Virgin/Air Asia/easyJet Alliance?

Virgin and EasyJet are to team up with an Asian airline to create the world's first budget global network, it has been reported......

Link.











Post edited by mod to remove possible copyright infringement, please see link..... Nick

[HighFlyer]

Do you have the original source for this?

Thanks,
Sarah

[Nottingham Nick]

As HighFlyer has said, we need an original source for this, so that a link can be pasted.

Cutting and pasting large chunks of text from another website without acknowledging the source is a direct breach of their copyright.

Please post a link, or we will have to remove the topic.

Many thanks for your co-operation, and a Happy New Year. [8D]:D

Nick

Hi

Found this article :

Link

Happy New Year

[8D]






Edit by mod to shorten link..... Nick

[Nottingham Nick]

Many thanks, Neil. [y][y]

It is an interesting idea, but surely Singapore Airlines will have a big say in it. [?]

Nick

[honey lamb]

Another link

VS...a budget carrier?!?[:0]

VS.

Depends on your definition of the word 'budget'

As in 'We must budget in more UC flights this year?' [}:)]

Certainly not on the order of budget-carrier Ryan Air, where nothing is free... 'We don't even guarantee your bags will make our flights, and if they don't you pay to get them back to you, so please budget that in! [n]'

Virgin blue and Virgin express are both budget carriers...

Can someone please explain to me the benefit this alliance will bring to VS?!?[?][B)]

VS.

Originally posted by VS045
Can someone please explain to me the benefit this alliance will bring to VS?!?[?][B)]

More passengers from Europe's biggest LCC and from one of Asia's most popular LCCs...not that VS need any more passengers but having all of its ex-LGW flights full will bring a smile to SRB's face and will shut the accountants up!


Disclaimer: My comment about Europe's biggest LCC is referring to easyJet. I am aware that Ryanair may serve more destinations and may well be bigger but easyJet serve places where people actually want to travel to!

What I don't understand is why VS wants to brand itself as being part of some low-cost/budget airline alliance[V][:?]

VS.

Having read a few of the articles it appears unclear if it is Virgin Atlantic OR the Virgin Group who are involved in talks. If (as i suspect it is) the latter it really has nothing to do with SQ & would be good break into a new market. There was talk 10-14 months ago of a new long haul low cost airline to be set-up by Emirates, using the A380 in high density "Y" class fit.

Most of media coverage from Malaysia and China are talking about Virgin Group and SRB, not Virgin Atlantic. But I agree, it is not that clear to people who are not very clear on the differences, and this is bad press for VS itself.

Oasis seems a (and the only) good long-haul budget airline example, and they fly from LGW. The demand is clearly there from Hong Kong, Malaysia and Thailand to UK, and they don't care that much about which airport they will land.

I guess it is quite easy to set it up. Just lease few second hand 747s on cheap rate, especially when A380 in place the rate will be very cheap. Lufthansa, SQ and BA all have a few old 747s to retire in the next few years.

By the way, I will prefer PE with VS, rather than business class with Oasis. It's really make you feel old fasion.

I was once on a flight from Sydney to London with Virgin and the Australian couple sitting next to me thought that Virgin Atlantic was just a long haul version of Virgin Blue. So if an alliance is due with a low cost carrier it may start to cause the same problems world wide!

The B744 prices at the moment are VERY high, Airbus has made sure of that, but in the future who knows!!!!

Originally posted by Denzil
The B744 prices at the moment are VERY high, Airbus has made sure of that, but in the future who knows!!!!

Do you mean brand-new B744s from Boeing or on the second-hand market? I've heard a lot about high prices from Boeing putting a lot of potential customers off.

Also am I right in thinking that there are not many passenger B744s available on the second-hand market?

The price for new 744 (and 748) are very high, but there are plenty of second hand 744s. It is more difficult to find freighter version than the passenger version due to high demands from Far East. That's why there are a lot of freighter conversion happening at the moment. Particularly in Xiamen, China, for CX, Martinair, etc.

Two 744s are available from Boeing directly. http://active.boeing.com/commercial/am/ ... eports.cfm

And if you are not in a hurry, SQ will have a couple of 744s retire soon.

I think you'll find that the PW4056 powered aircraft is ex SQ & the RB211 powered aircraft ex SAA that are on offer on the Boeing site. The SQ aircraft you mention are all sold, most to Dragonair & CX (obviously now one & the same) for conversion to B744BCF. So second hand B744 are far from plentiful (VS would pick up some CF6 powered aircraft if available). Heard recently that Air Atlanta bought 3 ex ANA B744's and sold them on at a substantial profit due to A380 delays.

[RichardMannion]

Both EZ and VS deny:
http://www.travelmole.com/stories/1114954.php?mpnlog=1

Thanks,
Richard

Air Asia have plans but not currently with VS or EJ.

Link to News Story - for those of you who have not seen the news.

Phil