Virgin Australia rolls out seat sale and more flights

Virgin Australia has brought back its weekly Happy Hour seat sale with prices starting from just $69. The 12-hour ‘Because Everyone Loves a Comeback’ sale, starts at 11.00 am AEST and last 12 hours for travel for selected dates between July 13 to August 31, 2020. In WA Newman, Pt Hedland, and Karratha are on sale from $199 one-way from Perth. Special fares for Broome and Kununurra will be out shortly in a separate announcement according to a Perth travel agent. READ Pakistan International Airlines downgraded to one-star airline The state government has been working with both Qantas and Virgin Australia for special deals to tourism hotspots such as Broome. And for those with exemptions to travel the one-way fare to Darwin is $199, Brisbane $215, Adelaide $169 and Sydney $199. On the east coast, fares start at $69 for Sydney to Ballina while Canberra to the Gold Coast is from $129. Virgin Australia chief commercial officer John MacLeod said the return of the Virgin Australia Happy Hour sale was a win for travellers as the tourism industry begins to see signs of recovery with state and territory border restrictions starting to ease. “Virgin Australia is here to stay and we’re grateful to our customers for their continuing support. With travel restrictions starting to ease, we thought we would celebrate by bringing back Happy Hour and offering some great value fares along with our much-loved service,” Mr MacLeod said. “We know that Aussies are getting itchy feet and are eager to explore the country so this sale makes it easy for customers to plan and book their trip, as well as supporting our local tourism industry,” he said. The airline is giving peace of mind to travellers, by waiving any applicable change fees for bookings made between today and 30 September 2020, including unlimited changes to booking dates. Virgin Australia says that the Happy Hour sales are planned to continue weekly, providing cheap fares to support the Australian tourism industry. At the same time, the airline is adding an extra 17 domestic routes including Perth to Darwin. This also includes a resumption of flights to Newcastle, Hobart, Launceston, Alice Springs, Hamilton Island, Maroochydore, Ballina, Coffs Harbour, Proserpine, and Mount Isa. Mr MacLeod, said we are “happy to be able to resume flights to a number of holiday destinations in Queensland, Northern New South Wales and the Northern Territory.” The resumption of services will be gradual as many of its aircraft have been parked and engineering teams are preparing them for the return to flying. Virgin Australia has also introduced additional safety and wellbeing measures to minimise risks associated with COVID-19, and to help passengers feel comfortable and confident when flying. The airline says the new measures, which have been developed in collaboration with other Australian airlines and airports as part of the Australian Aviation Recovery Coalition include pre-departure health screening, contactless check-in, sequenced boarding and disembarkation, and more frequent cleaning and hygiene procedures