Sir Richard Bransons log
Australian Airport Strikes
No times given yet - Bring a book!
Strikes by Customs and Immigration and Border Force
16 - 18 September, 2015 Will see Cairns, Perth and Darwin airport delays.
21 September Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Gold Coast, Cairns, Adelaide, Perth (International Terminal) and Darwin Airports.
22 September, 2015 Will see Sydney , Brisbane, Gold Coast, Cairns, Adelaide, Perth (International Terminal) and Darwin Airports.
Just what you need after coming off a long distant flight.
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22 February 2015 Long time sine we last updated this page. Airline is slowly reducing losses, struggles.
Who wants to answer this one. Another viewer asks, :-
"If I leave Los Angeles at 22:30 and get in to Sydney, Australia at 6:15 -what day is that?"
1 December 2011 About time this was updated. This airline has turned out to be reliable and industrial action free. Cancelled it's route to Johannesburg, South Africa, Phuket and Nadi.
Now flies to UAE, Las Vegas, and Seattle. Has agreements with Alaska Airlines, Delta and Horizon Air. Airline stepped up and helped passengers who were caught up in the Qantas strike last month with no charge.
9/11/09 Virgin Blue Holdings Ltd.(operates Virgin Blue, V Australia, Pacific Blue, and Polynesian Blue) Airlines workers may vote on a strike in coming weeks after 69 percent of ground crew rejected a pay agreement, the Australian Financial Review reported, citing the Transport Workers Union.
13 August, 09 Virgin Blue to end codeshare partnership with United
7/17/09 British Airways cutting back longhauls to Australia in the winter, Heathrow-Sydney from 2 flights a day, to one a day.
Question we had. "I want to travel from Sydney to New York can V Australia get me there?" Sydney to NY, yes it's possible with V Australia, but it's not non stop, you have to change in LA.
April, 6, 2009 Deal struck between V Australia and Delta Airlines to connect services. Will allow passengers to buy a single ticket between Australia and United States. Choose a fare now from any city US destination that Delta and Virgin Blue leave from. Will enable luggage to be checked through from point of origin to destination. (if you can believe that!)
V Australia will commence direct flights from LA to Brisbane on April 8 and from LA to Melbourne in September.
Delta Airlines starts service Australia to US July 1st, 2009.
3/29/09 Heads up, if you are going to Sydney, Australia, strike at airport. Planes left unloaded.
3/3/09 All Virgin Megastores in US to close by summer. The 52,000-square-foot Times Square flagship closes in mid-April, to be followed by another New York store and outlets in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Orlando, Fla., and Denver, all by June, Wright said. About 1,000 staff and 60 at the corporate level will be laid off.
V Australia Passengers will be able to send and receive text messages and email from their own phones and blackBerries. Emirates just recorded it's 100,000 passenger access to AeroMobile in just two months!
27 February, 2009 Friday. VAustralia landed with full welcoming committee today, Mickey, Goofey, fire trucks, water guns. Branson is confident and just the talk of this airline has bought the ticket prices down for us all. Now we can get the shrimp on the barbie!
6 February, 2009 Atlast Branson gets his hands on a Boeing 777-300 aircraft. First of seven delivered. He managed to get a dig into Boeings unions, employees and bosses, threatening to go else where and will think twice about launching an airline with Boeing ever again. Thousands of passengers were effected this past Christmas. First flights still on for 2/28/2009.
Launches nonstop flights to San Francisco and Los Angeles from Boston's Logan International Airport.
12/18/08 V Australia starts flying 28 February, 2009. Brisbane to LA early in April, awaiting Boeing delivery! January 26 first Boeing 777-300 (seating capacity of 361 passengers) due for delivery.Guests in the first five weeks will be moved down from Brisbane to Sydney on Virgin Blue and through the US on V Australia service. Qantas is bringing A380 into service for LA to Sydney 22 December, 2008.
Delta 1 July 09
ouch, another blow! Open skies policy is bringing this route much need competition and more seats. Delta Airlines, is planning to start daily services between Sydney and Los Angeles in July. On sale now. (price?) V Australia is offering return tickets for about $1200, including taxes and charges.
12/6/08 Turns out it was a really bad hurt. Delay has cost the airline about $3million. Due to having to re-book passengers on other airlines, keep employees on the books, cut the price of tickets due to economic turn down, with less demand by passengers. News today a prediction for $25.00 a barrel of oil, Saudi's had said they would not let it go passed $50.00. Airline wishes to slow down the delivery of new Boeing 777-300's whilst they re-coupe the losses incurred by the Boeing's strike. V Australia still on time for February 28 launch.
Christmas 08, No shrimp on the barbie for you!
10/2/08 Wow, that's got to hurt. V Australia delays launch, Boeing had been unable to confirm the delivery date of the first of three Boeing 777-300ER aircraft. December 15 launch of services between Sydney and Los Angeles would now be postponed to February 28 next year. Boeing's 27,000 machinists are on strike since September. Surely this will mean a lawsuit for Boeing?
10/18/08 Qantas and V Australia are a step closer to running in-flight mobile phone systems Both airlines already have announced plans to allow mobile phone, BlackBerry and smartphone usage on some flights using technology developed by UK pioneer, AeroMobile and Panasonic Avionics.
10/18/08 business-class travellers. Going flat out.
10/14/08 Compare Business class sleeper seats flying into Australia news.com.au
10/6/08 V Australia has permission begin three flights a week Australia to South Africa route, another two October 09. Qantas had this sealed up, they are applying for a two year extension of its code sharing agreement with South African Airways. These two airlines hog a 70 percent share of the route. Perhaps now this longhaul will go down in price.
10/4/08 V Australia, 2 years to break even now. What a mess. Delays put a dent in Virgin Blue business.smh.com.au
10/3/08 THE Christmas holiday plans of thousands of Australians have been put on hold because of a strike by US aircraft workersnews.com.au
10/3/08 V-Australia has three Boeing 777-300ER aircraft at advanced stages of assembly at Boeing's main assembly plant at Everett, outside Seattle in Washington state news.com.au
10/3/08 Boeing machinists strike hits VAustralia
9/19/08 V Australia Christmas TraveLeague Tickets Selling Fast
9/29/08 Heads up. Recent reports indicate that V Australia, Virgin Blue’s newly-formed long-haul airline, may face delays in the delivery of its 777s, meaning that its schedule to launch service to Los Angeles by mid-December could be in jeopardy.
9/9/08 Fixed,V Australia works around IATA roadblock
9/3/08 Bars and beds on V Australia flights
9/1/08 V Australia’s operational base in Sydney.The establishment of the base will include a Cabin Crew and Flight Crew training facility for V Australia and Virgin Blue Sydney-based crew.
8/26/08 Virgin sees red over V Australia ban, cannot sell tickets in Australia
8/26/08 VAustralia has been granted rights to fly to South Africa, Johannesburg, and chief executive Brett Godfrey said this week the airline was still looking at October next year, about the time it will receive its fifth Boeing 77-300ER, to start five services a week on the route."South Africa is significant," he said.
8/11/08 safety demonstration and meal service duties, cabin crew recruits from Virgin Blue's newest subsidiary international airline, V Australia, are required to master the skills needed to manage the the most extreme emergency situation - an evacuation "ditch drill"..brisbanetimes.com.au
7/22/08 V Australia, which has yet to fly, hopes to use an under served
route between Australia and South Africa, Johannesburg, by Qantas. aviationrecord.com
3 July 08 V Australia Brisbane - LA $1234 (that's Aussie dollars,official site, it's true) Brisbanetimes
Starts. 15th December 08 between Sydney & Los Angeles.
2 June 08 V Australia Installs First Boeing 777 Aircraft Simulator in Australia
May 15, 2008 – Tail components for V Australia’s first Boeing 777-300ER are about to cross the Pacific, from Hawker de Havilland’s Bankstown plant to the Boeing factory at Everett, near Seattle vaustralia
5/6/08 Brand new airline. "V Australia Airlines" will launch December 08. At the moment you can book LA - Australia, Sydney outbound $774 return $1041 thats for March 09 economy.That's not bad. They do have various other types of fares, v saver, v deal, v flexi) Remember you have to add those blessed airport taxes. Which can add another $400, plus if your in the east coast that adds to it.
On the other pay scale. "V Australia International Business" will have 77" of leg room! I'm 5ft 4" and will fit nicely in the 6ft 2" fully horizontal flat bed. Alas the fair is easily 13 grand.
I just put in the same dates in Qantas, economy return $1973, business nearly $18,000. Remember United also does this route. United was moved to the Shaky Airline Status.
I have put V Australia Airlines in the shaky airline status because, one the price of oil, two a long haul who had been in business for a year or more, Oasis just went under. 3 they haven't even started yet. I know that Branson wants to circum navigate the world and this is the gem he's been waiting for over the years. So who knows.
21 April 08 V Australia Airlines, maintenance contract worth 90 million dollars for services for seven B777-300ER aircraft. with SIA engineering company.
Virgin Blue’s V Australia airline will offer mobile calling, texting with factory-installed system: Boeing will install the Panasonic/Aeromobile system offered under the Panasonic brand eXPhone. All 777-300ERs in the long-haul fleet will feature the option, although some regulatory issues still need to be settled. V Australia service will launch in December between Sydney and Los Angeles.
4/2/08 NSW State Development Minister Ian Macdonald said part of the negotiations involved Virgin agreeing to spend an average of $1 million a year for the five-year term on an international marketing campaign focused on inbound travelers to NSW.read full article business.theage.com.au
3/31/08 Sydney not Brisbane has been chosen as the operational headquarters for Virgin Blue's planned international service to be called Vaustralia Airlines. V Australia Airlines is planning to launch daily flights between Australia and the US from December 08.
3/31/08 Cheap flights to Australia on V Australia Airline. Offering return fares to Los Angeles for $1000 news.com.au
3/29/08 Looks like it's going to be launched next year, Sydney-LA route per
3/11/07 Big, big news. Flights to Aussie. "VAustralia Airlines" is on its way!!!
Owned by Virgin Blue Holdings. Expected to fly Australia-US starting Nov. 08.
10 flights a week. They have applied to fly out of Sydney to LA, San Francisco, Seattle, Las Vegas and JFK. They have ordered 6 Boeing (1 rental) 777-300ER. Quote from Mr Brett Godfrey, Chief.“This is the first time in decades Australia has a start-up long-haul international airline and we look forward to bringing competitive air fares and a new style of service to trans-Pacific market," he said.
Based out of Brisbane, Australia. V Australia Airline a long haul international airline to Los Angeles or San Francisco International Airport. Also from Kingsford Smith International Airport (Sydney) to Los Angeles International Airport, San Francisco International Airport, Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, McCarran International Airport (Las Vegas), and New York JFK International Airportsister airline Virgin Atlantic, with stand-up bars and limo services for guests in the business-class cabin.
7 Boeing 777-300ER 328 passengers. Awaiting new news.
We need your reviews and answer this When is high season in Australia?