Melbourne Airport gears up as poll reveals people want to travel
 

from herald sun yesterday.

Obviously any survey done by an airport, with a vested interest, might have some biased questions but ...

As new polling reveals the majority of Victorians are interested in travelling again, Melbourne Airport is gearing up to resume flights and lobbying to become home to the beleaguered Virgin Australia.Seventy per cent of Victorians would fly interstate and nearly half overseas in the next three months if they could, new Melbourne Airport polling shows.

The interest in travel — including to overseas coronavirus hot spots — comes as the airport gears up to resume flights and lobbies to become the new home of beleaguered Virgin Australia.

“Our research shows Victorians can’t wait to get back in the air travelling again and we’re ready to help make that happen at a moment’s notice,” airport chief Lyell Strambi said.

“Our findings reflect actions that some of our airline partners have already flagged, like super-low airfares to kickstart demand.”

He said the airport was ready for takeoff — after the most devastating period in its history — and keen to become the new home of “Virgin Mark II”.

The Virgin brand was a perfect fit with Melbourne’s “sophisticated population”, Mr Strambi said.

“We are monitoring the sale process closely and stand ready to work with the successful bidder,” he said.

“You only need to look at where Virgin is invested in Melbourne — from footy to fashion — to see that the brand understands what it is to be Victorian (and) there is an opportunity for Virgin to genuinely become one.”

But a Victorian treasury spokesman has said a major government investment in Virgin was contingent on it being a good deal for the state and creating jobs, “and that’s not currently the proposition”.


The Melbourne Airport survey of more than 10,000 people shows Victorians are keen to fly, with a quarter claiming they would fly domestically tomorrow if allowed.

Fifteen per cent would fly internationally straight away and 45 per cent in the next three months, nominating the thrill of travel and the promise of bargain airfares as the chief reasons.

Most selected New Zealand as their destination of choice, but 15 per cent said they would fly to the United Kingdom and 12 per cent to the coronavirus-stricken United States.

“Thanks to Australia’s extraordinary success in suppressing coronavirus, there are signs of light at the end of a very dark tunnel,” Mr Strambi said.

“While there is still a lot of uncertainty around when state borders will reopen, we are now preparing the airport for domestic travel to restart.

”We want to avoid anything that makes travel less efficient, less enjoyable or more expensive.”

Saving Virgin Australia was essential to competition and the future of affordable travel, he stressed.

Melbourne Airport has revealed its worst traveller numbers since opening in 1970, with a 98 per cent drop in passengers last month, compared with April 2019.

link
https://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/vi...b7c91776606ecf

Thanks for keeping us up to date BNEA320.

:ok:............

:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D

BNEA320/TT738,

do you just flip a coin each morning to decide which account you’ll use today?

wait until he pulls out the QF744 callsign! Overtime galore

TT738 well that’s going to be a username for the history books shortly.

How's the share price of Flight Centre going Graham/BNEA320/TT738?

You know you don't have to convince us to travel, maybe head off to the spotters forum

What happened to the exclamation marks (!!!) that you used on your BNEA320 account on the other related article?

I want to travel too. But not until I'm vaccinated, effective treatments are approved and I can get travel insurance.

Ampclamp, same here. Other older friends think they have done their last overseas holiday. We can’t travel internationally until there is travel insurance available that covers covid.

Domestic air is out at present because prices are too high I’m told. We may be driving North this year to avoid the worst of the cold.

Domestic is out because the Premiers can’t all agree on the same thing

Well get on and have a look, I did a quick search QF BN-ML $168 if you think that is expensive, try and drive it let us know how much you save.

Maybe he/she has a family of 4?

That would be $672 for a family of 4 for a trip that would be 1770km which would be 3 days driving. Let me know if driving is cheaper I bet it is not.

Why is it that ppl expect to fly for almost nothing? This has always amazed me. If you don’t want to pay then drive.

The airlines won’t bother having sales until the borders open up. Once Queensland opens their border, JQ will flood the market with sub $100 fares.

Depends.
Two day drive for me, easy. Could do it in 1.5 if I wanted to without much fuss.

Depending on vehicle, $250 in fuel isn’t unrealistic.

Quote:

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I want to travel too. But not until I'm vaccinated, effective treatments are approved and I can get travel insurance.

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I'm pretty much ready to go now. Without any of those 3. I'd purchase travel insurance that would cover the rest of course. If I was in a vulnerable group, I wouldn't travel. But I'm not. I'd recognise that it's a risk getting out of bed in the morning. I don't want to live my life in a bubble, and won't.

I think the community are recognising that the modelling was flawed, it needs to be re-done. Isolate and protect the vulnerable. Do not isolate healthy people. Take precautions, wash your hands, don't touch your face, sneeze and cough into your elbow, be considerate of personal space.

Well said Bodie. If only our leaders applied the same common sense.

Couldn’t agree more, people will want to travel.

This talk about driving, yes fantastic if you’re building it into your holiday. If however you going to a destination you don’t want to waste 2/3 days either side!

I also agree that people expecting to fly for next to nothing is not tenable for airlines. Aircraft cost money to put in the sky, pure and simple. Yes cash flow is king and discounted fares are great for this, we all know that every seat is not sold at this ‘sucker’ price. That said airlines will certainly want to entice customers back.

What will schedules be like? As the industry slowly ramps up?

Also remember many people have family living in different corners of the country and around the globe (ok not as much around the globe at present but I would have it a guess still a huge percentage).

The industry will bounce back and I am one of the over positive ones who think it will bounce back a whole lot quicker than many. This is the airlines biggest issue I see. Pilots... currency, sims, etc. It will certainly be a case of the airline with the best management foresight will clean up when the demand increases at a rapid pace.

I’ve been wrong before, I just feel that this time I may just be right!