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Suggest pagesVirgin Samoa
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| Founded | October 2005 (as Polynesian Blue) |
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| Operating bases | Faleolo International Airport | |||
| Frequent-flyer program | Velocity Frequent Flyer | |||
| Airport lounge | The Virgin Australia Lounge | |||
| Fleet size | 1 | |||
| Destinations | 4 | |||
| Parent company | Virgin Australia Holdings Limited | |||
| Headquarters | Christchurch, New Zealand (Pacific Blue Airlines) | |||
| Key people | Mark Pitt, CEO | |||
| Website | virginsamoa.com | |||
Virgin Samoa, formerly Polynesian Blue, is a Virgin Australia Holdings airline that flies between Samoa, Australia and New Zealand. It is 49% owned by the Samoan government.[1] Polynesian Blue took over the long haul flights (those involving Australia or New Zealand) which were operated by Polynesian Airlines. On 7 December 2011, it was announced that Polynesian Blue would change its name to Virgin Samoa.
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[edit] History
Virgin Blue Holdings signed an agreement with the Samoan government to operate a joint venture airline called Polynesian Blue. The announcement came after several months of detailed discussions between the two parties and involved the Samoan government and Virgin Blue joining forces to set up a new company to operate jet routes previously flown by Polynesian Airlines. The name Polynesian Blue was in keeping with the Virgin Blue family of brands, which also included Christchurch-based airline Pacific Blue. Its first flight was on 31 October 2005, between Apia and Auckland in New Zealand, and Sydney in Australia.
The airline is 49% owned by the Samoan Government and 49% owned by ASX-listed Virgin Australia Holdings (AX: VAH). The remaining 2% is held by an independent Samoan shareholder, the owner/operator of Aggie Grey's Resort and Hotel.[2]
Pacific Blue Airlines changed its ICAO code from PBI to PBN, to prevent air traffic controllers confusing the I for a 1 in flight plans. This also applies to Virgin Samoa flights operated by Virgin Australia. The ICAO code PLB (Callsign: Polyblue) is currently reserved for the airline but not in use.
Virgin Blue Holdings rebranded its airlines under the new Virgin Australia name in 2011, later renaming itself Virgin Australia Holdings.[3] Polynesian Blue was rebranded Virgin Samoa, and a new livery was unveiled for the airline's single 737-800 which features traditional Samoan tattoos on the engines, designed by Tuifa’asisina Tolouena Sua.[2] Cabin crew uniforms were also redesigned to feature the new imagery.[4]
[edit] Destinations
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Parts of this article (those related to the destination list below) are outdated. Please update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information. Please see the talk page for more information. (December 2011) |
As of May 2007, Virgin Samoa operates scheduled passenger flights to the following destinations:[5]
[edit] Onboard services
Virgin Samoa offers a buy on board service offering food and drinks for purchase.[6]
[edit] Fleet
Virgin Samoa's fleet consists of the following aircraft as of December 2011:
[edit] References
- ^ "Virgin Blue picks up Samoa flights." CNN. Thursday 14 July 2005. Retrieved on 12 February 2010.
- ^ a b Ben Sandilands (7 December 2011). "A Virgin with tatts is one of world’s top earning jets". Crikey. http://blogs.crikey.com.au/planetalking/2011/12/07/a-virgin-with-tatts-is-one-of-worlds-top-earning-jets/. Retrieved 10 January 2012.
- ^ "Virgin Australia rebrands its Pacific carriers". NZ Herald. 8 December 2011. http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=10771823. Retrieved 10 January 2012.
- ^ Mike Gisick (7 December 2011). "Polynesian Blue to become Virgin Samoa". Australian Aviation. http://australianaviation.com.au/2011/12/polynesian-blue-to-become-virgin-samoa/. Retrieved 10 January 2012.
- ^ Polynesian Blue Route Map
- ^ "à la cart menu." Virgin Blue. Accessed 30 October 2008.
[edit] External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Virgin Samoa |
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