Goodbye Virgin Blue, hello Virgin Australia! Here are the first photos of the new Virgin Australia logo and livery which John Borghetti and Richard Branson will officially unveil at a press conference later today.
For more on Virgin Australia's launch day, check out the links at the bottom of this story.
The airline has done away with Virgin Blue's bright red livery in favour of an elegant all-white design.
The stylised Virgin logo in red adorns the tail, complemented by red stripes around the engine cowlings, while the Virgin Australia branding along the front half of the aircraft is presented in a crisp lower-case silver-grey lettering
Shown above is the new livery on Virgin Australia's factory-fresh Boeing 737-800, captured this morning by Matt Hayes as the new aircraft - named Bondi Beach - prepared to leave Christchurch Airport (where it was painted in the new scheme) to fly to Sydney for today's launch.
If you want to get a look inside the new 737-800, which features a very cool cabin design, check out our exclusive photo-tour!
Below is another shot of the 737 at Christchurch snapped by 'Tim W':
And here is its sibling in the fleet, an Airbus A330, seen on the tarmac in the early hours of this morning by an eagle-eyed observer named 'jksc'
The nose of the aircraft sports the revamped 'flying lady' who was oh-so-briefly seen last month at Sydney Airport when decals where applied to an A330 there.
All up it's a fresh and eye-catchingly modern design, and we look forward to seeing more of it at the Virgin Australia launch today.
The airline also has a new catchline: "Now you're flying".
(We'll be chatting with Virgin Australia creative director Hans Hulsbosch, who designed the new logo and livery.)
This is just part of Australian Business Traveller's comprehensive coverage of Virgin Australia's launch day:
- Touchdown! Virgin Australia's first landings at Sydney Airport
- New Airbus A330 and Boeing 737 planes, plus what the new offerings mean for business travellers
- Punchy, fresh new ads for Virgin Australia, plus interviews with uniform designer Julie Grbac, inflight chef Luke Mangan and brand guru Hans Hulbosch
- The very first on-board photos from Virgin Australia's new Boeing 737-800 in Business and Economy
- Insider photos from the launch day with Richard Branson and John Borghetti
- Full analysis of the decision to rebrand all the Virgin Blue group airlines (including V Australia, Pacific Blue and Polynesian Blue) as Virgin Australia
- Richard Branson and John Borghetti hint at premium economy class for Virgin Australia
- Our interview with Richard Branson about business travel
- Photo tour: Virgin Australia's new Boeing 737 with futuristic 'Sky Interior'
- Seat guide: Virgin Australia Airbus A330 business class
- Photo gallery: Virgin Australia's Airbus A330 business class, economy class and new in-flight meals
- Photo gallery: Virgin Australia's Boeing 737-800 cabin, business class and economy class
For the very latest, check back at www.ausbt.com.au or follow us on Twitter: @AusBT.
David Flynn is the Editor-in-Chief of Executive Traveller and a bit of a travel tragic with a weakness for good coffee, shopping and lychee martinis.
18 May 2011
Total posts 1
I still think the Virgin brand could fly globally as Virgin Airlines, operating domestic and international services in every country that it operates, without needing all of these nation/region-focused sub-brands and still slightly damn different branding across each of them.
I really think that Virgin Airlines would be no more or less accepted domestically in Australia than the Virgin Australia name is - and that’s proven in part by the fact that Virgin Blue was a success without needing Australia in the name.
People know that Qantas is Australian, and People know that Virgin is British - and nobody gives a shit, so long as the price is right.
But hey, I’m sure Virgin’s done its focus group testing and whatever else is needed to convince the decision makers.
Hi Guest, join in the discussion on Revealed: Virgin Blue's new Virgin Australia logo, livery