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Airline Bankruptcy / Air Australia / Strategic Airlines / Airplane Seats / LCCs / → All Tags

Want 10,000 Sick Bags or 100 Airline Seats? We've Got the Auction for You

Poor, poor Air Australia. First, we were very excited for a new airline down under called Strategic Airlines, and then back in November, they not only changed their name, but changed their service model. From a full-service airline meant to compete with the big dogs of the Aussie airline industry, to a budget airline primarily targeting leisure destinations around the region.

Then came February, when the airline took planeloads of people to their destinations and then called it quits, stranding passengers in foreign cities.

Since Air Australia went into the Australian equivalent of bankruptcy, the administrators were left with the trappings of an entire airline on their hands. Since the bosses of the airline ran up bills totaling around $85 million dollars, the new owners had to recoup that cash. The obvious thing to do is to pull apart planes and sell off all assets of the former carrier. And we mean everything!

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Say 'G'day Mate' to the New Air Australia

After the bad news of Qantas' major shutdown over the weekend, there is finally some good news coming from Australia. The 2-year-old Strategic Airlines is going through a re-branding and calling themselves "Air Australia." The simple name is to stay close to their Aussie roots, not to mention that the name makes heaps more sense.

Strategic entered the game in Oz back in 2009 with an aircraft base out of Brisbane. Essentially they fit right into the niche between Virgin Australia and Qantas with 2-class aircraft and all-the-frills cabin service.

With domestic services flying between main cities and mining locales, Strategic also takes their all-Airbus fleet internationally to Bali, Phuket and Honolulu to capitalize on the holiday-maker market. Eventually Air Australia will be flying their birds to China as well; nothing is confirmed, but we're thinking Beijing and Shanghai.

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Frontier, Alaska and Strategic Airlines Bring This Week's New Route News

Sometimes it’s hard to stay on top of all the new route announcements that come our way, so we’ve complied a little bit of a rundown below. As long as you can afford the fares, this should definitely help add to your passport stamp collection.

· Alaska Airlines:
Hawaii is pretty popular, and it’s especially popular for those flying aboard Alaska Airlines. The airline already sends plenty of flights between the mainland and paradise, and this week there’s news that they’re sending one more plane back and forth. The Seattle to Honolulu route is getting a third daily flight beginning on December 22, and will fill a gap in the airline’s daily schedule between the two cities. The new flight will leave Seattle around 4pm and get into the Aloha State right around 8pm—local time. This means you can cut out of the office early, and be in Hawaii for a late night dinner in Waikiki.

· Strategic Airlines:
We knew that Strategic Airlines was planning to link down under with the nifty fifty, and now Uncle Sam—along with the Australian version of Uncle Sam—are fine with the international flight. The airline will be flying nonstop between Brisbane and Honolulu beginning on December 14 with the assistance from Airbus A330s, and flights between Melbourne and Honolulu initiate on December 15. Flights are now available to be booked, and there’s even a little bit of a special sale going on. One-way flights from Brisbane will start at roughly $500 and the ones from Melbourne start at around $600—aloha!

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Strategic Airlines May Be Your Next Ride Down Under

We know that Europe may be a cheap option this summer thanks to an airline that you usually wouldn’t expect to have affordable fares, and now that also might be the case for those looking to head down under. There’s an airline in Australia that’s still trying to figure out all the logistics and what not, but they’ve got their eyes on the United States along with a price point that we can all support.

Strategic Airlines has filed the appropriate papers to get permission to fly between Australia and the nifty fifty. They’ll be using Airbus A330 aircraft for the long trip across the Pacific, but that means that the flights will probably need to stop in Hawaii before continuing on towards the mainland—a tropical layover is always fine with us! If everything goes as planned, the planes could be heading back and forth as soon as September.

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JetBlue, Delta, and Even More New Routes This Week

Sometimes it’s hard to stay on top of all the new route announcements that come our way, so we’ve complied a little bit of a rundown below. As long as you can afford the fares, this should definitely help add to your passport stamp collection.

· JetBlue:
More flights from Boston this week thanks to the airline with free television and plenty of in-flight snacks. JetBlue continues to bring planes back and forth between Logan International and the rest of the Western Hemisphere. The first new flight will link Boston with Portland, Oregon with one daily nonstop flight—just remember to bring a blanket as the return flight is a redeye. The other new route will link Massachusetts with the Dominican Republic. These flights will take place on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Sundays. All the new flights start on June 17, so get your credit card ready.

· Strategic Airlines:
Not just another new route, but this is kind of a whole new airline. Strategic Airlines is looking to start service between Down Under and Thailand beginning later this month. Flights will begin on February 22 and will run twice a week on nonstop routes between both Melbourne and Brisbane to Phuket. Other carriers like Jetstar and V Australia are already flying this route, so expect some serious competition and low fares.

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