Jetstar Pacific has been rebranded as Pacific Airlines and introduced a new cabin crew uniform. This move comes as Vietnam Airlines seeks to rebrand and enhance the airline to become more profitable and efficient. The new cabin crew uniforms debuted on July 31st.
The new flight attendant uniforms are based on the main colors of the refreshed airline. These uniforms were described by the airline as being of “youthful and modern style but still retains the elegance of Asian culture.”
Color-wise, the choices are deliberate and inspired by the Vietnam Airlines color palette to provide a visual connection between the two air carriers. The dominant color is the dark blue, which comprises most of the fabric of the uniforms.
For some color and a little bit of flair, the airline chose to go with orange accents. This includes ties and ascots.
Rebranding Jetstar Pacific
Back in June, Vietnam Airlines and Qantas agreed to rebrand Jetstar Pacific as “Pacific Airlines.” The plan was to leverage Vietnam Airlines’ market strength and presence to improve the airline’s operations and improve profitability. Pacific Airlines has started to repaint its planes and has taken part in important operations– including the Da Nang evacuation.
Jetstar Pacific is going back to its original name of Pacific Airlines. In 2008, however, Qantas invested in Pacific Airlines and renamed it Jetstar Pacific to be in line with the other Jetstar low-cost operations running in Oceania and East Asia
Qantas is stepping back from the airline. The Australian flag carrier has been trying to manage the crisis at home by shoring up its own position. Jetstar Pacific was not a market giant and faced intense competition.
The airline maintained Jetstar Pacific’s fleet of 18 Airbus A320s. These planes complement Vietnam Airlines’ Airbus fleet and are a common type across low-cost airlines, including Frontier Airlines, easyJet, and more.
A new reservation system
On July 29th, Pacific Airlines officially switched over to Saber’s passenger system and launched a new website. The move to Saber is designed to better align ticketing between Vietnam Airlines and Pacific Airlines while also instituting a common technology platform across both airlines– reducing complexity and increasing operational efficiency.
Lots of room to grow
Vietnam Airlines has chosen to maintain Pacific Airlines as a separate, low-cost arm. Vietnam is a booming market that has shown strong signs of growth. In the last couple of months, Vietnam Airlines has grown its own domestic market connections and launched several new routes.
A new uniform is part of a fresh start for the low-cost carrier. Photo: Pacific Airlines
However, where there is a booming market, there is also intense competition. As a low-cost carrier, Pacific Airlines will largely target price-sensitive leisure travelers. But, the airline could also tap into some of Vietnam Airlines’ market position and take over some routes.
But, Pacific Airlines also needs to ensure it has the right number of planes. Its competitors have hundreds of aircraft on order to grow. If Vietnam Airlines chooses not to expand the airline’s fleet, then Pacific Airlines will likely remain a smaller market carrier that leverages Vietnam Airlines’ strength but is not chasing market share. Instead, it would be more of a thorn in the side of its competitors.
Reporting by Simple Flying