Virgin offers budget travel again with no-baggage ticket

Virgin Australia has announced a significant shift back towards budget travel by offering a new cheap ticket that doesn’t include a baggage allowance. New Economy Lite fares will start from just $59 one-way between Sydney and Byron Bay, putting it on a par with low-cost rival Jetstar. It comes despite Jayne Hrdlicka repeatedly insisting that the airline would pursue a hybrid strategy that would see it sit in between rivals Qantas and Jetstar, and the closure of its previous low-cost subsidiary, Tigerair. However, the airline will still offer economy seats with baggage on ‘Economy Choice’ and ‘Economy Flex’ as well as business-class options. According to Virgin, while every ticket lets customers earn Velocity Frequent Flyer points and Status Credits, it appears Economy Lite will include fewer of both. The airline said almost one in three customers don’t require check-in baggage on domestic routes, with this number increasing on the country’s busiest Golden Triangle routes between Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane.<br/>