The carrier will resume flights from Melbourne to Gold Coast and Sunshine Coast From November 30th as well as Melbourne-Cairns from December 14th. Virgin Australia will also increase frequencies between Melbourne and Brisbane.
On Wednesday (November 25, 2020), Virgin Australia announced the resumption of flights to Queensland as travel reopens for Victorians. The carrier will resume flights from Melbourne to Gold Coast and Sunshine Coast from November 30th, as well as between Melbourne and Cairns starting December 14, 2020. Additionally, the airline will increase frequencies between Melbourne and Brisbane. By Christmas, Virgin Australia will offer more than 38,000 seats between Victoria and Queensland and is the only Australian carrier to offer booking flexibility through March 31, 2021. In Wednesday’s announcement, Virgin Australia’s General Manager Network and Revenue Management, Russell Shaw, said,
“The aviation and tourism industries rely on a connected nation and we welcome the Queensland Government’s decision to reopen the state’s borders to Victoria and New South Wales from 1 December. We recognize our role as one of Queensland’s largest employers and so this is also a positive step forward for our people. With more borders open, we can put more aircraft in the sky, which means more work opportunities. Victorians should be especially proud of their efforts to manage COVID-19 after many months of lockdown and we look forward to safely welcoming them back onboard as they return to Queensland to do business or to reunite with family and friends.
“We are already seeing a significant increase in traffic to our website and bookings between the two states, so we’ll be resuming direct services from Melbourne to popular leisure destinations such as the Gold Coast, Sunshine Coast and Cairns. We know many Australians are excited to reunite with their loved ones and we remain hopeful that borders will continue to safely re-open in time for Christmas. We’re also proud of the commitment to our customers through our Passenger Promise and so we’ll be the first Australian airline to offer booking flexibility until 31 March 2021 should a customer’s travel plans be impacted by COVID-19, which will instill confidence in Australians that they can book with peace of mind.”
In order to kickstart the tourism industry, Virgin Australia is working with Tourism and Events Queensland to show that Queensland is ready to welcome more travelers to the Sunshine State. Virgin Australia’s ‘Passenger Promise’ offers customers additional peace of mind by providing the flexibility to change bookings through January 31, 2020. The airline will further expand booking flexibility until March 31, 2020, if a guest’s travel plans are impacted by COVID-19. Virgin Australia has also implemented a range of multi-layered health and safety protocols to ensure the health and wellbeing of guests and team members throughout their journey.
Source: Virgin Australia