Virgin Blue Chief executive Brett Godfrey hopes to unveil a frequent flyer scheme for
Virgin Blue travelers by the end of the year. Keen to capitalise on the frequent traveler market, Mr
Godfrey promised the scheme would be a �game changer�.
�There�s no use coming into the market if you�re going to do the same old thing�
he said. The goals of the scheme is to attract corporate and government
customers and to reposition Virgin Blue as a premium airline and therefore a
competitor to Qantas.
Joking about leaving bombs at airports or concealing them in luggage is now a criminal offence under the Aviation Transport and Security Act 2005. The act makes it illegal to do anything a reasonable person could interpret as a threat to commit an act of unlawful interference with aviation.
Comments such as �don�t mind the bomb in my bag�, even said in jest, could land
the culprit with a fine of up to $5500 and a criminal conviction.
Since the act came into force in March, Australian federal police have detained
more than seventy people who have been convicted and fined up to $3000.
Political correctness gone mad or a necessary step in ensuring the safety of our
airlines?
Virgin Blue will begin flying to Samoa from October after finalising a deal with the Samoen government to start a new operation, Polynesian Blue. The joint venture will take over routes currently flown by Polynesian airlines B737- 800. The Samoan government and Virgin Blue will have equal shareholding of 48%, whilst an undisclosed Samoan shareholder will hold the remaining 2%.
The Singapore based budget airlines Valuair and Jetstar have agreed to merge after extended negotiations. This is the first sign of unity among South East Asia�s low cost carriers.
Jetstar has had a very busy month. It launched a daily A320 service between Sydney and Ballina and a service flying to the Fraser coast. Jetstar now has seventeen destinations, clearly keen to capitalise on servicing the tourist hotspots of Byron Bay (the Ballina service) and Fraser Island.
An United Airlines flight from Los Angeles to London was diverted to Boston
after airline crew reported three Pakistani passengers behaving suspiciously.
The three men were later questioned by the FBI and cleared of any wrongdoing.
The airline declined to comment on their reasons for deeming the men
�suspicious�.
