As Virgin Blue continues to move away from the low-cost-carrier model, the airline has introduced a new menu in economy class that looks downright tasty.

Designed by Chef Luke Mangan, the menu will include bundles like a panini served with a Carman’s cranberry bar and non-alcoholic drink, gourmet beef pie accompanied by a beer or wine, and a noodle salad box and drink. Prices for these bundles, at 15AUD, will be steep.

The carrier will continue to charge for food on ...

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission is not about to let Virgin Blue and Air New Zealand merge, but NZ turned some heads today after declaring plans to purchase a 14.99% stake in Virgin Blue.

NZ says it is not interested in taking over the airline. Instead, Robin Fyfe, NZ's CEO, stated, "This investment cements the emerging relationship between our two airlines and demonstrates the confidence we have in Virgin Blue both as an entity and as a partner for Air New ...

Star Alliance CEO Jaan Albrecht sat down with Business Traveler this week after a Star Alliance board meeting (in beautiful Queenstown, New Zealand) to discuss a wide-variety of topics. Here are some of the highlights:

On consolidation:

Consolidation is a trend we are seeing, and it's happening on a regional basis – there is lots of consolidation in Europe, in North America and Latin America, and that will continue. But the added value of the alliance is to be like a ...