THONGS, Vegemite and salt and pepper shakers in the shape of the Sydney Opera House will feature on flights by the nation’s newest international airline as part of an assault on Qantas’s claim to be the spirit of Australia.
V Australia will also offer a women-only toilet as it seeks to differentiate itself from its competitors.
“Men don’t often get it right and I felt sorry for women on aeroplanes so I made it clear I wanted a women’s-only lav,” Virgin Blue Group chief executive Brett Godfrey said yesterday as the first of seven, 360-seat Boeing 777 aircraft ordered by the airline landed in Sydney.
The aircraft will undergo a series of proving flights for an operating licence before an entry into service scheduled for February 27.
The airline has already caused heartache for the flying kangaroo with a series of launch fares that have reduced ticket prices for its trans-Pacific economy, premium economy and business class seats by up to 40per cent.
This includes business class launch fares of $5999 return, premium economy fares of $2499 and economy fares of $1199.
It has also revealed it will fly direct to Los Angeles from Melbourne, in addition to Sydney and Brisbane, and has predicted price wars on US routes are likely to continue into next year.
The airline is also staking its claim to a slice of the national identity with the Australian flag etched on its silver hull, the Southern Cross on its tail and the trademark flag-carrying Virgin girl on its nose.
Flyers will find Vegemite as part of the breakfast menu and wall coverings with Australian icons hidden in its designs.
The Southern Cross also features in a night sky above the aircraft’s sit-down business-class bar.
Mr Godfrey said the airline had been able to bring a “breath of fresh air” to the market by looking at the best offerings from other airlines and being able to plan from scratch.
While conceding Qantas was a national icon, he said V Australia was seeking a contemporary Australian image as opposed to the more traditional image projected by Qantas.
He said thongs would be issued to business-class passengers.
“That is just so bloody Australian,” he said. “I think those sorts of things will show a sense of humour … and we’re not like the other guys.”
Source:The Australian:D
By: DJ. - 2nd March 2009 at 23:24
I wouldn’t be surprised knowing Richard Branson!!!
Yeah…. Im not one bit envious,, why should i be… F#@#@# old wa@#er :mad::mad::mad:
By: steve rowell - 2nd March 2009 at 22:32
I know it’s late, but I just read that first line as
A string of panties stretching from…… 😀
I wouldn’t be surprised knowing Richard Branson!!!
By: supermario - 2nd March 2009 at 10:51
On news.com.au website story about Qantas CEO asking for patriotism from Aussies to fly national carrier was met by 436 comments.. 431 negative, of those two third very very negative. I mean even you must admit there is problem with flying Roos reputation.
.
Can i suggest one thing, Do not use news.com.au as a point of reference, especially blogs and user comments on that site.
news.com.au and it’s main paper the Daily Tellucrap (Daily Telegraph) is all about sensationalisim. Much like the Scum (Sun) in the UK.
By: Moggy C - 2nd March 2009 at 00:29
I know it’s late, but I just read that first line as
A string of panties stretching from…… 😀
By: steve rowell - 2nd March 2009 at 00:24
A STRING of parties stretching from Sydney to Los Angeles has marked the launch and first commercial flight of Sir Richard Branson’s V Australia.
On board the inaugural flight was Virgin Group chairman Sir Richard Branson, who has a 25 per cent stake in the Virgin Blue offshoot.
His son Sam, singer Marcia Hines and rock band The Potbelleez were also on board the plane which touched down in LA yesterday.
In LA, a V Australia launch event at Chateau Marmont marking the occasion was attended by celebrities, including Sex & the City’s Kristin Davis, Australian television presenter Catriona Rowntree, actor Julian McMahon and singer Holly Valance.
Prior to take off, V Australia hosted a party on Cockatoo Island in Sydney Harbour.
The arrival of V Australia – a long-haul, full-service airline – has sparked a price war on the trans-Pacific route as the newcomer goes head to head with established carriers Qantas, United Airlines and Delta.
Sir Richard said V Australia was bringing some much needed competition to a route that has been dominated by Qantas for too long.
A new airline is in the interests of the travelling public, Sir Richard said.
Qantas has already brought its fares down and the Australian public has never had it so good across the Pacific.
“We will also be competing with Qantas on Melbourne and Brisbane to the US and to Johannesburg and there will be more routes in the future,” he said.
V Australia begins its Brisbane to LA flights on April 8 and Melbourne to LA on September 15.
The launch date for its Sydney to Johannesburg flight has yet to be set.
Qantas has responded to the V Australia lauch by offering a $2 million seat sale.
The Qantas Domestic Bliss Sale covers 38 domestic and regional destinations and is available on the Qantas website until March 2.
Source: The Herald Sun
By: steve rowell - 20th February 2009 at 05:43
Qantas and United have had a strangle hold on the Syd-LAX…Melb-LAX market for far too long…the introduction of some competition from V Australia and Delta is the kick in the pants they need…the travelling public are the one’s who will reap the benefits!!!
By: DJ. - 20th February 2009 at 04:41
DJ;
Being the aviation and sector expert that you are, you of course know Qantas is not spelt with a ‘U’ Don’t you?
my bad.. though U could be the new Rating from Aussie public 😉
Qantas have employed overseas, so what? That’s what the market deems necessary to remain as competitive as possible. It streamlines operations immensely; for instance, having Qantas’ very own engineers is London is much more effective then subcontracting to BA like they previously did; having call centres in the USA to handle calls from the USA makes much more sense then having to have call centres open in Australia all night to cater for foreign callers. Having a base of UK cabin crew greatly increases reliability and reduces costs; much the same as Air NZ, BA, JAL, United, ANA, Cathay and many more airlines do.
Americans calling American centers is logical.. Aussies calling India is not, neither is whole IT section of QF which now operates from Delhi.. and even you did not comment on China.. good.
Our international Economy is no more cramped then most airlines, 31″ standard industry seat pitch – 32″ on the A380. This coupled with the market leading Premium Economy seat pitch of over 40″ in some seats and business class service in the W cabin.
What about your top competitors.. Singapore and Emirates?
The vast majority of passengers on our A380s love our new cabins, I’ve heard no complaints anyway and Airbus agrees that it is perhaps the most intelligent, practical and well thought out cabin they have put on the A380.
Intelligent practical and well thought out is what i think of Willys Jeep.. i would not want to drive in one for 10,000 Km.. id prefer something more comfy. 😉
Second most people are still swayed with whole A380 novelty hence they are impressed more by the aircraft then actual service and condition. What till most have chance to fly few time, and in particular when they see competition.
Believe it or not First Passengers don’t want to be closed off from the rest of the cabin when they have paid so much. Our new First Suites offer vast amounts of space and privacy without being shut off and the 1-1-1 layout certainly helps with the comfort compared to our competitors 1-2-1 equivalents.
Partly true, Paris Hilton sure wants to be seen sipping bubbly in first class and looking “important”, so do younger wealthy corporate types … dignitaries, Older wealthy corporate types , diplomats etc probably prefer “closed off ” setting.. so each to their own i say, not right or wrong here i guess.
The only reason Qantas’ safety record was damaged last year by mostly none events is because the media preyed on it. Sure the decompression was newsworthy but then again how comes Virgin Blue’s didn’t really make the news recently? The reporting of events such as 5 minute delays and blocked toilets by SMH is just beyond a joke.
Agreed, 5 min delay is now news.. neither is 50min.. 5 hrs probably is.. so is overshooting runway, redirection mid flight, altitude drops which cause injuries etc… oh and you got to love dog getting loose and eating wiring.
Australian’s aren’t looking to dump Qantas for the first alternate, they see QF as a trustworthy, strong, reliable and safe brand.
On news.com.au website story about Qantas CEO asking for patriotism from Aussies to fly national carrier was met by 436 comments.. 431 negative, of those two third very very negative. I mean even you must admit there is problem with flying Roos reputation.
Meanwhile V Australia has no national identity and already has a poor reputation because of its delays to service (albeit Boeings fault). I mean VA could have at least come up with an iconic logo?
just like first class dont care about “thongs” as you put it.. those in cattle carts do not care about “iconic logos” .. not anymore. They want decent meal, some entertainment , enough space not to cramp up, and a smile from cabin crew. It helps if planes take near or on time too. If VA offers that for better price, iconic roo is not helping you.
As for share prices hitting lows, well that’s what one would anticipate in a recession. Qantas’s share price though is a lot more then what can be said for Virgin Blue’s $0.235 current trading price. At just 40% sold VA isn’t thus far doing to well and neither is it’s big brother, come to think of it, none of the Virgin Group airlines seem to be performing? Hmmm…
Hmmmm… Credit rating lowered to Baa 2. Richard Bransons entire group including airlines is still on Aaa rating. 😉 It comes from difference that VA is owned by a billionare where as QTS owns billions .. 2.45 to be exact.
http://business.smh.com.au/business/moodys-cuts-qantas-rating-as-outlook-dims-20090220-8d9l.html
As for Thongs and women only toilets? Why would the vast majority of Business Passengers want thongs? In my experience, J passengers want good food, quality wines, caring but not intrusive service and on the whole want to be left alone to work or relax. They certainly don’t want thongs and I personally think the women’s only toilets will be seen as somewhat of an insult to their males clientele, especially before landing when all the men are queuing for the men’s room, I think this is a practice that simply won’t and can’t be upheld in reality. I am pretty certain Qantas already offers Vegemite, in fact I served it just this morning.
Agree with that one.. my hopes is only that they introduce Man’s only toilets as well… guys will be in and out in a jiffie .. ladies can line up for hours for all i care :diablo:
I think Qantas proved it’s commitment to Australian’s this week by donating $100,000 to the bushfire appeal along with commencing onboard fundraising.
Commendable. As is their offer to fly victims of Bali bombing home for free, and their support of Socceroos during qualifying round in U-R-Gay :p … former however is as much marketing ploy as patriotism but hey, i give credit where credit is due.
I understand your anger as an employee , for some reason i do not like it when media bags my company .. even though in private i bag them all the time. However some things ive said are part of a serious problem with QTS which has resulted in anger with in the public. In particular I am talking about shameless abuse of monopoly on QTS exclusive routes. LA one being the most obvious.
I fly fair bit, and my company usually pays for Buissines class, or these days premium economy where possible. On LA route it was only economy due to criminal rates Qantas/United charged… i flew once that route in economy to LA and it was the most miserable time i’ve had without gun pointed at me or shells exploding near. I sat next to lovely lady from San Antonia.. i even remember her name.. Aisha .. she was about size of a small hatchback, and during entire trip her lovehandles were rested safely in my lap.
We also had rather rude cabin crew who took about 15-30 min to get me my glass of water each time.. and snapped at me when i politely asked if i could pay any amount extra to purchase one of the buissines class meals, some airlines offer this. A polite ” I’m sorry we cant help you” would have been well received than sharp “NO!!” i got.
On the way back i decided to see if i could upgrade my ticket to buissines.. i was told it would cost additional eight grand.. so i called my company told them to cancel my flight, and book me Buissiness JAL from LA to Japan then to Aus which they did at half price what direct Qantas/United from LA was at the time.
Now VA is promising 5990 buissines to Syd to LA… ques where all my company is booking now. Qantas has lost sympathy with a heck of a lot of corporations whose employees fly LA route.. i honestly think VA will hurt them in that battle.
By: steve rowell - 19th February 2009 at 02:36
So, in Oz, what do you call the small undergarments?…the type with a tiny triangle at the front and a piece of anal floss round the back.
Panties or Knickers ???
By: QantasCrew - 19th February 2009 at 01:08
DJ;
Being the aviation and sector expert that you are, you of course know Qantas is not spelt with a ‘U’ Don’t you?
Qantas have employed overseas, so what? That’s what the market deems necessary to remain as competitive as possible. It streamlines operations immensely; for instance, having Qantas’ very own engineers is London is much more effective then subcontracting to BA like they previously did; having call centres in the USA to handle calls from the USA makes much more sense then having to have call centres open in Australia all night to cater for foreign callers. Having a base of UK cabin crew greatly increases reliability and reduces costs; much the same as Air NZ, BA, JAL, United, ANA, Cathay and many more airlines do.
Our international Economy is no more cramped then most airlines, 31″ standard industry seat pitch – 32″ on the A380. This coupled with the market leading Premium Economy seat pitch of over 40″ in some seats and business class service in the W cabin. The vast majority of passengers on our A380s love our new cabins, I’ve heard no complaints anyway and Airbus agrees that it is perhaps the most intelligent, practical and well thought out cabin they have put on the A380. Believe it or not First Passengers don’t want to be closed off from the rest of the cabin when they have paid so much. Our new First Suites offer vast amounts of space and privacy without being shut off and the 1-1-1 layout certainly helps with the comfort compared to our competitors 1-2-1 equivalents.
The only reason Qantas’ safety record was damaged last year by mostly none events is because the media preyed on it. Sure the decompression was newsworthy but then again how comes Virgin Blue’s didn’t really make the news recently? The reporting of events such as 5 minute delays and blocked toilets by SMH is just beyond a joke.
Australian’s aren’t looking to dump Qantas for the first alternate, they see QF as a trustworthy, strong, reliable and safe brand. Meanwhile V Australia has no national identity and already has a poor reputation because of its delays to service (albeit Boeings fault). I mean VA could have at least come up with an iconic logo?
As for share prices hitting lows, well that’s what one would anticipate in a recession. Qantas’s share price though is a lot more then what can be said for Virgin Blue’s $0.235 current trading price. At just 40% sold VA isn’t thus far doing to well and neither is it’s big brother, come to think of it, none of the Virgin Group airlines seem to be performing? Hmmm…
As for Thongs and women only toilets? Why would the vast majority of Business Passengers want thongs? In my experience, J passengers want good food, quality wines, caring but not intrusive service and on the whole want to be left alone to work or relax. They certainly don’t want thongs and I personally think the women’s only toilets will be seen as somewhat of an insult to their males clientele, especially before landing when all the men are queuing for the men’s room, I think this is a practice that simply won’t and can’t be upheld in reality. I am pretty certain Qantas already offers Vegemite, in fact I served it just this morning.
I think Qantas proved it’s commitment to Australian’s this week by donating $100,000 to the bushfire appeal along with commencing onboard fundraising.
By: old shape - 19th February 2009 at 00:52
That’s a translation error
Thongs (Aus) = Flip-flops (UK)
Moggy
Gedouddahere!
Really?
I thought it was just the Merkins that made such errors. I thought the Auzies were following a superior role model!
So, in Oz, what do you call the small undergarments?…the type with a tiny triangle at the front and a piece of anal floss round the back.
By: DJ. - 19th February 2009 at 00:03
Well Quantas is in a bit of a pooper. Few days ago new CEO called for “patriotism” on behalf of Aussies to support the flag carrier… this was met with absolute anger from public. Out of 350 comments on one news site.. 347 were negative.
Issues that people take with Quantas is that past decade, they moved all their engineering , technical and servicing jobs overseas, all the customer service as well. Their Economy class is more crammed then say gulf or asian airlines, due to extra row of seats they stuck in their 747s.. New 380 cabins are by general concensus much less attractive than Singapoore or Emirates across all classes. Cabin crew is generally deemed rude and “getting older” than say Emirates who have been rated top again by general concensus.. though to be fair AUS IR laws and corrupt lazy Aus Unions are to blame for fair bit.
Another issue Aussies take with Quantas is their aye gauging prices on exclusive routes.. like Melb and Syd to LA.. few years ago you would pay10K to 12K for a buissines class ticket from Syd to LA, compared to 5-6K from syd to london… now VA offers them for 6k.. forcing Quantas and United (their partner in crime) to follow suit.
Finally their famous “Rainman” safety record is in tatters due to few well publicised debacles over last 12 months.. timing of which could not be worse with economy slowing , competition emerging and their decision to move maintanece to China.
So what does this mean.. well there are many many peved Aussies just itching to dump Quantas for first alternative .. and they have been doing it in droves. VA has a very good prospect of stealing quite a bit from lucrative LA routes… spelling trouble for flying Roo whose shares hit record lows this week.. almost halving since october.
Furthermore all this “Aussie Oi Oi” pandering by VA is really not needed.. all they need to do is offer same or better services than QTS at non highway robbery prices and they are guaranteed to succeed
By: kevinwm - 18th February 2009 at 23:35
One good thing for the Guys , they wont have to que for the bog 😀
By: Mr Creosote - 18th February 2009 at 20:00
Too late. I fear my mind is already iredeemably boggled.
By: J Boyle - 18th February 2009 at 18:15
That’s a translation error
Thongs (Aus) = Flip-flops (UK)
Moggy
Thanks for sorting that one out.
I was ready to place a booking.
By: Moggy C - 18th February 2009 at 10:39
That’s a translation error
Thongs (Aus) = Flip-flops (UK)
Moggy
By: Distiller - 18th February 2009 at 10:32
Thongs what for? For her to change after a little red-eye flight adventure?
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February 18, 2009 at 9:47 am