Emirates, Virgin Blue join to attack Qantas

[Wirraway]

Tues "Melbourne Age"

Emirates, Virgin join to attack flyer points
November 15, 2005

VIRGIN Blue is poised to launch an attack on Qantas today by revealing a joint frequent flyer scheme with Emirates and an associated credit card.

A Virgin Blue spokeswoman would only say yesterday that chief executive Brett Godfrey would make a "significant announcement" this morning, the day before its annual profit results were released.

But an Emirates representative confirmed that the carriers had joined forces to take on Qantas.

Other industry sources said a new credit card would be launched, possibly in partnership with National Australia Bank, allowing customers to accumulate frequent flyer points.

It could mean Virgin Blue will start to make serious inroads into the business travel market after a year of being squeezed between Qantas and Jetstar.

"I think a loyalty program for Virgin is generally a good thing for corporate Australia," said Robert Dell, commercial director of Flight Centre's corporate travel arm, FCM Travel Solutions.

The deal with Emirates will make Virgin Blue's frequent flyer program attractive to business travellers who can use points earned on domestic flights towards trips to destinations such as London and Dubai.

Additionally, Virgin Blue already has codeshare arrangements with Virgin Atlantic and United Airlines.

In June, a Virgin Group representative told The Age that its codeshare program would lead to shared frequent flyer points once Virgin Blue's loyalty program was launched. This would add Hong Kong to the list of frequent flyer destinations, and US destinations could be added through United.

But the deal with Emirates could prove a negative for Virgin Blue in one respect: Singapore Airlines said yesterday it had no plans to join the loyalty program any time soon.

Singapore Airlines spokesman Stephen Forshaw said it ended a frequent flyer alliance with Emirates last year and considered the Dubai-based airline a competitor rather than a friend.

Virgin Blue shares closed 5¢ higher at $1.60 yesterday.

==========================================

[OZcabincrew]

will be a flop. Just a bunch of leisure travellers joining to become Virgin Blue frequent flyers for there once yearly interstate trip.

[Uncommon Sense]

Amazed they didnt consult you first. Due diligence obviously not completed.

There seems to be plenty of business travellers on VB as I walk past their terminal (on the way to QF)

[Capt Basil Brush]

Would it be because the company that does their bookings is a QF owned company??

[Uncommon Sense]

As much as I dislike Qantas for the way they treat their staff and their pathetic product, I still prefer them to flying VB and when it is my dollars being spent I fly QF - usually the fare is cheaper too. But that really is thanks to Virgin ironically.

That said, there are plenty of companies that travel VB on business accounts.

The FF scheme has been the reason many companies still use QF - this will probably eat in to that QF strangehold so it make sense.

I still wont fly with them until they stop treating their passengers like retards however.

[Sunfish]

VB and Emirates "attack" Qantas?

I would have thought that their objective is to compete with Qantas and attract more customers, but then again, large sections of the aviation and media community regard any effort to compete with Qantas by providing something better as somehow an "attack" on their dear old flying dinosaur.

This is no longer the 60's. You can dream about the "Fading blue denim" route to London all you like.

[domo]

sunfish,
who flew our injured from both bali bombs.
who helped out the australian soccer team
who employs more australians
1 emerates
2 singapore airlines
3 the airline you hate

I feel sorry for your pain. get over it so qantas screwed you it happens

[Animalclub]

domo are you telling me that QF didn't charge the soccer people for that charter?
Didn't Virgin operate to disaster areas too?

I have no axe to grind, but I don't like distortions to "make" an arguement... politicians do that!!

[ratpoison]

Is it not sad that this country and others keep bowing down to these people. "Emirates Melbourne Cup", Emirates New Zealand".
All for the sake of money squeezed and bled from thousands of enslaved "employees" in Dubai. What a bloody disgrace. !!

[sinala1]

will be a flop. Just a bunch of leisure travellers joining to become Virgin Blue frequent flyers for there once yearly interstate trip. I would be interested to see which facts and figures (as opposed to opinion, which you are of course entitled to) you base that statement on? VB actually has a large number of corporate contracts - just get on any DJ flight between any city pairing bne/syd/mel/adl/cbr early morning/early evening and see just how many businesspeople there are - I can categorically say the % is much higher than the number of leisure travellers

Anyway, back to the Frequent Flier program, will be interesting to see how joe public reacts to it

[halas]

In the Forbes report...

Australia's Virgin Blue introduces loyalty program
11.14.2005, 07:01 PM

SYDNEY (AFX) - Low cost carrier Virgin Blue Holdings said it will introduce a loyalty program for frequent flyers, called Velocity, which will have points earned by members backed by a trust structure.

It said the program will allow customers to redeem points on any flight all year round with no black out periods such as Christmas or public holidays.

Virgin said the program is being launched with airlines Virgin Atlantic and Emirates as partners as well as Eurocar and National Australia Bank.

As well, the airline, 62.4 pct owned by Patrick Corp, will issue two new Velocity branded credit cards, as it aims to capture a greater share of the frequent flyer market.

Virgin Blue chief executive officer Brett Godfrey said the company's strategy is to broaden its appeal to frequent flyers and the corporate and government sectors.

[email protected]

blh

[pug munter]

Folks, lets not forget, QF and VB are brands owned by their shareholders. Giving them 'personalities', as in one being more 'Australian' than the other, is to fall for the game that their respective directors want. Its just business and if a passenger feels 'loyalty' then thats an added bonus for the business.

Anything involving "free" flights for any victims means the media must be involved so as to ensure getting appropriate images on the relevant evening news - ie publicity and more begnign commentary. After all,its not their own coins that they ask the crew to collect after each flight.

Remember, those directors report to shareholders who want the right return for their investment dollar or the directors get the sack. In turn those investing fund managers must ensure appropriate dividends to their unit holders and super funds.

Maximise revenue, minimise costs, keep the shareholders happy and screw everybody else. Read or see "The Corporation" to understand the psychopathological similarites.

Must take more happy pills.

Pug

[Going Boeing]

Animal Club

Just a clarification - the DJ flight to Phuket was a Federal Government charter flight where they were well compensated at taxpayer expense wheras the Qantas relief flights to/from the Bali bombings and the returning of AN pax to their home ports following the sad demise of Ansett was done at company (ie shareholder) expense. When the chips are down, Qantas has always responded and even though they have been a private company for over a decade they still feel a sense of responsibility to the Australian public.

[HI'er]

Qantas has always responded and even though they have been a private company for over a decade they still feel a sense of responsibility to the Australian public.It's quite obvious though, that the CEO of QANTAS doesn't appear to have the same "sense of responsibility" towards his QF Australian employee underdogs.

And talking about flights to SE Asia, the Michelle Corby case - and subsequently the Camel's Head incident highlighting the LACK of security, and subsequent IRRESPONSIBILTY of QANTAS towards Australian aviation security again raises its head.

Dixon would replace the QF Aussie workers in the blink of his eye, if he could - if we are to believe much of what is stated here by so-say QF employees who contribute to this forum.

I understood that the Virgin Blue crew volunteered their services for the evacuation relief flight of Phuket.

IMO, Emirates, and Virgin Blue treat their AUSTRALIAN staff employees far more fairly then do Dubbo Dicko and The Dame.

I was a QF FF'er, but am now switching my $$$'s to Virgin/Pacific Blue.

[AirNoServicesAustralia]

I guess I am an enslaved employee in the UAE, and I for one am stoked about the deal, as I am hoping it will work both ways. On my frequent trips back to Australia it is a godsend to fly direct non stop from Dubai, so have racked up big miles, and so to then use them on VB domestically would be great, and I am sure many overseas travellers will think the same when choosing which airline to use when coming from Europe/UK.

As far as flying VB goes, I found the seats nice and comfy, lots of legroom, and the hosties were much easier on the eye than the old dragons with a stick up their collective asses on QF.

Great news!:ok:

[Johhny Utah]

Take it easy - no need to slander all of the good people of Dubbo - Dixon is from Wagga....:suspect: Although you wouldn't know it...:ugh:

[sweetpollypurebred]

Things must be pretty tense around QF the pressure is starting to show.

[Going Boeing]

HI'er

I agree with your comments re Geoff Dixon. There are quite a few guys in QF security who are very embarrassed about their inability to provide assistance to Schappelle Corby. They are aware of the transportation of drugs via baggage handlers but at the time they had no surveillance cameras in position to record any evidence. The only information that they had was "hearsay" which could not be used in court.

The DJ crew may have volunteered for the flight to Phuket because of the short notice but I understand that the flight (like most of the QF flights for the tsunami) were Federal government charters.

[sinala1]

The DJ crew may have volunteered for the flight to Phuket because of the short notice but I understand that the flight (like most of the QF flights for the tsunami) were Federal government charters. Correct - I was the Supervisor on the relief flight to Medan in Indonesia (BNE-DRW-MEDAN-KUL-DRW-BNE). I was contacted at very short notice and asked if I would like to volunteer - which I took great pleasure in saying Yes to. We carried a large amount of supplies and a cabin full of Army Men & Women.

[BankAngle50]

As DJ moves closer to becoming a real airline, It would seem the only people that are getting worked up about this, are the incredibly talented drivers at QF. Personally, I would have thought they would be more concerned with the tumor within the QANTAS GROUP called Jet*; rather than expelling energy on the re-painted Ansett. Bye the way, I think the QANTAS GROUP transports the majority of thong wearing bogans on their aircraft with the orange star on the fin. Just ask any of the Hamo residents.

The picture says it all really.
http://www-personal.monash.edu.au/~pcha25/images/jetstar%20girl.jpg

[MIss Behaviour]

I saw DJ's new Velocity ad on TV last week which I thought was p!ss poor to say the least.

It shows a bloke reading what DJ want you to think is his QF frequent flyer statement saying to his wife "we've finally got enough points to fly to....." before clutching his chest and dropping dead. She then repeats the scenario and drops dead herself. You get the picture - you're soooooo old if not dead by the time you get to redeem any f/flyer points from that evil Skippy.

If that's the best that DJ can come up with it's a pretty sad state of affairs.

Reminds me of a 1993 federal election campaign (if you could call it that) where a certain politcal party didn't say vote for us because we can do this or these are our policies, but vote for us because you don't like what Brand X has to offer.

Correct me if I'm wrong here, but taking into consideration that more people in Australia die of heart disease than anything else I would imagine that many thousands of Australians who have lost a loved one to a heart attack or had a loved one in a coronary care unit at some time will find this ad insensitive if not offensive.

Grow up Virgin, if you had a decent TV commercial outlining the benefits of your program (assuming there are some) you might receive more support from the public for not slagging off at your opponents.

At the very least give your advertising agency the boot or tell Bratt to stop making his own commercials! :yuk: :yuk:

[Break Right]

Oh missy missy missy you poor little soul.
The ad has worked with the amount of new members already.
Go lay down.:ok:

[Enema Bandit's Dad]

Didn't Brett or his bearded boss once say that they would never introduce a frequent flyer program? I guess they couldn't have been getting enough business.

[ratpoison]

many thousands of Australians who have lost a loved one to a heart attack or had a loved one in a coronary care unit at some time will find this ad insensitive if not offensive.
Well, why dont we all just stop adds on car, train, plane crashes. Stop movies with murder, rape, pillage and robbery as people been affected by this in their lives might be "offended". Get rid of programs like ER and everything else with health issues.
Bloody idiot.

[Capt Claret]

Sorry MIss, dad died when I was 17, from a coronary, in hospital but the add doesn't offend me in the least.

It's light hearted humour and quite clever I think.