JOHN BORGHETTI, CEO
AND MANAGING DIRECTOR,
VIRGIN AUSTRALIA020 VIRGIN AUSTRALIA DECEMBER 2017
Virgin Australia News
This year, there has been a major focus in the airline
industry on aircraft range — just how far can we fly
using new technologies? The Virgin Group is also
asking another question: How fast can we get there?
Innovators around the world are making
extraordinary progress in delivering supersonic
passenger aircraft. US company Boom is developing
supersonic aircraft that can carry passengers between
Sydney and Los Angeles in seven hours — the flight
time between Sydney and Perth could be cut to just
two hours. These aircraft will fly at 60,000 feet using
technology that is already established and proven,
and at 2.6-times the speed of any other airliner.
Boom’s XB-1 Supersonic Demonstrator is set to
fly in 2018, and Boom is planning for passenger flights
in the early 2020s. Virgin Group has taken an option
on Boom’s first 10 airframes, which means you could
be zipping around the world in a supersonic Virgin
Australia plane sooner (and faster) than you think.Faster Than the Speed of Sound
ALWAYS LOOKING TO THE FUTURE, THE VIRGIN
GROUP ANNOUNCE INTEREST IN SUPERSONIC FLIGHT.Sleep Soundly
VIRGIN AUSTRALIA GIVES SLEEPING
DEVICES THE TICK OF APPROVAL.Virgin Australia has announced that
passengers are now able to carry a
range of sleeping devices on board
aircrat, including Plane Pal, Fly Tot
and JetKids Bedbox.
Following a thorough safety
assessment, the passenger comfort
items are permitted on Virgin
Australia’s entire fleet.
Virgin Australia says, “Travelling
parents will be able to relax with
Virgin Australia because they can
now bring these comfort itemson board to help their children
rest during a flight.
“The comfort of every one of
our guests is important to us and
we’ve ensured that these products
will provide all guests with an
enjoyable travel experience.”
The passenger comfort items
are only permitted to be used when
sitting in a window seat or in the
middle seat of the centre block
and must be included as part of the
7kg carry-on baggage allocation.V
irgin Australia is passionate about using our
role in the community as a force for good.
While December is typically a time for
giving, the Virgin Australia Group works with a
number of charity partners right across the year to
help improve the lives of others in the community.
As the Oficial Wishgranting Partner for the
Starlight Children’s Foundation, this year Virgin
Australia helped grant the 10,000th wish for a
10-year-old boy whose dream it was to become
a policeman. We also helped deliver a first for
Starlight, by surprising a young man battling brain
cancer with an internship at Virgin Australia to
help kick-start his aviation career.
Virgin Australia is also committed to protecting
and supporting the places we fly. We continue to
support Greening Australia’s Reef Aid project and,
more recently, named one of our aircrat ‘Mungalla’
ater the Mungalla Wetlands in Regional
Queensland, to bring awareness about this
important sustainability initiative.
Our lounges also recently began a trial using
electronic donation points for CARE Australia to
help raise much needed funds and create better
opportunities for women and girls in Vanuatu.
Our people are extremely passionate about
their roles in the community and throughout the
year our team members volunteered at Foodbank
distribution centres and raised more than $22,
for the Black Dog Institute at the annual Virgin
Australia Plane Pull event.
I would like to take this opportunity to wish
you a safe and happy festive season. Thank you
for choosing to fly with us today. We hope to
welcome you on board again soon.