UA857 wrote:Could United have a hub at JFK someday?
VA is in the mess because of themselves and the regulators won't be able to help them because QF/NZ are not doing anything that requires regulatory approval. VA entering domestic NZ would require shifting aircraft from Australia to NZ (which QF would love) and setting up bases that will cost time a...
Jump to post“What it will mean is if Virgin Australia wishes to do what’s called an interline agreement with Air New Zealand within domestic New Zealand, that’s something that we’ll pick up with on commercial terms." This had to be thinly veiled parting shot at his rival JB. A VA/JQ-NZ interline makes mor...
Jump to postWhich also puts into question the future of the JQ-NZ operation. Would there be complications affecting JQ-NZ's operations (e.g QF dissolving JQ-NZ and returning the planes for their AU operations or potentially splitting off the JQ-NZ operations)?
Jump to postIf United really wanted in though they can beat Delta and build a new terminal in the old footprint of terminal 3. I am sure if they were willing to pay money to the Port Authority slots would be found. Can't see UA building a terminal at JFK for a handful of flights in medium-long term future, esp...
Jump to postQF to codeshare with NZ on NZ and AU domestic routes according to AusBT. https://www.ausbt.com.au/qantas-air-new ... artnership I think VA is going under the next time oil reaches $100/bbl Turns out VA needs NZ more than NZ needs VA. Afterall NZ has a monopoly in NZ. VA may be in serious trouble if...
Jump to post^^
Could potentially see NZ moving from *A to OW, despite the NZ-USA JV with UA.
I doubt the PR flights are doing well. They have to fly those aircraft somewhere. PR has quite a low cost base (vs Australian airlines) and there is a large community of Philippino's living in Australia who travel home regularly. PR's loads ex-BNE appear to have been very high since switching to no...
Jump to postVA Tasman Changes Sydney – Auckland eff 28OCT18 Increase from 11 to 21 weekly (14 on weekends) https://www.routesonline.com/news/38/airlineroute/278371/virgin-australia-trans-tasman-nw18-service-changes/ Shouldn't AKL-SYD more read 3x Daily week days, and 2x Daily weekend? Allot of seats for VA to ...
Jump to postNot saying that Borghetti hasn't succeeded in taking the brand upmarket, and I'll agree the 777 seat beats QFs 330 (albeit only just) and catering is very good, but at least on Perth routes VA are continually subbing in the much poorer 737s. QF also wins generally on domestic narrowbody catering, l...
Jump to postRE: SEA speculation. If it is a operational requirement that the remaining unannounced flight originates in BNE it can route BNE-SYD-SEA-SYD-BNE similar to how QR serves Canberra as a tag from SYD. On such a routing QF can route pax ex Brisbane on the BNE/SYD/BNE tag connecting to/from Internationa...
Jump to postSQ are content with their stake and haven't really shown any interest in extending their stake. DL are the elephant in the room and are probably the ones to keep an eye on, with an article back in 2016 stating they haven't ruled out a VA stake in the future (despite not stating interest at the time...
Jump to postYes, the usual and predictable QF and PER boosterism from GT. In QF related news, how much longer is it going to take for QF to announce the final route for the last of its first eight B787s? That frame is supposed to be base in BNE so maybe they are still working the numbers on BNE to DFW, SEA or ...
Jump to postYes, the usual and predictable QF and PER boosterism from GT. In QF related news, how much longer is it going to take for QF to announce the final route for the last of its first eight B787s? That frame is supposed to be base in BNE so maybe they are still working the numbers on BNE to DFW, SEA or ...
Jump to postVA, despite finally starting to make money again, still needs to get its house in order after years of losses. Also, the shareholder makeup should preferably be sorted as soon as possible considering HNA and EY are both in debt (and there has been newspaper articles of both considering selling out o...
Jump to postVA says that there will be some reductions to its Pacific Island schedule ex-AKL - not surprising. I wonder whether RAR or TBU will be most affected? See: http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=12039768. I found it funny that VA says "We believe we've got a goo...
Jump to posthttps://www.reuters.com/article/us-temasek-holdings-hna-group-airlines-e/exclusive-singapores-temasek-interested-in-buying-into-hnas-hong-kong-airlines-source-idUSKBN1HO0IX Interesting potential here. SQ are reportedly doing due diligence on HNA with a view in taking a significant though not majori...
Jump to postVA also carries the DL and (shortly) HX and HU codes as codeshare partners on a number of Trans-Tasman flights. I do wonder what % of traffic from DL is on VA metal for Trans-Tasman flights.
Jump to postCan only see DL in AKL if they are the party to purchase the EY or HNA stakes in VA. Even then, DL in AKL may be questionable (not much yield for DL/VA, and the multiple frequencies from the incumbents NZ/UA) even if DL are able to fund VA 737 feeders from the main AU capitals + the large regional c...
Jump to postI wouldn't think SQ's views has changed since then for them to change their mind and strip VA back to being a entirely domestic carrier. Thus VA still remaining independent in the unlikely case of a SQ takeover. Unless there is stuff going on behind the scenes which I don't know about - as there wa...
Jump to postIn the unlikely event of SQ performing a takeover, VA will likely still remain independent of the alliances. Any attempts by SQ to bring VA into *A will be veto-ed by NZ and UA. If JB was gone and SQ owned VA then I don't see what reason UA or NZ would have to veto Star membership. It is likely tha...
Jump to postEY are also loss making, due to their Air Berlin and Alitalia failures, with the continual rumblings whether if they are going to beat HNA into selling their VA stake. Whether the usual suspects of SQ and DL react remains to be seen. Keeping in mind VA doesnt have much Alliance options available (ba...
Jump to postAgree David, I do think there is that possibility for AKL atleast to remain competitive there that they run 3-4 daily to SYD, 2-3 daily MEL, 2 BNE. WLG and CHC I’m not sure how many main trunk routes will do well with more than 1 daily really, partly as you say keeping planes full but not being abl...
Jump to postYet how was NZ able to get additional peak hour slots for there additional services from AKL,WLG,CHC that we're launched this week? They must have some pull in getting slots, to be able to pick up these additional SYD slots at very short notice. The new Air NZ SYD-AKL service (NZ 112) departs SYD a...
Jump to postAlso QF and VA (along with their LCC siblings) would ensure NZ either doesn't get SYD slots, or get the less ideal SYD slots (e.g late evening before curfew), also complicating any slot applications on the FRA end. Yet how was NZ able to get additional peak hour slots for there additional services ...
Jump to postEither or. Id doubt LH is looking at PER as much as QF is looking at Germany though. Isn't CDG a bigger market than FRA for Australia, meaning QF would probably consider France before Germany ex-PER? At the same time, LH has said last month that it's actively eyeing APAC opportunities (with PER of ...
Jump to postSQ know they need the Australian-New-Zealander market. Its why they hate Qantas so much, its why they invested in Virgin Australia and haven't sold their stake, its why they are cozying up with Air New Zealand (NZ being Star and not-competing-on-Europe-routes-apart-from-London also helps). If they ...
Jump to postThough the problem SQ faces (in addition to JB's anti-alliance view) is the veto from NZ and UA if they ever tried to sponsor VA into *A with an increased shareholding (as they are on good terms with JB). However, with JB's past view of SkyTeam and if he's ever to move away from his anti-alliance po...
Jump to postI do wonder which airline group is going to offload their VA stake first considering their own financial woes, EY or HNA? Of course the usual suspects of those two stakes are either SQ or DL. Although both groups usually don't comment on those rumours, with the former that's usually talked more, the...
Jump to postVA also have some limited beyond rights in AKL (RAR and TBU). Both would also come into play in regards to VA's beyond Oct AU-AKL schedule.
Jump to postMy Tip is probably twice daily SYD/MEL/BNE-AKL (timed to/from VA/DL Int'l flights in SYD/MEL) in the morning and afternoon serving as a "feeder" (and the leftover O&D traffic VA manages to get) and not actually competing with QF/NZ. Ditto with BNE/MEL-CHC being once-daily (split schedu...
Jump to postAlso, even if SQ were to take a larger stake in VA. SQ may be good terms with JB, but JB and Luxon (NZ) still despise each other. Which is enough for NZ to veto SQ or anyone else attempting to sponsor VA into Star Alliance In addition to a NZ veto, UA still hasn't forgotten the decision by JB's pred...
Jump to postThere's really not much options for VA if JB is to move away from his no alliance policy. Oneworld (due to the big brother) and Star Alliance (veto from NZ and UA) are definitely not options for VA. There's only SkyTeam (with their long time buddies DL), or the more expensive option of folding TT b...
Jump to postPeople seem to think that joining an alliance is free, there are massive costs for joining an alliance, and not a single airline has done that in the last 3 years. The move is towards more tailored relationships, hence my suggestion for striking a deal with GA. That would be two fold, it would give...
Jump to postCan't really see D7 at WTB. Probably at MCY when the extended runway is operational perhaps, thus to give "North Brisbane" (Maroochydore) and "South Brisbane" (Coolangatta) options.
Jump to postThings are starting to unravel for Virgin but there may be a bright side to this. It may force virgin to concentrate on its own business and not being a virtual network carrier (or whatever it was). I do think they need to join an alliance - be that skyteam or star. They are always going to struggl...
Jump to postBasically most FF's and aviation forum site posters (including A'Net) saw this coming for some time now since the Luxon/Borghetti spat. It's a matter of when the announcement was going to be made.
Jump to postI do think maybe a daily widenody to OOL though with additional seasonal A320 capacity. Maybe a slight increase to PER and flights to CBR, HBT. Does OOL have the yields to support a widebody with BNE up the road? Considering the beach market nature of OOL. I can see OOL being a A321NEO market, with...
Jump to postSeeing that EK is slowly exiting Trans-Tasman, the long rumoured BNE-WLG extension would less likely to happen. If anything, if EK wants a presence in WLG, QF would have to fly it with their 737s.
Jump to post^^ Another note, just did a dummy booking on NZ's website. Some regional AU ports e.g. Bundaberg and Alice Springs on NZ's website already sells interlines with QF. So some smaller AU regional cities that are currently served by VA via codeshare may likely see a switch from VA to QF for interlining ...
Jump to postNZ will more likely fly to the larger regional AU ports (e.g CBR, TSV, ROK, etc) with their own (all-Y) A320s, even if it's only a few times a week and/or seasonal. They also have the financial capital to pay for their share of Customs/Immigration costs at the currently unmanned AU regional ports if...
Jump to postMakes senses considering NZ ex-AU as a key long haul growth market where they compete with VA/DL to the US. With QF moving to 330s, places VA at a weak spot across the Tasman from a product and frequency perspective. Starting to think VA will just leave the Tasman, and move all its Tasman flights t...
Jump to postAnsett wanted to drop having it’s regional airports having direct employment by AN and wanted contractors - mainly due to the conditions enjoyed by the local airport staff, hence AN doing a complete pullout of locations such as LST and HBA, rather than the better scheduled, one or two AN 737s in an...
Jump to postThe best outcome for VA would be to have SQ take a larger interest, with EY and HNA exiting. HNA have some significant issues they are trying to manage, which also makes it likely they could be seriously considering selling their stake. There's been plenty of chances for SQ to take a larger stake i...
Jump to postToo expensive for VS to send the gas-guzzling A346 beyond HKG to SYD at the time, with high operating costs outstripping revenue. VS has since returned to the Australian market, although as code-share only by placing their code on VA's HKG-MEL (and shortly HKG-SYD) flights despite the long transit t...
Jump to postLAS is also a low-yielding destination ex-AU. Extremely unlikely from either of the majors on the US or Australian ends, let alone VA.
Jump to postDoesn't seem to be any mention of European aviation acquiring 10 etihad 340-500s & -600s. Think they also have some other -600s. That seems a lot. Wonder what they have planned for them ? Looks like Virgin Australia is to get some of the EY A330s How many ? You'd think VA could make some money ...
Jump to postsmi0006 wrote:BNE? To replace capacity after QF moved BNE-LAX-JFK to a 789 from a 744.
UA to some extent already sell limited QF interline tickets on their website. VA interlines on UA iirc is only available via Third Party agents. DL being JV partners with VA normally sell VA interlines on their website (and vice-versa), although third party agents also sell QF interlines on behalf o...
Jump to post