anyone have any info on when virgin will be opening up flights to USA?

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traceyy

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have done the annual trip for years and with covid it has been a few, looking at going dec 22, I have a stack of rewards points that I would like to use to upgrade to J so know as soon as they open ill have to be quick off the mark, will they open velocity upgrades as soon as they open flights or will I have to wait, dont wanna miss out so trying to be on the ball every if I have to book a year out
 
They don't have any aircraft to operate the services themselves, so it's going to come down to when Delta and Virgin reinstate their partnership..
 
have done the annual trip for years and with covid it has been a few, looking at going dec 22, I have a stack of rewards points that I would like to use to upgrade to J so know as soon as they open ill have to be quick off the mark, will they open velocity upgrades as soon as they open flights or will I have to wait, dont wanna miss out so trying to be on the ball every if I have to book a year out

As said by others, it would depend if DL and VA re-open bookings for codeshare/partnership bookings in due course.

As for VA operating themselves, there are no longer any long-haul aircraft in the VA fleet. It was mentioned that Bain was looking at leasing 787s for HND and LAX, but this a medium term thing (within the next 12-18 months).

As for VA's former long-haul a/c, the A330s (except the broken-down XFE) and the sole leased 777, VH-VOZ has all returned to lessors. Whilst the owned/mortgaged 777s have been parked in Wellcamp and VCV indefinitely under the custody of their mortgagors.
 
so are yall saying that my hopes and dreams will be shattered unless virgin gets some planes or they go back with delta in which case I will be flying delta to Usa?
 
Correct. I wouldn't expect to see VA metal servicing LAX until 2023.

The Delta partnership should resume once int'l travel opens in both directions.
 
so are yall saying that my hopes and dreams will be shattered unless virgin gets some planes or they go back with delta in which case I will be flying delta to Usa?

Basically yes. And VA won’t be getting into long haul for a while. They have enough challenges in their core domestic business to deal with.
 
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Correct. I wouldn't expect to see VA metal servicing LAX until 2023.

The Delta partnership should resume once int'l travel opens in both directions.


I doubt they will bother. In 2023 or further out.

Leave the heavy lifting to DL. That is why you have alliance partners.
 
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They need to get some scale from any 787 fleet they won’t make any cash operating a fleet of 2 to Japan. Need 6/7 ish to get the scale working for themselves.

HND and LAX. They have already said this many many times. Just a waiting game really. United and Delta are certainly in no rush either. I would guess and say Christmas Holidays 2023 launch. So 2 years away.
 
Considering the trouble that Bain and allegedly ANA went through to file submissions/objections to the QF/JL Joint-Venture which has now been formally rejected. It suggests that Bain and various VA partners are serious at the medium term aim of getting VA 'eventually' back to long haul.

I would think if Bain was serious about exiting long haul entirely, they would've directly handed back the HND slot to IASC instead of applying for extensions and being jointly involved in the QF/JL JV submission/objections.
 
Considering the trouble that Bain and allegedly ANA went through to file submissions/objections to the QF/JL Joint-Venture which has now been formally rejected. It suggests that Bain and various VA partners are serious at the medium term aim of getting VA 'eventually' back to long haul.

I would think if Bain was serious about exiting long haul entirely, they would've directly handed back the HND slot to IASC instead of applying for extensions and being jointly involved in the QF/JL JV submission/objections.
Yes, agree. Reading them you can tell that they require work to draft, which obviously costs $$$...
 
Yes, agree. Reading them you can tell that they require work to draft, which obviously costs $$$...

They will have to focus a lot more on protecting their domestic business now though with both Rexy Jet and Bonza! coming for them - which was not evident at the time…
 
They will have to focus a lot more on protecting their domestic business now though with both Rexy Jet and Bonza! coming for them - which was not evident at the time…

The question is whether those two's PE firms are willing to keep tipping money in their own businesses. They have a lot less revenue streams than VA, whereas VA are able to offset lower fares through other streams. Whereas VA1 weren't able to do previously with the drains from Regional, Tiger and 95% of international ops, which those money drains were of course cut under Bain.
 
The question is whether those two's PE firms are willing to keep tipping money in their own businesses. They have a lot less revenue streams than VA, whereas VA are able to offset lower fares through other streams. Whereas VA1 weren't able to do previously with the drains from Regional, Tiger and 95% of international ops, which those money drains were of course cut under Bain.
The other aspect you didnt mention is that VA has a soon to be fatter revenue stream through Velocity. The restoration of international redemptions means that credit card sign up bonueses are back for most of the major cards, which is a nice fat injection of cash into VA.

On ZL I just wish they'd sign a cooperation agreement - we all know that they are basically complementary to each other in terms of network and that a ZL/VA partnership would make both more viable longer term.
 
On ZL I just wish they'd sign a cooperation agreement - we all know that they are basically complementary to each other in terms of network and that a ZL/VA partnership would make both more viable longer term.

Agree, would bury Bonza! before takeoff instead of a long bloody war…

That would see a return to US flights sooner for VA2
 
The other aspect you didnt mention is that VA has a soon to be fatter revenue stream through Velocity. The restoration of international redemptions means that credit card sign up bonueses are back for most of the major cards, which is a nice fat injection of cash into VA.

On ZL I just wish they'd sign a cooperation agreement - we all know that they are basically complementary to each other in terms of network and that a ZL/VA partnership would make both more viable longer term.
Sharpy and the Singaporean consortiums (The PAG PE firm and the fellow Singaporean businessmen) sadly has a lot of pride in the way.

Similar to NZ's Cushing and blocking SQ to purchase the whole of an ailing AN, of course VA's JB and his mates such as JH from the ownership crew of EY/SQ/etc.
 
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