Virgin fare sale sidesteps border closures

Virgin Australia is focusing a new airfare sale on the only places in the country open to one another.

Virgin Australia has launched its most optimistic airfare sale to date, targeting the only open borders in the country. Picture: Brendan Radke

Virgin Australia has launched its most optimistic airfare sale to date, targeting the only open borders in the country – between South Australia, Tasmania and the Northern Territory.

After being reduced to a skeleton schedule on most other routes due to border closures and the lockdown of Australia’s two largest cities, the airline has announced a new direct route between Adelaide and Launceston, and the resumption of Adelaide-Darwin services.

Both will begin in the first week of September with starting fares from $59 on Adelaide-Launceston.

Darwin-Adelaide sale fares start at $119 one-way and come with the added bonus of double status credits if booked before midnight on Tuesday.

Virgin chief commercial officer Dave Emerson said the airline was focused on creating more travel opportunities, and expected the sale fares to sell out quickly.

“With open borders between South Australia and Tasmania and Northern Territory, we’re able to finally start direct flights between Adelaide-Darwin, as well as offer a new direct service between Adelaide-Launceston,” said Mr Emerson.

“I don’t know about others but for me, there’s no better way to clear the lockdown cobwebs than heading off to experience a new place or reconnect with old friends.”

Despite the challenges of the Covid crisis, and Virgin’s shift to a “mid-market carrier” with a reduced fleet, Mr Emerson said they were committed to putting more planes in the sky where possible.

“More flying also means we’ll have more of our team members in the air and more business for the many hundreds of tourism operators and hospitality venues who rely on the economic injection tourists provide their communities,” he said.

Virgin has so far avoided standing down employees but was continuing talks with unions about how best to manage current low levels of flying over the next couple of months.

In June, more than 9,000 flights were cancelled across the country with the figure expected to climb higher when July data is released.

Qantas announced last week 2,500 pilots, cabin crew and airport staff would be stood down from its domestic division from mid-August due to the impact of the extended Greater Sydney lockdown and border closures.

The workers will be eligible for Covid disaster relief payments of $750 a week, under an extension of the federal government’s aviation support package.

The Australian Aviation Ground Handling Industry Alliance has called for the payments to be made available to their workers, who were also suffering from the lack of flying occurring.

Chair Glenn Rutherford said without that support, thousands of employees would likely leave the industry in search of more financially secure work.

“It will then take at least six months to recruit more workers when state borders reopen, train them up to government standards and have them accredited by the government,” said Mr Rutherford.

“That means we are likely to see many flights grounded in November, December, January and February owing to a nationwide shortage of professional aviation ground operations staff.”