VA coming / returning to ASP

[Rowan McKeever]

Announced today (and 23 Oct), VA will commence services DRW-ASP-ADL vv. in March 2015. A return as previously operated ADL-ASP as Virgin Blue.

Services to operate three times per week utilising B738s.

http://www.alicespringsairport.com.a...ralia-trifecta

Seems an interesting way for a QF-challenger to come at ASP, but I suppose it makes some sense...

[Geoff G]

Any competition to QF here is a good thing, regardless of the route. We really can't understand how Tiger could pull out 'due to low yield' (from what we have been told) given that most people are really tired of being ripped off by QF with their monopoly into ASP. Anyway, here's hoping that Virgin will stay for the long run this time.

Virgin fly MEL-AYE and SYD-AYE - perhaps these flights could operate MEL-ASP-AYE-MEL and the same for SYD - it's only a 20 minute hop from ASP to AYE and I'm sure the patrons here won't mind the stop over for the reduction in cost :-)

[JamesL]

NT airports charge a bundle to land, TT's yield was in fact quite low on the ASP run.

[Yusef D]

Geoff

Virgin don't fly from Mel to the Rock, that's JQ.

[Hugh Jarse]

Well Yusef, you locals have to support the new operator into your town, and not get sucked in by QF when they momentarily predatorily drop their fares in a lame effort to hold the market in order to drive the newcomers out.
It was done several years ago.
QF dropped their prices, the locals thought "oh, that's nice", and didn't support the competitor.
The competitor pulled out due lack of patronage, and QF put its prices back up, still gouging the locals.

You can't put brains in a statue.

Support competition

[Rowan McKeever]

VA has released the ASP flights for sale. First service seems to be 30 March 2015. Schedule as follows:

VA1576 DRW0730-0930ASP Mo, We, Th
VA1740 ASP1005-1305ADL Mo, We, Th
VA1741 ADL1345-1455ASP Mo, We, Th
VA1585 ASP1530-1730DRW Mo, We, Th

That week is still within daylight savings time for ADL so presumably VA1740 will arrive 1205 and VA1741 will depart 1245 after daylight savings ends (as the routing is anchored in DRW). MEL-DRW may have some adjustments as well. I'm having issues with VA website at the moment so not going to look too far into it!

[Yusef D]

Thanks Rowan, interesting. Well, I'm glad to see that the ASP flights don't come at the expense of DRW-PER flights but if the aircraft originates in Darwin and returns to Darwin, what else does it do?? I don't imagine it will sit on ground in Darwin 4 days a week!

[Rowan McKeever]

There are a few days a week where a MEL-DRW leaves at 1am and arrives around 5-6am, then sits in DRW until it returns to MEL that evening (although sometimes it swaps with the PER aircraft, but same thing!). On the other days there's a much shorter layover on MEL-DRW-MEL.