What is Virgin Australia's strategy (post-administration)?

[ETW]

I understand that some days it might not make sense ex ADL but for example I’m flying next Monday and VA has 8 flights departing between 8:45am and 4:45pm; granted there probably aren’t a lot of people on the flights to SYD/MEL/CBR but I’d hazard a guess and say the people who are flying are probably essential workers and likely fly enough they have lounge access

 

[mrmerc500]

The Adelaide lounge being closed currently is disappointing as it’s a standout & there are direct flights to QLD, WA, NT, TAS however not all are daily so consider it’s for operational reasons only.

 

[jakeseven7]

The website says the lounges are closed "due to government restrictions and operational requirements".

Obviously CBR, MEL and SYD are closed due to government restrictions but ADL and OOL is closed due to operational requirements. The OOL lounge is unlikley to open until MEL or SYD flights resume but the ADL lounge is quite surprising given the flights operating without restrictions to ASP, BNE, CNS, DRW, OOL, LST and PER.

Pax traffic still very very low though - those routes are some of the skinniest VA2 would ever fly… I’m sure a lot won’t even last.

Can hardly blame them for trying to save some money, they are losing millions everyday. They need to be smart with their money.

 

[Carrots]

Agree with the sentiments -

As a passenger it's very disappointing, especially as I've again missed out on checking out my new home lounge.

But as a business owner, it's a completely understandable and prudent decision.

 

[ole nimeton]

Just completed a feedback survey that Virgin seems to be conducting. Some of the more interesting questions included:
- Would you switch international/domestic airline if your primary airline only offered economy class seats
- is flying an airline with international connections (Eg: Bali, NZ) important to you.
- Do you prefer your airline and loyalty apps seperate or combined in the one app.
- Do you prefer a bundled / unbundled product.
- How important are family friendly policies, pet friendly policies, lounges, wifi, in seat usb/charging etc.

The rest of the questions were various combinations of 'which airline would you fly with' based on price, service, loyalty, food, baggage, availability of flights etc etc.

 

[henrus]

Would you switch international/domestic airline if your primary airline only offered economy class seats

Couldn't care less...and for most I'd assume it's the same.

wifi

This has been annoying me for a while now. There have been instances lately where I've picked QF over VA simply because they have onboard wifi. For a longer flight the ability to work whilst in the air is amazing. I'd happily pay $10-20 per flight for this if VA offered.

in seat usb/charging etc

This depends on the flight length. My laptop can last long enough but it's be nice to at least have USB or usb-c that can power laptops.

 

[AustraliaPoochie]

Would be great if some people within Bain made a decision, that VA should "once and for all" either announce about their airline partner program, even if they just said "tongue in cheek", "watch this space" something to that effect.
Moving down the runway, there does not seem to be any progress of info on the VA website, or news, about if they are going to go forward with their tie in/liaison with NH, and if the earning of code share bookings with SQ will continue.
I would certainly make an NH880 booking for later in 2022/2023 for SYD -> HND, saving time bypassing SIN.

 

[jakeseven7]

Would be great if some people within Bain made a decision, that VA should "once and for all" either announce about their airline partner program, even if they just said "tongue in cheek", "watch this space" something to that effect.
Moving down the runway, there does not seem to be any progress of info on the VA website, or news, about if they are going to go forward with their tie in/liaison with NH, and if the earning of code share bookings with SQ will continue.
I would certainly make an NH880 booking for later in 2022/2023 for SYD -> HND, saving time bypassing SIN.

I guess the flip side of that is in the perilous financial situation they are in why would they want to be paying other airlines for reward seats….

(PS I personally agree with you)

 

[HS-TQE]

Insert something about VA joining the *Value Alliance* here with Scoot, Cebu Pacific and Jeju Air doing VA's long haul international to their hubs in Singapore, Manila and Seoul. What?? That goes towards VA's 'value orientated' aim doesn't it?

Seriously though, we know that Bain are conservative on things outside VA's core domestic mainline business and to a lesser extent Velocity, which was VA's other main earner prior to administration.

Which is also why they still have nutted out their partnership with Alliance for their East Coast regional work (with part profits going to the banks and even fellow minority shareholder QF)

 

[henrus]

Insert something about VA joining the *Value Alliance* here with Scoot, Cebu Pacific and Jeju Air doing VA's long haul international to their hubs in Singapore, Manila and Seoul. What?? That goes towards VA's 'value orientated' aim doesn't it?

The Value alliance is something I've never understood and In my opinion would serve VA no major benefit.

In theory the value alliance introduces the ability to book connecting tickets on a handful of low cost carriers across Asia. The only Value air carrier that had a large amount of services to Australia was Scoot (who even places a scoot flight number on some VA services), given this agreement was already in place perhaps only Cebu Pacific would provide a small amount of VA domestic traffic but that'd be unlikely.

In practice things are very different. When booking a ticket that involves multiple airlines things get very messy. Whilst you make a single payment, you are actually issued with multiple separate tickets for each of the airlines involved. Rather annoyling you can't mix tickets either so if you pick a seat+bag on scoot then you must stick with that product option for the other carriers and you can't for example upgrade the scoot flight to a ScootPlus product.

None of the carriers through check baggage between carriers meaning you have to collect and recheck luggage each time you change carriers. The only major benefit is that if the inbound flight is delayed enough then they will rebook you. What isn't very clear is if delays in immigration etc are included in the policy.

 

[AustraliaPoochie]

I guess the flip side of that is in the perilous financial situation they are in why would they want to be paying other airlines for reward seats….

(PS I personally agree with you)

On the other hand, they could firmly say, "we have broken up/we have decided to go our separate ways", or like the former VA and (Air)NZ agreement, they can say they decided they no longer wish to be in an alliance.
The VA website, under partners, still has names of their former partners, or current partners, but this does not boost confidence in customers doing bookings.
Ok, so VA points do not expire so long as there is activity, but whats the use of being a FF member of VA/VFF, if you don't fly where you want/need to go, once covid vaccine rates has hit 80%, and Aust opens its borders.
If they do not want to be joined, tell us so, so we can go with other, ie, Skyteam.
OT, come to think of it, Skyteam's KAL (Korean Air) points last 10 years, compared to SQ's 3 years and (Air)NZ's 4 years, the alliance membership of Skyteam is quite good really, and they partner system is quite wide, (Vietnam Airlines and Garuda and Delta).
Anyway, guess we have to wait and see, what the end of covid is like.
Its been months now since VA went out of VA (vol admin), and months now since we knew Bain is the new owner.
Keeping silent is not really good enough.

 

[bernardblack]

Seriously though, we know that Bain are conservative on things outside VA's core domestic mainline business and to a lesser extent Velocity, which was VA's other main earner prior to administration.

I agree that Velocity was a key part of the value proposition. But in order for it to retain value, it needs the ability to earn and burn long-haul with decent partners.

 

[MooTime]

Velocity have ann they've partnered wit AirCanada.......I hear it's beautiful part of the world.

 

[HS-TQE]

I agree that Velocity was a key part of the value proposition. But in order for it to retain value, it needs the ability to earn and burn long-haul with decent partners.

Generally agree, however the only confirmed international partner post-Border opening at this stage is Air Canada.

Considering the surveys VA has been sending out, which included whether "if they care if the plane has no business class" question suggests Bain haven't ruled out all options, and that includes the VA / Value Alliance 'joke' (as a substitute for the Full Service Alliances) if Bain goes into the LCC.. sorry I mean 'value orientated' direction, which would make Velocity ripe for 'sale' for merging into other existing loyalty programs.

 

[AustraliaPoochie]

What sort of agreement is the AC and VFF one.
Does the Air Canada agreement now have VFF SC earn in the mix, for flying AC.
Then would need to be the consideration, would the AC aircraft carry a VA flight #, or will the agreement be as it was, prior to VA (vol admin), where only points were earnt for flying AC as a VFF member.
Would it have to a true codeshare, or would it be an adhoc agreememt, as in the VFF & SQ agreement, where SQ's KF can decline points earning, for flying VA, just because it was not a code share.
***I thought at one time, for a booking, while flying VA, I would put in my SQ KF # to earn KF points, but KF declined the earn!***
Or is the plan/agreement/liaison the same, (as pre VA/pre covoid).
Edit: no business class would be like Tiger, or the A320 planes that VA took over when they closed Tiger.
Would not be so bad if there was the option of buying the seat next to me (under the new VA).

 

[bam71]

Was just playing on the VA website - from 23Dec they are selling flights to NAN. There has not been any big announcement has there?

 

[jakeseven7]

Was just playing on the VA website - from 23Dec they are selling flights to NAN. There has not been any big announcement has there?

Is it just left over flights from the old schedule pre-collapse they haven’t deleted yet?

 

[jase05]

Is it just left over flights from the old schedule pre-collapse they haven’t deleted yet?

I might be mistaken but I thought Jayne recently said that Fiji flights would be on the agenda as soon as international flights resumed

 

[HS-TQE]

Is it just left over flights from the old schedule pre-collapse they haven’t deleted yet?

VA only has flights 355 days ahead like most carriers. They would've been continually added and removed post collapse by default as the default season dates comes and go.

 

[henrus]

Is it just left over flights from the old schedule pre-collapse they haven’t deleted yet?

Other destinations such as Port Vila and even NZ have been removed so these are likely loaded back in or left in there on purpose.