Aussie airline aborts veterans-first boarding plan before takeoff

SYDNEY: Virgin Australia yesterday jettisoned plans to allow military veterans to board its flights first, as popular outcry at American- style ‘ tokenism’ appeared to kill the idea before it got off the ground.

Politicians, commentators and veterans themselves queued up to denounce Virgin’s gesture as embarrassing, or worse.

“I would not dream of walking onto an aircraft ahead of the other passengers as a veteran,” said prominent former member of the Australian Defence Force Cate McGregor, lampooning the gesture as ‘ faux-American bollocks.’ “Spend more on suicide prevention and health support,” said the former East Timor veteran, who is also transgender.

Twenty- five year military veteran Rodger Shanahan, now a research fellow at the respected Lowy Institute think tank, said the ploy would be studied as an example of how not to handle public relations.

He suggested Virgin could instead “salute veterans by providing heavily discounted tickets to those less fortunate in society.” Even far-right politician Pauline Hanson called the move a ‘ marketing ploy,’ telling Channel Seven, “I find it very embarrassing... I’ve worked with a lot of the veterans and I think they’d find it terribly embarrassing.”

Virgin CEO John Borghetti put the chocks back on the plan.