Sydney Service Ending

Tobago also quietly dropped last month, hard times!

Tobago is a seasonal route as of last year.

[mitchja]

As flyingfox mentioned, Tobago has indeed also been quietly dropped:

Please be advised that, with effect from 30 March 2014, Virgin Atlantic has ceased operations to Tobago.

The route has consistently performed below a sustainable level and forecasts indicate that this is not likely to change. This has contributed to the decision to withdraw the service.

The last departure to Tobago (via St Lucia) departed from Gatwick on Saturday 29 March.

Seems odd how VS couldn't make the SYD route work, as I flew the route a few weeks ago and the flight looked pretty full to me. Guess they just weren't charging enough!

Saying that, BA have dropped all their Oz flights but SYD, and even that route has been downgraded to the 77W so guess its not that lucrative.

Makes you wonder if VS might give it another shot with their 787's?

I think in this case its less about filling planes, more about cost of crew away for so long and fuel.

As mentioned upthread, the problem with SYD is it is difficult to operate logistically and far more expensive to operate than traditional point-to-point routes.

The aircraft's away from base for nearly 72 hours, it requires a dedicated cabin crew base in HKG and the UK-based flight crews are away for the best part of a fortnight IIRC.

Yes a 787 would reduce the costs somewhat but per passenger it would still be much more expensive to operate than any other route. On top of which stiff competition from Emirates (and Qatar to elsewhere in Aus) is keeping fares lower than they could be.

[Darren Wheeler]

The aircraft's away from base for nearly 72 hours, it requires a dedicated cabin crew base in HKG and the UK-based flight crews are away for the best part of a fortnight IIRC.

Was only a week, if that taking into account the time zones.

Seems odd how VS couldn't make the SYD route work, as I flew the route a few weeks ago and the flight looked pretty full to me. Guess they just weren't charging enough!

Saying that, BA have dropped all their Oz flights but SYD, and even that route has been downgraded to the 77W so guess its not that lucrative.

Makes you wonder if VS might give it another shot with their 787's?

I don't think they will. Virgin Australia was the only real option to keep the HK - Syd link open, but apart from sharing a name - they are very different in terms of ownership and management. The flights I have been on - have been fairly busy and the fares were not the cheapest. Australia is an expensive place at present though. I was told in NZ that the reason Emirates fly on to NZ is that is it cheaper than parking in Syd all day!

I took the HKG-LHR leg of the last SYD slight last night and was talking to the check in staff (the best I have encountered with VS).
They said that that route is already saturated and VA declined to take it over (despite it being a code share with VS).
The big problem - which QF have addressed - is many pax flying from SYD-LHR now go via the middle east so the through traffic demand is not there. The pax just going to HKG are already well catered for. The LHR-SYD through route is really a hangover from 10 years ago.

LHR-HKG is a very popular route. CX have 5 flights a day, BA run the 380 on there so VS can do better than one 340 a day. Maybe when the new planes start to arrive we will see an extra flight added.

[mitchja]

There where 2 x VS HKG flights a day at one point for a while.

IMHO, the other problem with the current VS HKG flight is timings. By the time you arrive in HKG on the VS200 at 17:50 local time, you are starting to run out of connection options the same day.

Australia is an expensive place at present though. I was told in NZ that the reason Emirates fly on to NZ is that is it cheaper than parking in Syd all day!

Absolutely, if its like everything else.. pay and display for an A380 )

We had to change terminals once at SYD and must of spent the best part of £20 on pure trolley charges :0 (4 bags/ toddler and an "Unruly Hang Glider" )

Virgin are thinking of opening a Perth route non-stop on its new 787 when it arrives

Virgin are thinking of opening a Perth route non-stop on its new 787 when it arrives

Virgin "think about" doing a lot of things, usually through some cryptic adhaoc comment during interviews, most of which never happen..

Virgin are thinking of opening a Perth route non-stop on its new 787 when it arrives

Virgin "think about" doing a lot of things, usually through some cryptic adhaoc comment during interviews, most of which never happen..

And even more unlikely to happen post DL tie up. No doubt those in ATL had a bit of an influence on the ending of SYD as well.

[Darren Wheeler]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J5KREUI ... e=youtu.be

Video of the VS201 leaving.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J5KREUI81e8&feature=youtu.be

Video of the VS201 leaving.

y) Thanks for posting that Darren, fantastic...

... and how sad too. Putting aside all of the armchair CEO stuff, all of the clever comments about yields and networks, alliances and lounges, fuel consumption and fleet utilisation.... it is a sorry sight to see another route evaporate, especially one which once seemed somehow to articulate VS's global ambitions.

Well done to SYD for the salute.

Virgin are thinking of opening a Perth route non-stop on its new 787 when it arrives

If this happens I will eat a tin of cold baked beans :$ and post a video of it on this site.

I fear for my favourite airline -- yesterday SRB stated on CNBCs squark box his desire to build a supersonic passenger plane capable of 19,000 mph orbitally -- this is just cloud cuckoo land ?|