V Australia
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This article or section contains information about a planned or expected new airline. It may contain information of a speculative nature and the content may change dramatically as development continues, the launch date approaches, and as more information becomes available. |
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| V Australia | ||
|---|---|---|
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| IATA VA |
ICAO VAU |
Callsign KANGA |
| Founded | 2007 | |
| Hubs | Sydney Airport | |
| Frequent flyer program | Velocity Rewards | |
| Fleet size | 0 (6 orders, 1 lease) | |
| Destinations | 2 | |
| Parent company | Virgin Blue Holdings Limited | |
| Headquarters | Sydney, New South Wales, Australia | |
| Key people | Sir Richard Branson (President, Virgin Blue) Brett Godfrey (CEO, Virgin Blue) Scott Swift (EGM, V Australia) |
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| Website: www.vaustralia.com.au | ||
V Australia, officially V Australia Airlines is a long haul international airline owned by Virgin Blue Holdings Limited, expected to begin flights between Australia and the United States on December 15, 2008.[1] The airline will be headquartered in Sydney, New South Wales, unlike its parent company, who are based in Brisbane, Queensland.
The airline was given permission for 10 flights a week to the US by Australian regulators on 24 July 2007. The plans were approved by US operators on February 15, 2008, due to the signing of an open skies agreement between Australia and the USA[2]. The Australian regulatory approval is contingent on operations starting by December 2008.
Virgin Blue's chief, Brett Godfrey, predicts that the new airline will be profitable within 2 years of its first flight.
The first Boeing 777-300ER will be named "Didgeree Blue".
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[edit] History
In early 2006 Virgin Blue announced its intention to operate up to 7 flights a week to the US using either Los Angeles International Airport or San Francisco International Airport, saying that the route was needed to make the airline as profitable as possible.
The airline has also expressed interest in flying to Japan. Virgin Blue has recently stated that it is possible that the airline's sixth Boeing 777-300ER will be used exclusively for North Asian destinations.
Since then, Virgin Blue have applied to the United States Department of Transportation to operate services to and from Sydney Airport to Los Angeles International Airport, San Francisco International Airport, Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, McCarran International Airport (Las Vegas), and New York JFK International Airport. Permission from the DOT was given on February 15, 2008, with the signing of an open skies agreement between Australia and the USA.[3]
Virgin Blue has placed orders with Boeing to purchase six Boeing 777-300ER aircraft for use on international routes.[4] They will lease a seventh aircraft of the same type from ILFC.
[edit] Naming competition
The name of Virgin Blue's international airline was decided in the same way that Virgin Blue's own name was found, with a public naming competition conducted in early June 2007.
On 25 June 2007, Virgin Blue released the 8 finalists of the naming competition. They were:
- Matilda Blue
- V Australia Airlines
- Australia Blue
- Virgin Pacific
- Amelia Blue
- Didgeree Blue
- Liberty Blue
- Virgin Australia
Australia Blue and Virgin Pacific were early favourites to win the competition, despite a problem with the latter, as Singapore Airlines (through their stake in Virgin Atlantic) have control over the use of the 'Virgin' name on International air routes, and have not, in the past, allowed its use (see Pacific Blue Airlines.)
On July 25, 2007, Virgin Blue announced that V Australia will be the name of the new carrier, with the runner up of the competition, Didgeree Blue, to be the name of the airline's first plane.[5]
[edit] Service
V Australia will offer a 3-class service: Economy, Premium Economy and Business.
Their economy service will feature a 3-3-3 seating layout, with a 32 inch seat pitch. Each seat will have a 9 inch screen featuring on-demand audio and video. Premium Economy features a 38 inch seat pitch and 10.6 inch AVOD screen. Their business class will feature a 77 inch seat pitch, with seats that convert to a 6'2" lie-flat bed, similar to those of sister airline Virgin Atlantic, and Air New Zealand. Business passengers will also have access to a 12.1 inch AVOD screen, USB connectivity, and in-seat power sockets, as well as dedicated cabin service. [6]
All classes will feature ambient mood lighting relative to the time of day or night, similar to that of sister airline Virgin America, as well as Panasonic AeroMobile technology, allowing full mobile phone and e-mail connectivity during a flight.
[edit] Destinations
V Australia's initial route will be between Sydney Airport and Los Angeles International Airport[7]. The initial service will operate daily across the Pacific with the below flight times
| Flight No | From | Depart | Destination | Arrive | Aircraft |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| VA1 | Sydney | 21:45 | Los Angeles | 16:30 | Boeing 777-300ER |
| VA2 | Los Angeles | 23:30 | Sydney | 09:20^ | Boeing 777-300ER |
^ Arrives 2 Days Later
V Australia will also offer codeshare services on Virgin Blue to Melbourne, Perth, Adelaide, Brisbane, Canberra, Gold Coast and Cairns.[8] Eventually V Australia passengers will be able to travel to and from New Zealand, and throughout the United States, due to pending codeshare agreements with Pacific Blue Airlines and Northwest Airlines respectively.[9]
[edit] Fleet
The V Australia fleet will consist of the following aircraft as of April 2008:
| Aircraft | Total | Passengers | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Boeing 777-300ER | (6 orders) (1 lease-order) |
328 | Entry into service: 2008 |
[edit] References
- ^ V Australia To Begin Service 4Q 2008
- ^ Virgin Blue signs up for open skies to the US
- ^ Virgin Blue signs up for open skies to the US
- ^ Virgin Blue Orders 7 Boeing 777-300ER Aircraft To Begin Long Haul Service
- ^ Virgin Unveils New Transpacific Airline
- ^ Release to the Australian Stock Exchange - V Australia announces SYD-LAX as launch route
- ^ V Australia - Launch Route. Airliners.net (2007-07-18). Retrieved on 2008-03-29.
- ^ V Australia - Launch Route. Airliners.net (2007-07-18). Retrieved on 2008-03-30.
- ^ Release to the Australian Stock Exchange - V Australia announces SYD-LAX as launch route
[edit] External links
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