Virgin Blue respond to Qantas low Fares

[Wirraway]

http://www.virginblue.com.au/


Out of the Blue Sale

As part of Virgin Blue’s commitment to offering long-term low fares and fantastic sale offers, the airline is today launching a network wide “Out Of The Blue” internet only sale across the entire route network, with some fares (such as Sydney-Perth) almost 45% cheaper than the normal everyday low fare.
Flights can be booked on the internet now until April 10 for travel from May 1 to 26 June 2003.

Virgin Blue is proud to have been the catalyst over the past few years for low fares, and as Australia’s only low fare airline. We will continue to lead the way in terms of genuine deals.


Sale fares are available between the cities listed below. If you would like to search for a sale fare, you can click on the plane next to your preferred origin for your preferred city pair to fill the booking engine. You will just need to make sure the dates you search for are within the sale flight period.

from...$69
Brisbane-Sydney
Melbourne-Adelaide
Melbourne-Canberra
Melbourne-Hobart
Melbourne-Launceston
Sydney-Canberra
Sydney-Melbourne
Sydney-Gold Coast
Sydney-Coffs harbour

From $89
Sydney-Adelaide
Sydney-Sunshine Coast

From $99
Adelaide-Gold Coast
Brisbane-Adelaide

from $109
Brisbane-Melbourne
Brisbane-Canberra
Brisbane-Mackay
Brisbane-Townsville

From $119
Brisbane-Cairns
Melbourne-Gold Coast

from $129
Sydney-Perth

from $149
Melbourne-Cairns
Adelaide-Perth
Sydney-Whitsunday Coast

from $179
Adelaide-Broome
Brisbane-Perth
Brisbane-Darwin
Melbourne-Perth
Sydney-Cairns
Sydney-Alice Springs
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Pic: Virgin Blue 737-700 VH-VBS on finals to BNE

http://www.jetphotos.net/viewphoto.php?id=53727

Photo: Wirraway

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AAP

Qantas drops domestic fares

Qantas Airways Ltd's decision to offer large discounts on its domestic holiday packages could stop the tendency by consumers to cocoon in uncertain times, a leading tourism expert said today.

Qantas has promised a blitz on domestic travel fares, with reductions of up to 40 per cent for short holiday packages.

The focus on its domestic program came after it announced last week it would cut international flights by up to 20 per cent.

Graham Perry, chief executive of the domestic marketing initiative See Australia, today hailed the move by Qantas.

"There is a tendency during uncertain times like now for people to cocoon," Mr Perry said.

"That basically means they tend to put a fortress around their house, put money into renovations, housing, home entertainment and into savings as opposed to holidays.

"This kind of initiative from Qantas is really important because it gives an incentive for Australians to overcome that cocooning and take a holiday."

The Qantas Spirit Escapes sale started on Saturday and packages including return economy airfares and two nights accommodation, or three days car rental.

Australia's domestic tourism market contributes $52 billion annually to the economy.

Mr Perry said it was important Australians travelled in the own country, especially in regional areas.

"There's not a lot the ordinary Australian can do about what's happening overseas right now," he said.

"But they can do is an awful lot to help their fellow Australians impacted by drought and bushfires."
©AAP 2003
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Pic: Qantas 737-800 VH-VXA departing rwy 01 BNE

http://www.jetphotos.net/viewphoto.php?id=45515

Photo: Wirraway

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[Wirraway]

Tues "West Australian"

Qantas starts fare war
By Geoffrey Thomas

QANTAS Holidays has launched low-fare packages from Perth to Sydney and Melbourne in a bid to stimulate domestic travel.

The packages, offered by the subsidiary of the airline, are expected to trigger a big fare war and start at $467 return to Melbourne with two nights accommodation or three days car hire.

Sydney costs $481 and Broome $623 for the same package.

The cheapest return fares with Qantas on the internet without any accommodation were Melbourne $430, Sydney $490, Adelaide $408 and Broome $526.

Virgin Blue commercial director David Huttner, speaking from Kuala Lumpur, said the airline would remain competitive and would respond to the Qantas fares. Virgin Blue always had cheap fares, not just when it had surplus capacity.

On Friday, Qantas announced a 20 per cent cutback in international flights because of a sharp drop in international flights.

The international capacity will be shuffled to domestic routes because the airline believes Australians will holiday at home while there is a war in Iraq. But Qantas also has seen a decline in bookings on domestic routes.

Qantas Holidays chief operating officer Simon Bernardi said the Spirit Escapes sale would stimulate interest in shorter breaks in the domestic market. "These latest packages follow a great response to our sale in late January, which demonstrated that there is a clear demand for shorter breaks in addition to longer annual holidays," Mr Bernardi said.

"Qantas Holidays is well placed to offer the best and most affordable options in this growing market, thanks to the extensive Qantas domestic network and our strong relationships with tourism operators throughout the country.

"For people visiting family and friends who don't need accommodation, we also have identically priced packages which include air fares and three days Hertz car rental."

The Qantas Holidays Spirit Escapes sale closes April 7 for travel from May 1 to June 30.

It is expected that once the war is over, Qantas will discount overseas fares.

[Wirraway]

Wed "Courier Mail"

Airlines low-fare dogfight
By Steve Creedy
02apr03

VIRGIN Blue and Qantas yesterday ramped up the battle for domestic passengers with sales offering fares rarely seen since Ansett's collapse.

Virgin said its network-wide "Out of the Blue" internet sale offered discounts of up to 45 per cent, with deals starting at $69 on routes such as Sydney-Brisbane and Melbourne-Sydney, and $129 one-way to and from Perth.

Qantas countered by releasing a million seats on 40 routes with one-ways as low as $79 on Sydney-Melbourne and $199 on Sydney-Perth.

With about $28 in taxes and charges on flights in the Brisbane-Sydney-Melbourne "golden triangle" now included in ticket prices, this puts both base fares below the $66 specials available before Ansett failed.

Both sales are for travel in May and June but some country passengers will get an early bonus from a Regional Express sale offering $99 one-way fares on all flights within NSW, Victoria, South Australia and to Canberra.

Qantas said its sale was designed to complement a first wave of cheap fares that saw short holiday packages cut this weekend by up to 40 per cent.

"By making 1 million of these low-priced seats available, we believe we can offer maximum flexibility to get our customers to their destination and home again, and help stimulate tourism Australia-wide," said Qantas executive general manager sales and marketing John Borghetti.

Virgin officials denied their sale was in response to the Qantas holiday packages, saying the discounts were already in the pipeline to stimulate travel over the traditionally quiet May period.

"We're about low fares the year round, not just because we have extra 747s on the ground," said Virgin head of commercial David Huttner.

The Qantas package deals, available through the airline's holiday arm as well as through its wholesale travel partners, offer return fares and choice of accommodation or car rental from $218.

"I think there's going to be a lot more leisure-consumer deals available domestically than there has been for some time," said Tourism Queensland executive general manager commercial Paul Scurrah, who sells the Qantas packages through Sunlover Holidays.

[SixStarAnsett]

$109.00 from Townsville to Brisbane huh?

~Alliance airlines has a better fare of $99, inclusive of all charges and levies!

And you get to travel on a F100......not a FLUF...hehehe http://www.stopstart.freeserve.co.uk/smilie/pfbbt.gif

SixStar http://www.stopstart.freeserve.co.uk/smilie/blah.gif

[TIMMEEEE]

This has got to be a first.

Brett Godfrey hasn't come on our screens on the six o'clock news whaling and bleating like a stuffed pig about unfair competition and the big bad Qantas trying to crush VB.

Good on them I say, but in this case it looks like QF through initiating the fare discounting is the one keeping the air fair!

[Buster Hyman]

Yes, where is Bratt? I thought he'd be out there complaining about the Gulf War & SARS and how they are affecting our little red battler!!!:rolleyes:

[Sperm Bank]

Yeh good old QANTAS! They have been ripping us off blind for the past 80 years but that is all forgotten right fellas. When a true competitor comes along and delivers for the first time in Australian aviation history, a sustainable low fare airline, some tend to dispense with rational thinking.

Surely you jest at qantas keeping the air fare. Lets be under absolutely no illusion. If Virgin were not in Oz now, not a fraction of the people travelling today would be, and the ones that do would be paying through the nose for it.

Time for reality check! Godfrey sqeals alot, sure. Qantas cries like a pathetic child when things dont go their way. I'm sure you will enjoy your lower fares to where ever it is you are travelling in the future. You can thank Virgin and no-one else for that.

[topend3]

ouldn't agree more with you sperm bank, some people are just one-eyed,

[elektra]

TIMMEEEE

maybe I'm just being pedantic but it doesn't seem to me that a stuffed pig would squeal. I thought it was stuck pig. or maybe I haven't thought long enough about exactly what you meant by stuffed. Please elaborate.

As for VB's CEO...why shouldn't he use every available means to keep his employees in a job? Qantas have used every means imaginable to get thier own way. Fortunately the excellent VB product (smiles, low fares and reliability) soldiers on winning market share by the day so Qantas' tactics are just a matter of passing interest. Now if they would attack their own bloated costs, low service and mixed up fleet with the same vigour they hand out to VB, thieir shareholders might actually see something.

Shouldn't have replied about the pig...now I'm going to have to go out and find a ham sandwich.

Safe flying

[TIMMEEEE]

Elektra.

Not only myself but good mates in VB reackon whenever they see Godfrey bleating on TV they find him an embarrassment and hard to take at times.
As one mate at VB quoted "He's like the typical school nerd that was punched up and picked on by the other kids".
Ditto with the general public.
Maybe the fact that he's not sqealing means he is either growing up or been told to stop.

Sort of makes you wonder that when he had reason to squeal about VB's AOC being delayed due to their "inability to correctly comply with CASA paperwork protocols"(sic) that he didnt utter a solitary word.
Just like the reason you couldnt find that fawning green party boss Bob Brown after the massive and tragic recent bushfires - he wouldnt dare even show his face to those who lost everything and confront them as to why the Greens opposed widespread back-burning to prevent such a tragedy.
Not even a suggestion as to how to regenerate bushland safely or to prevent a further environmental disaster.

You must admit though Elektra old son that it's a bit strange that VB didnt lower their fares first.
They even admitted bookings were way down.

Sperm Bank - yes when one has a monopoly it's a natural tendency to not have to provide cheap fares or service, but I wonder how it would be if VB were the only ones??
Would they slash fares or provide the same level or style of service??
Me thinks not.