So far, so good for Virgin's new IT system
The airline is still advising passengers to turn up for flights earlier than usual this week as staff use Sabre's global reservations system for the first time in real-time.
A Virgin spokeswoman, Emma Copeman, said passengers had experienced longer queues for some flights at airports such as in Los Angeles due to the switchover, but at other airports "we have had no queues". "In Sydney, Brisbane and Perth we have been seeing quicker check in ... because we have extra staff on. People are generally getting to the airport earlier," she said.
On Saturday, some passengers waited longer than usual at Melbourne Airport's international terminal. The airline said about 89 per cent of flights were on time on Saturday, while by the time of going to press the figure for on-time performance stood above 90 per cent for Sunday.
The transition to a new reservations and check-in system was seen as a big test for both the airline and Sabre. About half of Virgin's 8000-strong workforce have undergone training for the new system.
It had amassed a small army of computer experts and support staff at the weekend to cope with the change from the Navitaire system, typically used by budget airlines.
Virgin will book a one-off cost from implementing Sabre, which will be disclosed when it releases its half-year results next month. It has not revealed the continuing cost of the system, saying only that "there was no material difference" to using Navitaire.
Although the transition to the system had run smoothly by the time of going to press at the weekend, some industry insiders expect it to encounter some teething problems in the longer term.
Virgin has said that the new system will allow it to better link its services to alliance partners such as Etihad and Singapore Airlines, as well as making its flights more visible to travel agents. The change will also result in Virgin switching its flight code from DJ to VA.
Qantas also uses Sabre while its budget offshoot, Jetstar, runs on a Navitaire system.
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Virgin Australia's move to Sabre's global reservations and check-in system led to longer queues for some flights at airports such as Los Angeles and Melbourne, though the airline said the overall change ran relatively smoothly and on-time performance was around 89% on Saturday and above 90% by Sunday.
The airline advised passengers to arrive earlier than usual while staff used Sabre in real time; Virgin also deployed extra staff in locations like Sydney, Brisbane and Perth to speed check-in, so initial delays appeared limited and the rollout was generally described as running smoothly.
Virgin will book a one-off cost for implementing Sabre that it said will be disclosed with its upcoming half-year results; the airline has not revealed ongoing costs but stated there was 'no material difference' compared with using the previous Navitaire system.
About half of Virgin's 8,000-strong workforce had undergone training for the new system, and the airline assembled a 'small army' of computer experts and support staff over the rollout weekend to manage the transition.
Industry insiders warned of potential teething problems over the longer term, so investors should monitor ongoing operational metrics — such as on-time performance, customer queue times and service disruptions — as the system settles in.
Virgin says the Sabre system will better link its services to alliance partners like Etihad and Singapore Airlines and make its flights more visible to travel agents, improving distribution and partner connectivity.
Qantas already uses Sabre for reservations, while Jetstar — Qantas' budget offshoot — runs on the Navitaire system, so Virgin's move brings it in line with Qantas on system provider but differs from Jetstar.
The change of flight code from DJ to VA is a direct result of the move to Sabre; it aligns Virgin's flight coding with the new system and partner distribution channels, and will be reflected across bookings and travel agent listings.
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