V Australia

V Australia was a long-haul international airline owned by Virgin Australia Holdings that commenced operating on 27 February 2009. As part of a rebranding of all of Virgin Australia Holdings' subsidiaries, on 7 December 2011, it was subsumed into Virgin Australia.

History

Naming competition

The name of the airline was decided in the same way that Virgin Blue's own name was found, with a public naming competition conducted in June 2007.[1] On 25 June 2007, Virgin Blue released the eight finalists of the naming competition.[2] They were Amelia Blue, Australia Blue, Didgeree Blue, Liberty Blue, Matilda Blue, V Australia Airlines, Virgin Australia and Virgin Pacific. Australia Blue and Virgin Pacific were early favourites to win the competition, despite a problem with the latter, as Singapore Airlines

Services

Cabin classes

V Australia offered a three-class service on its Boeing 777-300ER aircraft: International Business Class, International Premium Economy Class and International Economy Class. All three classes featured ambient Mood Lighting relative to the time of day or night, similar to that of sister airline Virgin America.

International Business Class International Business class[24] had a 2-3-2 configuration with fully horizontal flat beds that are 188 cm long and seat pitch of 77". There was a personal workstation with laptop power, USB slot and reading light. Business Class In-Flight entertainment had a 12.1" touchscreen PTV with AVOD on every seat.

International Premium Economy Class Premium Economy class[25] had a 2-4-2 configuration. Premium Economy had all-leather seats with a 38" seat pitch, 20" seat width and a 9" seat recline. The seats were equipped with adjustable headrests and footrests. There was a personal workstation with laptop power, USB slot and reading light. Premium Economy class In-Flight entertainment had a 10.6" touchscreen PTV with AVOD on every seat.

International Economy Class International Economy class[26] had a 3-3-3 configuration. Economy seats had a 32" seat pitch, 18.8" seat width and seat recline of up to 6". USB slots were available to power laptops and other personal devices (MP3 Players etc.). Economy class In-Flight entertainment had a 9" touchscreen PTV with AVOD on every seat.

In-flight entertainment

V Australia's In-Flight entertainment RED was based on the Panasonic eX2 system. RED was fully touch-screen and handset controlled and there was no fee for use. It featured an extensive video on demand library that included new release film, TV series and TV programmes. Destination guides were also available. Other functions available through RED included music on demand (approx 200+ CD library) and video games. Seat-to-seat chat was available as well as in flight map and flight information.

Lounge access

Lounge access was available when flying V Australia for International Business Class passengers and Velocity Gold members only. Velocity Gold allowed access regardless of class of travel. Both V Australia Business Class and Premium Economy Class passengers connecting to V Australia on Virgin Australia flights domestically within Australia were entitled to access Virgin Australia's domestic lounges on the day of travel. At the time services ceased, V Australia used Air New Zealand's Koru Lounge in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane; Alaska Airlines' Board Room lounge in Los Angeles (Terminal 3) and Etihad Airways' Lounge in Abu Dhabi.

airline	V Australia
iata	VA
icao	VAU
callsign	VEE-OZ
founded	May 26, 2004
commenced	February 27, 2009
ceased	December 7, 2011 (merged into Virgin Australia)
hubs	Sydney Airport
frequent flyer	Velocity Frequent Flyer
fleet size	5
destinations	5
parent	Virgin Australia Holdings
headquarters	Bowen Hills, Queensland, Australia
website	www.vaustralia.com

History

Naming competition

Creation

First aircraft

Destinations

Codeshare & interline agreements

Fleet

Services

Cabin classes

In-flight entertainment

Lounge access

External links

References