Virgin announce ISA/BNE/ISA

[gobbledock]

Not sure if this has been posted yet?

Virgin announced they will start operating ISA with an Embraer. They have also picked up a contract with Xstrata.
Nice work John, you caught your mate at QF asleep at the wheel once again!!

[mince]

John's "mate" has been sending aeroplanes there for a long time now....

[De_flieger]

Qantas have recently increased the number of services into Isa too.

[FNQ Driver]

Qantas has also been increasing the prices too.:yuk:
Does anyone know how many services per day Virgin will be doing and is it 7 days a week?

[Shed Dog Tosser]

Again ?..............

[Jabawocky]

Good move :ok:

[piston broke again]

They putting 747's on there??

[gobbledock]

Jeez guys, you need to read into my post. I know the bloody Rat flies there, unless I have been dreaming that I have been flying peole into there?
My point is that a reliable insider has told me that Il Duece's 'mate' at QF had no prior intel or knowledge that this move was coming. That is the ridiculous part. AJ is asleep at the wheel...

And yes I had a chuckle that VA is coming back for a second swing at the title! Big difference this time though because the first time was when Ansett fell over. At the time of the collapse Ansett was making very good coin out of the ISA route, sometimes you had to wait weeks for a seat to Brizzy or to Cairns. The freight market was in kick ass shape too. Qantas may have flown there but was never the golden child, they were always option 2, always the ignorant bastard son!
VA had sniffed around ISA before the Ansett collapse but was to scared to make a try at it. Therefore after Ansett collapsed they quickly came in. However with little strategy, understanding or general brain they underestimated the people of ISA and merely assumed that VA could walk in and take over all of Ansetts cream! I think not. The smart folk of ISA said to
VA 'get stuffed', Qantas is still here and they can have the lions share. VA was averaging 8 to 14 pax on it's 737's, sometimes as low as 3 pax with
nil freight to top up the coffers. After a few months the Virgin pulled out, so to speak!

This time is different. QF is on the nose in every way possible. The mining industry is going gangbusters, the VA product now pisses over AJ's tinpot service, plus VA have signed a nice contract with Xstrata which means some guarantee seat sales each flight even if they aren't utilized (money for jam), plus VA has some brains now in the senior ranks, far different to the Godfrey/Sherrard era.

If the unique people of ISA are as sick of QF as everybody else is then VA will do well indeed.
I have no doubt Borghetti has some further vision for what he too can extract
from the mining boom. People underestimate ISA. It was only a few years ago that ISA had the highest amount of millionaires!!
Seems to me that the harvest is right for picking?

[Nose wheel first]

There will be lots of support for Virgin in Isa! Good on them for comming back after so long. Hopefully it works out for them!

[empire4]

you have to understand that every post on Pprune has to be related to QF by the minions. For the life of me I can't understand why people relate a picture of an Embraer in an article means that VA is sending that A/C.? Not the case at all. I think the only thing Mt Isa residents will like is the price war that will follow. Don't forget Virgin ditched them in 2001 and left QF to pick up the pieces.

[lamem]

VA pulled out of ISA last time the day the state government finished its financial support for their service. The ISA residents won't forget that either.

[gobbledock]

Empire4, interesting yet arrogant comment.
However this thread was started not based upon an Embraer photo in an article, but based upon VA's strategic announcement made at the Mt Isa mining and industry expo yesterday, in which they even brought out the VA flight attendants in uniform walking amongst the crowd to promote the news if their return. Plus the VA announcement included their commitment to using the Embraer on the route.

Empire4 pull your head in.

And yes I agree that VA's previous foray into Isa doing leave a good taste in the mouths of the locals. Time will tell.

[mince]

Is it a case of being asleep at the wheel?

More likely a case of not giving a rats arse about what " il douche " is doing.

Qantas, like the CEO or not, is still a far superior product to virgin. And at the end of the day will always be the market leader domestically.

[blackhand]

The Virgin venture exists because XSTRATA signed a contract.
Although the deal is being advertised in the Isa as a benefit for the locals.
Will be interesting at the terminal when all the flights land at one time, which is the case on Friday afternoons now. Rex, Skytrans, Alliance, Airnorth and Qlink all fly in.

[hoss58]

Hey there Mince.

"superior product" You are kidding,right ?

Fly safe and play hard.

Regards hoss58

[2p!ssed2drive]

Hoss. I think he must be joking..

Last time I travelled QF I was served by a 60-something year old wrinkly woman wearing bright pink lipstick.

Last time I travelled virgin I was served by a beautiful young, leggy, sassy, busty and witty blonde :D

I know which I prefer - especially coming off 2 weeks of 12 hour night shifts! :p

[VBA Engineer]

Last time I travelled virgin I was served by a beautiful young, leggy, sassy,
busty and witty blonde :D


And the girls aren't bad either.

[RENURPP]

Not working for either of the companies mentioned, I think I can be an unbiased judge.

Virgin may not have many older BUT they certainly have there share of the less attractive ones.

QF still have some oldies, but they seem to be employing more and more younger and their share of pretty ones.

All in all there is bugger all difference I suspect.

It appears to be a dick measuring competition.

[Transition Layer]

Seems the Gold Coast Suns prefer flying with the oldies.

Saw them in the QF Brisbane Domestic terminal yesterday, wearing their team jackets with "Virgin Australia" emblazoned on the back. Thought the AFL signed a contract with Virgin last year?

:ok:

(apologies for the [further] thread drift!)

[Dragun]

Maybe they were deliberately booked on QF as bit of infiltration and marketing to the QF punters? :E

Definitely a bit odd when VA is listed as a sponsor!

Gold Coast SUNS | AFL - Sponsors (http://goldcoastfc.com.au/the-club/sponsors/)

[jarden]

FNQ Driver,

Virgin will be operating a M to F schedule at this stage and may increase to daily down the track.

[hoss58]

G'day 2P2D

I thought Mince was asserting that QF had a superior product which i disagree with.

I think you and i are on the same page but i may not have expressed myself clearly enough.

Fly safe and play hard.

Regards Hoss58

[porch monkey]

TL, I would suggest you might have seen them at the QF end of the domestic terminal, because they were actually looking for something reasonable to eat. Something not yet available down the VA end.....

[Capt Basil Brush]

Seems the Gold Coast Suns prefer flying with the oldies.

Apparently their coach threatened to fly them on QF unless they start winning some games.

Looks like they will be flying QF for the next few seasons.

Regarding Isa, DJ pulled out last time because they halved QF's airfares instantly, and the punters kept flying QF to get the FF points. People were warned to support the service - or it would be withdrawn. Same thing happened with the flights to Alice.

Airfares went back to double again, I assume the Isa people will remember that as well - as apparently they have long memories.

[mince]

to quote from previous post:
"Regarding Isa, DJ pulled out last time because they halved QF's airfares instantly, and the punters kept flying QF"

Exactly my point.

Just goes to show people are willing to pay more for a better travelling experience. And I'm not talking about the age or rootability of the hosties, but important things like frequency and timing of flights, convenient through connectivity, reliability and on time performance, comfortable seats, a decent feed at no extra charge, practical baggage allowances also at no extra charge, in flight entertainment that is available for the entire flight not just in Australian airspace also at no extra charge and I could go on all day....

Virgin still has a long way to go to match QF in my opinion, but good on em for having a go

[sleeve of wizard]

Update at 0820GMT 18MAY12

Virgin Australia starting 13AUG12 is launching Brisbane – Mount Isa service, on board Embraer E190 aircraft. This flight operates on weekdays only.

Schedule:

DJ1267/VA1267 BNE0600 – 0840ISA E90 x67
DJ1268/VA1268 ISA0910 – 1115BNE E90 x67

[Nose wheel first]

That should add to the morning rush in Isa quite nicely.

Glad they are comming though... as are a lot of Isa locals!

[Capt Basil Brush]

Mince, nice bit selective quoting there, you left off the last bit - and an important part of the discussion; to get the FF points

The ISA locals, and business people travelling to ISA will remember the fact that QF have been ripping them off for years, and Virgin Aus will get good support now - especially since their product is so much different to that of 2001. At least now there is a choice, and we will all have to wait to see the outcome.

[Transition Layer]

porch monkey,

TL, I would suggest you might have seen them at the QF end of the domestic terminal, because they were actually looking for something reasonable to eat. Something not yet available down the VA end.....

Possibly, although they were in the QF check-in area and went through security at that end of the terminal.