was Hawaiian Airlines, which was abandoned. All of this left people completely bewildered.

At this point, some people even doubted the validity of John's acquisition of de Havilland Aircraft Company. Why would John care so much about such a small company? They didn't have any eye-catching products.

The successful transformation of easyJet (West Air) does not mean that Europe and Asia are suitable for the development of low-cost carriers. If such airlines are viable, ANA and Air Japan will not ignore them and will vigorously develop them. Perhaps this is truly Pan Am's experiment, just like the one in Europe. Such airlines do not require large investments, and even if they fail, it will not have a serious impact; if they succeed, they will certainly reap considerable rewards.

"Is it worth it, Mr. John? Although the cost won't be too high, it will require a lot of effort, and low-cost airlines don't have such good returns."

"There's no question of whether it's worth it or not. My situation is different from yours, and I don't think we can compete with Air Japan and ANA in this market in Japan. So, low-cost carriers are the best option. I can afford this small cost, and it won't waste too much time and energy. After all, low-cost carriers don't have that much pressure, and we don't need many planes at the beginning. It's just a small experiment, so it won't cost too much! If there are problems with low-cost carriers, we can switch to cargo airlines!"

Although John's explanation was reasonable, few of the people in front of him were willing to believe him. In their view, low-cost airlines were just a trap, a trap to lure people in. Anyone who believed in them would pay a heavy price. After all, not everyone had the experience of Pan Am, and not everyone had the transformation experience of EasyJet (West). Some paths may look good, but taking them will come at a heavy price.

When John so openly announced his plan, the guys became increasingly skeptical. No one cared about such an investment; in their eyes, it wasn't worth much, not even as valuable as the Universal Studios project they had previously discussed. No one cared about such a hopeless investment, and no one would stand up to obstruct it.

The more John tells the truth, the less people will believe him, and the less pressure Transocean will face. After all, no one wants to offend an airline that has no direct conflict of interest with them, and neither ANA nor Air Japan cares.

"Mr. John, when will Hughes' satellite network deployment plan begin?"

When another one of these Japanese guys stepped forward, John couldn't help but smile inwardly, thinking to himself, "Here they come. These guys finally couldn't hold back and jumped out to ask about this. I thought they could hold out for much longer!"

"The satellite network plan is based on communications between Legendary Entertainment and Phoenix Media, ensuring that their television networks can broadcast globally, enhancing their strength and increasing their profits. Preparations are complete, and it will be fully launched soon. With the support of Universal Technology, this is not a problem. Hughes plans to complete the network of three satellites by the end of the year and officially complete the six-satellite network next year. At that time, the television signals of the two major media and entertainment groups will be unimpeded globally. If Japan needs satellite communications, please provide your support!"

(End of this chapter)