The future of Virgin Express

Atlantis · Post by **Atlantis** » 15 Jul 2005, 16:53

[split off from another topic by admin sn26567]

I saw the figures of Virgin Express for passenger transport:
-7.5% then the same period of last year.
These are very terrible figures. It's not going good with Virgin and I think it's not good at all for SN Air Holding when you have a very bad player in your team. They pull out all the rest.

I know that Virgin Express will reduce again their fleet. I think that with a couple of years they don't exist any more due to a lot of competition and they do the opposite then te rest, they reduce the fleet while all the other LCC buys or lease a lot of aircrafts.

waldova · Post by **waldova** » 15 Jul 2005, 18:09

I really believe that Virgin Express is already dying since many years. Reducing your fleet because of bad numbers is not a solution. IF they do this again after these results, what will stay? THey will for sure make even worse numbers next year.

teach · Post by **teach** » 16 Jul 2005, 11:48

Purely going by passenger numbers to state things are going bad means very little when you don't know the context, e.g. how did capacity evolve during the same period? What about load factors? What about yields? Until we know the answers to those questions, we are in no position to claim TV's doing very poorly, IMHO.

AFApresident · Post by **AFApresident** » 16 Jul 2005, 13:31

Virgin doesn´t seem to be a low cost carrier or certainly not a low fare one at all to me. How come you can for 20 euros more fly with SN (approx 180 vs 200 euros to Lisbon)?

Or SN is really cheap for the service you get, or Virgin Express is really expensive. Either way they´ll probably get my service in september, as a "poor" student, the 20 euros matters.

Atlantis · Post by **Atlantis** » 16 Jul 2005, 14:05

Virgin Express is not cheap. Who have a huge crowd of people who want travel very cheap so they took an other airline even if they nog land in the neighborhood of their destination. That's why Ryanair is a big competitor for Virgin.

With the merger of SNBA and Virgin they announced that the both carriers will operate separately but the chance was big that Virgin disappear in a couple of years.

n5528p · Post by **n5528p** » 16 Jul 2005, 14:48

Some ten years ago I flew with Virgin Express from VIE to BRU and really liked the flight. Especially the crew is remembered as being very kind and attentive.

Anyway, I have no heard much from this airline recently and so I went to their website, after I went through above postings.

It stroke me that most destinations are located around the mediterranean, except Madrid, Geneva and Milan - still the network is strictly dedicated to the south. Why is that? Have the routes been moved to SN on continuous basis?

Regards, Bernhard

A318 · Post by **A318** » 16 Jul 2005, 14:55

I still don't get it completely since I always tought that Virgin-Express belongs to Virgin Atlantic?
So why isn't the big mother company not investing in their little daughter?

Greetz,

Erwin

n5528p · Post by **n5528p** » 16 Jul 2005, 14:57

A318 wrote:I still don't get it completely since I always tought that Virgin-Express belongs to Virgin Atlantic?

That was a long time ago...
Regards, Bernhard

Lars · Post by **Lars** » 16 Jul 2005, 15:40

A318 wrote:I still don't get it completely since I always tought that Virgin-Express belongs to Virgin Atlantic?
So why isn't the big mother company not investing in their little daughter?

Greetz,

Erwin

The big mother has lost her daughter to SNBA. SN Air is now the owner of Virgin Express. In a few years time the name 'Virgin Express' wil disappear.

Atlantis · Post by **Atlantis** » 16 Jul 2005, 15:46

I also flies a few times with Virgin Express and the flights were always very nice, friendly, etc. But the good days are over. Maybe they have to think to drop some destinations and start with other with less competition.
Or we have it all wrong and they will bleed Virgin a long death.

Buzz · Post by **Buzz** » 16 Jul 2005, 18:10

n5528p wrote:
A318 wrote:I still don't get it completely since I always tought that Virgin-Express belongs to Virgin Atlantic?
That was a long time ago...
Regards, Bernhard

Correction, VEX was a sister of VirginAtlantic, not a daughter. VEX belonged to the same holding as VirginAtlantic, but didn't belong to VirginAtlantic (same for VirginBlue etc...)

n5528p · Post by **n5528p** » 17 Jul 2005, 11:01

Buzz wrote:Correction, VEX was a sister of VirginAtlantic, not a daughter. VEX belonged to the same holding as VirginAtlantic, but didn't belong to VirginAtlantic (same for VirginBlue etc...)

Technically true, but I guess everyone thinks of Richard Branson, and everything which belongs to him is considered a "daughter" of Virgin Atlantic.

Regards, Bernhard

767flightattendant · Post by **767flightattendant** » 17 Jul 2005, 14:24

Buzz wrote:
n5528p wrote:
A318 wrote:I still don't get it completely since I always tought that Virgin-Express belongs to Virgin Atlantic?
That was a long time ago...
Regards, Bernhard
Correction, VEX was a sister of VirginAtlantic, not a daughter. VEX belonged to the same holding as VirginAtlantic, but didn't belong to VirginAtlantic (same for VirginBlue etc...)

Correction 2 : Virgin Express used to be Virgin Atlantic's ugly crumpled and miserable stepsister, today it's SNAir's very poor stepdaughter

:fart:

Atlantis · Post by **Atlantis** » 17 Jul 2005, 15:49

Time has come that SN Air Holding take some action, if it is not to late. I thought that Richard Branson want to quit with Virgin Express and the managment of SN Air Holding.
When the name Virgin Express disapear could SNBA take over the Boeing fleet of Virgin. Although, I think the fleet of Virgin is maybe old and the costs are raising up.

n5528p · Post by **n5528p** » 17 Jul 2005, 21:13

Atlantis wrote:Time has come that SN Air Holding take some action, if it is not to late. I thought that Richard Branson want to quit with Virgin Express and the managment of SN Air Holding.

Generally ashame - although I am not up to date on the history, I remember VE as one if the first LCC in Europe, which a rather strong position since there was not much competition at the beginning.

So why has Branson given up control over VE in the first place?

Regards, Bernhard

TWA · Post by **TWA** » 18 Jul 2005, 03:41

n5528p wrote:Generally ashame - although I am not up to date on the history, I remember VE as one if the first LCC in Europe, which a rather strong position since there was not much competition at the beginning.

So why has Branson given up control over VE in the first place?

Regards, Bernhard

Indeed, Vex could have been the Ryanair of today, but the current management still struggles with mistakes made by the former managements of the mid 90's and competition with Sabena used to be full of hardship.

There was also the rumour that vex staff was going to move to the 2 empty top floors of the SNBA building whilst vex-crew was going to share a crewroom with sn-crew at the airport, but it is really quiet concerning that matter lately.

Maybe vex is planning an independent future however still in cooperation with sn by not serving same destinations, nothing more, nothing less!

Funny thing is that this merger-issue seems to be a far more important topic to talk about among vex staff than it is among sn-staff.

A318 · Post by **A318** » 18 Jul 2005, 18:38

Maybe it is very wise to convert Virgin Express completely into SNBA since SNBA receives only compliments from passengers as far as I can see.
They can give back the 737-300's to the lesser and maybe place an extra A319 into their fleet.
Just an idea!

Greetz,

Erwin

Atlantis · Post by **Atlantis** » 18 Jul 2005, 18:52

Was that not the first tought of this whole operation? Why would they otherways say that in a couple of years the name Virgin Express will disappear? I suppose that in that period Virgin is swallowed by SN.

n5528p · Post by **n5528p** » 18 Jul 2005, 22:19

Atlantis wrote:Was that not the first tought of this whole operation? Why would they otherways say that in a couple of years the name Virgin Express will disappear? I suppose that in that period Virgin is swallowed by SN.

Maybe true, but what sense would that make for the management of VE?
If you sell a company, fine - but over years?

I don't get it.

Regards, Bernhard