Virgin Blues Change Management - Case Study Example

Name: Professor: Institution: Course: Date: Introduction Virgin Blue carrier is the 2nd largest and the most successful airline in trying to break into the Low Cost Carrier arena. Virgin Blue was launched in August 2000 and benefited from their excellent management as well as good timing. The airline progressed from being a two-aircraft operator operating on the Sydney-Brisbane route to being the 2nd largest carrier in Australia. The airline has increased in size from being a classic low complexity Low Cost Carrier to being the combined air service provider which operates an inclusive domestic network as well an international subsidiary airline (Polynesian Blue and Pacific Blue), a joint venture with the Government of Samoa and the international haul airline V Australia. The arrival of the regional fleet of jets strengthened this network (Virgin Australia, 2011). Virgin blue established a good reputation all over the world as pertains to innovation and quality of services they give. The airline has been able to scoop multi-awards winning loyalty programs and Velocity frequent flyer, Blue holiday, and holiday arm. The airline works with a fleet of Embraer E-Jet and 89 modern Boeing 737,777 operating in 16 international destinations including Indonesia, USA, Samoa, Tonga, UAE, Cook Islands, New Zealand, Vanuatu, Thailand, and Papua New Guinea. The airline also flies to 32 domestic destinations. Virgin Blue has strategic Alliances with Air New Zealand and Etihad Airways and the company also has partnerships with Skywest Airlines and Singapore Airlines which has helped it to expand its operations to Asia as well as in Australia as a region (Virgin Australia, 2011). The Virgin Blue airline has introduced some new changes over the last few years to entice the corporate travelers. Some of the changes introduce include new airport lounges, new uniforms and new business class product. This report will embark on finding radical changes that Virgin airline has under gone, factors that may have led to these changes, reasons why the airline implemented the changes as well as the impacts of these changes with reference to specific leadership styles and practices. Finally, it will give the recommendations for the organization as to the appropriateness of the existing leadership of the organization and how the process of change could have been managed more effectively and efficiently. 2.0 What changes has Virgin Blue made 2.1 First class orders changes According to Fouts, (2003) these refer to changes that do not challenge the already established context of the organization. It refers to change that is in line with the norms and the values of the company and can easily be implemented by utilizing the already existing skills and knowledge. Some of the first order changes that Virgin blue want to implement include: Improving their customer services In order to increase Virgin Blue’s market share, there was need to improve the customer services to attract more customers and hence increase its market share. The staffs of virgin Blue have been ranked 5 out of 5 in relation to service efficiency, responding to requests, enthusiasm and attitude. However, they have ranked 3 out of 5 in problem solving and 2 out of 5 in language skills. Virgin blue had to improve on all areas of customer services if it is to increase its market share (Skytrax,2012). Increasing the aircrafts efficiency Through increasing the efficiency of the aircraft, this will benefit the short haul business. Through introduction of the ATR turboprop and Airbus 330 aircraft the Virgin Blue domestic fleet has continued to become even more attractive to each market (Chong, 2012). Increase the aircraft capacity The Virgin Blue announced last year that it had put plans to add its capacity and add at least 64 domestic services so as to meet the increased demand as well as support the travel and tourism industry in Australia. The new services which were kicked off in between the month of October and November would provide about nine thousand extra seats and would operate between Melbourne, Adelaide and Sydney. Virgin Blue also promised to keep its fares low and conduct the sales campaigns as planned. The airline also promised to constantly review the demand and provide more updates as necessary (Chong, 2012). Re-Launch of the new Velocity frequent flyer program In August 2011, Virgin Blue launched the 1st stage of its new Velocity frequent flyer program which was intended to offer consumers with the best flight rewards, global coverage and exciting new customers. After months of research, the airline rebuilt its velocity program to create a program that would offer: Worldwide flight coverage with more than 600 services Improved flight rewards, with several options to redeem Points earned for seats Enhanced Points earn rates and status earning techniques Improved status privileges and distinct benefits for travelers as well as their families New Platinum level of membership with high-class benefits More than 380 program partners comprising of retail partners and credit cards According to Virgin Australia CEO John Borghetti, the 1st stage of this program was about offering a program that acknowledged the airline’s frequent flyers and reward them. He added that with the new program, it was easier for the frequent flyers to earn status credits and points and use them in a way that favoured them. This change was going to would offer unique benefits to the customers (Chong, 2012). 3.2 Second order changes According to Fouts, (2003) this refers to changes that are not obvious about how they will make things better for the company. These changes require that the company use new approaches or use strategies that are in conflict with the existing norms and values. These changes require the company managers to work together with the staff. These changes can disrupt the employee’s sense of well being and their cohesion. These changes can challenge the expertise and competencies of a company. Some of the second order changes that Virgin Blue Airline made include: Launch of business class product for the Australian Domestic market In November 2011, Virgin Blue announced the commencement of the Business Class flyers on most of its domestic routes in Australia using its fleet of airlines including Embraer, Boeing 737-700 and 800s and Airbus A330. This was scheduled to start on 18th January 2012. This announcement followed the news that the Virgin Blue airline was set to commence the offer of its business class product between Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne. This product was meant to give travelers an outstanding Business Class Experience within the domestic market of Australia. The product would be charged at a competitive price of $3591(Virgin Australia, 2011). The Group Executive Commercial Liz Savage said that with the re-launch of the Velocity Frequent flyer, the worldwide network of over 400 destinations and the new airport lounges, the customers of the Business class product were going to experience exceptional service. The business class product would comprise of: Luxury leather seating complimentary access to Virgin Australia’s lounges Luke Mangan designed menus Priority check-in and boarding (Virgin Australia, 2011) In addition, the business class customers travelling on saver fare tickets would receive complementary water, coffee and tea as from 18th January 2012 on all the domestic lights. The saver fare customers travelling between Sydney, Brisbane, Melbourne, Adelaide, Perth and Canberra would receive complimentary wine and beer from 4.00 pm to 5.00 pm. The business class features include: availability of Newspapers until noon daily Luxury leather seating with 38” seat pitch on the Boeing 737 and 62” seat pitch on the Airbus A330; Deluxe pleasant kit along with plush blankets & pillows on three hours flights Premium Australian beers, spirits and selection (Virgin Australia, 2011). Launching of the new uniform In February 2011, Virgin Blue airline launched its sophisticated new uniform in a colorful runway show in Sydney with the help of Australian icon Elle Macpherson and sixty Virgin Blue’s pilots and crew. The uniforms were designed by an exclusive Australian designer known as Juli Grbac. The Virgin Blue’s Group Executive of Corporate Communications, Mr. Danielle Keighery said that the airline was set to change the style of service delivery with the new designer uniforms which would enhance customer delivery. The new uniforms would signify an exciting future for the airline as it planned to reposition itself in Australia. The company recognizes that its staff are their greatest staff and that they represent the face of the airline to the customers and with the stylish uniform, this will be appropriate for the excellent services that they give (Virgin Australia, 2011). Re-launch of international airline In December 2011, Virgin Australia group launched the international airlines Pacific Blue and V Australia under the brand Virgin Australia. Development of one identity and one brand for Virgin Australia’s domestic as well as international business is a major part of the airline’s Change strategy to be the best airline in Australia. The airline’s customers would experience: New Virgin Blue signage at major international airports One customer Contact Centre for both the domestic as well as international business New-look travel documents One combined Virgin Australia website for both the domestic as well as international business (Virgin Australia, 2011) Launching of the new airport lounge In August 2011, Virgin Blue Airline introduced a new 200-seater airport lounge designed by a famous architect know as architect Tim Greer. Martin Daley, Virgin Australia Group Executive Product and Guest Services said that the airport lounge was established to give a welcoming and warm atmosphere. The group Executive added that they had redesigned the space to incorporate several furnishings and furniture. The lounge would also make it possible for the airline to take care of individual needs of each customer whenever they want to relax access business facilities or refuel. The launching of the new airport lounge was a crucial part of the airline’s plan to come up with a streamlined 1st rate travel experience for the customers (Virgin Australia, 2011). Along with the introduction of the business class products, redesigning of the Airbus A330 and Boeing 737 fleet, introduction of the new lounges would help the company change the Australian air travel and bring magic into it. The airport lounges would offer Luke Mangan designed menus with options for dinner, breakfast and lunch with quality and fresh ingredients. Customers will have a range of well prepared meals and an array of day snacks to suit their tastes and palates. Some of the key features of the lounge include: modern design, featuring contemporary digital artwork Painted Video Sequence 2 and Painted Video Sequence 3, 2009 several quiet zones where informal meetings can be held access to Wireless internet , workstations and PCs; High comfortable modern designer furniture including Walter Knoll leather chairs; Premium beverage selection from 11am; 24/7 barista service Australian made skincare products (Virgin Australia, 2011) 2.0 Why Virgin Blue is making changes There are several reasons that have made Virgin Blue to unveil several changes. Some of these reasons include: 1 To increase its market share The Virgin Blue airline has a business market share of about 10% and it hopes that with some changes, this market can double with time and subsequently reduce its reliance on leisure travelers. The market share from leisure travelers has been reducing as consumers struggle with economic down turn (Virgin Australia, 2011). 2 Uncertainty in the economic outlook As a result of the uncertainty in the economic outlook, and the negative consumer opinions about the company, Virgin Blue airline have found it necessary to change the its strategy and reposition itself as an attractive and feasible corporate flyer(Virgin Australia, 2011). 3 A decline in the net profit The Virgin Blue airline recorded a profit of $23.8 million which was a 62% decline during the first half. This was way below what the company had forecasted. There is need to determine what the problem could have been and consequently make some changes so as to increase the net profit of the company. Adding more corporate flyers will mean that the company will maximize its profit as it increases its market share (Virgin Australia, 2011). 3.0 Impact of Change on Leadership styles and practices Unfortunately, all the changes mentioned above could not be implemented as easily as they are described above. The leadership that introduced the radical changes had to cope with several environmental forces. They had to go through prior training and experience so as to develop the vision that was needed it transforms the organization. Leaders have the power to control material and interpersonal rewards as well as the punishment which usually determine the behavior of an employee towards change as well as influence the attitude, motivation and performance of an employee towards change. The style of leadership usually affects the self image of an employee and this either affect the employee positively by being encouraging, fair and supportive to the change or it can affect the employee negatively where they are critical, inconsistent and unsupportive to the change (Iqbal,2011) . Moreover, the style of leadership can affect the energy levels as well as the health of the employees that will in turn determine the work climate all of which are important aspect of change management. The influence of the style of leadership is felt in great proportions where its effect on individuals starts affecting the performance of a group. As a result of these changes, the leadership of Virgin Blue has had to change the styles of leadership for each of the changes that were going to be implemented. 3.1 First orders changes 3.1.1 Improving Customer Services In order to improve the customer services, the management will have to adapt the democratic style of leadership. Under democratic style of leadership, the process of decision making will be the responsibility of the customer care representative. No decision regarding customer care is going to be made by the leadership without consulting the members of the team. This means that the final outcome of the decision is as a result of the efforts the group. All the tasks as regards to customer care services are delegated to the members of the team and they have they are left with the responsibility of implementing this change. Feedback from the members of the team is always encouraged and every member is always encouraged to act as a leader as regards to decision making and implementing of change. The democratic style of leadership is suitable for situations that change frequently like customer care services. This is because the democratic leadership style offers the team a lot of flexibility that enables the members to adapt to better ways of serving the clients and enhancing customer satisfaction. Also, the democratic style of leadership brings out the best out of an experienced and professional team. This means that it will capitalize on customer care skills by allowing them to share their views on how to resolve customer service related issues. If the problem of the customer is so complex, with democratic style of leadership, the team can bring their heads together and find a quick way of resolving the problem instead of keeping the customers waiting (Walsh,2009). 3.1.2 Increasing the aircrafts efficiency So as to increase the efficiency of the aircraft, the leadership of Virgin Blue should adopt a consultative style of leadership which fundamentally task oriented and focuses on end results through making use of skills of professional in making decisions and formulating plans. However, the final decision will still rest on them management of the airline. Although that final decision still puts into consideration all the suggestions of the employees. In order to improve the efficiency of the aircrafts, the management will have to consult with all the employees who are involved with maintaining and working in the aircraft. That way, they can know with certainty which areas need to be improved so as to improve the overall efficiency of the aircraft. Consultative leadership encourages team work which is very fundamental if management wants to make this change (Lussier & Achua,2009) . 3.1.3 Increasing the aircraft capacity Consultative leadership also seeks out to find solutions to problems by seeking ideas on how they will resolve the issues. Virgin blue also aims at increasing the capacity of the aircraft and it aims at reducing the fairs so as to attract the customers. In order to do this, it will have to consult with the customers of the company so to know what their suggestions are as regards to this issue. This is because this change involves them and if the airline wants the customers to embrace the change, it will have to put in mind the views of the customer. Consultative leadership allows for this type of consultations (Lussier & Achua,2009) . 3.2 Second order changes According to the CEO of Virgin blue John Boghetti, the work of a Chief Executive Officer is to provide a vision for the company, inspire and give hope to the employees of the company. He says that his work is to give the necessary tools to the employees of the company so that they can deliver his vision and that an important aspect in leadership is communication. The CEO says that he views himself as a man of the people and that he views his employees as a focal point. When he joined the company in 2009, Borghetti had a vision for the airline. He said that the company had too many brands that ended up confusing the clients. For this reason, he wanted a new identity with a single customer proposition. It is for that reason he made all those second class order changes that have been discussed above. As he, says, the only way to achieve this vision is through a strong leadership that will require him to lead from the front and by example. This type of leadership is known as transformational leadership (Black, 2012). Transformation style of leadership requires that the leader takes a visionary position and then inspire the employees to follow them. It is usually a wonderful experience for the employees to work with transformational leaders like Borghetti as they give energy and passion in everything. Such leaders care about the employees and their success. Transformational leadership involves the leader developing a vision like the CEO of Virgin Blue did, selling the vision to all the stakeholders including the employees, customers and shareholders, find the ways of getting to achieve the vision through constant consultation and finally the most important stage of transformational leadership is leading the change. Here the transformational leader stands out from the troops and makes himself visible through showing the rest through actions and attitudes how they should behave. They also make continuous efforts to motivate the followers through making rounds in the workplace, listening to their complaints and enthusing. It is this unwavering commitment that keeps all the employees going (Kendra,2012). 4.0 Barriers to change There are a number of barriers to change that Virgin Blue experienced and needed to be addressed to allow change to be implemented. These include 4.1 Financial and Environmental Lack of enough working capital prevented the airline company to increase its aircraft capacity as well as Re-Launch of the new Velocity frequent flyer program on time so that it can stay ahead of its major competitors. The lack of funds was mainly due to a fall in number of passengers as well as rise in competition in the airline industry. To overcome this barrier, the airline company offered a right issue to its existing ordinary shareholders so as to raise more capital which was used to implement these changes. 4.2 Insufficient Communication Within a company, there are two branches of communication, which are communication externally that is between the organization and customers and suppliers as well internal communication which is between employees and management. The management of Virgin Airline Company to some extend kept the employees in the dark with respect to changes that affected them such as introducing a new uniform for its employees as well how will the other changes will affect them. These was interpreted by the employees as conspiracy against them which lead to unfriendly atmosphere to work in and the management was forced to re-establish its communication channels so that it can inform its employees on the planned changes as the play a very crucial part in implementing all these changes. 4.3 Lack of Resources and Bad Resource Allocation Lack or resources and bad resource allocation was also one of the barriers to change in Virgin Blue Airline Company. The financial and environmental issues as discussed above were some of the resources that the airline company lacked. In relation to bad resource allocation, Virgin Blue management made a bad decision by allocated less staff and machinery to its new launched Business Class flights and they were not able to cope with the demand during pick season. To overcome this barrier, the airline company had to source for more funds to employee more staff as well as acquire new machinery 4.4 Lack of or Bad Leadership Virgin airline required strong leadership in order to implement the proposed changes. However in some cases, the management used bad leadership styles to implement changed and this made it difficult for them to achieve the desired results. For instance, in order to improve the customer services, the management adopted a Bureaucratic leadership style of leadership which did not allow the views of the customers to be represented when implementing the change. At first the change was not successfully implemented and therefore the management had to adopt a democratic style of leadership which would allow the views of customers to be considered when 5.0 Recommendations 5.1 Appropriateness of the existing leadership of the organization The current style of leadership in Virgin Blue as is being preferred by the airlines CEO Mr. John Borghetti is transformational leadership. This is the most appropriate style of leadership for a company which is undergoing radical changes. It is recommended that the company continue using this style of leadership as it will offer the company with several benefits including: Confidence in the company As the leaders work among the employees, they move them forward with action and inspirational words. The result of this is that employees develop a sense of confidence in the company. This is because they feel that the employer has their interest in heart (Anderson, 2012) Employee Commitment As the employees get inspired by the transformational leaders, they are more willing to see the airline succeed. They begin to believe in the success of the company and start taking personally the success of the airline. This strong sense of commitment by the employees will have a positive influence on the efficiency and productivity (Anderson, 2012). Growth One element of transformational leadership is delegation of tasks to employees which has a great impact on their career growth. Through delegation, employees are able to take greater responsibility allowing them to show their ability and develop their skills. This enables the employees to develop their talents and allow them and the company to grow (Anderson, 2012). Lower labour and Customer Turnover Costs One benefit of using transformational style of leadership is that the airline will be able to retain its customers as well as its employees. Transformational leadership seeks to engage stakeholders fully and ensure that their needs are satisfied as well as the organizational needs. The employees are likely to feel that they fit in the airline and therefore will stay in the company which will mean reduced labour turnover and reduced cost of hiring. The airline will also be able to retain the customers as the transformational leader interacts with the customers to know how best they can serve them (Anderson, 2012) 5.2 How the process of change could have been managed more effectively and efficiently The Virgin Blue Airline could have used The Kotter’s Eight Step model to enable them manage the process of change more effectively and efficiently. The Kotter’s Eight Step Explaining/applying to Virgin Blue Step 1 Establish the need for urgency Market Analysis: Decline in leisure travel As a result of economic down turn, leisure travel has reduced significantly as customers struggle with the economic slowdown. Decline in net profit Virgin blue reported 62 per cent decline in first half net profit to $23.8 million, which was at the lower end of company guidance and below market forecasts. To increase its market share The Virgin Blue airline has a business market share of about 10% and it hopes that with some changes, this market can double with time and subsequently reduce its reliance on leisure travelers. The market share from leisure travelers has been reducing as consumers struggle with economic down turn (Virgin Australia, 2011). Determine problems & opportunities: to venture into the business of corporate travelers which is less affected by economic slow down improve customer services especially in language skills which rated very poorly increase its market share in an airline dominated by Qantas (Virgin Australia, 2011). Techniques to ensure employees focus on change: New uniforms for the staff- the launched its sophisticated new uniform. This will be appropriate for the excellent services that they are expected to give. Rebranding of the international airline-the company has rebranded and changed its name to Virgin Australia as a repositioning strategy New airport lounges to better the customer services Better customer services-in order to rate 5 out 5, there is need for the language skills of the staff to be enhanced (Virgin Australia, 2011). Step 2. Ensure there is a power change group to guide the change Create team structure to drive change: Virgin Blue should sought the services of a renowned designer Juli Grbac to design the new uniforms and had them launched by an icon Elle Macpherson The airline also sought for the best designer to design the airport lounge. In determining the new look, the airline should have considered incorporating a number of customers and employees to be part of the team that was working on the new look The airline should have conducted a market research as well as get feedback on what the customer think about their services. This would have helped them determine which areas to improve (Virgin Australia, 2011). Ensure teams have sufficient power to achieve desired change: The designer of the new uniform worked very closely with the Virgin Blue to come up with the ultimate design that looked very sophisticated The colours chosen for the uniform by the team which were the striking red and royal purple were unique and distinct and worked out well to give the airline a new look. In order to have a smooth transition to the new change , Virgin blue should have create an internal Virgin Australia project team which would have prepared the other staff for the change and hence motivated them to move towards the change (Virgin Australia, 2011). 3. Develop a vision Develop a vision that provides a focus for the change : Expanding its operations even more if at all it is wants to double its market share for the corporate travelers. The company should consider establishing more lounges to cater for more corporate travelers The company should develop a target of achieving a 30% market share by the year 2015. This performance should be monitored year by year while keeping a close look at Qantas activities. Virgin blue can perform even better than its competitors Qantas by introducing unique features while bettering those that it already has. With the low fares, Virgin Australia can still manage to stay do better than its competitors Qantas (Virgin Australia, 2011). Step 4. Communicate the vision Virgin Blue marketing team should consider developing and IMC plan which will develop some of the ways of creating awareness to the customers. Some of the strategies that can be used include: TV advertisements Newspaper advertisement Electronic banners Use of emails Use of Bill boards Use of the professional journal In order to communicate to the employees about the new changes, the company should consider using the following strategies: Use of internal memos Use of the company’s newsletters Convening meetings with the employees Involving employees as part of the team working on the new outlook. This will motivate the employees to motivate the rest to move towards the change (Virgin Australia, 2011). Step 5. Empower staff Remove organizational policies that inhibit the change process. To do this, the following should be done: Identify from the staff change leaders whose role will be to deliver the change Check that the organization structure of virgin blue, its job descriptions, its compensation and reward system just to make sure that they are all in line with the vision Identify employee who are resistant to change and assist them to see the need for change Acknowledge and reward employees who make change happen (Virgin Australia, 2011). Step 6. Ensure there are short term wins Employees who help in meeting the set targets should be rewarded Email employees when they are immediate news. All wins should be communicated quickly to encourage staff to keep on working towards the change Ensure that all the achievements of the airlines including changes in the profit and increased market share should be communicated Analyze thoroughly the pros and cons of all the targets as failure in an early target can hurt the whole change initiative (Virgin Australia, 2011). Step 7. Consolidate gains After each win, an analysis of what went right and what requires improving should be done Keep the ideas fresh by introducing other change agents for the change initiative The staff who are resistant to change should still be identified at this stage Goals should be developed to build on the momentum that the airline has achieved so far Continuously remove all other inhibitors of change (Virgin Australia, 2011). Step 8. Embed the change in the culture The progress of the change should be talked about. The success stories about the change should be shared Incorporate change values and ideals when training and hiring new employees Acknowledge publicly the contribution of key members and ensure that the other staff both old and new (Virgin Australia, 2011). References Anderson A(2012) How to Improve Organizational Effectiveness Through Transformational Leadership Retrieved on 9th September 2012 from http://smallbusiness.chron.com/improve-organizational-effectiveness-through-transformational-leadership-10653.html Black A (2012) The gospel according to John Borghetti, Virgin CEO. Retrieved on 9th September 2012 from http://www.leadingcompany.com.au/leadership-styles/how-john-borghetti-is-transforming-virgin-australia/201208152120?displaypage=unknown Chong J (2011) Virgin Blue Unveils More Changes Retrieved on 22nd May 2012 from http://www.virginaustralia.com/us/en/about-us/media/2011/D_020272/ Fouts, J.T. (2003). A decade of reform: A summary of research findings on classroom, school, and district effectiveness in Washington State. Seattle, WA: Washington School Research Center. Seattle Pacific University Fullan, M. (2001a). Leading in a Culture of Change. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. Iqbal T (2011) The impact of leadership styles on organizational effectiveness: Analytical study of selected organizations. Auflage: Germany Kendra C (2012). Transformational Leadership. What Is Transformational Leadership? Retrieved on 9th September 2012 from http://psychology.about.com/od/leadership/a/transformational.htm Lussier R.N,& Achua C.F (2009) Leadership: Theory, Application, & Skill Development. 4th Edition. South West Cengage Learning: USA Walsh W. B (2009) The evaluation of leadership styles in relationship to job performance. UMI microfirm: USAs Chong J (2011) Virgin Blue Unveils More Changes Retrieved on 22nd May 2012 from http://www.virginaustralia.com/us/en/about-us/media/2011/D_020272/ Fouts, J.T. (2003). A decade of reform: A summary of research findings on classroom, school, and district effectiveness in Washington State. Seattle, WA: Washington School Research Center. Seattle Pacific University Fullan, M. (2001a). Leading in a Culture of Change. 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Virgin Australia (2011) Virgin Australia Brings Business Class and new Lounge to Mackay retrieved on 22nd May 2012 from http://www.virginaustralia.com/us/en/about-us/media/2011/D_020269/ Virgin Australia (2011) Virgin Australia Launches Architect-Designed Brisbane Lounge retrieved on 22nd May 2012 from http://www.virginaustralia.com/us/en/about-us/media/2011/U_021202/ Virgin Australia (2011) Elle Macpherson and Virgin Blue Crew Hit the Fashion Runway to Launch Sophisticated Uniform retrieved on 22nd May 2012 from http://www.virginaustralia.com/us/en/about-us/media/2011/D_020254/ Virgin Australia (2011) Virgin Australia launches new Velocity frequent flyer program Retrieved on 22nd May 2012 from http://www.virginaustralia.com/us/en/about-us/media/2011/U_021194/ Virgin Australia (2011) Virgin Australia announces additional flights to meet demand Retrieved on 22nd May 2012 from http://www.virginaustralia.com/us/en/about-us/media/2011/D_020308/ Virgin Australia (2011) Virgin Australia Re-Brands its International Airlines Retrieved on 22nd May 2012 from http://www.virginaustralia.com/us/en/about-us/media/2011/VIRGIN-AUSTRALIA-RE-BRANDS/ Skytrax (2012) Virgin Australia official 4-Star Ranking of Product and Service Quality Retrieved on 22nd May 2012 from http://www.airlinequality.com/Airlines/DJ.htm Read More