Virgin Australia have just confirmed the date of their first Sydney to Hong Kong return flights, and to celebrate they’re giving away free return Business class airfares and luxury accommodation in the airline’s #chopstickchallenge. To enter, post a picture of yourself conducting ordinary tasks using chopsticks through Instagram. The person with the most creative use…
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At his flagship MOJO restaurant in Sydney, and in front of his test kitchen – where many of the dishes that end up on a Virgin Australia flight are designed (with Virgin’s on board equipment seen sitting amongst the usual array of kitchen equipment) – I recently had the chance to taste Luke Mangan‘s new…
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The newest domestic offering (and rebranded International inclusion from what was known for the year prior as “Economy Space Plus”) from Virgin Australia adds new benefits to the exit row and the first few rows of the economy section: some extra leg room, priority security screening, priority baggage and dedicated overhead storage. The new section of…
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Virgin Australia is set to commence its full rollout inflight wireless internet to the majority of its domestic and international aircraft, making it the first Australian airline to offer wi-fi internationally. Select Virgin Australia’s Boeing 737 aircraft are already fully equipped with inflight Wi-Fi, with the airline having recently completed a three month trial on select…
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It has now become easier to accrue points for both members of Hainan Airlines‘ Fortune Wings Club and Virgin Australia‘s Velocity program. The recent announcement that Hainan Airlines has begun a frequent flyer cooperation with Velocity comes as a very welcome one for frequent travelers between Australia, New Zealand, and Greater China, kick starting a…
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First announced back in December, the first phase of a new strategic cooperation agreement between Virgin Australia and Air Canada has officially launched today, with three routes now providing seamless connections between Australia and Canada, via Los Angeles, while offering Velocity points to Virgin’s frequent flyers. Those routes are on Air Canada’s flights between Los…
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Virgin Australia is set to follow in the footsteps of US partner airline Delta by offering a new “enhanced” economy experience, by way of “Economy X” – a domestic equivalent to “Economy Space +”, which launched on Virgin’s international services last year. Those who fly Delta may also know the service as “Economy Comfort+”. Basically,…
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Though Qantas have just introduced a new Premium Economy seat and service to much excitement, Virgin Australia have been offering one of the best Premium Economy tickets in the market since last year. Taking up an intimate cabin of only 3 rows and 24 seats, the cabin heralds back to the “Business Class” of the…
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From 1st March 2017, 14 of Virgin Australia‘s regional routes currently operated sans Business Class seats on board their Embraer 190 or Fokker F100 aircraft, will be upgraded to their 737-800 aircraft, meaning that Business Class will be introduced on the routes for the first time. The routes are: Broome to Perth Brisbane to Proserpine Brisbane…
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Virgin Australia has been nothing if not slow to expand its international network, relying on codeshare partnerships, rather than its own fleet, to add destinations to its roster. But that looks set to change as the airline has confirmed it will launch a new service to Hong Kong, likely from Melbourne, and re-confirmed their intention…
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The Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts (AACTA) has announced a brand new partnership with Virgin Australia and Delta Air Lines, with the strategic alliance partners now sitting as the Exclusive Airline Partners of the 6th Annual Awards in Sydney as well as the AACTA International Awards in Los Angeles. The partnership will see…
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This week, Virgin Australia’s loyalty program Velocity announced the launch of yet another initiative to reward their members: Velocity Live. Velocity Live will add offers to live experiences through exclusive event offers and pre-sale tickets. Who can say no to premium seating allocations? And to help kick things off, they’ve enlisted the help of Velocity…
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Virgin Australia is expanding its international operations in 2017, with the announcement yesterday that the carrier would be re-introducing its Melbourne to Los Angeles route, which was taken away in October 2014 in favour of their Brisbane to Los Angeles service (which at the time was only serviced by Qantas). Since then, Qantas and United…
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The Australian Film Television and Radio School has announced a partnership with Virgin Australia that will see its aircraft screens adorned with the best short films to come out of the school. The initiative will take the title, the ‘Best of the Fest’ program and will feature a selection of AFTRS films that have screened…
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The Australian Business Traveller reported yesterday that Virgin Australia will be the latest international carrier to turn on an inflight wi-fi service, joining the likes of Delta, Singapore Airlines, Virgin America and many, many more. The news comes five months after Qantas announced they would be the first Australian carrier to introduce free Wi-Fi to…
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As we reported last month, Virgin Australia have launched the first upgraded service of their 777-300ER fleet, featuring a brand new Business and Premium cabin, as well as an Economy Space +, which can be booked for flights from 30 August onwards – though the cabin itself is already in operation in the one fitted aircraft. But…
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Some of Australia’s major airlines have been named amongst the most efficient in the world according to a recent study conducting at the University of Sydney Business School’s internationally recognised and respected Institute of Transport and Logistics Studies (ITLS), which also measures rail and bus services. A total of 150 airlines were ranked using a…
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Virgin Australia has announced plans to launch a new class upgrade, Economy Space +, this August. The news comes alongside the launch of their refurbished Premium and Business Class cabins, which we reported on yesterday. The enhancement – which is reminiscent of services offered by other airlines, like United Airlines’ Economy Plus – is designed to improve comfort and…
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Virgin Australia has begun rolling out the first major refitting of their international 777 aircraft since the airline re-branded from V Australia in 2011. The changes, at this stage, are exclusive to their premium cabins, with the airline rolling out their flagship Business Class product ‘The Business’ as well as a refreshed Premium Economy cabin, simply named…
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In pretty major news for the local frequent flyer programs – of which Virgin and Qantas are the two major players – members of the Velocity Frequent Flyer Program are now able to redeem their points towards any Tigerair flight purchased from the Tigerair website or the Velocity Membership Contact Centre. To redeem points, members are instructed to log in…
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In a deal worth US$2.6 Billion, and one that is sure to shake up the US domestic travel industry, Alaska Airlines have confirmed they have won a bidding war with JetBlue Airways to purchase the much loved airline Virgin America. The merger will see Alaska Airlines become the 5th biggest in the USA, with 1,200…
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We return domestically with an East Coast capital city service from Virgin, who have kicked things up a notch in recent times to compete with Qantas more aggressively on the domestic market. Airline: Virgin Australia Route: Sydney-Brisbane, VA931 Seat: 7A (Window) Aircraft: Boeing 737-800 Flight Time: 1 Hour 30 Minutes On Schedule? Yes, departed aircraft…
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On the AU Abroad, we bring you a birds eye view of the world of travel. In this article series, we let you in on the best airlines to fly with. Today we bring you a look at Virgin Australia’s flagship service, taking guests on an affordable direct service from Sydney to Los Angeles International’s new…
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