Among the latest WikiLeaks cables out of the US Embassy in Canberra is one that blows away the myth making about how superbly CASA was regulating air safety in Australia, at least until the current overhaul took hold under a new director of safety.
V Australia
Hold that iThingy! Passenger Wi-Fi does affect jets
Tests that have shown new cabin Wi-Fi or wireless broadband products for airlines including V Australia have suspended installations because of adverse impacts on cockpit displays during tests for electro-magnetic interference, reports Ben Sandilands.
Virgin Blue and V Australia integrate
An integrated management structure for Virgin Blue and V Australia was announced internally in the Virgin Blue group yesterday, with clear signals as to where new CEO and former Qantas executive gm, John Borghetti is taking the group, writes Ben Sandilands.
Profit guidance cut belts Virgin Blue shares
Virgin Blue has pitched nose down into a steep, high-volume share price dive today, and is now planning to destroy the benefits of what remains a profitable domestic network.
Virgin Blue plans for high-flying future
Virgin Blue CEO Brett Godfrey has an “airline of the future” unit working on the company’s renewal and growth. And believes success lies in treading the middle path between Qantas and low-cost carriers, says Ben Sandilands.
Virgin posts $160m loss
Virgin Blue this morning confirmed a loss of $160 million for the year to June 30 while the guessing game about its recent strong share price performance continues.
V Australia’s 777 buy-up will bite Qantas
Qantas made an incredibly inept decision by choosing to buy a large fleet of Boeing 787 Dreamliners, and not buying Boeing 777s. With the latter optimised for long-haul flights, V Australia’s new 777 fleet will allow it to offer a very attractive alternative to Qantas and Jetstar.
Sydney loses its stranglehold on international flights
Virgin Blue played the Melbourne-versus-Sydney card hard today, with the announcement that flights by its V Australia subsidiary will go directly from Johannesburg to Melbourne.
Virgin vs Kangaroos: a bums on seats comparison
Ben Sandilands looks at the bums on seats on Virgin and Qantas planes in a side-by-side comparison.
The truth about swine flu and air travel
Neither Qantas nor V Australia are carrying swine flu information for travellers on the primary or booking pages of their web sites.
