Roundup: V Australia LAX - SYD launch delayed due to Boeing strike; Geocaching news; Will TSA ease up on liquid rules?
Good morning, travelers! Aloha Friday, as we say around here. What are your plans for the weekend? Don’t forget to check The Guide to see what kinds of events are going on. I like the “Best Bets” section to give me the quick rundown.
Airline news | Did you score an inaugural $777 economy-class round-trip ticket on V Australia between Los Angeles and Sydney earlier this year? Well, we have some bad news. V Australia is delaying the launch of its service by at least two months. Flights were scheduled to depart starting Dec. 15, but now the dates have been pushed back to Feb. 28, 2008. This is due to the Boeing Co. factory workers strike (pictured) in Seattle. Read: Boeing strike in Seattle now affecting Southern California travelers and businesses
Outdoors and adventure | Are you into geocaching — the GPS sport of finding treasure by location coordinates? Geocaching.com can answer all your questions and tell you how to get started, but Alltop just released a new page for all sorts of geocaching news.
Airport news | In the travel Twittersphere today, @SeatGuru caught my eye with its tweet about the possibility of the TSA easing up on their liquid rules. The Wall Street Journal has a little more info but I’ve got my eye on TSA’s blog Evolution of Security for more details.
San Diego | If you are in San Diego this weekend, note that the Miramar Air Show is going on today through Sunday. That means you can head out to Miramar to see the Blue Angels, or prepare yourself for a few loud flybys if you’re in the area. General admission, parking and blanket seating is free. Preferred seating is discounted when you buy your tickets online.
– Jen Leo, Los Angeles Times Travel & Deal blogger
[Photo: Ted S. Warren / Associated Press]
One Comment on “Roundup: V Australia LAX - SYD launch delayed due to Boeing strike; Geocaching news; Will TSA ease up on liquid rules?”
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October 14th, 2008 at 3:02 am
Although the launch delays due to the Boeing strike are beyond “VAUSTRALIA’S” control, it gives me little confidence that the airline intends to offer the public, yet another “Special Offer Seat Sale”, prior to the “re-scheduled launch date”, in order to offset the losses it has sustained, by re-booking or refunding all currently booked guests.
It is obvious, that “VAUSTRALIA’S” decision to have “Special Offer Seat Sale No. 2″ at this time, is a direct result of “Number Crunching Accountants”, who have no real sense of timing nor understanding of consumer confidence or concern.
It indeed a time, when it is commonplace for airlines around the world to disappear overnight. Ansett Airlines is still remembered by many of us !
Recent public announcements that “Virgin Blue” profits were down by 55% in the last financial year, does little to generate confidence that, “She’ll be right mate !”
In order to reduce overheads, “VAUSTRALIA” has outsourced its’ “Reservations Department” and “Airport Handling”. This of course is nothing new to “Virgin Blue” who already partially outsource their “Reservations Department” and “Cabin Crew” to third parties. One can only presume that “VAUSTRALIA” Cabin Crew will also be outsourced in the not too distant future.
“VAUSTRALIA” was not able to provide me with an acceptable alternate, due to no seats being available on the dates I must travel. As such, I opted for a full refund and re-booked directly with Qantas. It is disappointing that I have incurred substantial increased costs to re-book due to “VAUSTRALIA’S” breach of contract.
It would seem, that it is indeed a time for this “New Airline” to re-think how it intends to restore confidence, instead of attempting to fund their unexpected/un-budgeted start up costs from consumers !
Unhappy Guest