Summary
- Late flight becomes the most fun ever thanks to Sir Richard Branson, who surprises passengers with free Virgin Voyages cruise.
- Branson also gifts the cabin crew, ground crew, baggage handlers, and pilots with free cruises for their efforts.
- Virgin Voyages’ Australian ship, Resilient Lady, will take the same route in December 2023, with Branson coming to Australia for the celebrations.
Then punctuality, or lack of it, has recently seen Australia’s two major airlines, Qantas and Virgin Australia, lambasted in the media and hauled before a parliamentary inquiry to explain themselves. Australians have grown increasingly irritated by on-time performance well below long-term averages and high cancellation rates, so whenever a flight is late more criticism descends on the offending airline.
Late? Who cares on this flight?
This leaves us to wonder why a Virgin Australia flight last Thursday from Melbourne to Hobart, the capital of Tasmania, departed and arrived late, and yet for passengers, it was probably the most fun they had ever experienced on an airplane. The answer is simple and can be summed up in three words: Sir Richard Branson.
Photo: Virgin Australia
He appeared on Virgin Australia Flight VA1316 (via Facetime) and handed out a free Virgin Voyages cruise to all adult passengers onboard the Boeing 737. After boarding and finding their seats, the passengers were welcomed by Branson over the PA system and stunned to learn they were getting a free holiday. In his own words:
“We’re counting down to Virgin Voyages’ arrival Downunder and setting sail the Virgin way with adults-only itineraries across Australia and New Zealand. Sorry kids, you’ll have to sit this one out. Well, today you happen to be travelling on the same route as our Aussie MerMaiden Voyage! To celebrate this milestone, I’m pleased to gift each adult onboard a free Virgin Voyages cruise.”
He added that Virgin Australia was founded to keep the air fair and now he is proud to be taking the same mantra to the sea with Virgin Voyages. He said the aim is to “give Aussies the opportunity to have a stress-free holiday where they can take a well-earned break, have fun and get a dose of vitamin sea.”
Photo: Virgin Australia
Not content to surprise and look after the passengers, just before the door closed Branson also surprised the cabin crew, ground crew, baggage handlers and pilots on the 737-800 flight by gifting them a free cruise for their efforts in bringing joy to the loyal Virgin Australia passengers.
Photo: Virgin Australia
The Resilient Lady is on its way
This flight was chosen to represent the same route Virgin Voyages’ Australian ship, Resilient Lady, will take on her MerMaiden Voyge from Melbourne on December 11, 2023. The flight was scheduled to depart at 08:40, so passengers got an early morning surprise to see the boarding lounge had been transformed into Sir Richard Branson’s RockStar Quarters – a luxury cabin onboard the ship featuring a hot tub, hammock and sea view vista, a sight never seen before at Melbourne Airport.
Photo: Virgin Australia
The Resilient Lady will dock in Australia for the first time on December 4 in Sydney and then head to Melbourne for the December 11 MerMaiden voyage. This time there will be no need for a Facetime call or PA system as Branson is coming to Australia to celebrate the first sailing, and no doubt there will be more surprises when he arrives.
Since its rebirth in 2020, Virgin Australia has consistently followed its own mantra of creating wonderful experiences for its guests, with the Middle Seat Lottery a prime example of that campaign. This latest experience is a testament to the strength of the Virgin brands joining forces to deliver new experiences, either in the air or now at sea.
Just for the record, the flight landed 13 minutes late – but nobody cared one little bit!