Business class happy hour [expired August 2012]

[moa999]

Given Happy Hour is on holidays, not much chance atm

 

[JohnK]

I have noticed J loads have been improving lately, so probably unlikely.

On which routes and times?

I know my sample size is small but I have now done 5 OOL-SYD returns on VA and 2 OOL-SYD returns on QF this year and VA struggles to get 1 person in the business class cabin and sometimes none. On each of those QF flights the business class cabin is full.

Go figure....

 

[medhead]

My theory is they fill an empty J cabin with upgrades. But don't if there is a paying customer. Will test my theory next week.

 

[hydrabyss]

My theory is they fill an empty J cabin with upgrades. But don't if there is a paying customer. Will test my theory next week.

I was hoping this the other week with an empty J cabin.Instead a mother and her kids made her way into the front halfway through the flight and stayed there till descent.She didnt sit down but her kids did clamber allover the seats.Thought it was kind of funny that the FAs let her go but they were all busy down the back.
I also found it amusing watching many pax trying to use the cupboards for the toilet.Geez the door is only half size atleast look for something taller like the exit doors.A few even gave up and turned around and went to the back.

 

[Jousams]

On which routes and times?

I know my sample size is small but I have now done 5 OOL-SYD returns on VA and 2 OOL-SYD returns on QF this year and VA struggles to get 1 person in the business class cabin and sometimes none. On each of those QF flights the business class cabin is full.

Go figure....

OOL-SYD is my most common flight, normally at peak times (fri afternoon & Monday morning) and J is always full. (Sometimes with spare Y Seats). I can never use fly ahead.

 

[Ewing]

My theory is they fill an empty J cabin with upgrades. But don't if there is a paying customer. Will test my theory next week.

Not on my most recent flight (E190 with new J) and J was completely empty.

I had 3D and it was only CBR-SYD so didn't really care. Besides, my Y ticket was $79 and J was $429

 

[eastwest101]

My theory is they fill an empty J cabin with upgrades. But don't if there is a paying customer. Will test my theory next week.

Interesting theory - with all the problems with VA & Velocity websites I think some people haven't/couldn't requested upgrades, and can't be bothered calling a few days ahead to get catering assured. I have seen a lot of empty J cabins on VA as well and some with only 1 or 2 J pax. Let us know what you find out...

 

[smit0847]

Maybe we should start a simple 'J loads' thread where people can post the flight they were on, and the '3/8 in J' load?

 

[lobo76]

I really don't get why VA don't offer paid upgrades at check-in, no catering assured, obviously (but maybe freebies off the Y menu) with Silver paying say $150, Gold $100 and Plat $50 for shorter hops and going up from there on longer routes. Even just offering it to people who choose to fly ahead would be fairly easy... no?

 

[BrentH]

I really don't get why VA don't offer paid upgrades at check-in, no catering assured, obviously (but maybe freebies off the Y menu) with Silver paying say $150, Gold $100 and Plat $50 for shorter hops and going up from there on longer routes. Even just offering it to people who choose to fly ahead would be fairly easy... no?

I'd pay.

It'd probably devalue J though. "Why pay $xx_ extra to book now when you can rock up at the airport and upgrade for $50 on most flights."

 

[DeKa]

The current/recent sale at $299 SYD-BNE (as one example) wasn't good enough?
http://www.australianfrequentflyer....ass-sale-virgin-website-43629.html#post780729

 

[lobo76]

I'd pay.

It'd probably devalue J though. "Why pay $xx_ extra to book now when you can rock up at the airport and upgrade for $50 on most flights."

Yea but how do you devalue something that's sold 0/8? It wouldn't be an issue on routes/times where J is in demand. It potentially frees up rows 3-6 for Golds/Silvers or gap seats etc. improving the overall offering to status holders. Probably only offer the bucket reserved for Rewards anyways.

I think the prevailing thought is that J class is over priced, award winning or not. The food isn't much better than long haul Y meals and there's only so many glasses of $20 a bottle vino you can glug in an hour

 

[eastwest101]

Yea but how do you devalue something that's sold 0/8? It wouldn't be an issue on routes/times where J is in demand. It potentially frees up rows 3-6 for Golds/Silvers or gap seats etc. improving the overall offering to status holders. Probably only offer the bucket reserved for Rewards anyways.

I think the prevailing thought is that J class is over priced, award winning or not. The food isn't much better than long haul Y meals and there's only so many glasses of $20 a bottle vino you can glug in an hour

Good points - I think VA should look at this in the future, it could be a real competetive advantage for VA and maybe a way of tackling the tunnel vision approach of "thou shall only book Y class" of many corporate travel policies... just a thought. :shock: Would be a nice point of differentiation over their competitor as well (QF J class).

Those empty 0/8 or 0/6 J seats that I see must be quite valuable to VA! I think all airlines - VA included but VA in particular need to start getting a bit creative or competative if they are going to get some revenue out of those empty J seats that they are carting around the countryside at the moment. Having said that - I know that empty J class seats have some value to VA and the existing J customers and am not advocating stuffing every J seat to max J capacity either.

 

[smit0847]

I think the prevailing thought is that J class is over priced, award winning or not. The food isn't much better than long haul Y meals and there's only so many glasses of $20 a bottle vino you can glug in an hour

I tend to agree with you. SG and WP get all of the benefits of a J ticket (priority check-in, boarding, Lounge access, baggage etc) except for the bigger seat, nice f&b and IFE. IFE is irrelevant if you take a laptop/ipad onboard or when the onboard wifi is available.

J is usually at least 3 or 4 times the price of a Saver fare which can be $400+ price difference on a 90 min to 2 hour flight. I can get a stunning meal at my destination for that price. It certainly doesn't cost them that much to provide the meal!

If J was offered for $100 at check-in I would go for it occasionally for special occasions, but I agree pax won't pay full price for J if thats offered.

 

[Plutonus]

Call me crazy, but I prefer J when there are light loads. The crew seem to be stretched when it's full, plus a row to yourself is always nice

 

[Fruitcake]

It certainly doesn't cost them that much to provide the meal!

The meal might not cost much but having the fifth FA there to serve it to you adds 25% to cabin crew costs for the flight, and they have also given up four Y seats to have J class fitted.

J fares also have a lot of flexibility which is very expensive to offer. Consider that if you no-show today (without checking in) that seat probably goes out empty, your meal probably gets binned. Then you can call up 24 hours later and reschedule, probably for no extra revenue.

 

[777]

As a bit of an aside, I noticed recently that they don't oversell the Y cabin on domestic flights.

I was in Newcastle with others in the week before the F1 GP and on the Friday every single Y seat to Melbourne was booked out on both VA and JQ. I had a colleague who decided to train it to SYD and pay a fair bit to fly from there.

When I turned up at the airport I thought I'd be a great chance for an opup as the flight was fully booked but when I got on board I realised that there were only 2/8 seats taken in J.

What i learned:

1. The new sabre booking system shows the flight as sold out if you search for a Y seat. It doesn't even try to sell you a J one - I suspect my colleague may have stumped for it if the option was presented.

2. VA are not overselling Y. They probably could quite easily have offered Y seats on the route for 4 or 500 bucks one way and sold them and bumped a few passengers up but instead they basically stopped selling tix to 98% of people who searched their site.

Seem poor yield management to me.

 

[eastwest101]

As a bit of an aside, I noticed recently that they don't oversell the Y cabin on domestic flights.

I was in Newcastle with others in the week before the F1 GP and on the Friday every single Y seat to Melbourne was booked out on both VA and JQ. I had a colleague who decided to train it to SYD and pay a fair bit to fly from there.

When I turned up at the airport I thought I'd be a great chance for an opup as the flight was fully booked but when I got on board I realised that there were only 2/8 seats taken in J.

What i learned:

1. The new sabre booking system shows the flight as sold out if you search for a Y seat. It doesn't even try to sell you a J one - I suspect my colleague may have stumped for it if the option was presented.

2. VA are not overselling Y. They probably could quite easily have offered Y seats on the route for 4 or 500 bucks one way and sold them and bumped a few passengers up but instead they basically stopped selling tix to 98% of people who searched their site.

Seem poor yield management to me.

An excellent example of the reservation system/IT side of things destroying the businesses ability to earn revenue. Exactly the opposite of what should happen!

I would draw that flight date and load story to the attention of the Virgin Rep here, as a PM, and they can go and ask the revenue/yield management team and the IT teams at VA what the story was there. Would be an interesting conversation to hear! I would imagine a lot of pointing fingers!!!

 

[travelislife]

Really interesting stuff, would be a good one to forward on to VA that is for sure, consultants get big bucks for recommendations like that!

 

[FrankC]

An excellent example of the reservation system/IT side of things destroying the businesses ability to earn revenue. Exactly the opposite of what should happen!

May be they are doing this as safe guard against the scenario where people get upgraded at lounge and then downgraded at gate?