Virgin Australia dumps Phuket flights

[Lite Beer]

Virgin Australia dumps Phuket flights

The Phuket News

Virgin Australia flights from Perth to Phuket will cease from February 1, 2016. Photo: Virgin Australia

PHUKET: Virgin Australia will no longer operate direct flights from Perth to Phuket from February 1, 2016, with the last flight operating on January 31 next year.

The news was announced by the carrier yesterday (August 7), citing that the market was “just not big enough” to make the service viable.

In “optimising” its services, from March 23, 2016, Virgin Australia will withdraw from the following the following routes:

Adelaide-Denpasar: five return services per week
Melbourne-Denpasar: daily return services
Perth-Denpasar: eight return services per week
However, from March 23, 2016, Virgin Australia’s fully-owned subsidiary budget carrier Tigerair Australia will use three all-economy configured Boeing 737-800 aircraft to offer the following services to Denpasar (Bali), subject to relevant regulatory and operational approvals being secured:

Adelaide-Denpasar: five return services per week
Melbourne-Denpasar: daily return services
Perth-Denpasar: daily return services
“These changes will be effective in Virgin Australia’s booking system from 10am AEST today, Friday 7 August 2015,” said a release issued by the company yesterday.

“Customers who have already booked on these services for travel after the last flights will be contacted by their travel provider with alternative options.”

The airline’s international operations reported an underlying pre-tax loss of AUS$69 million for the fiscal year to June 30, compared with a AUS$49mn loss a year earlier, reports The Bangkok Post.

Virgin said it expected the international business to be profitable by the end of the 2016-17 financial year, the report added.

“Overall, Australia’s second-largest airline lost A$94 million, an improvement from a loss of $356 million the year before,” the report said.

Source: http://www.thephuketnews.com/virgin-australia-dumps-phuket-flights-53555.php

-- Phuket News 2015-08-08

[catterwell]

So it's official now: No more virgins in Phuket?

[KarenBravo]

Not really a surprise.

Aussie dollar has lost 25%.

Less Aussies coming.

[LivinginKata]

Not really a surprise.

Aussie dollar has lost 25%.

Less Aussies coming.

Exactly, Bali is a more attractice financial deal, shorter flight too.

[chainarong]

Not really a surprise.

Aussie dollar has lost 25%.

Less Aussies coming.

Exactly, Bali is a more attractice financial deal, shorter flight too.

They've also given up on Bali, all now will be serviced by Tiger who they brought last year.

[ezzra]

Not to worry, the Chinese will take their places and even over run them all, as evidence from what

I see in BKK MD and Suwannaphum airports, wall to wall Chinese and than some, they're literally

over running the country as New York and other touristy places on earth... there're millions

of them running around everywhere now days...

[robertthebruce]

Quite hard to take in, so where will all the ''Aussie women get there hair braided'' ???

[mihalis]

Woop woop, can travel with a few others than Virgin...

[ozyjon]

I once flew a Virgin short haul discount flight for the convenience,

while booking the ticket i became apprehensive and red flags kept

popping up as i scrolled down the page to complete the booking,

it kept asking if i wanted add ons, i thought this is ridiculous,

i have never had the experience of choosing to pay for a drink

and peanuts and given the option to pay for a blanket and then

being on a flight where the cabin temperature was set at 10*C

and when i offered to buy a blanket i was told ''we have run out''

i will never fly low budget from AUSTRALIA ever, although AirAsia

are quite good, so i figure the Virgin staff should have a new

welcome message, like this ''mooooo welcome to the Virgin

Atlantic cattle truck'' more appropriate.

[hugocnx]

Not really a surprise.

Aussie dollar has lost 25%.

Less Aussies coming.

Exactly, Bali is a more attractice financial deal, shorter flight too.

Bali less hub of anything too me thinks.

Worth a topic?: Bali (small) versus Thailand. Bet you it was there befor; the topic I mean.

Yeah, of course already covered by Tripadviser fora. Just checked. Sorry bout that. But no Thaivisa topic??

Edited August 8, 2015 by hugocnx

[Blitzkrieg Bob]

So it's official now: No more virgins in Phuket?

Good one!

[Maroon Watcher]

QUALITY AUS Tourists have Dumped on Phuket...

Tut Tut must be really downmarket now...

Still there's always the Chinese...

(New Money is better than No money - said the famous psychologist Desperado?)

[hugocnx]

I was in Bali more than 10 years ago. Thought it was a nice place, Budhist instead of Islam, but quite small.

Now after 9 years in Thailand I ought to go there and see for myself whichever is better.

Home is where the heart is and that can even be on a very small island.

[ronrat]

I was in Bali more than 10 years ago. Thought it was a nice place, Budhist instead of Islam, but quite small.

Now after 9 years in Thailand I ought to go there and see for myself whichever is better.

Home is where the heart is and that can even be on a very small island.

They are mostly Hindus. And itis not that small.

[joejai]

No surprise there.......Phuket has been loosing market share for a while now. It just got too expensive for it's own good.

[lvr181]

Somewhat similar to QANTAS changing many of their flights to their low cost (?) budget carrier, Jetstar.

[khun custard]

So it's official now: No more virgins in Phuket?

Good one!

ฺฺNo doubt Branson & Co. will soon announce direct flights to Pattaya to assist in a more pressing issue of their corporate morality

Remember what he did to Ansett ??

[sunluvr]

I was in Bali more than 10 years ago. Thought it was a nice place, Budhist instead of Islam, but quite small.

Now after 9 years in Thailand I ought to go there and see for myself whichever is better.

Home is where the heart is and that can even be on a very small island.

quite small?? Bali is 10 TIMES the size of Phuket - 5,780 sq. kms compared to 576 sq. kms, and Bali is 85% Hindu, not Buddhist.

[Doc46]

So it's official now: No more virgins in Phuket?

I didn't know they had Virgins in Phuket,,,I thought they where all RUN in,,,

[ripstanley]

So it's official now: No more virgins in Phuket?

Good one!

ฺฺNo doubt Branson & Co. will soon announce direct flights to Pattaya to assist in a more pressing issue of their corporate morality

Remember what he did to Ansett ??

Branson did nothing to Ansett. Ansett was taken over by Air New Zealand and totally stuffed it up. Branson created Virgin Blue in 2000 with 2 aircraft. After the collapse of Ansett he expanded to fill the void.

https://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20070220221008AABz68q

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virgin_Australia

[Walkabout Man]

Dissappointing because I use this service quite regularly, there is no other direct flights which means that everyone has to go through another major hub adding at least 3 hours onto the travel time

[hugocnx]

I was in Bali more than 10 years ago. Thought it was a nice place, Budhist instead of Islam, but quite small.

Now after 9 years in Thailand I ought to go there and see for myself whichever is better.

Home is where the heart is and that can even be on a very small island.

quite small?? Bali is 10 TIMES the size of Phuket - 5,780 sq. kms compared to 576 sq. kms, and Bali is 85% Hindu, not Buddhist.

If you consider 76 x 76 km big, yes you are right. But did we compare Bali To Phuket by square km. I must have forgotten.

[hugocnx]

I was in Bali more than 10 years ago. Thought it was a nice place, Budhist instead of Islam, but quite small.

Now after 9 years in Thailand I ought to go there and see for myself whichever is better.

Home is where the heart is and that can even be on a very small island.

They are mostly Hindus. And itis not that small.

I stand corrected. I was of the opinion that way back when Bali was also Bhudist. May have changed in those years. Godda do my homework again.

Grumbles..

Edited August 8, 2015 by hugocnx

[shaggy851]

Well they havent been competitive enough, basically you can fly direct to bangkok cheaper with thai full service or use singapore air with a layover in singapore, all same price or cheaper. They may be the only ones direct to phuket from perth but who cares, they have to factor in that some people are headed onwards to bangkok or other cities and discount some of that price, and youre competing with bali cheaper flights with lots of carriers and an overall cheaper holiday.

The planes are too small for me being 6 hours flight from or to perth, and they only have wifi streaming to devices otherwise no in flight entertainment. Food average and crap selection of beers. Its a budget service at a premium price, with the falling dollar its an expensive holiday for the low or middle class. I doubt the people who can afford business would fly with virgin, its just a purple piece of perspecs and a rope away from economy. Should learn from qantas, nobody wants to pay a premium for poor service unless they have to

[xjbond]

So it's official now: No more virgins in Phuket?

Nice play on words, good observation.

[xjbond]

So it's official now: No more virgins in Phuket?

I didn't know they had Virgins in Phuket,,,I thought they where all RUN in,,,

No virgins in Phuket or Pattaya (or many other HOT spots). Big sister teaches little sister how to lose it the day after she arrives from Issan.

[Guest]

So it's official now: No more virgins in Phuket?

Good one!

ฺฺNo doubt Branson & Co. will soon announce direct flights to Pattaya to assist in a more pressing issue of their corporate morality

Remember what he did to Ansett ??

Branson did nothing to Ansett. Ansett was taken over by Air New Zealand and totally stuffed it up. Branson created Virgin Blue in 2000 with 2 aircraft. After the collapse of Ansett he expanded to fill the void.

https://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20070220221008AABz68q

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virgin_Australia

Your right Branson did nothing to Ansett but it was well stuffed when Air new Zealand bought it, it was a dying duck

[shaggy851]

Quite hard to take in, so where will all the ''Aussie women get there hair braided'' ???

Bali i suppose

Edited August 8, 2015 by shaggy851

[blazes]

Not to worry, the Chinese will take their places and even over run them all, as evidence from what

I see in BKK MD and Suwannaphum airports, wall to wall Chinese and than some, they're literally

over running the country as New York and other touristy places on earth... there're millions

of them running around everywhere now days...

Swarms.....

[mango66]

Not to worry, the Chinese will take their places and even over run them all, as evidence from what

I see in BKK MD and Suwannaphum airports, wall to wall Chinese and than some, they're literally

over running the country as New York and other touristy places on earth... there're millions

of them running around everywhere now days...

Not everywhere !!

Have been yesterday in some music famous capita,

many foreign groups, disciplined and silent !

But havn't seen any Chinese group,

so I asked some guide -

They dont offer ! Cheap packages to chinese operators !!

They get enough HQ chinese tourists which ready do travell single, pair or family !

But Thailand like mass mass mass !!

Thats Asien - and thai behavier -

nothing speciual,

just we faron g dont like this style,

so why we are gere in LOS ??