V Australia First Flight between South Africa and Melbourne Australia

Tomorrow V Australia will
celebrate the first flight of their South Africa to Melbourne Australia service
with a special guest; Virgin founder Sir Richard Branson will be on board.

The flight from Johannesburg to Melbourne (Flight Number VA 16) will depart at 7:25 pm and arrive in Melbourne at 5:55 pm the following day.

The Melbourne to Johannesburg
Service (Flight Number VA 15) will depart Melbourne Australia at 11:00 am and
arrive in Johannesburg at 5:15 pm the same day.

Initially this Melbourne Johannesburg return service will be a
twice switching to a three times a week service from December
2010.

The full media release from V
Australia can be read below:

Wednesday 17
March 2010: Melbourne, Australia: Sir Richard Branson will touch down in Melbourne
this evening on a celebration flight from South Africa, heralding a new growth
phase for      V Australia with the
introduction of new services between South Africa and Australia. The airline
has launched brand new direct flights twice a week between Melbourne and
Johannesburg, bringing some new competition to a route traditionally the domain
of a code-share monopoly.

In the past three months, V
Australia has rapidly expanded its Melbourne operations, adding new direct
Melbourne to Los Angeles flights, as well as direct flights from Melbourne and
Brisbane to Phuket, Thailand. The airline announced plans to launch twice
weekly services between Melbourne and Johannesburg back in October last year
and forward bookings have been trending above expectations.

Sir Richard
Branson will be
travelling on the celebration flight from Johannesburg to Melbourne, bringing
some special Guests to Victoria, including South African based media to
experience what Australia has to offer.

He also seized the opportunity to
announce that V Australia will increase flights on the new route from two to
three services a week following the arrival of V Australia’s 5^th
aircraft later this year, off the back of strong demand for the twice weekly
services.

“We have
been absolutely delighted with the support V Australia has received for these
new flights, not surprising given the close affiliation between the two countries
and their respective people.  While
Australia and South Africa make terrific sporting sparring partners, the
destinations offer vast contrasts for visitors with their native animals,
environment and cultures.”

He added, “We are very pleased to announce a third
weekly service will start from December this year and are excited by the challenge
to bring the V Australia style of flying to this new route and opening up a new
world of opportunities to stimulate Australian tourism and business
relationships.”

From December 16, the airline
will add a Thursday flight to its initial Tuesday and Saturday schedule,
offering a more convenient spread of services for both business and leisure
travellers.

V Australia will be focusing on
attracting business Guests to the new service, targeting key corporate accounts
and small to medium businesses, while at the same time, stepping up a campaign
to attract visitors to Melbourne and other Australian destinations from South
Africa.

Virgin Blue
Chief Executive, Brett Godfrey, said, ‘There is a very strong existing VFR (Visiting Friends and Relatives)
market between South Africa and Australia and we are confident we can further
stimulate this through affordable fares, while at the same time promoting
Australia as a highly desirable leisure destination for South African
tourists.”

V Australia is offering some
fantastic fares to celebrate the launch of its South African services. Fares
between Melbourne and Johannesburg start from $1,493 return in International
Economy Class, $2,999 return in International Premium Economy and $5,999 return
in International Business Class, and are available through to the 23^rd
March 2010*.

V Australia’s every day fares
between Melbourne and Johannesburg start from $2,158 return in International
Economy Class, $3,707 return in International Premium Economy and $6,300 return
in International Business Class. Fares on the route are down more than 25% from
levels available before V Australia announced plans to begin flying on it.

V Australia’s sister airline,
domestic carrier Virgin Blue, has readjusted its domestic schedule to ensure
seamless and convenient connecting flights from destinations across Australia
including Sydney, Brisbane, Gold Coast and Adelaide, as well as from New
Zealand.

The airline has chosen the
Australian Koala Foundation as the recipient charity for its in-flight
fundraising efforts to assist in the conservation and management of the wild
koala and its habitat.

Melbourne – Johannesburg                       Effective 13 March 2010

(subject to change)

Johannesburg – Melbourne       Effective
13 March 2010

(subject to change)

*Fares are on sale until 23^rd
March 2010 (unless sold out earlier), for travel from 13 March 2010 to 30
November 2010.  All fares are for flights
booked on the internet. Fare costs $50 more when booked by phone. Fares are
inclusive of all taxes, fees and charges and subject to availability,
may not be available on all flights or peak times and may vary until ticketed.  For bookings log on to www.vaustralia.com.au.  Travel is subject to V Australia’s terms and
conditions of carriage and terms and conditions of contract, located on the
website at www.vaustralia.com.au Sale
fares are based on V Australia’s V Promo Fare and are subject to the change and
cancellation restrictions and fees associated with that fare. Connecting flights between Sydney and other
Australian domestic ports are operated by Virgin Blue Airlines.  No minimum stay is required.

#Flight schedules will appear in GDS’s over the
next 7 day period.

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