Asian Rival Shut Out Of Bidding

Australia's number-two carrier, Virgin Blue, is moving closer to obtaining routes from down under to the US. The Australian newspaper reports the carrier has issued an RFP (Request For Proposals) to both Boeing and Airbus... asking for information on up to five long-haul aircraft.

Now, the Australian airline is figuring out which cities will work best for those aircraft. Virgin Blue hopes to have the routes, and the planes to fly them, secured by 2008.

"Obviously, we need to start detailed examination of different aircraft types but I can't confirm any detail," said airline spokesperson Heather Jeffery.

The move is a blow to Asian giant Singapore Airlines... which was reportedly kept out of the bidding for the lucrative transpacific route by the Australian government, in hopes that a homegrown carrier will fit the bill.

A lot of questions still remain up in the air, so to speak. For starters, Virgin Blue has given no indication of what aircraft it might fly to the US; either the Boeing 787 Dreamliner or Airbus's A350 replacement would work, but they won't be ready for delivery until after the airline's 2008 deadline.

And then there's the question of what name Virgin Blue will assign to the flights -- as Singapore Airlines owns 49-percent of parent company Virgin Atlantic. Stay tuned.

FMI: www.virginblue.com