VA withdraws all services from Hong Kong

[woodborer]

Is Virgin offering Original Routing Credit (points and SC) for people who have booked revenue fares? Apparently my return ticket will be 'automatically cancelled and refunded' as of tomorrow, but no one in the call centre can confirm if ORC will be offered.

Usually requires you to actually fly....

 

[Buggbear]

The decision to stop this route is not really clever IMHO. Now where is Virgin going to compete on OS routes. All Qantas need to do is to lower the LAX, SFO fares so much that Virgin will have virtually only the domestic market to compete in which is less than ideal. Is BNE to HND suffice? Not likely. And, it would be hard to regain the HKG slots.

 

[jase05]

The decision to stop this route is not really clever IMHO. Now where is Virgin going to compete on OS routes. All Qantas need to do is to lower the LAX, SFO fares so much that Virgin will have virtually only the domestic market to compete in which is less than ideal. Is BNE to HND suffice? Not likely. And, it would be hard to regain the HKG slots.

The route was bleeding money even when travel to HKG was going well. It had to be done.
BNE-HND won’t be the saviour on its own but it’s a important partnership with NH and VA are already seeing some benefits from the partnership with domestic connections and once the partnership fully kicks in mid year with reciprocal rights all round I think it will be a very good decision. Obviously the current situation has thrown a spammer in the works

 

[33kft]

All Qantas need to do is to lower the LAX, SFO fares so much that Virgin will have virtually only the domestic market to compete in which is less than ideal

This assumes that QF wants or needs to eliminate competition through a price war. The other option is that they coexist in some markets and keep their current margins. Losing one more route isn't the tipping point for the existence of non-QF international routes ex Aus, there's tens of airlines that serve that function, and QF are rarely the lowest cost option. Losing money is more of an existential threat for VA than losing routes in the long run.

 

[AIRwin]

Final flight was operated by VH-XFE and returned to SYD this morning...

 

[jakeseven7]

Final flight was operated by VH-XFE and returned to SYD this morning...

RIP VA International HKG route :-(

 

[AIRwin]

RIP VA International HKG route :-(

And Happy New Debut (HND) to VA International HND route!

 

[jase05]

RIP VA International HKG route :-(

Yep, sad as I found it the best way to get to HKG. Had a couple of absolutely superb return trips with them to HKG but as they say when one door closes another opens and I can’t wait to eventually take my first trip to Japan with them

 

[jakeseven7]

And Happy New Debut (HND) to VA International HND route!

I fear greatly its going to be another dagger to the heart of VA as discussed extensively in other threads (off topic)

 

[rapitts]

Yeah sad loss, used the HKG route a few times and saw it as a good stepping stone to London since Virgin Atlantic dumped the Australian leg several years ago. The return flight seem to be busy on the SYD sector. It puts a dent on my future velocity status now especially gaining the required sectors.