Virgin Australia unveils future direction
Virgin Australia has become the first major Australian airline in history to exit voluntary administration and has unveiled its future direction under the leadership of new CEO and Managing Director Jayne Hrdlicka.
Virgin Australia’s plan includes retaining core lounges and reimagining the lounge experience, retaining three choices of legroom from Business, Economy X and Economy, leveraging new technology for a simplified check-in and airport experiences, and cheaper airfares.
The plan will see the airline compete in its mid-market heartland for guests who want a more premium experience at an affordable and competitive price. While Virgin Australia will carry all segments of the market, it will build its business proposition around its long-standing and most loyal guests, which include price conscious corporate travellers, small to medium businesses, premium leisure travellers and holidaymakers.
Speaking at Brisbane Airport where she spent her first official day as CEO, Jayne Hrdlicka said Virgin Australia will continue to be Australia’s most loved airline for customers who want the most important premium touches without the full premium price. “Virgin Australia is an airline built on a 20-year history of exceptional customer service and delivering a great experience for millions of Australians. Today, we exit voluntary administration with a renewed sense of who we are and who we are here to serve.”
Richard Branson, Virgin Group Founder, said: “I’m delighted that Virgin Australia is ready for take-off once more, soaring out of administration, with a clear future direction to fly towards. We’re very optimistic about the future and enormously proud of all of the Virgin Australia team.”
Virgin Group CEO Josh Bayliss commented: “Virgin Group is very pleased to be Virgin Australia’s second biggest shareholder and to be working with Bain, our long-term partners on Virgin Voyages, to participate fully in the revival of the airline. Led by Jayne Hrdlicka, we are confident that Virgin Australia’s focus on enabling its incredible people to provide an outstanding service for customers will see the airline provide strong competition to Qantas and an exceptional experience for flyers.”
Head over to Virgin Australia for more commentary from Jayne Hrdlicka and details on the airline’s future direction.
