Virgin/Pacific Blue separate companies thread??

[SkySista]

Needing help to find a post I read the other day, something about why some of the Pac Blue a/c are VH and the others ZK. Have searched with various terms but can't for the life of me find it. It's driving me nuts!!! Anyone know where it is? :confused:

Thanks......

Sky

[regitaekilthgiwt]

As far as I understand it is purely for monetary reasons. I have heard ZK aircraft are cheaper to register and maintain (different rules to Australia). Also I believe that the NZ equivalent of CASA has a different rule regarding the number of flight attendants on board (I can’t remember the exact details but I am sure someone could fill in the blanks). If I remember correctly this rule usually results in having less FA’s on the aircraft, so they save costs there. I am sure if possible Pacific Blue would have all their a/c registered ZK if they could. Qantas also do a similar thing with JetConnect.

[Dehavillanddriver]

The Pacific Blue VH tailed aeroplanes are Virgin Blue aeroplanes painted in Pacific Blue colours.

By this I mean that these aircraft operate solely on Virgin Blue services and do not operate any international Pacific Blue services.

The original plan was to have Pacific Blue operating via the oz AOC, but the plot changed and the Kiwi's got the gig, and with that came the ZK rego.

By the time that this decision was taken a number of Virgin Blue -800's had been delivered in Pac Blue livery.

There was from memory at least one VH tailed aircraft that was transferred to NZ and the ZK register, can't remember its VH reg, the rest came direct from Boeing in ZK reg and PB colours.

Hope that helps!

[Going Nowhere]

VH-VOO became ZK-PBA :D

[SkySista]

GN, ya beat me too it, it is in fact VOO that went.... believe VOQ is still flying around in Pac Blue colours.... (as are OP/OR I think)

So it's basically cost saving/getting around legislation resons.... pretty much what I thought.....

But can anyone remember that thread? Surely I'm not imagining it existed.... :p

Thanks everyone for your info.

Sky

[overhere]

CAA in NZ is 1 F/A for 50 pax, CASA in Aus is 1 for every 36, hense the money saving on crew.

As a practical example B733's operate within NZ with 3 cabin crew (both NZ and QF) compared to 4 or 5 in Australia.

[swh]

overhere,

thought pac blu uses the same number of crew as vb, even tho they are allowed to operate one less.

think the real savings is in maintenance and the $nz worth less than $oz.

:ok:

[Joe Curry]

I took this shot at CNS in December,
it might answer a few question
http://www.jetphotos.net/viewphoto.php?id=394941

[Joe Curry]

Here's Virgin Blue @ CNS in December

http://www.jetphotos.net/viewphoto.php?id=393722