VA to fly to SIN [Rumour?]

[lovestotravel]

As dzinh has confirmed in his post after yours, all of his posts have either consisted of crew rumours or personal desires. All the quotes you have given reflect that. dzinh never stated that VA had made any specific announcements about future international routes.

If you want speculation from a more authoritative source, there is this piece in the Australian:
Cookies must be enabled. | The Australian

LOL again

VA are desperate for them anyway for their INT routes!

VA are not desperate for aircraft to expand internationaly

That was my point

People can wish/dream all they want but not much will happen with Virgin internationally

 

[seritonin]

I thought I should explain that I started this thread after having dinner with my best mate who is a VA flight attendant, he mentioned that there was a directive from VA management with regards to staff bidding for SIN in the next few months. They have separated the FAs between international and domestic routes few months ago meaning that the crew cannot bid for DPS and HKT and domestic as well (LAX and AUH crews have always been seperate entity since it was a different airline). Their international crews can only do international routes. My mate said that this was the decision handed down from CASA but i think they are doing this to separate their international and domestic operations and also expand their routes.

 

[Deleted member 29185]

I thought I should explain that I started this thread after having dinner with my best mate who is a VA flight attendant, he mentioned that there was a directive from VA management with regards to staff bidding for SIN in the next few months. They have separated the FAs between international and domestic routes few months ago meaning that the crew cannot bid for DPS and HKT and domestic as well (LAX and AUH crews have always been seperate entity since it was a different airline).

Which sort of tallies with what LiamR was suggesting also..................

 

[vitagen]

do you have facts to back up your claim!!!!!....the oldest QF333 is currently 9.8yrs old (the youngest is 7.6yrs) ...by your 'logic' most of the worlds airlines are flying 'rustbuckets'.
OMG...the first A380 entered service in 2007..thats 6yrs ago!!! rapidly reaching 'rustbucket' status!!

My butt prefers the VA 332 in both Y and J. I Never qualified my rustbucket statement with any reference to years and was more a tongue in cheek comment...

 

[Must...Fly!]

I do wonder why VA would bother with Singapore.

Qantas are apparently struggling. What makes them think they'll make money? The partnership with SQ? Why wouldn't you just choose to fly SQ...

 

[markis10]

I do wonder why VA would bother with Singapore.

Qantas are apparently struggling. What makes them think they'll make money? The partnership with SQ? Why wouldn't you just choose to fly SQ...

I believe QF are struggling with SYDNEY, with the 5 to go all A330 soon, however elsewhere is different, just got of QF52 and there is not a spare seat, compared to the earlier EK option which had at least 20. It's all about feeder traffic, with SQ offering some good options for VA once the passengers hit SIN, I also believe SQ are struggling as we'll given their recent capacity downgrades for Australia.

 

[medhead]

VA are not desperate for aircraft to expand internationaly

That was my point

People can wish/dream all they want but not much will happen with Virgin internationally

I think you're reading too much into the post you quoted. It simply does not include the words "more" or "expand". It says they are desperate for the aircraft for their international routes. As in their current international routes that are current services by 737s. It seems entirely reasonable that they might like to run A330s to DPS instead of 737s.

 

[Aussie_flyer]

I do wonder why VA would bother with Singapore.

Qantas are apparently struggling. What makes them think they'll make money? The partnership with SQ? Why wouldn't you just choose to fly SQ...

Where are you hearing they are struggling?

 

[dajop]

II also believe SQ are struggling as we'll given their recent capacity downgrades for Australia.

Which capacity downgrades are you referring to here?

 

[Must...Fly!]

Where are you hearing they are struggling?

According to BITRE data, in April QF had 61% inbound and 65% outbound seat utilisation.

SQ 76.7% and 79.6%.

For the sake of it, scoot 73.9% and and 72.1%.

However April was a bad month for QF in general as uncertainty over their EK tie-up would have effected forward bookings. It is early to say I agree but just my own observations of posts here and FF availability seems to indicate they are not filling aircraft. The .BR trick took Qantas forever to put a stop to which indicates to me they were happy to put some bums on seats at a significant loss.

The A330 refit will help I am sure. It just seems to me that given how soft the market is at the moment, if VA truly have desires to start adding international destinations, they ought to develop new markets, not try to steal market share.

 

[markis10]

Which capacity downgrades are you referring to here?

Reduction in services next month for a start, ADL 12 down to 7 and Sydney 4 down to 3, as well as a trend down in operating equipment size.

 

[dajop]

However April was a bad month for QF in general as uncertainty over their EK tie-up would have effected forward bookings. It is early to say I agree but just my own observations of posts here and FF availability seems to indicate they are not filling aircraft. T

There are lot of reports of very full QF flights over the last few weeks, but given the school holidays that is not surprising. It will be interesting to hear what is happening now and over the next month, outside of the school holiday period! Still, regardless of QF loadings, I don't think unless SQ hands capacity over to VA (or they think of something "outside of the box"), that they will be going to SIN.

 

[dajop]

Reduction in services next month for a start, ADL 12 down to 7 and Sydney 4 down to 3, as well as a trend down in operating equipment size.

But these are for what two weeks each? August is always soft. I haven't (yet) seen any long term changes to schedules. They've recently downgauged one MEL flight (217/8) from A380 to 77W, but at the same time added an extra service on A330.

 

[markis10]

But these are for what two weeks each? August is always soft. I haven't (yet) seen any long term changes to schedules. They've recently downgauged one MEL flight (217/8) from A380 to 77W, but at the same time added an extra service on A330.

They follow on from similar May changes, another soft month???

 

[lovestotravel]

Don't get me wrong, I'd love VA to have more 330/350/777/787s flying internationally, but I am just struggling to see where they could/would fly to

SIN - As many and I have said it's already very well covered by SQ
Japan - Jetstar and a few QF flights plus the other airlines have this well covered
HNL - JQ/QF/HA already have this well covered, although yields on this route must be very high as you rarely see a good sale anymore, but again HA already do the hard work for VA
DPS - Bogans seem to like the 737, A330s would be nice but I doubt the business product would sell well, plus Garuda is ramping up

VA has codeshares/agreements everywhere, and I think their main focus is to get domestic running a little better than currently.

SFO would be great but that's just me personally but I see it connecting well with Virgin America

 

[dajop]

They follow on from similar May changes, another soft month???

Yep, I believe so. I follow SIN-MEL and MEL-SIN pricing closely (in Y) over the last few years and I'd say late Feb/early March, May, August and late October-early November are the softer periods and reductions in capacity are almost to be expected when they have so many services. Other periods you have significant school holiday/university student movement traffic.

 

[rtyuiop]

Don't get me wrong, I'd love VA to have more 330/350/777/787s flying internationally, but I am just struggling to see where they could/would fly to

Even if they've decided to use their alliance model (which isn't necessarily great for their FF program!) mostly, if it makes sense for them to run their own flights from east coast Oz to LAX and AUH, those could certainly be beefed up - daily from BNE for both destinations would be pretty significant expansion. As a passenger I'd also like to see them fly to SIN with their own metal.

I'd actually really like to see them grab a few A340s or 747-8s and do BNE/SYD/MEL (any of them really) to JNB. It didn't work with a 777, but it's hardly surprising with the sub-optimal course required by ETOPS.

 

[V-332]

I thought I should explain that I started this thread after having dinner with my best mate who is a VA flight attendant, he mentioned that there was a directive from VA management with regards to staff bidding for SIN in the next few months. They have separated the FAs between international and domestic routes few months ago meaning that the crew cannot bid for DPS and HKT and domestic as well (LAX and AUH crews have always been seperate entity since it was a different airline). Their international crews can only do international routes. My mate said that this was the decision handed down from CASA but i think they are doing this to separate their international and domestic operations and also expand their routes.

Sounds like your friend may have gotten their wires crossed.

Singapore hasnt been confirmed or announced as a destination. There is no directive from management with regards to bidding.

As I said before you will find shorthaul/domestic crew operating the DPS and HKT flights. There only restrictions placed on bidding for crew are due to base and aircraft type/s. There is no International/Domestic groups for short haul.

 

[grubbidok]

SFO would be great but that's just me personally but I see it connecting well with Virgin America

+eleventy billion.

Who cares about the connections, the fact it's not LAX won my vote

 

[ash.1111]

+1, V-332 is on the ball.

Sounds like your friend may have gotten their wires crossed.

Singapore hasnt been confirmed or announced as a destination. There is no directive from management with regards to bidding.

As I said before you will find shorthaul/domestic crew operating the DPS and HKT flights. There only restrictions placed on bidding for crew are due to base and aircraft type/s. There is no International/Domestic groups for short haul.