Virgin Australia drops to one SYD-MEL return flight per day
 

That's it. Just one SYD-MEL B737 flight each day, as of tomorrow. Won't even be a daily service, as it won't run on Saturdays.

https://www.executivetraveller.com/n...dney-melbourne

Cathay flew just 600 people the other day across the entire network.

Just to keep a handful of training pilots current probably

The airlines have been waiting for government advice regarding the network and frequency of air links they want. It seems either:
1. The government has decided there is no need for passenger travel and the airforce has the required capability when needed.
2. Virgin has not been asked to maintain capacity.

Between legal implications of commercial pax on military flight, unfamiliarity with commercial boarding procedures, terminals, booking systems, safety procedures, freight handling, engineering, ground handling procedures and three dozen other things it’d take months of preparation for no real benefit when it’s far easier and cheaper to subsidise the current one operating now.

That is such a dumb comment.

Keeping the AOC alive. Maybe pending a recapitalisation, reorganisation or (hopefully temporary) administration.

At least we won't get Catus this time.

I think you are misinterpreting the quoted post. It's saying that the government will utilise RAAF jets to fly the pollies around when needed in lieu of them taking a commercial flight. This is rather commonplace already. Not that they will use air force planes to fly around us common folk.

Still common folk travelling for compassionate reasons, medical, government, essential worker travel, FIFO, regional community support and freight as well. Plus hard with pollies spread all over the country to all get on a handful of RAAF jets at the same time to fly everywhere.

The decision makes perfect sense. VA know they have limited cash reserves so why keep flying loss making operations, better to give themselves the best possible hope of survival.

Bring out some of those King Airs and do a milk run. Preferably different parties in the one aircraft :}

Qantas about to announce 1B737, 1A230 and 1DH8 operation too.
Edit

So they only need 4 pilots active. 4 on 3 off roster.

Who are these people? Chief Pilot? Fleet Managers or something?

601; I think you mean Cactus

Don’t forget the Aspro callsign.

Is this information from a facebook comment posted to executive travelers article about the virgin announcement today ... Looks awfully similar.

Rio Tinto ports in the Pilbara added to QF 737 manuals.

Nope, Joyce's mouth at the Town Hall conference call 8 April.

So VA will operate 1 737 a day between Syd and Mel, and QF will operate 1 737, 1 A320 and a dash 8 in total?

What about all the WA intrastate FIFO flights?

FIFO flights will continue, as will the XCH/CCK run. Unless the mining sector shuts down, these flights are the one guaranteed income stream. Not operating them will cost money VA simply doesn't have.

Qantas are operating some flights in addition to SYD-MEL…..not many, but a few.

I'm personally counting on those flights to keep working.

VA's problem is that any pax needing to travel won't buy a ticket on them in case they shut down quickly which is what has effectively happened hence safer booking on QF which is still carrying a few on selected routes....

From inside the Govt, they are worried that any money to VA will be siphoned off to their owners and selected creditors and they don't wish to effectively fund overseas owners by the 'back door'"...

Not sure about the mining FIFO flights but to regional centres such as Karratha and Port Hedland you can't book them on the website anymore.

It shouldn’t be that hard. Underwrite VA and QF to operate three services a week each (differing days) between the capital cities and possibly some major regional centres. Agree a block hourly rate and provide as a rebate on service completion. Keeps air routes, and therefore connectivity, open and some people still in jobs.

Better than providing a lump sum.

VA operated a 777 out of Brisbane to Hong Kong at 10.30 this morning. Freight ?

Repatriation flight. It continues to Paris from Hong Kong.

@ Pavement

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It shouldn't be that hard. Underwrite VA and QF to operate three services a week each (differing days) between the capital cities and possibly some major regional centres.

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Totally agree with your comments, try and book a QF flight anywhere on the SYD BNE SYD sectors at the moment. Flights a few days in advance are unavailable more than likely due to nil seats available (they were there this morning). Try East Coast to Perth!!

Maybe VA is playing strategically in order to bargain for Govt Funding, but if not and is simply unable to fund flights, it can only cause further heartache to the economy.

I think that one today is just a HKG return.

The Paris flight starts in Auckland. The agreement with France was NZ traffic.

Should be a positioning flight to AKL tomorrow for BNE-AKL-HKG-CDG and return empty CDG-HKG, before another rep flight HKG-BNE

More than likely suspended from sale versus sold out

Already happened, wife booked and paid for BNE to PER Wednesday 8th evening, rang arvo of the 9th to say cancelled. Others were booking and paying right up to the announcement. Offered credits but they can't even say when the route will resume, and with the requirement to ask for compassionate exemptions into WA you need to stick to your approved dates. We've rebooked for the 24th on Qantas but I have little faith they'll still be operating then.
I really do hope its a ploy to have the govt step in and guarantee a couple of flights a week around the major cities, otherwise a lot of people will be stuck far from home for an extended time. Regional areas in WA are already hurting with limited to no flights now, so facing multi day drives to attend medical care in Perth.

Not judging as I don't know your situation, but curious why your wife didn't get back to PER earlier when she still could?

Well it involves her 87 year old grandmother, the wife being her only family she has in the southern hemisphere, a heart attack 4 weeks ago, one she wasn't expected to survive but has, and having just got out of hospital 3 days ago we thought it best she not be forced to go out shopping or to her doctors while changing a significant amount of medication and so on. Once we saw the WA border was going to close we approached our MP here to help with a compassionate exemption to get back into WA which they said would be no problem given the circumstances, so we figured a week or so to get all the above sorted and her set back up in her unit with shopping and prescriptions filled etc to last a month, so date chosen to leave, flight booked and then...........

Now if Qantas withdraw services it's quite possible that by trying to do the right thing by family, she's going to be stuck for some time, luckily my employer is excellent so far, I've spent 2 weeks flexi time getting the kids off to school and starting late, but with it being strongly advised to take the kids out of school I have now had 2 weeks working from home and luckily still have a job when this is all over.

Not every situation is black and white.

Money in Virgin Travel Bank
 

So, I have money from cancellations due to COVID-19 in the Virgin Travel Bank. If Virgin does not survive am I a secured or unsecured creditor? :hmm:

I think you are unsecured - This type of credit would sit behind any secured creditor including staff.

It would be just like all the Velocity members.

So they advertise a flight, take your cash & then cancel the flight & only offer a travel credit for a business that may not be around when you are able to use that credit. If they cancel the flight, you should get your cash back.

Typical of of the way things are structured these days. Everything flows towards business & the rest of society just gets screwed over.

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So, I have money from cancellations due to COVID-19 in the Virgin Travel Bank. If Virgin does not survive am I a secured or unsecured creditor?

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If you have paid with a credit card and you don't receive the goods, you WILL get your money back.

I would recommend getting a refund ASAP from this mob. Call your credit card holder immediately.