Virgin’s “Hybrid” Strategy is Fraught with Risk

Virgin Australia’s management and new owners have now outlined their vision for the future of Australia’s second-largest airline. Virgin won’t become a low-cost carrier, we’re told, but will instead aim to be the “best value carrier in the market”. “ The airline will serve business travellers, including corporates and customers travelling for a holiday and visiting … Continued

Virgin Australia to Retain Lounges, Ditch 777s & A330s

Virgin Australia has revealed how the airline plans to emerge from voluntary administration, and it’s a mixture of good and bad news. Virgin will retain most of its airport lounges and Business class cabins, and all Velocity Frequent Flyer points and travel credits will be honoured. But it will emerge as a smaller airline focusing … Continued

Austria, India Legislate Minimum Airfares

Austria has followed India in implementing minimum airfares to protect airlines against low-cost carriers dumping the market with below-cost flights in the wake of the COVID-19 crisis. Austria implements minimum airfares The Austrian government yesterday announced a bailout package for Austrian Airlines, which is owned by Lufthansa. As part of a binding agreement, the Lufthansa … Continued

Qantas Group Cuts More Flights in Response to Coronavirus

Qantas and Jetstar will reduce services to Asia until at least the end of May, as the Qantas Group grapples with weak demand caused by the coronavirus outbreak. As a flow-effect, Qantas and Jetstar will also cut trans-Tasman flights to New Zealand and domestic flights within Australia until the end of June 2020. The announcement … Continued

If You Could Say One Thing to Virgin Australia’s CEO…

As we covered yesterday, there are a wide range of topics that Australian frequent flyers would like to bring up with Qantas CEO Alan Joyce. Australian Frequent Flyer members were also asked recently what they would say if they got an opportunity to meet Virgin Australia’s new CEO, Paul Scurrah. Interestingly, the range of issues … Continued