Here is what Bain Capital's Virgin Australia 2.0 will look like
Keen to know the shape of the new Virgin Australia? We've pulled it together for you.
By David Flynn, June 26 2020
Virgin Australia is set to soar again, this time under the ownership of US-based global investment giant Bain Capital, which will pay a multi-billion dollar bounty to buy the airline, bail out its debt and reboot the challenger onto a new course.
And Bain says it's a stayer, not a player, with local managing director and former Olympic diver Mike Murphy attesting "we are determined to see that Australians have access to competitive, viable aviation services for the long-term... and ensure the airline emerges offering exceptional experiences at great value while continuing to service business travellers, as well as those of us travelling for fun or to visit loved ones."
And to ensure there's plenty of goodwill to go around, Bain will honour all travel credits held by passengers on cancelled flights.
So what will Bain's new Virgin Australia look like? Here's what we've been able to piece together based on previous statements by Bain, Murphy and airline administrator Deloitte.
Virgin Australia goes mid-market
Murphy early on spooked many travellers with comments that Bain's Virgin would make "bring back the best parts of the Virgin Blue culture and make flying fun again," raising the spectre of a return to Virgin's original low-cost roots.
Since then, Bain has made it clear that it sees Virgin 2.0's best chance for success as a mid-market 'value-based' airline with a dash of that on-brand Virgin flair, rather than entering a dogfight with Jetstar in the budget space or going head-to-head with Qantas as a full-service airline for corporate travellers.
"We are not looking to take Qantas head on, especially in their corporate part of the market," Murphy has said, noting that Virgin's previous battle for the high-end, suited-and-booted business travel brigade "wasn’t a happy outcome for anybody."
The new Virgin Australia will go mid-market and look to recover that 'Virgin vibe'.
"There will always be different segments that will want the much more high spend Qantas experience," but Bain's Virgin will stake out the broad middle of the market and put an emphasis on value.
"I think largely the positioning from a customer perspective will be very similar to where it is, but maybe a little more value focused," Murphy tells The Financial Review.
"We interviewed six or seven thousand customers over the past couple of months to figure out what they really care about. You know, aside from the table stakes of safety, obviously price and scheduling, convenience are No. 1 and No. 2 by a country mile."
Read more: Bain's vision for Virgin Australia 2.0 – so what's a 'hybrid' airline?
Virgin stays, Tiger gone
The 'Virgin Australia' brand will remain. Not only does Bain have solid connections to Sir Richard Branson – such as being a join venture partner in the Virgin Voyages cruise line – but Branson is known to have been in discussions with Bain (and competing but unsuccessful bidder Cyrus Capital) about the scope of his support.
Branson's Virgin Group is reportedly willing to stump up $50-$100 million for a new stake in the airline, having seen its former 10% shareholding wiped out in the administration process, and mulling a reduction in the $15 million annual brand licensing fee until the airline is profitable.
Richard Branson is likely to be back on board, if he brings his money with him...
But the low-cost Tigerair operation – which former Virgin Australia CEO John Borghetti acquired over 2013-2014 for $35 million – won't be returning.
Tigerair was shut down in the early days of the pandemic, with its pilots retrenched and cabin crew stood down.
Deloitte lead administrator Vaughan Strawbridge has confirmed Bain's intention to operate a "single-branded" airline without the baggage of the budget Tigerair brand.
A smaller airline
There's no mistaking that Virgin will become a smaller airline, in line with reduced demand due to the Covid-19 pandemic and the general 'shrink to survive' imperative.
Bain's Murphy has said he expects the sweet spot for relaunching Virgin to be around 60-70 planes, compared to the total fleet of the Virgin Australia group – including the 14 aircraft assigned to Tiger – standing at 108.
Fewer planes means fewer flights, with Bain set to axe some routes and in other cases trim the frequency of services, while focussing on the busiest and most profitable routes such as the 'golden triangle' between Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne.
That said, Bain has notably promised that "under our ownership we will strengthen Virgin’s regional services" – no doubt to assuage the concerns of regional Australia, especially in Queensland, where the airline has a strong intra-state network.
That regional coverage is likely to include a mix of Virgin's own flying and partnerships with other airlines such as Alliance.
A streamlined fleet
Bain has long maintained the make-up of that smaller fleet will centre on the workhorse Boeing 737, of which Virgin Australia has 85 (including Tiger's tally) in its hangars, and that number evenly split between owned and leased jets.
There's been no discussion on the role of smaller regional aircraft, although this is where regional partners are likely to slot in, so that Bain can focus on the increased efficiencies and reduced overheads of a single type of jet compared to the current five varieties.
Virgin 2.0 is likely to settle on the Boeing 737 as its only aircraft type.
The obvious downside to this would be the loss of the Airbus A330, all six of which are leased (at what are said to be above-market rates) and which largely ply the transcontinental routes between the east and west coast capital cities.
Virgin's international-grade A330 business class – with spacious seats, lie-flat beds, large video screens and direct aisle access for every passenger – was crucial to competing against Qantas and the Red Roo's A330 Business Suites.
The loss of Virgin's Airbus A330s would mean an end to this superb coast-to-coast business class.
But with Virgin Australia 2.0 eschewing the chase for monied corporate travellers in favour of the more value-oriented mainstream, the A330 would be an odd fit in the fleet.
Lounges stay open, The Club to close
Expect Virgin's airport lounges to remain – they're a vital part of the airline's overall appeal, even as a mid-market rather than full-service operation.
Virgin's airport lounges will remain, although how much they'll be 'enhanced' remains to be seen.
But there's little room for doubt that The Club – Virgin's invitation-only equivalent to the Qantas Chairman's Lounge – has seen its last days, or at least the fancy Club lounges have.
"Things like a fancy club and fancy meals and all of that are relevant to a very small portion of customers," Murphy has said. "But for the vast majority of customers, they just don't value that as much. We will work with Paul (Scurrah) and his team to put a finer point on this."
Closing time for The Club, a sanctuary of schmooze for high-flying corporates and captains of industry.
Source: Supplied
Source: Supplied
Read more: Is The Club set to close its doors?
Boosting Velocity
Bain intends to not only keep the Velocity Frequent Flyer program intact – along with all the points currently held by members and the "pricing architecture" of redemptions – but to "bring the Velocity and Virgin brands closer together."
That's expected to include integrating them into the same website and smartphone app, while investing in data analytics to learn more about members and their behaviour.
The perks of Velocity status will be preserved under Bain's reign.
Domestic-only, for now
No surprise that the new Virgin, like the 100-year old Qantas, will for the short term be a domestic-only airline.
Some reduction in overseas flying was always part of Paul Scurrah's plan to, in his words, "turn a great airline into a great business", but the impact of Covid-19 has taken this to the extreme.
Short-range international to follow
As Australia's near neighbours open their borders in the form of travel bubbles and Covid-safe corridors, Bain says it will bring back a limited amount of overseas flying.
New Zealand is the logical first step, but what other destinations – if any – will be up next remains to be seen.
Long-range international, later still
Bain's team will clearly have been paying attention to Qantas CEO Alan Joyce's statement that he doesn't expect the bulk of international flying to resume until mid-2021.
Before Virgin collapsed into administration, its sole long-range international destinations were from Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane to Los Angeles, and those are expected to resume when demand returns.
Current Virgin Australia CEO Paul Scurrah had already put the knife through the unprofitable Sydney-Hong Kong and Melbourne-Hong Kong routes and was counting down the days to the March 29 launch of Brisbane-Tokyo, although the coronavirus pandemic saw that suspended before the first flight took off. Whether Tokyo returns to Virgin's network map is a decision that's well in the future.
Virgin's trans-Pacific Boeing 777-300ERs may return, or be replaced by new Boeing 787s.
Bain is also aligned with Scurrah's own plan to replace the five Boeing 777-300ER jets used for Australia-US flights, along with the six Airbus A330s, with eight Boeing 787 Dreamliners – another move to the efficiencies of a single type of jet.
Paul Scurrah at the helm
The presence of Bain Capital alumni and former Jetstar CEO Jayne Hrdlicka on Murphy's bid team led many to suspect that Paul Scurrah would be ousted.
However, Bain has made it clear that – at least in the short term – it wants to keep Scurrah in the corner office, given his own work to date on the Virgin turnaround and his strong support among staff and unions, while Hrdlicka is instead expected to take a seat in the boardroom, if not as the Chair herself.
Virgin Australia CEO Paul Scurrah looks set to stay put.
Brisbane to remain as Virgin's base
Although Brisbane found itself in a tug of war with Sydney and Melbourne over where the airline would hang its shingle, Queensland's bold Project Maroon gambit paid off.
Bain has locked down a $200 million package of benefits with the state-owned Queensland Investment Corporation which will keep Virgin Australia based in the sunshine state's capital as a generator of jobs, not just for head office staff and crew but also the repairs, maintenance and overhaul sector, as well as a driver for tourism.
It's not known if Virgin's corporate headquarters and Velocity Frequent Flyer division will continue to be based in Sydney or will make the trek north to bring all arms of the airline under one roof.
David Flynn is the Editor-in-Chief of Executive Traveller and a bit of a travel tragic with a weakness for good coffee, shopping and lychee martinis.
QF
11 Jul 2014
Total posts 1024
A lot of people are commenting to myself about Jayne Hrdlicka at A2 Milk and also at Jetstar? Hopefully good luck to them all.
Virgin Australia - Velocity Rewards
24 Aug 2011
Total posts 780
Ms H left Jetstar and also A2 milk.
Virgin Australia - Velocity Rewards
23 Mar 2015
Total posts 53
Just what we need, bloody cheap shit Jetstar service and quality )-:
19 Jun 2020
Total posts 28
Virgin attract a lot of small to mid tier business customers, they will lose them if they go to far down the value track and I would think outside of the Gold Coast routes, at least 25% of other flights are filled with these customers especially morning and late afternoon flights. relying solely on private travel will make it difficult to maintain these customers. So what do the mid tier business traveler want - a decent lounge at least as good as current and a club lounge for the decision makers eg CEO/Chairperson or at the very least a business lounge like Qantas has , preferred boarding, flights too and from capital cities (including Perth and Adelaide) access to business class seats for senior execs if policy allows and friendly service (something that they can do better than Qantas and way better than Jetstar). Throw in some code share (alliances) arrangements with the internationals that allow lounge access etc when flying overseas. Do this and they will keep my company's mid tier business. Model themselves like Jetstar and we are gone. For this I would expect to pay a slight discount on Qantas. By the way, Jetstar has never been fun.
Virgin Australia - Velocity Rewards
25 Jul 2013
Total posts 72
Personally I am looking forward to this Phase 2 Virgin Aus. Better alignment between owners/managers, a rationalised fleet and clearer product/brand proposition should do wonders.
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
10 Aug 2016
Total posts 64
As a long time user of the golden triangle (and SYD/PER, MEL/PER and vv for the A322 Business experience), I'll be waiting to see what they decide - not keen on C2C on B738's :o. If they use 738's then I'll keep plying QF on the PER route
Singapore Airlines - The PPS Club
11 Sep 2015
Total posts 48
I would just like to see their call centres reduced to something approaching normalcy - soon!
I had an email yesterday telling me that my seat on a 10 am Syd-Bris on Wed next was now on a 7 am! Advised me if I wasn't happy with that flight to call. I wasn't and I did. After 56 tedious minutes on hold I got to speak someone in the Philippines who helped me out.
They don't even ask you to enter your Velocity number so absolutely no priority for Platinum at moment.
Just hope they don't go down the Jetstar road and leave the field to only Qantas for those who are prepared a bit more.
13 May 2020
Total posts 827
nothing very special about qantas even on a good day. The recession will force many to look at cheapest fares with frequency
13 May 2020
Total posts 827
wonder how Bain will stop a run on velocity points ? Maybe limit number used per month or limit number used for overseas airlines ?
17 Jun 2020
Total posts 3
Great news. Borghetti's obsession with trying to knock off Qantas has cost this company (and me as a former shareholder) its shirt. He ditched the principle of one model aircraft that has been used by successful airlines throughout the world. Easyjet, Ryanair, Jet Blue, Air Asia, Wizzair and Southwest (there's others) all run hub and spoke ops with one aircraft type. I can't wait for the resurrection of a true mid-quality airline that doesn't see every passenger as a mug. Hub and spoke out of each capital city, with the flifo market outsourced to second-tier operators such as Alliance, Air North etc. If Virgin 2 wants to dip its toe into the US market it should only be after its domestic ops are in order. They should forget the idea of direct services from Australia to mainland USA. Then and only then should they consider a different aircraft type and the obvious one is the Dreamliner Boeing 787. Instead, just run (hopefully) full planes from every major port to Honolulu and then codesharing with their partners Delta and Hawaiian to all of their 20-odd ports in USA and Canada. (Sounds a bit like Emirates et al hubbing out of the Middle East!) Other Asian carriers could even wish to come on board. Full planes, adequate fuel loads, one crew-set per flight, full bellies of freight, comfortable seats, WiFi, enetertainment, one meal and few snacks all add up to a profitable operation. The days of the 747 and A380 with their 18 - hour flights are gone, dead in the water.
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
04 Nov 2017
Total posts 351
@OldCabbie, Virgin ditched the one aircraft type under Brett Godfrey. The old Virgin Blue had its first expansion into regional services through Godfrey's decision to acquire Embraer 170/190s for services into Regional Australia.
In addition, V Australia long-haul international (initially with LAX and the short lived MEL-JNB and BNE-HKT) was also established under Godfrey and Branson with the 77Ws.
Etihad - Etihad Guest
04 Mar 2018
Total posts 26
I dont like the idea of a stop in HNL, and then transfer to another carrier. It breaks the route at just the wrong time. The normnal Non stop to LAX, in J, means I can get settled have some food, enjoy 8 hours sleep and wake up, have breekie and be ready to roll. Stopping in HNL will destroy my body cycle and mean that I cannot function correctly when I get to LAX. This wont work for me.
HOWEVER they need to get into an Alliance, rather than some 1/2 baked Delta & Singapore deal . ( I love them both) That has been my concern for some time. The only way virgin could get me from LHR to New York, was via SYD. That does not work for me.
Just think they need a Strategy that is solid internationally.
24 Apr 2012
Total posts 2424
LEGS11: "The only way virgin could get me from LHR to New York, was via SYD. That does not work for me."
Through Virgin and Velocity, you had the option of multiple daily flights on Virgin Atlantic from London into both New York JFK and Newark, as well as multiple daily flights on Delta into JFK: and whichever you booked, you could earn both points and status credits with Velocity, similar to what you'd get flying on a Virgin Australia plane. When it came to using Velocity points, the rates on Virgin Atlantic and Delta were also the same as for a Virgin Australia flight. No need for Virgin Australia to operate routes on the other side of the globe, when its network of partners gave plenty of options.
22 Apr 2020
Total posts 8
Old cabbie - "adequate fuel loads, one crew-set per flight"
That is a scary statement, because you clearly haven't a clue what you're talking about.
Qantas
19 Apr 2012
Total posts 1429
Old cabbie Honolulu is not set up as a hub but as an end point. Most US carriers don't have many direct flights to Honolulu they use a hub LA SFO etc). What you are suggesting is two hubs to reach the US Midwest or East Coast.
08 May 2020
Total posts 90
There is no mention about any alliance for Europe connection and I understand the only way VA 2 can service that Market is with an alliance of former Connections of Etihad, Singapore Airline or an outsider such a Qatar. The Singapore Airline & Etihad connection has served me well over the past few years getting all the benefits of Velocity Platinum accumulating points and Status points plus all the Lounge access.
06 Feb 2014
Total posts 30
I hope they keep the Singapore Air element of those alliances, and frankly ditch the rest. It has worked well, and we know Singapore remain keen to keep some form of interest, given their push through the bondholder offer.
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
09 Feb 2015
Total posts 387
Singapore. ANA & Delta.
08 May 2020
Total posts 90
Great News that the alliance with Singapore Airline & Velocity is to continue and I just gone ahead and placed my booked flights into Credit with Singapore Airline for future use once our International Borders open up.
24 Feb 2017
Total posts 5
Any clues on the future of VA lounges?
24 Oct 2010
Total posts 2563
Beyond what we've said in the article, ie that they'll stay?
24 Feb 2017
Total posts 5
Thanks David. I missed that bit flicking through on my phone...
17 Jun 2020
Total posts 3
DanV, you're right --- it was Godfrey who bought the Embraers which had to go to Portugal for an oil-change. I remember flying ADL-PER on a 190 a few years ago. The proposal for the HNL hub could easily be replicated in Singapore or Abu Dhabi using 787's. Same thinking. But first, run a tight ship across Australia. Another question for Borghetti --- why were the Adelaide-Bali services dropped, leaving them for Jetstar and Malindo? Qantas is not lily-white either --- they dumped their international services out of Adelaide years ago.
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
28 Jul 2011
Total posts 60
Generally decisions like that are made by reasonably smart people who do a lot of work with data analytics and have access to a heap of information that the general public don't have (and quite frankly don't need to have).
The abundance of back-seat CEOs on this site who don't know what they are talking about it astonishing.
13 May 2020
Total posts 827
that's roughly half the total wages bill which will help. Qantas should be worried during the recession, when many will look for cheaper options, including some business types.
Singapore Airlines - KrisFlyer
02 Dec 2016
Total posts 47
I really hope that the new owners will keep the Velocity - Krisflyer , and Flybuys - Velocity transfer programs.
Virgin Australia - Velocity Rewards
13 Jun 2018
Total posts 14
Our shopping at Coles has noticeably reduced now the FlyBuys -> Velocity -> KrisFlyer is paused.
QF
03 Jul 2015
Total posts 23
What's this "mid market" nonsense they are talking about?
Hardly describe QF economy as up market, so how do Virgin intend to differentiate themselves?
Virgin Australia - Velocity Rewards
15 Nov 2018
Total posts 3
I got the QR status like many in readiness for VA2 should it survive and if I can't continue utilise the benefits of my current points/status, SIA alliance To Europe/Asia in a meaningful way then I'm better off chasing the OW Benefits via QR/QF. Bain still has a long way to go to convince me that VA2 is worth the effort but with the current situation we are going to get plenty of time to work it out.
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
22 Nov 2019
Total posts 88
Qantas Plat one here, I'll be very happy to try the new virgin, sounds promising to me.
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
22 Nov 2019
Total posts 88
Maybe a virgin status match with Qantas members would help them poach a few Qantas fliers, and maybe throw in a $200 travel credit.
13 May 2020
Total posts 827
with Qantas seemingly not flying to USA until Oct 2020 & Air New Zealand from Sept 2020 & V2 not for a long time, it seems there will be less competition on flights to USA later this year.
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
04 Nov 2017
Total posts 351
Reportedly QF won't be flying long-haul Int until 2021 at the earliest according to news articles & various internal memos. QF would be lucky to resume NZ by September this year on the assumption the Travel Bubble occurs.
Qantas
19 Apr 2012
Total posts 1429
Regular I think later in 2021 for the US.
13 May 2020
Total posts 827
next week or 2 will be significant. I don't really want to have to fly to LAX via AKL in Sept 2020. Still think the media will move on soon. Everyone thoroughly sick of Corona. BREAKING NEWS-we're no longer interested in corona. No one in Australia is dying.
Qantas
19 Apr 2012
Total posts 1429
Regular it is not people dying here that is the issue, it is them dying where we are going to and the major ports in the US California and Texas are definitely no-go areas. This is regardless of whether the press are interested or not.
13 May 2020
Total posts 827
that's today. Next week probably a completely different story & talking 3 to 6 months away.
Qantas
19 Apr 2012
Total posts 1429
Regular forever the optimist!!!
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
26 May 2014
Total posts 463
The story out of the US will probably be worse next week. California's new cases in a day last week was similar to Australia's total historical cases. Population ratio is about 2.
06 Jun 2017
Total posts 28
Hrdlika! Good grief! Could not get Jetstar HongKong up and running. Sad testimony to negotiation skills. Did not realise the Chinese were THAT difficult with whom to do business.
On the Virgin board would be a catastrophe...
Singapore Airlines - KrisFlyer
02 Dec 2016
Total posts 47
As an A2 shareholder, i am glad that she is not there anymore.
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer P1
23 Aug 2014
Total posts 148
All of the above will (unfortunately) provide Qantas with a larger agenda to slash their soft product internationally, in the absence of local competition - Qatar is likely to be the winner as a result
Qatar continue to offer a "solid" J product in the COVID era when Qantas has a few cost-saving measures on their existing flights that do not reflect the evidence-based science of transmission
This is especially true in J where the fares have not been reduced to reflect the downgrading of the product and the COVID syndrome has been clearly used to conserve cash
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
28 Feb 2017
Total posts 10
03 May 2020
Total posts 7
I have a question would appreciate some views. I have a Virgin flight to from Brisbane USA in November. Been keeping close watch on it waiting for Virgin to cancel. Phone assistance four weeks ago said about September we will cancel. Then last week it went from my advance bookings. Rang Virgin, that was cancelled early April (before admin) and we sent you an email, which generously I will say got lost in cyberspace. But they cannot give me a replacement or tell me what was in it except that the flight was cancelled. What's interesting is the flight is still showing as live on the Virgin booking site. Any ideas why and what to do next?
12 Feb 2015
Total posts 89
In normal circumstances you could ask for your money back because it is the airline which has cancelled. Not too sure how the Bain deal to purchase VA is structured, and while the new owners have promised to honour bookings and points, they may have created a new structure to transfer assets into and let the company you paid the fare to go bankrupt.
13 May 2020
Total posts 827
gd001
looks like all airlines except V2 will be flying to LAX by Oct. Air NZ by Sept. Doesn't look like V2 will be flying to LAX for year or 2, so would be looking for another airline right now, while fares are cheap.
Re your existing VA ticket. Sounds like you're going to be waiting a while for refund. Maybe try a chargeback soon ?
24 Aug 2011
Total posts 1224
No idea what you base this on. QF has said no meaningful international before the middle of next year and the Government has hinted that borders will stay largely closed until a vaccine is available or significant suppression is evident in all major markets. Given New Zealand is likely to wait until their election is out of the way before establishing a Tasman bubble, even that market is unlikely to reopen before Q4.
Qantas
19 Apr 2012
Total posts 1429
Regular not sure who you include in ‘all airlines'. US ones to return US residents but not sure there will be enough coming into Australia with quarantine etc. Not sure Australians will be allowed to leave by then as the government has suggested not so soon.
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
26 May 2014
Total posts 463
What is the prediction for business class on the 737s? With all the talk of the middle market, would that not exclude business class?
03 May 2020
Total posts 7
Thanks for the idea, much appreciated. Tried bank re chargeback, they said we need to see the email the flight has been cancelled, or evidence of some type.....Virgin happily tells me on the phone flight cancelled and email advising me of that was sent on 6 April, but does not want to resend the email or put anything else in writing. Virgin booking web site says flight live ..... It's very odd. Tried sending Virgin a feedback note, no reply. Any other ideas?
19 Jun 2020
Total posts 19
Quite positive, can't wait. I don't see much change service wise except fare bundles like Air New Zealand's perhaps. I hope they simplify Velocity and get rid of all the ifs, conditions and chicanes of managing so many partners. I'd like to see a partner to Sth America. Maybe Bain can patch up with Air New Zealand and sort that out.
24 Apr 2013
Total posts 18
Glad to see Virgin up again. I have 1,000,000 FF points.
27 Mar 2019
Total posts 54
I do hope that “The Business” remains somehow. I'm a QF WP, but often chose VA solely on that basis, their reverse herringbone is an excellent product, and service onboard, plus food were fantastic, be a real shame if that went entirely. My main route was HKG, which was gone anyway, but I'd be more than happy to have that option to PER or LAX still.
QF Plat
14 Jul 2014
Total posts 31
I really don't think anything will change, maybe not paying $400,000.00 for a cook to come up with new menus will change and maybe making a smaller The Club will change. If they add Life Time Gold and Platinum, room up stairs for the 1800plus people and value add people being more loyal to VA. The big push I'm seeing already is boards pushing we need to support Qantas so this will come into play as well.
03 May 2013
Total posts 684
So it's back to Virgin Blue as predicted. The only viable option all knew that could truly work.
13 May 2020
Total posts 827
reeves35, if someone in govt is saying next year for international, that probably means sept this year. Massive vested interest in getting australians to spend here, but all of a sudden, Sept 20, with new govt in NZ, borders open from NZ to everywhere, so you'll be able to fly Australia/NZ/USA, Canada etc.
What a crazy situation it would be to be able to fly to USA via NZ, without any stupid restrictions, but not direct or nonstop.
Qantas
19 Apr 2012
Total posts 1429
Regular,
Given NZ is struggling to manage returning kiwis in quarantine now, I highly doubt they will put more pressure on the quarantine system by opening it to the US which will most certainly not have Covid under control by then to allow no quarantine travel.
13 May 2020
Total posts 827
& UK has no quarantine from next month & no stupid restrictions at all on travel. NZ is fine. Media beat up as usual. Has anyone died in NZ in last month ? 2 months ?
Qantas
19 Apr 2012
Total posts 1429
The UK is stopping travellers from the US and it has a very high infection rate., (why would countries with high infection rates stop people coming as they can make it any worse), and whether NZ is fine is another question given the Government has out the military in charge of quarantine. The issue isn't deaths but hospital beds. Ten per cent of under 40s with it end up in a hospital bed for a couple of weeks if not longer. D0 te sums if an outbreak gets away as it has done in Texas.
13 May 2020
Total posts 827
It's going to be interesting, seeing they will give themselves feed from their regional routes & they will still get some feed from Qantas & V2 to places no one else flies to.
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
21 Jun 2020
Total posts 6
Sorry Bain won't fly Virgin, bad experience NOT forgotten. If they Buy 737MAX down the track I certainly won't fly those planes!
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
11 Oct 2014
Total posts 688
I'm intrigued with the 'here's all about how Virgin 2.0 will look.' Seems like a lot of speculation.
It is interesting that no mention has been made by ET of the fact that Deloitte has apparently 'banned' the bond-holders from presenting their options at the Creditors meetings in August. This, I am fairly sure, may well attract a court case and challenge by the bond-holders. Seems to me that there is a level of close-ness attached to the administrators that may be testing the barriers ...
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