Virgin’s V Australia Airlines, direct flights LAX to SYD

I thought America was all that when we got our own, personally branded Virgin line. But, oh no, we’re not special, the Aussies get one too — V Australia Airlines.

They already had Virgin Blue for domestic flights for the last eight years, but now that there is an “open skies” agreement, V Australia will bring Aussies direct flights, every day, from Sydney to Los Angeles.

And you know what that means for us Angelenos — full in-flight entertainment for 13-plus hours while we travel Down Under. Luxe-fliers, are you ready for boutique tier seating?

Deal: The first 1,000 International Economy seats will go for $777 (pre-tax) between Los Angeles (LAX) and Sydney (SYD). This is an Internet sale price. Let’s hope that the competition for this route keeps fares to Australia on the low end.

Boutique-style flying: V Australia Airlines will have three classes of seats to choose from. The best is “International Business” — which gets its own dedicated cabin and crew, fully flat horizontal beds with 77 inches of space, an à la carte menu and on-demand entertainment similar to first-class seating on Virgin America.

“International Premium Economy” will have its own section made up of 40 seats boasting 20 inches of width and a 9-inch recline with at least 38 inches of leg room.

“International Economy” will have 18.8 inches of seat width and 32 inches of leg room. Besides superior main cabin comfort, V Australia prices will be 14% lower than existing fares on the route.

Sir Richard Branson said, “The trans-Pacific route is in dire need of competition and a good shake-up and that’s a challenge we are always keen to take on.”

I couldn’t agree more. I’ve flown this route on United and Qantas. Qantas already has a leg up over United on entertainment, but United often has the cheapest prices. I’m looking forward to cashing in on both better amenities and cheaper fares from V-Australia.

When: Service begins Dec. 15, 2008

Contact: VAustralia.com

— Jen Leo, Los Angeles Times Travel Deal Blogger

[Photo: V Australia]

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This entry was posted on Monday, March 31, 2008 at 4:25 pm by Jen Leo and is filed under Business Travel, Frequent Flier, News, Tips & Advice, Pacific & Australia. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a comment, or trackback from your own site.