Up, Up And Away As Virgin Brings On The Blue
The Age
Monday July 16, 2001
Taxiing through a ceremonial arch of firefighting foam, Virgin Blue flight 822 arrived slightly late at Melbourne Airport yesterday afternoon, but to the applause of passengers welcoming a new competitor on Australia's busiest air route.
The touchdown of Virgin's inaugural Sydney-Melbourne flight marked a breaking of the old duopoly that had returned to the route since the demise of Impulse Airlines, and, years earlier, Compass Airlines, Mk I and II.
Virgin Blue has matched its competitors' $66 one-way Melbourne/Sydney fare, with conditions, and offers walk-up one-way fares of $189, compared to $198 one-way from Qantas and Ansett, whose full return fares cost $620 and $660 respectively.
But it offers only five Melbourne-Sydney flights a day, a sixth of its competitors' on a route that generates $600 million a year from tickets.
Virgin Blue's flights leave from ``Express" terminals, resembling glorified coach terminals. In Melbourne, it is near Ansett Cargo; in Sydney, it is a corrugated-sheet building Impulse had used, five minutes' walk in the sun (or rain) from Qantas' domestic terminal.
Embarking passengers in Sydney were treated to a showbag from Sydney airport ``ambassadors" containing chocolate, mixed nuts and a diecast Sydney airport pin and brochure.
Explore Victoria showbags were placed on the aircraft's seats.
The hubbub of camera crews jockeying to capture images of departing passengers generated both amusement and bemusement for some, while others wondered what all the fuss was about.
Flight captain Chris Politz, 37, who before joining Virgin Blue had been flying abroad for the past decade - including a stint at Easy Jet, the no-frills airline portrayed in the TV series Airport - said the time had come to give customers continuing low airfares.
A duopoly was fine for the 1950s, he said, when flights to the outback needed to be subsidised by a protected market, but not now.
After pre-flight checks, Virgin Blue's red 737 trundled down the runway, 15 minutes behind schedule. The flight had been allocated runway ``34 right", the furthest from the terminal, that took an eternity to reach.
``Attention passengers, we're not driving to Melbourne, despite what it may look like," Captain Politz announced. The runway allocation was a ``strictly operational" decision by the control tower, not a political one, he said.
With engines roaring and pointing north, Flight 822 lifted off into the sun, pulled a sharp turn south, battling a 180kmh headwind at 30,000 feet bound for Melbourne.
As the flight levelled, corks popped and the cabin crew passed trays of sparkling wine to passengers.
Commemorative T-shirts were handed to passengers on the proviso they wore them off the plane.
A first-time Virgin Blue passenger, Adele Kusuma, 24, of South Yarra, said the true test of service would come with subsequent flights without the media attention.
All passengers on the Melbourne flight who spoke to The Age said they would consider flying with Virgin Blue again.
By contrast, the mood among Virgin Blue's Brisbane-bound passengers was dark: their morning flight was cancelled because of longer-than-expected aircraft maintenance. Some said they were angry at being left, wondering how they would reach their destination, until they were advised they would be taken by Qantas and Ansett.
SYDNEY TO MELBOURNE: THE FIRST PASSENGERS
Ed, 52, insurance-fraud private investigator, Ferntree Gully
First time with Virgin Blue: Yes
Try again: Yes
`In general, excellent. Good champagne. But they're going to have to upgrade terminal facilities to compete.'
Maddilaine Murphy, 16, student, Geelong
First time with Virgin Blue: Yes
Try again: Yes
`It's my first time to Sydney. I flew up with Qantas, my parents booked the Virgin flight on the Internet. The service is friendly.'
Virginia Nicoll, 49, real estate agent, Summer Hill, NSW
First time with Virgin Blue: Yes
Try again: Yes
`Lots of fun, everyone's having a ball. It's vital there's a third domestic airline for competition's sake.'
Paul Tant, 36, financial manager, Ballarat
First time with Virgin Blue: Yes
Try again: Yes
`It's a bit of competition for the big boys. They're pretty good: they gave me a seat with extra leg room.'
Adele Kusuma, 24, hospitality graduate, South Yarra
First time with Virgin Blue: Yes
Try again: Yes
`As a student, price is important. Despite the delay, so far so good, but the true test will be what it's like without all the media attention.'
© 2001 The Age
