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Virgin Australia Drops Delta, Will Partner With United Instead

by Gary Leff

virgin airplane
Dec 13 2021

Virgin Australia is strategically important because they’re one of two significant airlines in Australia. Qantas is closely tied through a joint venture with American Airlines. So most airlines outside of the oneworld alliance (and Emirates) go looking for domestic feed for their long haul Australia routes with their competitor, Virgin Australia.

Virgin Down Under has been linked with Delta Air Lines through a joint business venture, leaving United Airlines in the cold. Its Australia flights have largely had to survive on local market passengers, rather than connecting people from all over Australia. That’s changing.

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A Five Hour Delay Caused A Flight Full Of Passengers Into 14 Day Mandatory Quarantine

by Gary Leff

Apr 26 2021

A delay of a little more than 5 hours caused a planeload full of passengers to be sent into 14 day mandatory hotel quarantine when they reached their destination.

Virgin Australia flight VA469 had departed from Perth, in Western Australia, enroute to Brisbane. But while the plane was in the air, the Australian state of Queensland where Brisbane is located closed its borders to incoming Perth traffic.

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Airport Uses A Bulldozer To Block Virgin Australia Plane From Departing

by Gary Leff

Apr 24 2020

While Deloitte, as administrator, seeks to find new money to restart the carrier, it’s also going to be restructuring the airline’s debts. Since Virgin Australia reportedly owes about US$10 million to the Perth airport in unpaid fees, the airport decided to block a Boeing 737-800 from taking off as a way of physically securing their claim – using a bulldozer.

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With Virgin Australia In Bankruptcy, What Happens To The Miles?

by Gary Leff

Apr 21 2020

Virgin Australia’s Velocity Frequent Flyer program has suspended redemptions even though it is a separate company and not included in the administrative restructuring. The frequent flyer program had been spun off in 2014, but reacquired.

The program’s 10 million members apparently had been redeeming points for “gift cards, electronic goods, and wine,” according to the airline, while members weren’t redeeming for travel. There was a ‘run on the bank’ as members questioned the viability of the program with the airline in trouble.

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