It was a great name to launch what is now one of Australia’s most successful airlines, but as of this week, Virgin Blue is officially gone for good.
Marking the end of the airline’s four-year transformation from Virgin Blue to Virgin Australia, the final aircraft sporting the old logo and livery has officially been repainted with Virgin Australia’s white and silver livery.
The Boeing 737-800, named after Ocean Grove Beach in regional Victoria, is the last of 56 aircraft to be repainted after Virgin Australia rebranded in 2011 from a low cost carrier into a contemporary airline for all Australians, as part of its Game Change Program strategy.
To repaint the aircraft, the painting specialists first had to melt away the old livery.
Townsville-based company, Flying Colours, repainted 23 of the aircraft in a process which takes 11 days, 1,200 man hours, 18 painters and 260 litres of paint for each aircraft.
To repaint the aircraft, the painting specialists first had to melt away the old livery.
See a timelapse of the final plane receiving the 11-day Virgin Australia makeover above.
As well as new livery, the transformation to Virgin Australia included new uniforms, new lounges and new onboard meals.
Over the last four years, Virgin has completely changed its image and operations to become one of Australia’s premium airlines and a direct competitor to Qantas.
The transformation saw the introduction of new uniforms, new onboard meals (including an award-winning business class featuring Lyke Mangan dishes) and new lounges.
Changes were also made to the airline’s Velocity Frequent Flyer program and new strategic alliances, including those with Etihad and Singapore Airlines, were launched to boost the airline’s operations worldwide.
Every customer touch point has been changed in order to enhance the travelling experience and the painting of the last red aircraft into the contemporary Virgin Australia livery signals the completion of the brand repositioning.
Meanwhile, last month Virgin Australia upped the competition between its rival Qantas by dropping its fuel surcharge on US fares.
The reduction saw round trip fares to the US drop by $40 for economy and $50 in business class.
Qantas responded by launching a major flight sale, which included flights to America.