Virgin Blue ditches NZ Domestic Services & VA Changes

[Ryan K]

From the ABC's website:

http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2...section=justin

[Phillippe M]

Press Release from VB here.

http://www.virginblue.com.au/AboutUs...s/P_013219.htm

Also gone is the VAustralia flight to Fiji.

[Mario Facchini]

Johnny B is really looking to take VB places !

But if the NZ domestic arm was bleeding money, it would not have been a hard desicion to make.

[Arthur T]

The exit of Pacific Blue on NZ domestic market makes Air New Zealand and JetStar will be the 2 remaining major competitors in NZ's domestic market.
If this is the case, it seems it could be likely for Virgin Blue to further intregrate and co-operate with Air New Zealand that will enable both companies to eat up more shares on the trans-tasman and intra-NZ market.

Anyways, will Virgin Blue code-share with Air NZ for NZ domestic services? I hope we will see something like this very soon.

[Andrew M]

Slightly off-topic from the NZ ditching, but finally they have pulled the 777 from the Fiji flights.

Why they bothered with that I will never know. A 77W on that route is a big overkill.

Also the SYD-LAX flights finally leaving syd in the mornings/lunch instead of the silly evening departure.

No good getting into LAX at 7/8pm as you won't be getting another domestic flight out of there at that hour.

Sometimes I wonder who "thinks" of these great decisions in the first place.

[Brad Myer]

With DJ replacing the 77Ws with 737s on the SYD-NAN-SYD does this mean it frees up the allowed seats on the route to enable JQ to go daily A320s SYD-NAN-SYD?

[Sarah C]

The Fiji flights were not going to last. But having the aircraft on the ground in Sydney for over 12 hours made no sense. They were not making money having an aircraft on the ground and Sydney Airport were charging them too.