‘Thankyou and farewell’: Tigerair’s heartbreaking final boarding call
Virgin Australia CEO Paul Scurrah will be speaking about leadership during a pandemic at the Yahoo Finance All Markets Summit on 17 September. Register here for your tickets.
Australian airline Tigerair has issued a heartbreaking message to customers as it prepares to be discontinued, after Covid-19 pushed parent company Virgin Airlines to the brink of collapse.
“To our valued customers, there is no denying these are tough times for everyone in the travel and tourism industry,” Tigerair stated.
“And sadly, after nearly 13 years of operation we have made the difficult decision to discontinue the Tigerair Australia brand.
“Since our very first flight on 23 November 2007 from Melbourne to the Gold Coast, we’ve provided affordable air travel to more than 30 million customers across Australia, and through the commitment of our people, past and present, created a family of 1.2 million along the way.
“Thank you and farewell from Tigerair Australia.”
Virgin Australia revealed in August that it would discontinue the Tigerair brand as there was not sufficient customer demand to support both carriers at the time. However, Virgin stated Tigerair would retain its air operator certificate in case there would be an opportunity to revive the carrier in the future.
The airline was forced to enter voluntary administration after standing down 3,000 workers. US private equity firm Bain Capital rescued the airline, with creditors approved the airline’s purchase despite backlash from unions over the sale.
I’ve got a Tigerair travel credit, what can I do?
If you’ve got a travel credit with Tigerair, these will be converted into ‘Future Flight’ credits to be used with Virgin Australia, which the airline anticipates to be made available from 23 September this year.
These credits can be used to book flights up to 31 July 2022, with travel valid until 30 June 2023.
“This credit is part of a broader proposal by Bain Capital for the Virgin Australia Group, and is subject to the proposal's approval at a creditors meeting,” Tigerair stated.
“Virgin Australia will be contacting you to provide more information about the proposal and details for use of Future Flight credits in due course.”
Virgin Australia CEO Paul Scurrah will be speaking about leadership during a pandemic at the Yahoo Finance All Markets Summit on 17 September. Register here for your tickets.
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