Virgin Blue : DJ : VOZ :

Virgin Blue has really shown how it can punish Qantas for its absurd resistance to acquiring Boeing 777s.
The announced [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] of its V Australia fleet which rises to only four of these jets by December is going to be an enormous headache for Qantas.
And especially considering it holds orders or options for up to 13 Boeing 777-300ERs.
Qantas made two incredibly inept decisions concerning its fleet needs in recent years, in choosing to buy a large fleet of Boeing 787 Dreamliners, and not buying Boeing 777s.
In its defence, it was as easy a sell for the ‘plastic fantastic’ 787 sales pitch from Boeing as many other carriers, just more so considering the order peaked at 65 units and was recently trimmed to 50.
But when Geoff Dixon, then CEO, and Peter Gregg, then CFO, gloated over the wisdom of that deal in December 2005, their major competitors, Singapore Airlines, Cathay Pacific and Emirates, saw clearly the merits of the latest versions of the 777 and swooped.
The 777 is a product of a Boeing that knew how to design airliners and deliver on its promises, not the latter day Boeing that spread a truly promising concept in the 787 far and wide among sub contractors and risk sharing partners, some of them unequal to a task that the new management of Boeing wasn’t effectively supervising anyhow.
Hobbled with an aging fleet that Qantas for a period neglected to even maintain in a clean and reliable manner, it p*ssed more than a billion dollars in excess fuel consumption into the wind by not having 777s in its fleet. Money it will never get back. The 777-300ER is the most fuel efficient 300-400 seat sized longer range airliner available until at least 2014 and perhaps well beyond.
Qantas lost. Singapore Airlines, Cathay Pacific and Emirates gained. And now V Australia is gaining too, even by using the 777s on routes that are really too short in some cases, such as to Phuket or Nadi, to deliver the best economics of the jet.
These short routes give V Australia the chance to play havoc against the likes of Jetstar or Air Pacific at times when the 777s would otherwise be idle between long haul flights, racking up parking fees at the major Australian airports.
Much the same way that Emirates punts its A380s and 777s across the Tasman daily to take advantage of the big cargo container market that Qantas and Air NZ neglect with their smaller single aisle jets, plus passengers as a bit more cream on top, rather than do nothing while waiting for the right time to fly back to Dubai.
Being optimised for long haul, the 777s also have much better economy class amenity than shorter haul jets (despite Emirates going for 10 across seating).
Anyone who is familiar with the crammed condition of economy class on a Qantas 747 to Johannesburg is going to be pleasantly surprised by a V Australia 777. The difference will be very noticeable over the 12-13 hour long flights.
Using 777s, V Australia will be able to offer very attractive alternatives over a range of shorter as well as longer haul flights, cutting across the territory of both Jetstar and the Qantas full service offerings.
This takes the Virgin Blue subsidiary out of its until now total exposure to the cut throat environment of the trans Pacific routes where the A380 does give Qantas a cost per seat per kilometre advantage, as well as an even nicer airliner. And it allows V Australia to diversify into markets where the giant Airbus is some years away from being a force, which it won’t become until sustained growth returns to international aviation.
And the Qantas answer to the 777, the slightly smaller 787, isn’t coming any day soon, maybe never. Qantas can use A330s very effectively over medium distances where that Airbus is the efficiency leader, but as it turns out, those who use the 777 against it in Asia, Singapore Airlines, Cathay Pacific and Emirates, also have large A330 fleets for just that reason. They have the long and medium haul routes covered with A330/777 strategies that eluded Qantas, to its costly disadvantage.
In fact out of its better equipped major competitors, Emirates is the largest A380, 777 and A330 operator in the world, with Singapore Airlines also flying large numbers of all three types.
On Wednesday Qantas has allowed extra time for its always important financial year results announcement and briefings.
There are whispers. Some say it has cancelled the 787. Others that it has come to an agreement with Boeing to replace some or all 787s with 777s.
If it is a case of the latter, better late than never, but rather sad considering the squandered opportunities.

Virgin Blue is hoping to take advantage of the global downturn to order up to 50 new 737s at "bargain prices," CEO Brett Godfrey told ATWOnline.
"Now is a great time to buy. We are in the market because the market is right and we don't want to miss the opportunity," he said. Blue operates 65 aircraft comprising 50 737-700s/-800s and 15 E-Jets. It now is considering the -900ER, which can seat up to 215 passengers, 26 more than its largest current aircraft.
Godfrey said he is not satisfied with Blue's 30% share of the Australian domestic market and hopes to boost it to 50% in the long term. That goal is one of the objectives of Blue's "Airline of the Future" project, which he said may include subdividing the cabin into more classes.
The 737s would feature premium economy and classic economy seats up to the over-wing exit rows and lower-cost seating with reduced pitch toward the back of the aircraft. "This would give us virtually a three-class configuration," he said. "Just putting an extra row of seats in the back lowers costs by 3%."
Blue had been looking at starting a new airline to combat Jetstar Airways, but Godfrey said that option is fading and the airline favors introducing a third class onto its existing fleet. It also is planning more premium features offering greater differentiation from its standard economy product. He told this website that the premium economy product also will be rolled out across the regional international fleet, which operates under the Pacific Blue brand.
The carrier suffered a company-record A$160 million ($138.7 million) loss in its fiscal year ended June 30 [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien].

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Australian Competition and Consumer Commission issued a draft determination finding that the planned transpacific joint venture between Virgin Blue and Delta Air Lines "is likely to assist Virgin Blue and Delta to compete more effectively against the incumbents on the routes, Qantas and United Airlines." The partnership also requires approval from the US Dept. of Transportation [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien]. ACCC said it was proposing authorization for an initial three-year period in order to gauge "the conduct of the parties under the joint venture," but that it believed that Blue's and DL's entry "has created strong competition on price and service in the market for passenger transport." It is accepting comment until Nov. 17.
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Depressed aircraft prices are affording Virgin Blue an opportunity to fast-track expansion plans and tap into a resurgence in Australia's resource sector. In September it announced it was buying another 50 737s to update and expand its regional short-haul fleet but ATWOnline now understands from Brisbane-based sources that the total purchase will be for 70 aircraft and possibly may include 787s as well. Godfrey said at the time that it was "a great time to buy" and that "we don't want to miss the opportunity."
Over the past six months the global Virgin group of airlines has been working to improve synergies to offer passengers around-the-world fares and seamless transfers between the constituent carriers.

Australia's [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] is still in talks with [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] over a possible [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] aircraft purchase, and expects to finalise the deal this year.

The airline had previously expressed its interest to purchase 737s.
Talks with the airframer are still ongoing, says Virgin Blue's CEO Brett Godfrey.

When asked, he says it would be "fair" to say that a deal might be decided this year.

"We have about 30 aircraft coming off their leases over the next three years, so if we don't buy new ones, we'd have to renegotiate the leases," he adds.

The airline has requested for deliveries to be between 2011 and 2014, says Godfrey.

The group's long-haul operation, V Australia, is due to receive its next [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] in November, but it is unlikely to
start a new international route, he says.

"We are looking more at filling in the gaps," says Godfrey, who adds that flight frequencies to Johannesburg or Melbourne among others might be increased.


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Australia-based [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] has appointed former Qantas Airways executive John Borghetti as CEO and managing director replacing Brett Godfrey, who is retiring, from 8 May.
Borghetti, 54, was executive general manager at Qantas for six years before he left the carrier in May 2008, says Virgin Blue. He has 36 years aviation experience, it adds.
He was in charge of domestic and international operations at Qantas, including network operations, scheduling and pricing, sales and marketing, crew, customer service, product and brand, says Virgin Blue.
Borghetti was responsible for all full-service airlines in the Qantas group and during his tenure as executive general manager, the company achieved its highest reported profit of over A$1.4 billion ($1.3 billion), it adds.
Prior to this position, he headed Qantas' global sales and marketing operations.
Before his departure from Qantas, Borghetti was seen as one of the contenders for the job of CEO after Geoff Dixon's retirement in late 2008. However, that job eventually went to Alan Joyce.
Virgin Blue chairman Neil Chatfield says: "We are delighted to have John join us. He is a highly regarded executive with deep aviation experience and insights; proven strategic capabilities and strong marketing credentials. Nobody knows the market better and he is passionate about the aviation business."
Borghetti says Virgin Blue is a "great business with a great team and great culture".
"The company is in good shape and is exceptionally well placed to build on its strengths and embrace revenue growth opportunities ahead. I look forward to work with the team to create an even more competitive environment for air travellers - domestic and international," he adds.

Virgin Blue orders 50 Boeing 737s

Australia's [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] has inked a deal for 50 [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] 737s as part of its fleet renewal plan over the next decade.
The agreement, which was negotiated over nine months, includes 50 firm orders for 737-800NG aircraft with the flexibility to convert those to either 737-700s or 737-900s. There are options for an additional 25 aircraft with firm delivery positions, and 30 future purchase rights.
Virgin Blue did not put a value on the order, the largest in its 10-year history and Boeing's largest in the last 18 months.
Delivery will be from June 2011 to 2017, says Virgin Blue. Most of the aircraft will replace its existing narrowbody fleet, while the remainder will be used on new routes and to boost frequency on services where there is high demand.
Virgin Blue's existing narrowbody fleet comprises 50 737-700/800 aircraft (below), and it also operates 21 [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] E170 and E190 regional jets, according to Flightglobal's ACAS database.

[Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien]

The delivery options will help it to manage its aircraft fleet according to market conditions, ensure that its market share is not eroded and provide additional growth according to its discretion, says the carrier.
"Virgin Blue was fortunate to see the opportunity and be in a position to take advantage of the downturn in the market, as we did back in 2001, to secure long term future supply of aircraft on attractive commercial terms," says CEO Brett Godfrey.
"Pricing cannot be disclosed but importantly net pricing is improved from 2001 levels, allowing for a lowering of the fleet's cost base. We expect to finalise our funding arrangements for these aircraft shortly."
He adds that the agreement puts the carrier in a "strong position" to prepare for growth as domestic and short haul markets recover.
"It will also ensure a turnover of aircraft to maintain the youngest fleet of modern aircraft, which is crucial for maintaining our commitment to on-time performance and the lowest cost base possible," says Godfrey.
The deal includes aircraft with the latest technology under the Boeing Performance Improvement Plan, which would help Virgin Blue reduce its carbon footprint via initiatives including engine improvement and enhanced aerodynamics.
The aircraft will have Boeing's new sky interiors with inclusions such as newly designed seats and in-flight entertainment [IFE]. They will come in the three-class configuration that the carrier is rolling out from 2011.

Virgin Blue orders CFM56-7BE engines for new 737s
Australia's [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] has ordered the CFM International [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien]-7BE engine as part of last week's deal for 50 [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] aircraft.
The purchase of 50 CFM56-7BE powerplants is valued at $700 million at list prices, says CFM. The CFM56-7BE engine enhancement programme was launched in April 2009 to coincide with the [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] 737 Next Generation airframe improvements
This engine-airframe combination provides a 2% improvement in fuel consumption that leads to a 2% reduction in carbon emissions, says CFM. In addition, depending on the thrust rating, the enhanced -7B provides up to 4% lower maintenance costs, it adds.
"CFM is using advanced computer codes and three-dimensional design techniques to improve airfoils in the high- and low-pressure turbines to improve engine performance. In addition, CFM is improving engine durability and reducing parts count to achieve lower maintenance costs," says the 50-50 joint venture between Snecma and GE Aviation.
Virgin Blue has options another 25 aircraft and has secured 30 future purchase rights, in additional to the firm order for 50 737s. Deliveries will begin in mid-2011.
The airline, which has a fleet of 83 aircraft, has been a CFM customer since its launch in August 2000

Jeannot a écrit:Virgin Blue commande des CFM56-7BE pour ses nouveaux 737s.

Virgin Blue orders CFM56-7BE engines for new 737s
Australia's [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] has ordered the CFM International [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien]-7BE engine as part of last week's deal for 50 [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] aircraft.
The purchase of 50 CFM56-7BE powerplants is valued at $700 million at list prices, says CFM. The CFM56-7BE engine enhancement programme was launched in April 2009 to coincide with the [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] 737 Next Generation airframe improvements
This engine-airframe combination provides a 2% improvement in fuel consumption that leads to a 2% reduction in carbon emissions, says CFM. In addition, depending on the thrust rating, the enhanced -7B provides up to 4% lower maintenance costs, it adds.
"CFM is using advanced computer codes and three-dimensional design techniques to improve airfoils in the high- and low-pressure turbines to improve engine performance. In addition, CFM is improving engine durability and reducing parts count to achieve lower maintenance costs," says the 50-50 joint venture between Snecma and GE Aviation.
Virgin Blue has options another 25 aircraft and has secured 30 future purchase rights, in additional to the firm order for 50 737s. Deliveries will begin in mid-2011.
The airline, which has a fleet of 83 aircraft, has been a CFM customer since its launch in August 2000

La continuité...
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Virgin Blue announces major restructuring

Virgin Blue Group CEO John Borghetti launched a radical shakeup of the airline, including plans to cut routes where it faces stiff competition from Jetstar and Tiger Airways while chasing a 15% increase in corporate business on key routes from Perth.
Borghetti, a former Qantas executive who took over the company last month ([Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien]), yesterday outlined the restructuring of Blue and its international offshoot V Australia, revealing that the airlines will abandon routes such as Phuket and Fiji, and possibly decrease domestic New Zealand services, to stem losses. The news followed the company's stunning revelation to financial markets in Australia that its profit for its fiscal year ending June 30 will be just A$20 million ($16.9 million)-A$40 million, down from the A$80 million-A$110 million previously forecast ([Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien]).
Virgin Blue, which pioneered low-cost travel in Australia in 2001, has found itself squeezed over the past two years between Qantas at the top end of the market and Jetstar and Tiger at the lower end. Borghetti said yesterday that he wants to reposition the carrier as a business-focused airline with a revamp of its premium economy product.
He said it plans to offer more rewards to loyal customers, although no details are yet available. However, to alter its rewards program it needs to upgrade its reservations system, and a new res system will not be in place until December. He said high-yield routes such as Perth to Melbourne and Sydney would come in for special attention, with dedicated premium cabins and enhanced inflight services.
Borghetti also is keen to bring all of the group's airlines under one brand. Until now, an agreement between Virgin Atlantic Airways and its 49% stakeholder Singapore Airlines has prevented the Virgin Blue name being used outside Australia. This necessitated the formation of Pacific Blue for regional overseas routes and V Australia for long-haul routes. It is believed that if Blue no longer is positioned as a low-cost airline, SIA may be more amenable to allowing the brand to go international.
Borghetti hinted the airline could cut back on growth and not renew leases on nine aircraft in the next year.

Virgin Blue To Offer Business Class

Australia’s Virgin Blue Group plans to add Airbus A330s and offer business class on some domestic and short-haul international routes, signaling a further departure from its original low-cost carrier business model and a greater potential threat to rival Qantas Airways.
Virgin Blue plans to add A330s, configured in two classes, and use these widebodies on short-haul international and domestic trunk routes, industry executives say.
The domestic trunk routes are likely to be Sydney-Melbourne, Sydney-Brisbane and Sydney-Perth, say the sources. Sydney is Australia’s commercial capital and the airport there is subject to slot constraints at peak times.
The A330s will also be used for international services to Asia, say the sources. Virgin Blue Group presently offers services to Asia via the auspices of its long-haul outfit V Australia which operates Boeing 777s.
The first A330s will come in on lease, add the sources.
Its announcement will be made on Aug. 26 on the Australian Stock Exchange, when the group announces its financial results.
The group will also be making some other major announcements to the stock exchange tomorrow, says the sources. Those people declined to elaborate, but branding and airline alliances are among the outstanding issues that the airline is expected to address in its current reorganization.
Virgin Blue group has four airline brands—Virgin Blue for domestic, Pacific Blue for short-haul international, V Australia for long-haul international, and Polynesian Blue for its joint-venture carrier in Samoa.
It has been trying to find a way to adopt one brand across the group and ideally wants to use the “Virgin” brand, although it cannot due to an agreement between the Virgin Group and Singapore Airlines that prevents it from using that brand for international flights.
The fact Virgin Blue Group is transitioning from a low-cost to a full-service carrier means it may end up joining Star Alliance.
Star Alliance has had no member carrier in Australia since the collapse of Ansett Australia in 2001. The alliance has always said publicly it would be open to the idea of Virgin Blue Group joining Star Alliance if the Australian outfit became a full-service carrier.
Virgin Blue Group said this month it would leave the New Zealand domestic market and instead rely on an alliance with Air New Zealand, a Star Alliance member carrier.
The catalyst for the changes at the group is the appointment in May of John Borghetti, formerly Qantas executive general manager. Borghetti was credited with introducing the A330 to the Qantas fleet and helping that airline capture the lion’s share of Australia’s corporate market.

Virgin Blue rebounds to $19 million fiscal-year profit

Virgin Blue last week reported a net profit of A$21.3 million ($18.9 million) for its fiscal year ended June 30, a major reversal from a A$160 million loss in FY2008-09 that marked the Australian carrier's worst-ever fiscal-year result.
Blue's FY2009-10 revenue lifted 13% year-over-year to A$2.98 billion. CEO John Borghetti told reporters in Sydney that "achieving [profitability] in the current environment demonstrates that Virgin Blue's domestic business has the capability to ride through market and economic volatility, and remain well-positioned to extend its reach in key markets."
Consolidated traffic of Blue and subsidiary V Australia increased 23.4% to 26.9 billion RPKs on a 22.3% lift in capacity to 34 billion ASKs, resulting in a 0.7 point gain in load factor to 79.8%. Yield declined 7.1% to A$0.105 while CASK lowered 4.9% to A$0.062.
Borghetti noted the company's short-haul domestic and regional operations posted an underlying EBIT of A$127.6 million for the fiscal year while the long-haul V Australia business recorded a negative EBIT of A$43 million. Overall EBIT was A$87 million, widened from A$14 million in the prior year.
Blue also announced further changes in its international operations: V Australia will withdraw from South Africa and Thailand and launch services to Abu Dhabi as part of a comprehensive commercial partnership with Etihad. It will operate thrice-weekly Sydney–Abu Dhabi flights from February 2011 and thrice-weekly Brisbane–Abu Dhabi services by February 2012 aboard 777-300ERs.
The Blue-Etihad partnership, subject to regulatory approval, will involve joint flights and reciprocal frequent flyer programs. Additionally, it signals the end of Blue's tie-up with Emirates and Eithad's similar link with Qantas.
"Together with our proposed alliances with Delta Air Lines and Air New Zealand, the Virgin Blue network will seamlessly extend its reach to many more overseas destinations with little capital expenditure," Borghetti said. Blue also announced it will lease at least two A330s to operate transcontinental domestic routes in Australia. However, it did not announce any details of an expected domestic product upgrade.

ANZ acquires 14.9% stake in Virgin Blue for A$145m

Air New Zealand (ANZ) says it has acquired a 14.9% stake in Virgin Blue for A$145 million ($143 million), following yesterday's announcement that it has become a substantial shareholder in the Australia-based airline group.
"Further shares were acquired off-market last night which increased Air New Zealand's relevant interest to 14.9%. The purchase of the shareholding was completed from existing cash resources," says the Star Alliance carrier.
ANZ said yesterday it had approval from Australia's Foreign Investment Review Board to buy up to 14.99% of Virgin Blue, and it plans to acquire a share of between 10% and 14.99%.
ANZ, however, does not plan to launch a takeover bid of Virgin Blue and its CEO Rob Fyfe has reconfirmed this morning that the carrier does not intend to go over 14.99%, says ANZ.
In late December 2010, New Zealand approved a proposed trans-Tasman alliance between ANZ and Virgin Blue.
"This is simply an investment in Virgin Blue that reinforces Air New Zealand's strategy to grow its business in Australasia which is continually evolving as a single aviation market. The Tasman alliance with Virgin Blue was a key step in this strategy," says Fyfe.
"The investment provides us with an interest in the number two airline in Australia and, through this, access to the opportunities in the growing Australian domestic market. Air New Zealand has no intention of entering the Australian domestic market in its own right."
ANZ will not seek representation on Virgin Blue's board for at least six months, adds Fyfe. Any representation will be decided by Virgin Blue's board and shareholders, he adds.

Virgin Blue orders up to 18 ATR72s

[Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] today announced an order for up to 18 ATR72 aircraft, comprising both the -500 and -600 variants.
The first four ATR72 aircraft will be delivered in the middle of this year with another four to arrive next year. It is not clear yet how many of the 18 aircraft are firm orders, or how the order will be broken down by variant.
Virgin Blue will wetlease the aircraft from West Australia operator SkyWest under an agreement announced last month.
Skywest in turn will lease the aircraft from leasing company Avation with an initial term of ten years.
"The ATR will form the foundation of our regional network plans, with the first six ATRs replacing our current [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] E170 fleet and the additional aircraft flying to new regional destinations," chief executive John Borghetti says.
"The ATR is the best aircraft to operate on regional routes throughout Australia," he adds.
Borghetti says the ATR72 burns one-third less fuel than the E170. He adds that it also burns 20-30% less than its competing aircraft, a statement likely in reference to the [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien]-400 aircraft that QantasLink operates on its regional routes.
The carrier last August announced it was removing its six E170s as the aircraft was not a right fit for its network. It expects to make announcements in the near future about the E170 fleet's removal.

Nils a écrit:Après les B 777 orphelins de V Australia ( pour cause d'une porte spécifique qui rend ces appareils quasi resable à bon prix )

Virgin Blue réceptionne des Airbus A 330.

Pas neufs, type A 330-243, RR Trent 772 B-60, YoM 2000 > ex Emirates

Le second arrive en mai, en attendant la livraison des deux avions neufs commandés en novembre 2010.