Austrialia’s Virgin Blue was supposed to launch its new international long haul airline, V Australia, with flights between Sydney and Los Angeles - starting Dec. 15.

The launch has now been pushed back until February - because the airline is waiting on three Boeing 777’s in advanced production at Boeing’s Seattle plant. However, production has been halted by a strike.

27,000 members of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers have been on strike for nearly a month now, and according to the Dow Jones Newswires, there are signs that the work stoppage is turning into “a protracted standoff”.

If you have a ticket for a now non-existent flight, contact the airline - they have some options for you.

Last month, we took an in depth look at the proposed joint agreement between British Airways and American Airlines (and Iberia). While BA/AA touted the proposed deal as a huge benefit to fliers and a way to increase access to routes and better airfares, others were not so pleased by the proposal—and by others, of course, we mean Sir Richard Branson.

Here’s one airline that looks as though it will do okay, oil crisis or no oil crisis.

And that’s Richard Branson’s Virgin Galactic. The “mother-ship” was unveiled today in California’s Mojave Desert, and it is an impressive piece of design.

Even more impressive is that fact that 250 people have signed up to ride it into sub-orbital space and get 4-minutes of weightlessness. Ticket price: $200, 000.

Branson said he and his family will go up first, but it’s not clear when that first flight will take place. Branson says “family” includes his Mom and Dad.

I couldn’t find out how old his parents are, but I can tell you that Sir Richard turned 58 this month.

UPDATE: According to the Guardian, Branson’s mother Eve is 89 and his father Ted is 91. Good for them!

We’ve seen airlines fold this year, and we’ve heard a lot of talk about airlines merging.

But one brand seems to keep rolling merrily along. Richard Branson’s Virgin.

The latest report (from Reuters) says the British billionaire is in talks with Brazilians about starting an airline there.

According to Sir Richard, Brazil is a “dynamic” market, and “we haven’t paid enough attention to it”. Talks are ongoing, he said, but expect an announcement soon.

Tell us, what’s next?

Virgin…World?

Well, actually Virgin Atlantic Chief Exec Steve Ridgway didn’t put it that bluntly, but he did say more U.S. carriers have to go out of business and the rest have to raise their prices — if the industry is to survive.

According to a Reuters report, Ridgway referred to repeated bankruptcies among U.S. airlines and said, “We can’t just keep up this merry-go-round of propping them up.”

There are people on this side of the Pond who would agree with you, Mr. Ridgway.

Can’t decide? Read his comments in full.

According to the Daily Mail, Virgin’s Sir Richard Branson is planning to set yet another record — by becoming the first man to marry a couple in space (well, sub-orbital space — close enough).

The billionaire’s Virgin Galactic is expected to begin weekly commercial flights next year (at a cost of $200,000 per person). In addition to the wedding, apparently another couple has booked a flight for their honeymoon (hmmm — flights only last 2-and-a-half hours).

Wait a minute — is Branson allowed to marry people? Keep reading…

As I mentioned in an earlier post about Open Skies-Australia, Virgin Blue is coming to the United States.

Destination: LAX. Non-stop service between Sydney and Los Angeles will begin in December.

Travel will be onboard a Boeing 777-300ER aircraft, which the Mayor of Los Angeles hailed as “one of the most…green commercial aircraft available.” As they say in LA, “green is good.”

Meanwhile, as we get closer to the inaugural flights, keep your eyes open for special inaugural deals.

Something new from Virgin (but then, isn’t there always?): Virgin Charter.

As one executive put it, it’s part Priceline, part eBAy, part Travelocity; and of course, it’s all Richard Branson.

Read about this intriguing new venture here; it just might put private planes within reach of some of the rest of us.

If you ask Richard Branson, Virgin Atlantic Airlines has just taken a major step towards creating an environmentally-friendly jet. Ask others, and you might get a different take on things. Regardless of whether or not you buy into all that Branson says, the fact is that Virgin Atlantic’s test flight from London to Amsterdam could set the stage for future Green endeavors by major carriers.

The Virgin Atlantic test flight involved a 747 that was partially powered by bio-fuel. It was the first commercial jumbo jet to do so. Now, bio-fuel can mean a lot of different things, so it’s important to point out that this specific flight used a fuel derived from coconut oil and a palm tree-based oil.

Keep reading to get both sides of the debate surrounding Virgin Atlantic’s historic flight…

The U.S. and Australia will hold talks next month on a potential “open skies” agreement that could mean good news for tourists: more airlines to choose from, and maybe, cheaper airfare.

Right now, only Qantas and United fly direct between the two nations. A new agreement could be another jewel in Richard Branson’s crown: his Virgin Blue spin-off, V Australia is poised for flights to America’s West Coast.

There’s also speculation that Singapore Airlines could “join in the fun” as Jaunted.com put it. More airlines, more choice, more potential for airfare decreases: what a concept!

It appears that the trend for “all business class” airlines is on the way out.

The year-old Maxjet filed for bankruptcy on Christmas Eve; and now the UK’s TimesOnLine is reporting that “Virgin has quietly dropped a plan to launch an exclusive transatlantic service for businessmen. BA’s rival project is understood to have stalled.”

Maxjet is blaming “economic turmoil” which includes high jet fuel prices. Meantime, the airline is scrambling to help get their passengers on Eos, which is a “First Class only” airline.

Now that JetBlue announced it’s offering free WiFi access, American Airlines, Virgin America and Alaska Airlines (according to the Boston Globe) have said that they will offer Internet access this coming year.

Meanwhile, it should be noted that overseas carriers Emirates and Virgin Atlantic already offer in-flight e-mail and instant messaging services-but, the U.S. is getting there.

Wonder how long this will take to get on the zillions of regional jets that we are now all flying (care to start an office pool on that date …)?

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Virgin America comes to San Diego.

What kind of effect will Branson’s baby have on competitors, and what new luxuries can passengers expect?