Tuesday 4 May 2010: Australian based Virgin Blue crew will this week vie for spots on a brand new cultural job swap program between Virgin Blue and US based domestic airline, Virgin America.
The successful applicants will take off to the land of hotdogs and Hollywood in October and will be integrated into the Virgin America crew roster. While they will be based in San Francisco, the crew will fly across all Virgin America routes in the United States from San Diego to Seattle.
As part of their everyday role, they will be responsible for giving flyers a taste of Australia via announcements on the in-flight PA and personal interactions with travellers. Virgin America will also introduce Australian wine on board flights as part of its First Class service.
Virgin Blue will take on six Virgin America crew to be based in Australia for the 12 month exchange. It comes off the back of the successful Cabin Crew exchange program between Virgin Atlantic and Virgin Blue which launched three years ago.
Recruiters from Virgin America will arrive in Australia today to begin three days of recruitment sessions in Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne to select the six Virgin Blue team members who will be swapping Vegemite on toast and Sunday roast for Yankee Doodle Dandy and Reeses Candy.
Virgin Blue Chief Executive, Brett Godfrey, said, “We are excited to be launching this exchange program at a time when travel and interest in Australia from US travellers is gathering momentum. With the recent launch of V Australia trans-Pacific flights, it is more affordable than ever and we hope our cultural exchange will work both ways in terms of inspiring people to travel between the two countries.”
He continued, “Our Aussie crew will be using their accents and their friendly Aussie personalities to give American travellers a taste of what they can expect if they visit our sunny shores, while the American crew will be able to give first hand accounts of their home country’s many attractions from Disneyland to Las Vegas.”
Director of People for Virgin America, Christine Morehead, said, “We are really looking forward to interviewing the Aussie crew this week, it’s a great opportunity for some cross promotional tourism benefits between the two countries. With both airlines being part of the Virgin brand, we know the crew will be a terrific fit in our US team and we will be looking out for crew members who we think “walk the talk” and epitomise Aussie culture”.
“It’s much more than a traditional job swap between international companies, it’s a cultural program aimed at generating greater understanding and interest in both America and Australia by harnessing the enthusiasm and pride these flying ambassadors have for their home country. It’s like a walking, talking mini tourism campaign being waged across the skies of both countries,” she finished,
The US crew touching down in Australia for 12 months will be based in Sydney and will fly to all Virgin Blue ports, including iconic Australian destinations such as Ayers Rock and the world famous Whitsundays.
The successful applicants will take off to the land of hotdogs and Hollywood in October and will be integrated into the Virgin America crew roster. While they will be based in San Francisco, the crew will fly across all Virgin America routes in the United States from San Diego to Seattle.
As part of their everyday role, they will be responsible for giving flyers a taste of Australia via announcements on the in-flight PA and personal interactions with travellers. Virgin America will also introduce Australian wine on board flights as part of its First Class service.
Virgin Blue will take on six Virgin America crew to be based in Australia for the 12 month exchange. It comes off the back of the successful Cabin Crew exchange program between Virgin Atlantic and Virgin Blue which launched three years ago.
Recruiters from Virgin America will arrive in Australia today to begin three days of recruitment sessions in Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne to select the six Virgin Blue team members who will be swapping Vegemite on toast and Sunday roast for Yankee Doodle Dandy and Reeses Candy.
Virgin Blue Chief Executive, Brett Godfrey, said, “We are excited to be launching this exchange program at a time when travel and interest in Australia from US travellers is gathering momentum. With the recent launch of V Australia trans-Pacific flights, it is more affordable than ever and we hope our cultural exchange will work both ways in terms of inspiring people to travel between the two countries.”
He continued, “Our Aussie crew will be using their accents and their friendly Aussie personalities to give American travellers a taste of what they can expect if they visit our sunny shores, while the American crew will be able to give first hand accounts of their home country’s many attractions from Disneyland to Las Vegas.”
Director of People for Virgin America, Christine Morehead, said, “We are really looking forward to interviewing the Aussie crew this week, it’s a great opportunity for some cross promotional tourism benefits between the two countries. With both airlines being part of the Virgin brand, we know the crew will be a terrific fit in our US team and we will be looking out for crew members who we think “walk the talk” and epitomise Aussie culture”.
“It’s much more than a traditional job swap between international companies, it’s a cultural program aimed at generating greater understanding and interest in both America and Australia by harnessing the enthusiasm and pride these flying ambassadors have for their home country. It’s like a walking, talking mini tourism campaign being waged across the skies of both countries,” she finished,
The US crew touching down in Australia for 12 months will be based in Sydney and will fly to all Virgin Blue ports, including iconic Australian destinations such as Ayers Rock and the world famous Whitsundays.
