Jetstar a lacklustre attempt: Virgin
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Jetstar a lacklustre attempt: Virgin
Here's a news item from e*trade:
It looks to me as though Virgin have been hurting of late, with all of the air time going to the new kid on the block.
I guess Godfrey & Huttner have decided that any publicity is good publicity - clutching at straws perhaps...?
Jetstar a lacklustre attempt: Virgin
03/06/2004 02:34:44 PM
Virgin Blue threw down the gauntlet to its budget rival Jetstar, labelling it a "lacklustre attempt" by the Qantas group to compete with the low cost carrier.
Virgin Blue head of strategy and communication David Huttner said he doubted the Qantas-owned subsidiary was viable in its present form and believed it had made too many compromises.
He said Jetstar's inflexible 30-minute check-in and Qantas' decision to replace its own domestic services to key tourism destinations like the Gold and Sunshine coasts with the new budget carrier would backfire.
"People should not have to compromise between great service and low fares," Mr Huttner told journalists at the Australian Tourism Exchange conference in Melbourne.
"We have as many low fare seats as them, we are competing and continue to compete aggressively with Qantas, and Jetstar is proving to be a lacklustre attempt to try and neutralise that."
On Wednesday, Jetstar chief executive Alan Joyce said he admired Virgin Blue and believed Australia could handle the two low-cost airlines as well as Qantas domestic.
But he said Virgin Blue was having an "each-way bet" by not following the successful overseas budget airline model, such as that used by successful Irish airline RyanAir.
Jetstar has had about 250,000 airline seats booked since it launched on May 25, operating to 14 ports with 670 flights a week.
Mr Huttner denied Virgin Blue was in a dilemma over its role as a budget airline between Qantas domestic and Jetstar.
"We made a conscious choice that you could continue to be the country's low-cost leader but still offer quality service and not be cheap," he said.
"It's easy to be cheap but a little bit harder to be cheerful."
03/06/2004 02:34:44 PM
Virgin Blue threw down the gauntlet to its budget rival Jetstar, labelling it a "lacklustre attempt" by the Qantas group to compete with the low cost carrier.
Virgin Blue head of strategy and communication David Huttner said he doubted the Qantas-owned subsidiary was viable in its present form and believed it had made too many compromises.
He said Jetstar's inflexible 30-minute check-in and Qantas' decision to replace its own domestic services to key tourism destinations like the Gold and Sunshine coasts with the new budget carrier would backfire.
"People should not have to compromise between great service and low fares," Mr Huttner told journalists at the Australian Tourism Exchange conference in Melbourne.
"We have as many low fare seats as them, we are competing and continue to compete aggressively with Qantas, and Jetstar is proving to be a lacklustre attempt to try and neutralise that."
On Wednesday, Jetstar chief executive Alan Joyce said he admired Virgin Blue and believed Australia could handle the two low-cost airlines as well as Qantas domestic.
But he said Virgin Blue was having an "each-way bet" by not following the successful overseas budget airline model, such as that used by successful Irish airline RyanAir.
Jetstar has had about 250,000 airline seats booked since it launched on May 25, operating to 14 ports with 670 flights a week.
Mr Huttner denied Virgin Blue was in a dilemma over its role as a budget airline between Qantas domestic and Jetstar.
"We made a conscious choice that you could continue to be the country's low-cost leader but still offer quality service and not be cheap," he said.
"It's easy to be cheap but a little bit harder to be cheerful."
I guess Godfrey & Huttner have decided that any publicity is good publicity - clutching at straws perhaps...?
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The Virgin share price is down below issue price and falling, latest figures show Qantas regaining market share from Virgin and Qantas has beaten Virgin for on-time performance over the last three months, no wonder Huttner has to resort (yet again) to slanging the competition.
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VB should adjust its policy (as do their counterpart in Europe) about strict check-in times.
If they enforced a strict law then their on-time performance just may improve.
If a customer is travelling then in all earnest they should endevour to arrive by the appropriate time.
When catching a train and knowing its departure time you dont arrive late and complain.
A timetable is just that - a bloody timetable.
In places like Japan you can set your watches by them they are so efficient.
Huttner and Godfrey have kicked up a stink by demanding that the Airport Authorities publish on-time figures as a comparison, that is until they have been flogged three months running by QF!
If anything it will bring customers in line with other lower cost carriers around Europe as well as other places in the world where not being on time can cause all sorts of hassles.
If they enforced a strict law then their on-time performance just may improve.
If a customer is travelling then in all earnest they should endevour to arrive by the appropriate time.
When catching a train and knowing its departure time you dont arrive late and complain.
A timetable is just that - a bloody timetable.
In places like Japan you can set your watches by them they are so efficient.
Huttner and Godfrey have kicked up a stink by demanding that the Airport Authorities publish on-time figures as a comparison, that is until they have been flogged three months running by QF!
If anything it will bring customers in line with other lower cost carriers around Europe as well as other places in the world where not being on time can cause all sorts of hassles.
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Rumour has it that VB has a van that runs around checking the departure and arrival times of the opposition (in this case Qantas).
Please correct me if I'm wrong, but dont Qantas (like all international carriers) use ACARS data for this???
I havent flown for a few years now but the last time I programmed the ACARS pre departure we always updated it to the GMT world timer prior to inputting flight data.
Perhaps Virgin could deploy their "watchdogs" elsewhere so that they may be able to contribute to their less than competitive on-time performance of late.
It makes you crack up when the head of VB gets on the television and demands comparitive despatch figures be published,only to find themselves on the receiving end.
What was that saying, "surgeon, heal thyself."
Please correct me if I'm wrong, but dont Qantas (like all international carriers) use ACARS data for this???
I havent flown for a few years now but the last time I programmed the ACARS pre departure we always updated it to the GMT world timer prior to inputting flight data.
Perhaps Virgin could deploy their "watchdogs" elsewhere so that they may be able to contribute to their less than competitive on-time performance of late.
It makes you crack up when the head of VB gets on the television and demands comparitive despatch figures be published,only to find themselves on the receiving end.
What was that saying, "surgeon, heal thyself."
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Joyces argument would have credence if Jetstar were the cheapest.
A recent comparison found jetstar the dearest compared to QF and VB on the SYD-MEL! And they went to Avalon!! Oh dear......
A recent comparison found jetstar the dearest compared to QF and VB on the SYD-MEL! And they went to Avalon!! Oh dear......
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1013 Qantas does use ACARS for dept/arrv times, the clock is auto updated with the occasional manual update.
Funny how Alan Joyce admires RyanAir, I heard that they were not doing too well at present.
Funny how Alan Joyce admires RyanAir, I heard that they were not doing too well at present.
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Sonny -
Flights ex-AVV are bursting at the seams. There is very few seats available. If all you can find are the dearer fares it means the flights are chockers.
Same when people used to compare DJ and QF and say DJ was dearer. Yeh it was but all its cheap seats were gone. So QF was dumping cheap seats or the cheap seats they did have weren't taken (as they had more capacity). Either way. For JQ to be more expensive it actually means they are doing well!
JQ have 3 flights to SYD and 2 to BNE. How many do the others have? (I wouldn't call AVV-SYD competing with MEL-SYD.) You need to take into account load factors and capacity etc. (Apples with apples etc.)
Flights ex-AVV are bursting at the seams. There is very few seats available. If all you can find are the dearer fares it means the flights are chockers.
Same when people used to compare DJ and QF and say DJ was dearer. Yeh it was but all its cheap seats were gone. So QF was dumping cheap seats or the cheap seats they did have weren't taken (as they had more capacity). Either way. For JQ to be more expensive it actually means they are doing well!
JQ have 3 flights to SYD and 2 to BNE. How many do the others have? (I wouldn't call AVV-SYD competing with MEL-SYD.) You need to take into account load factors and capacity etc. (Apples with apples etc.)
z force - it's all about marketing to the public.
Virgin (& now Jetstar) are constantly promoted as budget/discount airlines, so people have a mind set that this is the case.
They get their prices from them first, and finding a reasonable fare, hand over the $. Often, depending on fare classes available etc, Qantas may have a cheaper seat, but it's too late by then.
Methinks just clever marketing
Virgin (& now Jetstar) are constantly promoted as budget/discount airlines, so people have a mind set that this is the case.
They get their prices from them first, and finding a reasonable fare, hand over the $. Often, depending on fare classes available etc, Qantas may have a cheaper seat, but it's too late by then.
Methinks just clever marketing
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While it hurts me to agree with anything Watchdog said...... 
That is true about the fares.
My Wife recently flew to Melbourne and back, so before she went I checked Virgin Blue online as I presumed they would be the cheapest, then I thought I may as well have a look at Qantas, and to my amazement Qantas were actually some $20 cheaper than Virgin Blue.
So needless to say she went Qantas.
I never even considered Jetstar of course, as I still love my Wife.
That is true about the fares.
My Wife recently flew to Melbourne and back, so before she went I checked Virgin Blue online as I presumed they would be the cheapest, then I thought I may as well have a look at Qantas, and to my amazement Qantas were actually some $20 cheaper than Virgin Blue.
So needless to say she went Qantas.
I never even considered Jetstar of course, as I still love my Wife.
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Ditzy;
I think you've missed the point.
You will get over that Airsupport, I'm sure. But having said that, for those out there who want to get rid of theirs, I think you have just found an ingenious way to put them in great danger....
For JQ to be more expensive it actually means they are doing well!
I never even considered Jetstar of course, as I still love my Wife.
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Don't say that.........
That could probably be considered to be encouraging someone to commit a crime.
I don't want to be involved in a court case if someone takes up your suggestion.
That could probably be considered to be encouraging someone to commit a crime.
I don't want to be involved in a court case if someone takes up your suggestion.
