Virgin Atlantic says that p assengers booked for travel between Sydney and Hong Kong after May 5 wil

These are still difficult times for the airline industry and as part of our strategy to operate more efficiently, we need to deploy cheap hotels in milan italy from the uk our aircraft to routes with the right level of demand to be financially viable.
Virgin's competitors on the Sydney-Hong Kong route are Cathay Pacific, which operates four flights a day, plus a single Qantas service which was recently upgraded to an Airbus A380 every day from January to March.
Virgin Atlantic says that p assengers booked for travel between cheap hotels in milan italy from the uk Sydney and Hong Kong after May 5 will be rebooked on alternative airlines, cheap hotels in milan italy from the uk while " passengers requiring a refund should go back to their travel agent/provider."
Virgin's withdrawal will no doubt spur speculation that Virgin Australia will take over the Sydney-Hong Kong route using one if its Airbus A330s, which are configured for medium-range international flights as well as the domestic east-west services they currently ply.
Virgin's chief commercial officer Judith Crompton says a new international destination would need to be "extremely commercially viable", compared to the efficiencies offered by using partner airlines such as Air New Zealand, Delta, Etihad and Singapore Airlines.
Virgin Atlantic began flying to Sydney in December 2004 and as recently as July last year said it was considering cheap hotels in milan italy from the uk introducing flights from Melbourne to Hong Kong or adding a second daily service from Sydney.
"Melbourne cheap hotels in milan italy from the uk is definitely a good option" suggested Virgin Atlantic's General Manager Australia, Luke Fisher, "or whether we consolidate with our Sydney focus and move to a second operation, it is really a 50-50 consideration."
While Virgin Atlantic travellers cheap hotels in milan italy from the uk out of Sydney were once evenly distributed between those who hopped off at Hong Kong and those who continued to London, Fisher reported that "now there is more London than Hong Kong. And I think that is a direct result of the changes cheap hotels in milan italy from the uk that Qantas and Emirates have made."
"There are still people that prefer Hong Kong as a stopover or transit point" Fisher continued, cheap hotels in milan italy from the uk drawing a contrast against Qantas' shift from Singapore to Dubai as the pivot point for its European flights.
Lower costs. I believe that VA should be able to run the SYD-HKG service with lower costs than VS, having cheap hotels in milan italy from the uk crew based in Australia rather than far away. It also would use an A332, not an A346; this should be cheaper to operate and easier to fill up.
Better feed. I believe cheap hotels in milan italy from the uk that VA should be able to feed it better with more marketing, and if the initial route is successful it should be much easier for it to launch routes from other Australian ports. If they can snag a codeshare into China, Korea and Japan through HKG they would be onto a serious winner.
I wouldn't put an angled lie flat seat from HKG - LHR (which is currently cheap hotels in milan italy from the uk equipped in most/all A330-200s on VA), especially when CX is running award winning seats on the same route. If a route had to be flown, try the 777-300ER.
BINGO! BA have been cutting back and cutting back. I have been predicting for some time they will terminate in SIN. QF wont get the codeshare from SIN to Australia with BA, BA will send pax via HKG with CX.
Bugger - got a flight booked from SYD-LHR in June, used points to upgrade the return to J too, wonder how VS will approach cheap hotels in milan italy from the uk that. Will be disappointed if they just refund my money and miles - it's been a nightmare trying to find a way of using them + the J product is very good IMO. Would be happy if they swapped me for an equivalent journey on Singapore Airlines or Etihad - guessing not though!
I too was just rebooked on CX. I asked about mile earning on CX and the fact I'd purchased one of their miles boosters for the entire SYD-HKH-LHR-HKG-SYD trip. Was advised to contact the customer services cheap hotels in milan italy from the uk by email and the Reservations Agent seemed to indicate their may be scope to credit miles for the CS leg of the route despite them not being a partner.. shall wait and see..
Virgin Atlantic have confirmed that mileage earning will be honoured on re-booked SYD-HKG with CX. I would imagine cheap hotels in milan italy from the uk that the same would go for re-bookings on this leg with other airlines (regardless of partner status). I didn't ask about Tier Points but given their flexible stance on the mileage I would imagine they would honour the tier point earning also.
This is bitterly disapointing - I was looking forward to one day getting a HKG-MEL service on a Virgin cheap hotels in milan italy from the uk Atlantic plane without the need to go through Sydney. As with some other people I'm booked on VS to fly out in June. One thing that did worry me in the email I received from VS Flying Club was a throwaway line indicating there may be an impact on the Flying Club program in Australia:
It made me wonder whether there is the possibility they will end up with a similar relationship with Velocity as British Airways Executive Club has with Qantas FF- with VS not allowing AU members, instead directing them to Velocity (or other partner FF program?
We would encourage our Australian Flying Club members to continue earning and spending Flying Club miles as normal cheap hotels in milan italy from the uk for now. We would then contact those members with a further update, following the final decision cheap hotels in milan italy from the uk on the intention to withdraw our operations cheap hotels in milan italy from the uk ."
I would have thought that they might have said the service would cease at the end of the European summer thereby catering for Australians travelling to London onto Europe during this period. Last year during the same period I travelled on VS between cheap hotels in milan italy from the uk HKG SYD for my trip to Europe and the flights looked quite full to me.
This decision is certainly going to piss-off a lot of people who might have had mikes stored in their VS FF account. I wonder if AMEX will reconsider their partnership arrangement for points transfer cheap hotels in milan italy from the uk to VS?
In the very challenging operating cheap hotels in milan italy from the uk conditions it was inevitable Virgin Atlantic would pull up stumps on this flight. While it is rumoured VA would like to stop the London to Hong Kong flight due to losses they are keen to offer the landing cheap hotels in milan italy from the uk slot to Cathay Pacific. UK authorities may not be keen with Cathay already operating 5 daily services between the two ports. cheap hotels in milan italy from the uk If VA stay on the route they would be smart to do what BA did when Qantas dumped them for Emirates and enter into an alliance with Cathay Pacific to have CX carry their passengers on to Australia. CX have a very strong network of flights to all key destinations in Australia. It could be a win win for VA and CX.
3. Emirates extend one of their DXB-HKG 777 services on to Sydney. EK already SYD-BKK, MEL-SIN and MEL-KUL onto DXB, so SYD-HKG probably isn't out of the question. An additional flight for the QF/EK alliance would likely benefit Qantas as it would provide more flexible travel frequencies, which is very very helpful at attracting business dollars.
@Radar: I doubt an alliance between CX and VS would come to fruition. If BA had half a brain that they would have incorporated an element of exclusivity into their agreement with CX for services between LHR-HKG and on to Australia.
I guess time will tell but I note VS are rebooking cheap hotels in milan italy from the uk quite a few of their pax onto CX services between Sydney and HGK. In relation to BA and their brain power they had little bargaining power and made the best if what was 'tough love' from Qantas.
I don't think the fact they're rebooking on CX can be taken as a sign of any potential partnership. When I was rebooked I was told they could only rebook cheap hotels in milan italy from the uk on another airline on an identical route SYD-HKG. The options I was given were either cheap hotels in milan italy from the uk CX or Qantas.
Well, by extending EK's route from Hong Kong to Australian ports would be rather stupid. Indeed, if that was the case, passengers would have to do a stopover in Dubai, then Hong Kong before finally arriving cheap hotels in milan italy from the uk at Sydney or Melbourne. 2 cities to stopover would increase the flight duration, which, in turn, would greatly reduce the attractiveness of these flights.
By that logic EK would never have openned up MEL-SIN, MEL-KUL nor SYD-BKK. All of these services continue on to DXB. EK don't necessarily expect people to take these routes all the way to DXB- that's what the direct services are for. But if there is a case for a DXB-HKG service and a seperate case for SYD-HKG, then they may use their gigantic widebody fleet to extend the service from HKG-SYD. I'm certainly not saying that it will happen, but it could happen. It would also seal EK's place for travel between Australia and the four major Asian ports. Say all you want about how good EK's entertainment or service is, their advantage above all is connectivity and this adds another piece to the puzzle.
Agree totally - and I'm very happy to have those EK flights with the stopovers in KUL and SIN, because it's often much easier to get a miles upgrade to J on those flights than it is on the direct flight to DXB, even though the former ones use a 777 for the service.
3. That's a good theory, but if it stays a 777 I would avoid this route especially with the uncompetitive J and Y products. SYD - BKK and MEL - KUL are feasible because neither TG or MH (respectively) offer a better product (correct me if TG runs an A380 on that route). As for SIN - MEL, I'm not sure.
Saddened but not that much. I flew with them up to Hong Kong to visit relatives and while the flight was decent and at one point better than Cathay and Qantas. it was not a universally happy experience. Anyway sad to see that another carrier is pulling out. I wander how it will affect the code share between VS and VA.
I think if VS had changed its schedules a bit, then it may have reduced the need to suspend the flights completely. At the moment, cheap hotels in milan italy from the uk there is a 7 hour stopover/layover in Sydney, which can be very costly.
I don't wonder VS are leaving the route. I flew on them once MCO/LGW on 747 supposedly 31" seatpitch. It was the most uncomfortable flight I have taken. 6 foot tall and 31" seatpitch doesn't work on an 8-hour flight let alone all the way to London. The A340-600 is not the right airfcraft for the route. As legacy carriers are quickly learning 2 engines (eg 777, A330) are cheaper cheap hotels in milan italy from the uk to operat