Why does Virgin have such a meagre presence in NTL?

[777]

The rail service is not bad. :shock: :mrgreen:

#sh!tkansen. Google it (without the exclamation mark).

 

[777]

The basic problem VA have at NTL is jetstar and the sheer volume of flights they run. JQ have a crew base, maintenance base and keep a bunch of planes there overnight (largely a legacy of impulse if anyone can remember back that far). As a result they flood the market with many uber discount tickets (lots of $39 flight to MEL and BNE at low times) and run frequencies that would otherwise not be viable.

Against that backdrop, Virgin cant realistically compete on price or schedule enough to make major inroads. Current situation is fine though and was the orginal reason i moved my flying to DJ.

 

[Tuddy]

sorry to resurrect this seemingly dead and buried thread..but i couldn't help myself. Having had a look at some of the stats from BITRE from recent months, it seems that the Brisbane-Newcastle loads have been consistently high - across all airlines.

http://www.bitre.gov.au/publications/ongoing/files/Domestic_airlines_March_2012.pdf

Would it not make sense to have an overnighting aircraft, or perhaps more business-friendly schedules on this route? Not saying the seats need to be loaded on - but perhaps massage the schedule a bit. Perhaps the same frequency as JQ could exist..but on E190/F100? (sorry..i know I'm getting ahead of myself here) Similarly, it seems that the MEL flights are doing well across all airlines - how about putting on smaller aircraft more often? (as has occurred in some ports such as ROK...and yes, I know, different market - but still...)

 

[pauly7]

sorry to resurrect this seemingly dead and buried thread..but i couldn't help myself. Having had a look at some of the stats from BITRE from recent months, it seems that the Brisbane-Newcastle loads have been consistently high - across all airlines.

http://www.bitre.gov.au/publications/ongoing/files/Domestic_airlines_March_2012.pdf

Would it not make sense to have an overnighting aircraft, or perhaps more business-friendly schedules on this route? Not saying the seats need to be loaded on - but perhaps massage the schedule a bit. Perhaps the same frequency as JQ could exist..but on E190/F100? (sorry..i know I'm getting ahead of myself here) Similarly, it seems that the MEL flights are doing well across all airlines - how about putting on smaller aircraft more often? (as has occurred in some ports such as ROK...and yes, I know, different market - but still...)

Loads are definitely a factor of success but what about margin?

I don't have the answer but perhaps the comparative margin isn't there to support more flights/different aircraft versus where they are being used currently.

The fact QF (brand) has a very limited presence may suggest this is an issue as they are the airline that requires a higher margin hurdle because of their higher cost base.

 

[Tuddy]

true there about the margin question. qf's presence is quite pitiful i have to say. but dj, which is seemingly briding the gap between qf and jq - as well as providing something of a nicer offering to the dear people of newcastle, could potentially, with its lower cost base, adjust the distribution of seats to be friendly to both business and leisure markets. at present, jq is the only serious offering in terms of frequency to both mel (where qf doesn't fly) and bne- and it's far from a business airline. my proposal?
MEL - currently 180 seats each way/day. 1x morning & 1x evening E190/F100 return such that there are ~200 seats each way/day
BNE - currently 200 seats each way/day. Additional flight in form of overnighting aircraft (E190 or F100) OR morning flight. Regardless there would be ~300 seats each way/day

 

[Princess Fiona]

Tuddy, I'm hearing you, unfortunately I don't think the bean counters at either VA or AF are.
Personally I'm becoming used to either the valet parking or self drive options ex-SYD