VB Restructure
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VB Restructure
VB are close to unveiling the retsructure in particular of Ground Services,with some surprises in store. ADL is going to become an outsourced port.
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As I have said in other posts on this forum, great things are happening with VB in 2010, but ADL is not one of them. 
ADL is a backward step in my opinion, but there you go.
7378FE
ADL is a backward step in my opinion, but there you go.
7378FE
If they can get SQ to agree the best name would obviously be Virgin Australia. Wrt paint schemes, the V Oz scheme has more style to it (ie more upmarket) than the DJ scheme so I suspect that will become the standard.
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Not surprised on ADL, I mean did it really warrant being not outsourced??? They only have 22 flights a day OOL, PER would handle close to that in VB flights and are both outsourced.
MEL, BNE and SYD wont change ever I wouldnt think, especially with the new Fed government rules that bring contract companies upto to the same wage as company direct employees.
MEL, BNE and SYD wont change ever I wouldnt think, especially with the new Fed government rules that bring contract companies upto to the same wage as company direct employees.
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I think the red jet is going to stay red for the time being. Apparently a lot of customers think the V Oz colour scheme is a LCC for QF. Be interesting to hear what comes out...
Would be dissapointing to see the VB livery go, given it is what the travelling public in Australia know. I'm sure the far majority of VB's travellers have never seen the VA livery.
After all VB financially is what has more or less held the group afloat in the last few years.
After all VB financially is what has more or less held the group afloat in the last few years.
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Would be dissapointing to see the VB livery go
Do we really need the phone number and web address on the side still after 9 years?
VAustralia's scheme is too Qantas looking for me, but it is an improvement on VB's.
Maybe they could use Virgin Atlantics' colour scheme, that one isn't too bad!
VA scheme is the hot bet. Virgin Australia would work, but Virgin Blue is very iconic in Aus now. Renaming PB to VA - good for the AU market to bring it in line with VA/VB but not a good move for the NZ market where PB has a very good brand and is not associated so much as being Australian - Kiwis see it as their own. Virgin Australia is not the best name to fly around New Zealand in. Kind of like Air New Zealand operating in Australia. Why not the VA scheme style with Pacific Blue naming?
They will have done a lot of market research on this anyway so perhaps the NZ public don't mind too much if this is the change rumored?
Red is not the best paint scheme aesthetically BUT red sells, attracts attention and stands out of the crowd.
They will have done a lot of market research on this anyway so perhaps the NZ public don't mind too much if this is the change rumored?
Red is not the best paint scheme aesthetically BUT red sells, attracts attention and stands out of the crowd.
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Do we really need the phone number
Just watch out for the 737's coming online soon in the V Australia livery, at the moment they will just be a sort of logo jet like the PB liveried aircraft operating VB domestic are, that is until the village makes an announcement.
........and those 777-200LR's, well the first rudder has been painted.
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+1 to a Uniform change. Looks more like a bus drivers uniform than a pilots uniform, although better than what Virgin America have.
Heard about a big domestic capacity increase soon?
Heard about a big domestic capacity increase soon?
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skin friction drag
I think the uniform is fine it could do with some styling but the last thing you want is for it to look like just another pilot uniform. Caps belong to a bygone era (the war is over) and ties as well for that matter. Maybe the leather jacket could be of better quality? I'm not saying cap and jacket doesn't suit QF and CX it just isn't VB.
The last thing you want is some crazy red bars or green as I've seen overseas.
More importantly the brand is very strong. The name Virgin Blue is very recognizable it would be a shame to change or waste it. I do think though that the red should go however. Not because its not marketable or recognized but because it fades quicker than any other colour and fading means skin friction drag and an aged looking newish aircraft. On the scale of the operation they have thats got to be costing something. But what colour then? White is QF (keeps skin cool) Silver is JQ (looks great) maybe navy metallic blue with red metallic writing?
Then having a separate name for the overseas component dilutes the brand the way it is now. Why not rebrand livery and call it Virgin Blue after negotiating with SQ.
The last thing you want is some crazy red bars or green as I've seen overseas.
More importantly the brand is very strong. The name Virgin Blue is very recognizable it would be a shame to change or waste it. I do think though that the red should go however. Not because its not marketable or recognized but because it fades quicker than any other colour and fading means skin friction drag and an aged looking newish aircraft. On the scale of the operation they have thats got to be costing something. But what colour then? White is QF (keeps skin cool) Silver is JQ (looks great) maybe navy metallic blue with red metallic writing?
Then having a separate name for the overseas component dilutes the brand the way it is now. Why not rebrand livery and call it Virgin Blue after negotiating with SQ.
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Some interesting ideas in the thread on DJ/VA's direction.
I think the female cabin crew uniform could be improved by adding a little finesse. The overall concept is good, but it looks like the cut and small detail was designed to a budget which was fine in the earlier LCC days, but the NWC concept needs the uniform to have a slight redesign to add a bit more style, and finesse in the finishing touches.
The current situation with four brands and three product levels is confusing from a customer perspective. It is now possible to book a return flight to Fiji from some OZ cities (eg Melbourne) and due to having different combinations of connecting flights get three different levels of in flight experience (eg Pac Blue one way with V Aust and Virgin Blue domestic the other)
I personally feel that from a branding perspective, the Virgin Blue Group's value in the Virgin brand now comes from the marketing efffort they have spent promoting their own airlines and by extension the Virgin brand in OZ rather than from association with the Branson/UK side of the brand.
I would be frustrated if I was paying a franchise fee to use someones brand but was incurring the cost of promoting the brand myself. Even more so given the restriction on using Virgin livered planes on International routes.
In addition, the international Virgin Group does not work well for them in terms of alliances eg need to form an alliance with Delta in USA while the current situation of Branson having a 20% stake in AirAsia X and their new deal with Jetstar provides some food for thought.
Given they have promoted V as a brand, I could well imagine they are keeping their options open on using V as the group brand. A good idea in case franchise fees get too big, Branson moves on etc.
Further given Aust customers like brands with a strong Aussie connection, there would be some benefit from shifting to a more Aust focused image in the Aust market. V Australia can do that in OZ.
With V Aust now flying to Fiji etc and offering an included meal and IFE on those flights, there is a major inconsistency with Pac Blue and Poly Blue.
Re Pacific Blue and Polynesian Blue, I feel the cabin's should be revised to be closer to the Aust domestic product for brand consistency. Closer doesn't mean the same, but I support the plan to the premium seats, as it helps position the carrier above Jetstar. Consistency with V Aust would mean a basic meal Trans-Tasman and this change would be a direct challenge to AirNZ and QF.
I don't feel that Pac Blue has that strong a brand in NZ that they can't change it (many NZers see it as Virgin Blue), a carefully managed name change co-ordinated with an upgrade of the trans-Tasman/South Pac product could work in their favour and position them more as a competitor to AirNZ than Jetstar.
I feel Polynesian Blue is the weakest of the brands and only adds clutter to the advertising. To me the Samoa governments interest would be best served by tying in with the stronger Virgin/V brand.
My main question is how to make the new image Asia Pacific regional, while levering off the V Australia investment in promoting the group as being as Ozzie as QF. To me calling a renamed Pac Blu/Poly Blue anything with Australia in it would be risky in NZ.
I would like to see the Virgin Blue/Pac Blue livery freshed up. Too many straight lines for my liking. V Aust does remind me off Qantas, but else ise looks more modern.
I think the female cabin crew uniform could be improved by adding a little finesse. The overall concept is good, but it looks like the cut and small detail was designed to a budget which was fine in the earlier LCC days, but the NWC concept needs the uniform to have a slight redesign to add a bit more style, and finesse in the finishing touches.
The current situation with four brands and three product levels is confusing from a customer perspective. It is now possible to book a return flight to Fiji from some OZ cities (eg Melbourne) and due to having different combinations of connecting flights get three different levels of in flight experience (eg Pac Blue one way with V Aust and Virgin Blue domestic the other)
I personally feel that from a branding perspective, the Virgin Blue Group's value in the Virgin brand now comes from the marketing efffort they have spent promoting their own airlines and by extension the Virgin brand in OZ rather than from association with the Branson/UK side of the brand.
I would be frustrated if I was paying a franchise fee to use someones brand but was incurring the cost of promoting the brand myself. Even more so given the restriction on using Virgin livered planes on International routes.
In addition, the international Virgin Group does not work well for them in terms of alliances eg need to form an alliance with Delta in USA while the current situation of Branson having a 20% stake in AirAsia X and their new deal with Jetstar provides some food for thought.
Given they have promoted V as a brand, I could well imagine they are keeping their options open on using V as the group brand. A good idea in case franchise fees get too big, Branson moves on etc.
Further given Aust customers like brands with a strong Aussie connection, there would be some benefit from shifting to a more Aust focused image in the Aust market. V Australia can do that in OZ.
With V Aust now flying to Fiji etc and offering an included meal and IFE on those flights, there is a major inconsistency with Pac Blue and Poly Blue.
Re Pacific Blue and Polynesian Blue, I feel the cabin's should be revised to be closer to the Aust domestic product for brand consistency. Closer doesn't mean the same, but I support the plan to the premium seats, as it helps position the carrier above Jetstar. Consistency with V Aust would mean a basic meal Trans-Tasman and this change would be a direct challenge to AirNZ and QF.
I don't feel that Pac Blue has that strong a brand in NZ that they can't change it (many NZers see it as Virgin Blue), a carefully managed name change co-ordinated with an upgrade of the trans-Tasman/South Pac product could work in their favour and position them more as a competitor to AirNZ than Jetstar.
I feel Polynesian Blue is the weakest of the brands and only adds clutter to the advertising. To me the Samoa governments interest would be best served by tying in with the stronger Virgin/V brand.
My main question is how to make the new image Asia Pacific regional, while levering off the V Australia investment in promoting the group as being as Ozzie as QF. To me calling a renamed Pac Blu/Poly Blue anything with Australia in it would be risky in NZ.
I would like to see the Virgin Blue/Pac Blue livery freshed up. Too many straight lines for my liking. V Aust does remind me off Qantas, but else ise looks more modern.