New VAustralia Flights to Phuket/Johannesburg

[Chris Q]

Makes sense!

Cheers guys!

[Rhys Xanthis]

Perhaps redeploying these aircraft, Perth to Phuket has just been announced using B738 operated by Pac Blue.

6.5 hours on a B738, for $399 one way? Not sure I'd take that myself...

[Steve Jones]

Perth-Phuket is now for sale on the Pacific Blue website with one way fares at $299 on sale (slightly less on the return).

Interestingly, unless there are more flights to be added, it appears that the aircraft stays close to 24hrs in HKT before returning to PER. Given they have excess aircraft capacity, maybe this works better in terms of minimising crew layover costs.

For example:

PER-HKT 24 NOV 1035-1520 DJ4149
HKT-PER 25 NOV 1405-2145 DJ4148

Flights listed as operated by Virgin Blue (may well be the 737-700 they are currently repainting into PB colours?)

[Dan Hammond]

Originally Posted by Steve Jones

Flights listed as operated by Virgin Blue (may well be the 737-700 they are currently repainting into PB colours?)

According to the press release on the Virgin Blue website is the following

Virgin Blue took the decision to direct one of its modern Boeing 737-800 aircraft on to the route following a trend for travellers to holiday in destinations closer to home and that offer true affordability and value for money where they can get more bang for their buck.

[Marty H]

Steve VH-VBZ is due into the paint shop on the 3rd of September.

[Anthony T]

Originally Posted by Rhys Xanthis

6.5 hours on a B738, for $399 one way? Not sure I'd take that myself...

Why?

Anthony T

[Graeme M]

Originally Posted by Graeme M

For full details on the schedules for the new routes, log on to www.vaustralia.com.au

^ Subject to Government and regulatory approval

Why was my original and first to post merged with a later one?????

Graeme M: This current thread started on August 17, while your thread started on August 18. As they are very similar topics I decided to merge them and merged posts automatically arrange the posts in chronological order. Hope this clears things up. - mod

[Daniel M]

Originally Posted by Rhys Xanthis

Perhaps redeploying these aircraft, Perth to Phuket has just been announced using B738 operated by Pac Blue.

6.5 hours on a B738, for $399 one way? Not sure I'd take that myself...

JQ seem to do fine on their Singapore flights via Darwin which are single aisle A320's, not sure why it'd be any different on a 738?

[Michael Morrison]

Enough people fly them on SYD-DPS that they are adding a 3rd weekly flight so there are enough people willing to fly a 738 for 6 hours!

I don't think this is the end of HKT flights.... remember they have also got rights to fly DPS-HKT too and currently the 738's sit on the ground for a while in DPS... so stay tuned me thinks...

[Chris Thurtell]

Originally Posted by Daniel M

JQ seem to do fine on their Singapore flights via Darwin which are single aisle A320's, not sure why it'd be any different on a 738?

Singapore to Darwin is a 4hr sector, not 6.5. I've done the MEL>DRW>SIN with Jetstar and probably won't do it again to be honest, even with the stop over in Darwin.