Virgin Australia has commenced the sale of business class seats on routes between Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane for travel from January 18th next year.

The cut price business seats are seen by many as an attempt to cash in on the chaos as rival Qantas, which was forced to ground all flights over the weekend as part of an ongoing dispute with unions.

Introductory fares on offer undercut Qantas equivalents by between $120 and $380 a seat.

Virgin Australia chief executive John Borghetti said: “Following the successful introduction of business class on Virgin Australia trans-continental services, we are pleased to announce that business class on the Sydney-Melbourne-Brisbane Triangle is available for sale today, ahead of schedule.

“Our new product is a key part of our strategy to reposition Virgin Australia as the airline of choice for all market sectors.

“Providing an excellent product on the Triangle is a key priority for us, with routes such as Melbourne-Sydney among the busiest in the world.”

Virgin Australia has previously said it hopes to double its share of the domestic business market, from ten to 20 per cent, largely at the expense of Qantas, which presently controls roughly 80 per cent of the sector.