Virgin Blue tries to muscle out SQ for Pacific route

[QF WP]

Virgin Blue makes a late strong bid to head off Singapore Airlines' push to enter the Pacific route, arguing that Virgin could provide a low-cost and "Australian" competitor to Qantas...

 

[NM]

I don't think our own PM is very pro-Singapore just at the moment.

 

[oz_mark]

So what is the story? Virgin are anti-competition now?

 

[clifford]

I don't think our own PM is very pro-Singapore just at the moment.

Hey NM, I think his propaganda has got to you.

 

[one9]

normally i would be in support of the increased competition, but at the momment my economic mind has died, and i still have an ill feeling towards singapore airlines, due to my ill feeling with the singapore government. i am sure this will pass and in a year or so i will be back flying with singapore airlines.

 

[Guest]

normally i would be in support of the increased competition, but at the momment my economic mind has died, and i still have an ill feeling towards singapore airlines, due to my ill feeling with the singapore government. i am sure this will pass and in a year or so i will be back flying with singapore airlines.

what feelings are they? the words respect and integrity spring to mind. At least one country in the world still upholds the law :!:

 

[oz_mark]

what feelings are they? the words respect and integrity spring to mind. At least one country in the world still upholds the law :!:

I don't think this issue should have anything to do with SQ being allowed access to the Pacific routes. As d00t notes, Singapore was simply enforcing its own laws.

 

[dajop]

I don't think this issue should have anything to do with SQ being allowed access to the Pacific routes. As d00t notes, Singapore was simply enforcing its own laws.

Agreed - if the death penalty in Singapore is a reason to limit and/or boycott the SQ then UA should be restricted as well. In fact let's stop all airlines from countries with the death penalty from flying to Australia ..... so thereby no longer allow SQ, MH, TG, HA, UA, VN, PR, the Chinese airlines, BR, GA, GF, EK, JL, KE, & OZ.

Therefore, of the foreign airlines that currently fly to Australia, that would leave us with NZ/SJ, BA, SB, TN, OS, NF, MK, AC, SA & VS as the only airlines that could definitely fly here, with the possibility of also allowing LA, AR, FJ, BI & PX to continue.

 

[MetroAir]

If anything the reason our ilustrious leader would be miffed with Singapore would be due to having that meeting with the Singapore PM and not being told the date had been set and then finding out from the media!

However, consumer boycott can be a powerful tool. If there is to be one, just remember not all those airlines from countries with the death penalty are government owned.

Unfortunately many people believe that the rules that apply at home are the same everywhere - and have no idea what is legal or illegal elsewhere or just what the penalties may be.

Most of the Asian countries go to great pains to outline the penalties for, particularly, drug crime. The issue of being in transit makes no difference.

Back on topic, I would suggest this has a lot to do with RB wanting DJ back and the chance to turn his air empire into a global one. DJ will have significantly more local political clout than SQ ever will.

 

[clifford]

I don't think this issue should have anything to do with SQ being allowed access to the Pacific routes. As d00t notes, Singapore was simply enforcing its own laws.

In that case, why was Hitler persecuted?

He was only applying the laws of his country.

 

[bigjobs]

if Sir Richard Branson could get his hands back on his 'baby' and then develop it so that it can fly from Australia to the West coast of the usa would that mean that his airlines would go around the world, with virgin atlantic coming from europe to the west coast of the states?

i think that would be ok. if there are up to 40 competitors/alternatives on the kangaroo route (as i have read in this weekends australian) then why not have multiple competitors on the pacific routes.

seems like people want their economic/market driven cake and to eat it too by not allowing alternatives on the pacific route.

 

[one9]

i admit that my thought process on this issue is not rational.

i understand the need to be able to respect the laws of other countries.

but in this instance, by emotional feelings have clouded by judgement, and thus have made me want to boycott the singapore owned government airline, at least in the near future.

and dajop, the reason i want to boycott SG airlines, is not because SG continue to use the death penalty, but because of their killing of van nguyen. it is my feeling that the very large majority of countries would have considered the full circumstances of the case and would not have executed nguyen. and also the fact that singapore is still a dictatorship that pretends to be so much more. I am happy flying a Myanmar owned airline, because I realise that the country is a dictatorship. But Singapore is meant to be a modern country and I believe should not act like it is still in the 19th century.

 

[oz_mark]

I am happy flying a Myanmar owned airline, because I realise that the country is a dictatorship.

But they don't give frequent flyer points.

Note: I have actually been to Myanmar, but for saftey reasons opted to get there on non Myanmar owned airline.

 

[one9]

oz_mark - myanmar is a fantastic country isn't it? i hope you got out of yangon, as the country is such a relaxing place.

i was actually referring to domestic myanmar flights.

I think all the international flights into Myanmar are very safe as they need to meet International standards.

It is only domestic government Myanma Airways that has the bad safety record.

I can remember a little bit ago one of the airlines in myanmar opened a frequent flyer scheme - i don't think any other airlines want to join it though.

 

[Guest]

I don't think this issue should have anything to do with SQ being allowed access to the Pacific routes. As d00t notes, Singapore was simply enforcing its own laws.

In that case, why was Hitler persecuted?

He was only applying the laws of his country.

I might be going out on a limb here, but perhaps he was persecuted because HE WAS TAKING OVER OTHER COUNTRIES?!?

Also, last time I flew into singapore they made a very clear announcement before landing "drugs are illegal in singapore and thoughout asia and may carry death sentences"

:evil:

 

[serfty]

... In that case, why was Hitler persecuted?

He was only applying the laws of his country.

Probably because he tried to apply those laws in other countries.

 

[Yada Yada]

Back on topic, I would suggest this has a lot to do with RB wanting DJ back and the chance to turn his air empire into a global one. DJ will have significantly more local political clout than SQ ever will.

After reading one of the SMH articles the other day, it struck me that DJ has become a relatively substantial airline in probably a shorter time than Branson may have anticipated. VS has a fleet of approx 32 aircraft after 21 years of operation, whereas DJ now has over 50 aircraft after only 5 years of operation. It's not much of a "baby" any more.

Despite some pretty tough competition from QF and the lack of fuel hedging they are still managing to turn a profit, a good feat for such a young startup that has grown so quickly. No wonder Branson wants control back.

 

[Yada Yada]

...our ilustrious leader...

:roll: I'm hoping that your tongue was firmly in your cheek when you wrote that!

 

[MetroAir]

:roll: I'm hoping that your tongue was firmly in your cheek when you wrote that!

Oh..... he's quite often well ilustrated !!!

 

[dajop]

After reading one of the SMH articles the other day, it struck me that DJ has become a relatively substantial airline in probably a shorter time than Branson may have anticipated ....

Despite some pretty tough competition from QF and the lack of fuel hedging they are still managing to turn a profit, a good feat for such a young startup that has grown so quickly. No wonder Branson wants control back.

Whilst taking nothing away from DJ - it's taken four years - but they've really just reinvented AN with a clean sheet of paper, thanks to a certain event on Sep 14 2001. Started off a classic LCC, but now have lounges, FF program, freight, customer segmentation (Suit Zone), even talk of J class. Their sister airline, VS, has entered one of AN's key international routes, and now DJ is talking of flights to US (like AN was in early 2001). I wonder whether they'll start buying up shares in Rex to truly emulate AN?

Continuing the analogy for a moment, it is probably a good thing if Branson was to get control back of DJ, after the very public spat about dividend payments. Although there were many things that lead to AN's downfall, few would dispute that one factor was its' shareholders using it as a cash cow over many years, with insufficient cash being invested back into the business.