Keeping The Air Spread...
 

The question on most minds is ' If VB introduce another aircraft type into their fleet, will they considering switching to the use of Danish butter onboard all aircraft' ?

Possibly, but it would all depend on the price! :)

:D

Yes, and the Townsville refueller informs me that they have 3 Committees (ex-Jean West) brain-storming on this key factor already, Cactus.

I concur woftam, B777-200LRs

Spot on!

5 X 777-200LR, all to be delivered in 2011 and all in addition to existing 300ER orders and options (soon to be converted to orders).

New routes PER-LGW and SYD-JFK, both non-stop.

You saw it here first:ok:

...is that with the Danish butter though???

Brakes Released, start one !
 

Chocks Away -
Excellent news my friend. Addition of 777 300's to the fleet,new destinations and Danish Butter ! Consider me in.....

I am thinking that with ANZ already advertising using naked staff, then 'V' should have their crew's operate flights while wearing nothing but 'smears and dollops of Danish Butter' !!!!

P.S
Remonce is a Danish pastry filling or topping made from creamed butter and sugar, sometimes flavored with cinnamon, marzipan or nuts.

Layer upon layer upon layer... she must be Danish! :}

BG is OS as we speak doing the deal for new aircraft, he is back mid Nov for the AGM.

Will the Virgin Group beat the Qantas Group to the punch in announcing the world's first Stateless flag of convienience Airline Group?

Does that mean they will have to use EU butter?

Posted in today's west aus.
 

16-hour flights to London loom - The West Australian

V Australia, the international arm of Virgin Blue, is understood to be about to announce a new 16-hour, non-stop Perth to London service in 2011 that will be the world's second longest air route and will shave up to five hours off today's journey.

Chief executive Brett Godfrey is in final negotiations with Boeing for up to 70 aircraft that will include six of those with the world's longest range, the 300-seat Boeing 777-200LR, which can fly to virtually anywhere in the world non-stop.

The airline will also open a route linking Sydney and New York non-stop.

In February, when the airline's first 361-seat Boeing 777-300ER was delivered for the Sydney to Los Angeles route, Mr Godfrey and Sir Richard Branson, the airline's main shareholder, discussed making Perth a hub for routes to Britain and South Africa.

Sir Richard first raised his vision of London to Perth non-stop flights with _The West Australian _in late 2003 but aircraft availability and capability were obstacles.

Boeing's 777-200LR, which entered service in 2005, set the non-stop record for a commercial jet aircraft when it flew 21,600km east from Hong Kong to London over the US in November, 2005, in 22 hours and 42 minutes.

Virgin Atlantic had planned London to Perth non-stop flights with 270-seat 787-9s from 2014 but that plane is more than two years late.

Depressed aircraft prices are giving Virgin Blue a chance to fast track expansion plans.

A Virgin Blue spokesperson would only confirm that it had executives in the US looking to replace many of its 737s from 2011 and that now was a good time to shop for aircraft.

"We're often talking with Boeing and any aircraft manufacturer would certainly take that opportunity to make further presentations and typically that includes hypothetical modelling of aircraft options," the spokesperson said.

"We always keep an open mind as to opportunities and changing market conditions. Network planning and fleet strategy is part of that."

Virgin is also expected to launch a Sydney-Perth- Johannesburg route late next year.

Well all I can say to this rumour....................16 Hours of Virgin crew meals..ErrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKK!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!

I'm curious about the logic of this service. Yes it's direct OZ direct UK, which is fine for PER pax , however for East Coast pax its still a one stop service.
The Great Circle track is about 375 nm longer via PER than say, Singapore, so the overall trip will be longer.
How are they going to hub this in PER, with the domestic network or V to the east coast ports? If its a domestic feed then that make the transit more difficult than a single terminal transit in asia.

If you look at the amount of traffic that goes Perth-Sin -London, you will see that there is the numbers for a route that services just the people of Perth wanting to go to London and v/v. The service would be only 3 days per week. They should also look at Perth to China and India.

"B777-200 LR's will be the next announcement. ;) "

Posted 27th October by yours truly :E

Didn't Qantas do the numbers long and hard on B772LR PER-LHR direct and decide it didn't work. And one would assume, that was with a much higher proportion of premium customers (hence higher yields) than V Aus would be carrying.

Good on them for giving it a shot, but if Bruce the Bogan is willing to fly on Asiana via Seoul (for example) with an overnight on the way in order to get the cheapest possible fare to Europe, then that's what they'll do. V Australia will need to charge a premium to make the service work and their target market might probably won't like it.

QF may well have looked at PER-LHR, but that is perfectly doable in the 777-200LR. PER-LHR = 7826NM (in reality VA will probably do PER-LGW, as slots at LHR are at, how should we say - a premium!!! PER-AMS is another definite possibility)

The "Holy Grail" of long haul - ie.SYD-LHR on the other hand, which is the one everyone REALLY REALLY would like to be doing, is still just outside of the economical range in the Northern Winter, even for the 200LR. SYD-LGW = 9187NM.

Just because the skygods did an evaluation of the b777 200lr on the London run and thought it didn't work, doesn't mean anything.

Just like they did the numbers on the 380, and then realised they have to send a Baron around with all the bags.....

I see nothing changing at Virgin. Maybe a few more domestic airframes, but nothing earth-shattering........

How much would Boeing have to reduce the fuel burn by to make Sydney London and London Sydney direct.

Is GE possibly able to deliver such fuel burn requirements within the next 10 years?

The fact that there are so many people in the Perth area who want to travel to London is quite surprising. I would have thought that would be a small market.

Sydney - Perth - London?