Virgin and Jetstar fly high despite roaring Tiger
A Report by Andrew Carswell on news.com.au says that despite being shadowed by ultra-cheap Tiger Airways, incumbents Virgin Blue and Jetstar are set to record bumper December passenger figures that belie the newcomer’s competitive threat.
Virgin Blue will not only attain record passenger numbers this year, it is set for its busiest Christmas-holiday period yet, a Virgin Blue spokeswoman said.
It is a similar forecast coming out of the Jetstar base with the Qantas offshoot recording impressive seat revenue figures since Tiger’s arrival. Both airlines confirmed that sales had not been impacted by Tiger’s presence in the domestic market, despite its claim of 91 per cent load factors across its services since taking off in late November.
Adding fuel to the competitive firestorm that is gripping the industry, Tiger Airlines announced yesterday it had exercised its options to buy 20 more Airbus 320s, taking its total order to 70 aircraft.
On current performance and up against their own order books, both Virgin Blue and Jetstar still believe the Singapore-funded airline will continue to be a tame competitor.
“It is a record year for Virgin Blue and a record period for this time of the year,” a Virgin Blue spokeswoman said. “Even on routes we share with Tiger, we have not experienced any decline in passengers.”
Tiger Airways chief Tony Davis said his airline was entering an exciting new phase of development.
“The A320 has performed outstandingly for Tiger Airways over the past three years and I am confident that the A320 aircraft matches our long-term growth requirements across the Asia-Pacific region,” he said.
A Report by The Mole
John Alwyn-Jones
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