Just a month after Richard Branson and his Virgin Australia team made a big show of launching its first Hong Kong service, the airline has shared an updated flight schedule.
Virgin Australia today announced a “consistent departure time” for each Melbourne to Hong Kong flight.
From 30 October through to 24 March 2018 (the Northern Winter season), VA87 will depart Melbourne at 10.55am and arrive in Hong Kong at 5.35pm. Virgin Australia will continue to operate five return services per week.
The return flight time of 7.50pm from Hong Kong remains unchanged.
Virgin Australia commenced operating flights to Hong Kong on 5 July, bringing strong competition to the route and reducing airfares by more than 30 per cent.
Virgin founder Richard Branson said the Hong Kong route “desperately needed Virgin competition”, having been “far too cosy with just two airlines flying it”.
“Virgin Australia is renowned for bringing choice and competition and since our flights went on sale we have seen our competitors discount their Melbourne-Hong Kong fares by as much as 34 per cent compared to before our fares were launched,” Virgin Australia Group CEO and Managing Director John Borghetti added.
General Manager of Network Management, Hope Antzoulatos commented, “We are pleased to have been able to streamline our Melbourne to Hong Kong schedule so quickly after our inaugural flight.
“We know a consistent departure time from both Melbourne and Hong Kong is important to our guests who are travelling for both leisure and business.
“We will continue to review our schedule beyond March 2018 and will update with any changes at a later date.”
It comes after Branson accused Qantas of trying to “push Virgin over a cliff” with regards to Qantas’ monopoly of the domestic market.
Branson claimed Qantas went to the Federal Government in 2014 with a “begging bowl to push us over a cliff”, despite not needing the money.
“We had to lobby hard,” he said, per AFR.
The new schedule will be on sale at www.virginaustralia.com shortly.
