Article: Has Virgin Australia Had Its Goldilocks Moment?

[antycbr]

VA had all-Y aircraft back in 1.0 days. The Fokkers and the Airbus from VARA which operated primarily on FIFO with some revenue services in-between FIFO runs.
The all-Y 737s as stated will eventually replace the Fokker fleet at VARA, but registered under the mainline AOC.

And of course, there is also the Alliance Airlines wet-lease all-Y F100 services ex-Queensland (both intra-state and some interstate services), which has also been around since the VA 1.0 days.

If it does 'ever' materialise. REX are just 'as bad' as VA when it comes to timelines, e.g REX's 7th and 8th aircraft was meant to enter service in 2021 but never did with the 7th entering service in 2022.

Not only did they have all Y aircraft, VA 1.0 had several routes they didn’t sell J on, even when using aircraft with a J cabin. SYD-LST and SYD-CFS were two I can think of.

 

[Moopere]

I don't know that I've ever flown JQ - I'm trying to remember and its possible I never have. Wondering about the snide comments relating to them. Given my experience with VA was ordinary to bad, I struggling to understand how JQ could actually be worse.

My thoughts might be coloured by 3K which I've used a lot for short haul in SE Asia - 3K are great! Seriously, never had a problem with them - they are cheap and cheerful - I've never been let down.

 

[AustraliaPoochie]

Take it from this point of view.
Lets say, you have lounge access, either QP or QFd J lounge access, either via the credit card you hold, or due to the fact you have QFF SG, in both MEL and SYD, the QP or QFd J lounge are in the other terminals, and they are not linked, so you have to trudge between terminals to access them.
My several JQ flights, 2 or 3 a long while back, were ok, till the time they cancelled my JQd flight, wihtout notification.
I was to fly MEL - ADL with JQ, 24 hours before flight, tried OLCI on the JQ website, cannot be done, they probably already knew that that particular evening flight, had been cancelled, but they didn't say so.
Tried to do check in at a kiosk at T4, nope, cannot be done, come back later.
So went to the QP at MEL T1, and it was in there, that I got the notification the JQ flight was cancelled, offered another flight the next day, but I had to start work early.
So rushed out of the lounge, packing up all my things, and went down to QF desk sales, and bought a flex Y tix.
In the rush to get back to the secure side of T1, 2nd entry that day, I accidentally left my mobile phone at the security screening point!
Got to lounge 2nd time, then remembered I didn't have my phone, so packed stuff up again, lucky was HLO, and took 10 mins to get back my phone from the security people, what did it look like, etc, etc, questions...
There is also a website www.dontfly***jetstar.com, take away the asterix.

 

[jakeseven7]

Yeah I know. I just can't see what they think their niche is? whats the point in being a slightly higher priced JQ?

The point is that it’s a safe space for VA2 to sit.

If they go too much further down market they hit Jetstar and Jetstar has a lower cost base, and will wipe the floor with them and we will have yet another spectacular collapse.

Conversely if they dare go too near QF’s bread and butter (again) - the premium / business / corporate target - QF will carve them up for breakfast. Again.

So literally the only place for them to comfortably sit without attracting too much unwanted attention is just above Jetstar, pulling in some of the leisure crowd, and some of the more budget conscious small business.

As our very astute consultant who knows a lot more than all of us mentioned ‘the only complicating factor in this plan for VA2 is the fact Rex has appeared with jets targeting exactly the same customer as them….

Fascinating stuff really!

 

[antycbr]

The point is that it’s a safe space for VA2 to sit.

If they go too much further down market they hit Jetstar and Jetstar has a lower cost base, and will wipe the floor with them and we will have yet another spectacular collapse.

Conversely if they dare go too near QF’s bread and butter (again) - the premium / business / corporate target - QF will carve them up for breakfast. Again.

So literally the only place for them to comfortably sit without attracting too much unwanted attention is just about Jetstar, pulling in some of the leisure crowd, and some of the more budget conscious small business.

As our very astute consultant who knows a lot more than all of us mentioned ‘the only complicating factor in this plan for VA2 is the fact Rex has appeared with jets targeting exactly the same customer as them….

Fascinating stuff really!

Get back to me when ZL get their act together with a FF program.

There's 10 million members of Velocity - even if 10% are seriously active, that's still a million people. The FF program is where the serious money is made, just look at QF Group.

When you have half of *A that fly here plus QR partnering as well... theres a lot of value and lock in occurring with VA.

 

[jase05]

Get back to me when ZL get their act together with a FF program.

There's 10 million members of Velocity - even if 10% are seriously active, that's still a million people.

When you have half of *A that fly here plus QR partnering as well...

not to mention poor lounges and still a pretty ordinary network between capital cities.
Im not sure what Rex are planning long term but doubt they get to 100+ jets like VA will have so they won’t offer the network or frequency like VA do.

 

[Paul720]

Has Virgin Australia Had Its Goldilocks Moment? is an article written by AFF editorial staff:

Has Virgin Australia Had Its Goldilocks Moment?

In the seven years leading up to the pandemic, Virgin Australia never once made an annual profit. Already in a weak financial position, it didn't take

www.australianfrequentflyer.com.au

You can leave a comment or discuss this topic below.

How any airline can support the 737 max is beyiond me. Greed killed 350 people yet that seems to have been swept under the carpet by Virgin. That's reason enough I'd never fly any airline morally bankrupt enough to buy and fly this 60 year old death trap legacy dud.

 

[AIRwin]

That's reason enough I'd never fly any airline morally bankrupt enough to buy and fly this 60 year old death trap legacy dud.

SQ?

 

[antycbr]

SQ?

FJ, AC, AA, UA, AS, AM, TK, WS, WN
That not counting smaller airlines, PRC or leasing firms.

 

[jase05]

SQ?

Plus about 40 other airlines

 

[HS-TQE]

Get back to me when ZL get their act together with a FF program.

There's 10 million members of Velocity - even if 10% are seriously active, that's still a million people. The FF program is where the serious money is made, just look at QF Group.

When you have half of *A that fly here plus QR partnering as well... theres a lot of value and lock in occurring with VA.

In addition to the long-delayed FF program, REX was supposed to have 10 jets by now (with 7 and 8 delivered last year).
Those jets didn't materialise until the 7th Aircraft (sourced ex-Samoa Airways) was delivered in August this year.

 

[AustraliaPoochie]

Maybe some one in the aviation industry can have a chit chat with John Sharp from Rex about its plans and where its going with its FF program.

 

[antycbr]

Maybe some one in the aviation industry can have a chit chat with John Sharp from Rex about its plans and where its going with its FF program.

Would make a change from the usual aggressive press releases that he uses for communications...

 

[TMBHL]

Does anyone know if Virgin are planning to fly Sydney - Honolulu? From their website it looks as if it should happen, but there is no availability

 

[HS-TQE]

Does anyone know if Virgin are planning to fly Sydney - Honolulu? From their website it looks as if it should happen, but there is no availability

Virgin themselves doesn't fly SYD-HNL, but it seems their partner on the route Hawaiian Airlines (HA) either hasn't released availability or there is IT issues on either end.

 

[jase05]

Virgin themselves doesn't fly SYD-HNL, but it seems their partner on the route Hawaiian Airlines (HA) either hasn't released availability or there is IT issues on either end.

It automatically defaults to UA it seems currently

 

[terryeveritt]

I have been with Virgin a long time and loved going to LA a few times a year on 'the business' best of almost airline. Stayed through the admin days and its new incarnation. Not as great as the previous yet still a great product. The downside is the lack of business lounges (irrelevant of what they call them) and no metal to LA. Otherwise, glad I stayed with them and never had a problem (a la QF).

 

[jakeseven7]

Does anyone know if Virgin are planning to fly Sydney - Honolulu?

Yeah that’s a hard no

 

[ChrisFlyer]

It automatically defaults to UA it seems currently

You have to call Velocity to book Hawaiian using points, but UA is available online so the website is just piecing together what it can to respond to the search, I guess. That said, Hawaiian is very tight on award seat availability lately, so even if it were online, you wouldn't see much on the Australian flights!

 

[jase05]

You have to call Velocity to book Hawaiian using points, but UA is available online so the website is just piecing together what it can to respond to the search, I guess. That said, Hawaiian is very tight on award seat availability lately, so even if it were online, you wouldn't see much on the Australian flights!

Yes, I remember in the VA1 days that the best search tool was on AA. If they showed availability then you could call VA and book it