May 26 for Virgin Blue A330 Sydney-Perth services

VH-XFA takes off from Sydney on Saturday. (Seth Jaworski)

Virgin Blue has announced that its business class equipped Airbus A330-200s will begin operating a daily Sydney-Perth service from May 26, with a three-times daily schedule from July.

“The service commences from Sydney to Perth on 26 May 2011 with an 8.00am departure from Sydney, followed by a 1.00pm departure from Perth later that day. From July we will operate a three-times daily service, providing a total of more than 33,000 seats each week between the east coast and Perth,” Virgin Blue CEO John Borghetti said.

To launch the new services Virgin Blue is offering $1399 one-way business class fares and $139 one-way economy class fares. The airline says it will also upgrade Velocity members who book two return business class flights on the A330 services to Gold Velocity membership for a 12 month period.

Virgin Blue announced in February details of its Hans Hulsbosch designed two class A330 cabins, which will feature 62in pitch leather business class seats, while the first of the two A330s Virgin Blue is placing into transcontinental service this year, VH-XFA, arrived in Melbourne on March 5.

Last Friday VH-XFA was spotted wearing what were evidently the first elements of Virgin Blue’s much anticipated new livery and branding, but by the weekend those elements, a new ‘flying lady’ and red bands around the engine cowlings, had been removed again.