Virgin offer 20 cent fares
 

Virgin offers 20 cent fares. . . .From AAP. .22jan02

VIRGIN Blue is offering Ansett frequent fliers 20 cent airfares to attend the Ansett creditors' meeting in Melbourne next week.

In a publicity ploy intensifying Australia's cut-throat aviation price war, Virgin will make available 60 seats from six destinations to Ansett frequent fliers who will pay 10 cents plus taxes and levies for the trip each way.

Virgin Blue spokeswoman Amanda Bolger said the offer was a chance for Ansett frequent fliers to attend the creditors meeting on January 29 and "put in their two bobs worth for two bob".

"Virgin Blue does not have its own frequent flier program as we question the worth of existing programs," Ms Bolger said.

"(They) are currently under review by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission, and rarely deliver anything but frustration and disenchantment.

"We believe real loyalty is inspired by long-term sustainable low fares and unbeatable customer service."

The offer is available to Ansett frequent fliers with a minimum of 25,000 points, the average amount required by Ansett for a return domestic flight.

In a statement released today, Virgin Blue said the offer was a good chance for people who feared their Ansett frequent flier points were worthless.

Ms Bolger said Virgin Blue was surprised Ansett customers had not been given a chance to redeem points during recent months on unsold seats.

The 20 cent fares are from Sydney, Perth, Adelaide, Brisbane, Launceston and Canberra and can be accessed on the Virgin Blue website at <a href="http://www.virginblue.com.au" target="_blank">www.virginblue.com.au</a> before 4pm on January 25.

Those who secure the special flights will be notified within 24 hours.

Passengers can return the same day or stay over in Melbourne at their own expense.

If I was cynical I would say that Virgin were attempting to entice disgruntled Ansett frequent flyers to the meeting and vote against the sale so that there was one less airline!!! Somehow I don't think that 60 members will make much difference - not even 60,000 !!!

Another PR stunt by DJ.

They are very successful with these low-cost stunts. One day the editors in the Australian media will wake up that they are being used by DJ to get free advertising in editorial space...until then Good Luck to Them.

Since I live in Melbourne, could I get a cheap one-way fare to Sydney and then get a "Creditors meeting special" return fare for twenty cents from Sydney (pretending I live there) and turf the MEL-SYD leg of the 20 cent fare? That makes a cheap return trip to Sydney!!!

P.S. - 1A Please, we know each other from another forum which is currently on the blink!!!

[ 22 January 2002: Message edited by: Lurk R ]</p>

Lurk R, I think we do. One day we'll catch up for a drink and have a different drink for each of our pseudonyms.

[ 22 January 2002: Message edited by: 1A_Please ]</p>

At this rate I'll give VB till mid year and that's probably being generous. <img src="cool.gif" border="0">

Its quite a brilliant piece of promotional wizardry if you ask me. ifylofd...10 seats per flight at 10 cents is hardly a make or brake promotional offer. You can comfortably look forward to many years of Virgin service in Oz. And they will continue to make attractive special fare offers to the travelling public as well. Thats just the way a great company operates. Don't worry if you don't have the FF points to take advantage however, there will bo more oportunities in the months and years ahead for you to grab a good deal.

1A I doubt the media are sleeping at all when it comes to VB. Its a good story and nobody is trying to call a spade anything but a spade. As long as VB do business the way they do it will be in the press. And as I have said it will be for a long time to come. Here's to the lucky few that get a 20 cent round trip!

[ 22 January 2002: Message edited by: sprucegoose ]</p>

VB are becoming very desperate aren't they?. .There are cheap fares and there is stupidity and Virgin Blue have drawn a very fuzzy line indeed.

Doesn't mean I won't log on and try'n grab a 20 cent seat though <img src="tongue.gif" border="0">

Considering this thread is about another one of the increasingly insane Virgin stunts shouldn't it get the good old padlock? . .Heaven forbid having an opinion about Virgin's financial state.. .But feel free to drag Ansett through the gutter without the PADLOCK <img src="eek.gif" border="0">

GPSOWR

I cant see any dragging of Virgin thru the gutter on this one.

I think it is a very clever marketing ploy they will have have worked out the yield is in surplus, that there will be a few seats not filled on the flights, why not give them away to whomever for whatever they wish.

When the door shuts, any empty seats are just that,....empty.

I was dropping my daughter off the other night QF back to Bris from Perth and after all the pax checked and nearly loaded, they called for the standby pax for not much money, but any money is better than an empty seat.

Watch the pennies and the pounds will look after themselves me ol gramma used to say.

Virgin get a couple hundred thou of exposure for giving away a few empty seats, smart not dumb business :)

Even though I'm on the other side of the fence to Sprucegoose I have to agree with his logic and disagree with most others.. .I fail to see how offering a few free tickets (all right 20 cents)can be portrayed as the acts of a desperate Airline,someone will have to explain it to me.At the risk of having the lockwood applied.

What a fantastic way to poach AN customers! The marketing people at Virgin are Absolutely! worth their salaries. The stunt paid for itself as soon as it got all that free advertising, then the cream will be contacts for loads of AN frequent fliers.. .To the former AN marketing people: Take notes- this is how it is done.

21:53 AEDST Tue 22 Jan 2002 . . . . . . . .Virgin 20c deal 'a cheap publicity stunt'

Virgin Blue's offer to stranded Ansett frequent fliers of a 20 cent return flight to attend the collapsed carrier's meeting of creditors in Melbourne next week was a "cheap publicity stunt", a leading union said.

Virgin Blue announced it will make available 60 seats from six destinations to Ansett frequent fliers who will pay 10 cents plus taxes and levies for the trip each way.

But the Australian Services Union (ASU) was not impressed, claiming the offer was not available to the vast bulk of former loyal Ansett travellers.

"This offer is a cheap publicity stunt that is available to only 60 people across the country," ASU Queensland branch secretary Julie Bignall said.

"I also have to question the propriety of one of Ansett's competitors interfering in the administration process in this way, particularly when it seems obvious that this is a marketing strategy to gather the names."

. . . . . .Ms Bignall said Ansett frequent fliers who miss out on the discounted fares can still have their say at the creditors' meeting by proxying their vote to one of the unions attending the meeting on January 29.

Virgin Blue spokeswoman Amanda Bolger said the discount carrier did not believe in loyalty award schemes.

She said the schemes rarely deliver anything but frustration and disenchantment.

"We believe real loyalty is inspired by long-term sustainable low fares and unbeatable customer service," she said.

The offer is available to Ansett frequent fliers with a minimum of 25,000 points, the average amount required by Ansett for a return domestic flight.

The 20 cent fares are from Sydney, Perth, Adelaide, Brisbane, Launceston and Canberra and can be accessed on the Virgin Blue website at <a href="http://www.virginblue.com.au" target="_blank">www.virginblue.com.au</a> before 4pm on January 25.

Those who secure the special flights will be notified within 24 hours.

Passengers can return the same day or stay over in Melbourne at their own expense.

. . ©AAP 2001

Meanwhile,

LLoyds Buisness Review on the 20th of Jan, advises Mr Branson is willing to pay for some forms of advertising. Namely his continued wish to sell out of his 51% in VB was again advertised in British news papers.

All's well, I'm just going to pop out for a minute.. . <img src="rolleyes.gif" border="0">

Considering all the negative rumours running around at the moment, perhaps VB should be concentrating more on its own balance sheet rather than the pathetic stunt of getting AN creditors to a meeting in Melbourne for 20 cents.

I recall an earlier post on another related topic explaining the maths and the benefits of the $5 fares.

Love to see the 'sums' on this latest effort. :)

It would be interesting to no how many of the people that take the offer actualy go to the meeting on the 29th. Could be a good way to get a flight for personal reasons at VB's expence.

strobes on

It would be a giant mistake and massive hubris for AnsettMk3 to underestimate the very negative feelings of a majority of their former clients, staff and the public at large, that will come with the name.. .That's why if there were really a case for a profitable third carrier, FLEW, or any of the wannabes in the queue, would have been better off starting from scratch and then as a side issue bid for those Ansett assets that they needed. . .Dead is dead.. .You don't see the US Govt lining up to "save" KMart.. .The smell of free money in the air always brings together some strange and unlikely bedfellows, Kelty/FLEW and Crean calling in some chips with the union in a cynical pre election political stunt. The Budgie wont be far away. Of course they are all there only to help the ex AN staff.

NICEONE. .It doesn't matter, the point(s) <img src="rolleyes.gif" border="0"> has(-s+ve) already been well and truly made. :)

Typical of the outfit,it,s a joke and if the rumours are even partly true soon to join the have runs.Go Ansett!!!

virgin Blue-The two bob airline.Soon have enough for another shipping container.