Virgin Australia: New routes and increased frequencies

In a diversionary tactic to counter Jayne Hrdlicka’s disastrous words earlier in the week, Virgin Australia is ramping up its routes roll-out (see how I did that?), and upping the frequency of flights on some routes.

Jobs, flights, routes

Of course the line Virgin, and the Deputy Prime Minister of Australia, Michael McCormack MP are taking in their announcement is about 250 new jobs – ignoring the thousands previously lost due to COVID-19. Jayne is trumpeting the 6,000 strong workforce they will employ – down from 9,000 if my memory serves me correctly.

But most interesting for flyers is the extra flights and new routes.

New routes

Let’s start with the new routes:

• Adelaide-Cairns – up to 4 flights per week starting 10 August
• Cairns-Perth – up to 4 flights per week starting 26 July
• Melbourne-Townsville – 3 flights per week starting 17 August
• Sydney-Darwin – daily services starting 14 July (seasonal)
• Sydney-Townsville – 3 flights per week starting 27 July

Lets hear it for the thrupple

And the triangle of Brisbane / Sydney / Melbourne (or thrupple as I like to think of it) is getting a boost in frequencies, which tends to indicate that domestic flying has not forever changed as we move to zoom calls, but is rebounding, even if its just Australians desperate to travel anywhere – even domestically!

• Sydney-Melbourne (from 130 up to 163 return flights/week by October)
• Sydney-Brisbane (from 76 up to 104 return flights/week by October)
• Melbourne-Brisbane (from 61 up to 84 return flights/ week by October)  

But Wait! There’s more!

A whole lot of smaller and semi regional routes are also increasing frequency:

• Adelaide-Gold Coast (from 7 up to 9 return flights per week across school holiday travel dates)
• Brisbane-Cairns (from 29 up to 31 return flights per week by October)
• Brisbane-Proserpine / Whitsunday Coast (from 7 up to 10 return flights per week by October)
• Brisbane-Mackay (from 20 up to 30 return flights per week by October)
• Brisbane-Townsville (from 20 up to 31 return flights per week by October)
• Brisbane-Perth (from 17 up to 24 return flights per week by October)
• Brisbane-Canberra (from 18 up to 24 return flights per week by October)
• Melbourne-Gold Coast (from 40 up to 57 return flights per week by October)
• Melbourne-Launceston (from 16 up to 21 return flights per week by October)
• Melbourne-Hamilton Island (up to 4 return flights per week by October)
• Melbourne-Hobart (from 18 up to 31 return flights per week by October
• Melbourne-Cairns (from 8 up to 23 return flights per week by October) 
• Melbourne-Sunshine Coast (from 13 up to 28 return flights per week by October)  
• Sydney-Sunshine Coast (from 11 up to 26 return flights per week by October)  
• Sydney-Gold Coast (from 49 up to 72 return flights per week by October)
• Sydney-Cairns (from 10 up to 21 return flights per week by October)  
• Sydney-Hobart (from 10 up to 20 return flights per week by October)  

2PAXfly Takeout

This is another timely reminder to wear your seatbelt when seated. Holding you close to your seat will protect you from the sort of injuries sustained on this flight, when unsecured passengers flew to the ceiling of the aircraft, and then came crashing down once the ‘drop’ ceased.

The hope will be that this is an anomaly – a ‘freak accident’ in casual parlance. If it is a systemic error either mechanical or electronic, then this is a larger concern for the airlines that fly Boeing Dreamliner 787 aircraft. Let’s hope it isn’t. If it is, it will pile on the woes to Boeing’s existing stack.

Now, given that these increased frequencies and new routes don’t start until October, you can’t tell me that this isn’t a ‘look over here’ on Hrdlicka’s behalf, to move on from her disastrous statement inferring that she didn’t care about Australia lives it if interfered with her airline’s success. OK, some of those routes do start in July. I’ll give her that.