Time for a 50% off Award Seat sale?

[ozstamps]

If Virgin had any brains they'd have a massive award sale right now - for 6 months out - ''50% off'' or something.

Maybe have a caveat that for these seats NO cancellation or change is permitted by passenger unless the fight route is cancelled due to Government directives etc?

Highly restrictive wording in other words.

Virgin Yield control are totally in charge and they can see how many award seats to offer on each flight.

Would get a ton of point liability off the books, (Liability Virgin just bought outright) and partly fills planes now 25% full. Keep staff and planes flying.

Right now - many savvy souls are moving Virgin miles to Kris Flyer and that COSTS Virgin real money. Far more savvy to see those miles go into bums on Virgin Metal seats.

Flying Empty seats COST money.

The one plus for airlines right now is that avgas prices have dropped like a brick, so the cost of flying each Km is lower than for some time. That is no consolation on 25% full planes.

Business are not flying people now unless totally essential. Do a $$$ super sale too at same time, of Business Class seats. - Indeed on all seats woud not hurt

What is load factor now on the huge A330s flying transcon?

Adding a double status credit might also help - right NOW Virgin need every seat filed, DSC costs zero real money.

If I could see Biz seats to Perth or Darwin at half usual rate we'd be in, especially if DSC applied - I do not bother with "what if" issues like flying right now, but clearly many do,

They need to pull out all stops this month in my view, or they might not have an airline to offer anything with.

Right now in the current alleged "SALE" - SYD-PERTH is $2000 return in Biz - they really are living in cloud Cuckoo Land if they want to sell seats to anyone still game to fly in this crisis.

Virgin Australia On Sale

Virgin Australia on sale. Check out the latest flight specials on offer. http://specials.virginaustralia.com/

specials.virginaustralia.com

 

[odysseus]

Your argument contradicts. You say the sale is for 6 months out - then talk about all the current vacancies as a justification for the sale.

Can't say I agree with the above. They, like all travel, need some extra cash, but unless the FF sale is only for the next two weeks - pre 31 March - the last thing they need is to both increase potential complications if not running in 6 months time, and b) decrease potential revenue availability by filling with FF allocations 6 months out. Post 2 weeks, they already announced service reductions and obviously the landscape will change, so that's already being addressed.

So yeah, an FF sale, for the next 2 weeks, sure. 6 months out, no.

 

[Harthagan]

They would be doing anything they can if they thought they had a prayer. They can't even offer refunds to passengers on international flights they are cancelling. Offering travel banks is just delaying the inevitable. As always the customers will be the first to be f!#@ed, long and hard. The only thing missing is the RnB music and mood lighting.

 

[ozstamps]

They, like all travel, need some extra cash, but unless the FF sale is only for the next two weeks - pre 31 March - the last thing they need is to both increase potential complications if not running in 6 months time

So yeah, an FF sale, for the next 2 weeks, sure. 6 months out, no.

In 6 months Virgin might be no more. Sadly. I lost a ton of miles in the Ansett collapse, as did many others here.

The 6 months I mentioned was for validity of time frame of travel.

Your point to run sale for 2 weeks makes sense, and many will book now, deduct points now NON CANCELLABLE for flight to Cairns to Darwin or Perth etc in August etc if the deal looks good. We certainly would!

Same with revenue tickets - $1999 return SYD-PER Biz is just insane as the current ''SPECIAL OFFER!!'' Do it for $999 not $1999 for 2 or 3 weeks. Same deal - totally non refundable unless route is cancelled etc. (Scomo is liable to announce anything next week)

 

[CPMaverick]

Things are way too in flux right now to run a points sale.

Velocity redemptions are not going to save VA.

 

[ozstamps]

Near full planes will assist. Clearly.

A decent chunk of their fleet is now parked. That costs a fortune.

50,000 jobs are involved.

A decent revenue ticket sale and an award sale WILL help. But they must do it NOW, not next month.

Doing nothing as Virgin are actively engaged in now, is just foolish.

Thier current laughable "sale" is at 2019 prices.

Everyone senior in there is totally asleep at the wheel right now it appears.

Appalling, as the Piper is playing VERY loudly already. Only they seen unaware of that.

 

[CPMaverick]

A plane losing money is worse than a plane parked. Filling planes with award seats is not profitable. Filling planes with cut-rate prices is not profitable.

If there is no business travel the planes should stay parked. That's what you seem unaware of.

 

[straitman]

A plane losing money is worse than a plane parked. Filling planes with award seats is not profitable. Filling planes with cut-rate prices is not profitable.

If there is no business travel the planes should stay parked. That's what you seem unaware of.

But breaking even or even a small profit is turning money over and is preferable to just parking.

For what it's worth our VA flight from SYD-MEL today was about 3/4 full.

 

[ozstamps]

Park the entire fleet.

Now there is a money making suggestion I never thought of. Can't imagine why that cunning thought escaped me

The lease payments go away by magic then I suppose, and the 50,000 staff all work for nothing too for months I guess?

Great idea - far wiser than filling them up I agree, with pesky PASSENGERS.

 

[hydrabyss]

It would be nice if people just flew virgin to help them keep cash flowing in. Selling cheap tickets I don't feel is the answer.

 

[jb747]

The lease payments go away by magic then I suppose, and the 50,000 staff all work for nothing too for months I guess?

There's the entire problem. They have 10,000 more staff than Qantas.

Probably not....

 

[Must...Fly!]

If you were running an airline, would you wish to be seen as encouraging travel at this moment?

I know it's your core business, but would you like to cop the negative press for that?

Or would you be better off focusing on how to actually save your company and employees...

 

[ozstamps]

There's the entire problem. They have 10,000 more staff than Qantas.

Probably not....

One of the TV news shows bandied about a 50,000 staff figure tonight when commenting on how many staff the airlines had, and how the Feds had needed to give them some crumbs off the table. Seemed high to me but maybe it added those associated with them to earn a living etc?

Doing my own research it seems like 10,000 is more like actual Virgin employed staffers but 10,000 wages to pay weekly is scary, before you even consider crippling lease obligations, and fixed airport costs.

Right now they sadly are giving no one an impulse REASON to get onto those planes.

And a few weeks of that might sink them.

 

[jase05]

Right now they sadly are giving no one an impluse REASON to get onto those planes.

Depends on your destinations but some pretty good fares ATM. I’ve booked some work related last minutes ones aswell as a couple of extra leisure ones for ANZAC Day weekend and Easter but will have to wait and see if any get cancelled or not.

 

[ozstamps]

Depends on your destinations but some pretty good fares ATM.

Well you have far better eyes than me.

I see NOTHING in their current alleged ''Specials'' that was not in there in 2018 and 2019 etc. Same old, same old boring offers.

They appear to be totally asleep at the wheel to me in the month of total crisis.

They have 10,000 staff, surely one of them has the nous to offer some DEALS that will entice discretionary bookings, and pay for some of those 10,000 wages?

Virgin Australia On Sale

Virgin Australia on sale. Check out the latest flight specials on offer. http://specials.virginaustralia.com/

specials.virginaustralia.com

 

[jase05]

Well you have far better eyes than me.

I see NOTHING in their current alleged ''Specials'' that was not in there in 2018 and 2019 etc. Same old, same old boring offers.

They appear to be totally asleep at the wheel to me in the month of total crisis.

They have 10,000 staff, surely one of them has the nous to offer some DEALS that will entice discretionary bookings, and pay for some of those 10,000 wages?

Virgin Australia On Sale

Virgin Australia on sale. Check out the latest flight specials on offer. http://specials.virginaustralia.com/

specials.virginaustralia.com

Yeah, possible the same offers I don’t really pay much attention to previous years and are usually only looking out for fares that suit my travel patterns. From ADL there are really good fares to MEL, CBR, and BNE which suits me.

 

[CPMaverick]

Park the entire fleet.

Now there is a money making suggestion I never thought of. Can't imagine why that cunning thought escaped me

The lease payments go away by magic then I suppose, and the 50,000 staff all work for nothing too for months I guess?

Great idea - far wiser than filling them up I agree, with pesky PASSENGERS.

Judging by your staff figures you really don't have any idea. But yes, if you lose more money by flying, parking the fleet is preferable.

Business travel is what makes flying profitable. Not sales.

 

[Harthagan]

Sadly I wouldnt be booking any flights that required $$$ outlay. No confidence that:

A) The flight won't be cancelled
B) That they have the ability to refund me
C) That they even have the ability to answer my phone call should an issue arise

I'm not interested in having my flight changed for free. Or receiving a Travel Bank so that I can try and repeat the whole process again. If they can't refund cancelled flights they should not be selling fares.

I'm not saying they aren't in a tough position but they need to manage cancelled flights better. Having their call centre down is only making things worse when everyone is trying to get through at the same time.

 

[straitman]

Having their call centre down is only making things worse when everyone is trying to get through at the same time.

I rang at 1037 on Tuesday evening and got through in about 5 minutes.

 

[Harthagan]

I rang at 1037 on Tuesday evening and got through in about 5 minutes.

I'm guessing u got in just before the call centre went down then.