Changes to VA seat plan ?

[jakeseven7]

I'm confused, aren't those things already available?

From what I understood you can buy lounge access (at the door and maybe even during booking) and priority boarding is included with Economy X. Fares with no checked baggage are something I could get behind but in return, they need to start being really strict on carry on baggage size/weight to stop people from brining the kitchen sink onboard instead of checking it.

Kinda but in the market research they were basically unbundling EVERYTHING and you could add anything for a $ fee as a singular item to any fare class. They were also looking at the fare classes, names and inclusions as well.

I’m not sure if there are many high ranked VFFs left on here now but those who are would not be happy with everything being able to be bought as it erodes benefits of the tiers of anyone can just add PB for $10 for example. Personally as someone who just flies VA2 for occasional leisure I wouldn’t mind that!

Anyway let’s not panic until we see what comes out! Plenty of market research ideas never see the light of day

 

[MooTime]

Kinda but in the market research they were basically unbundling EVERYTHING and you could add anything for a $ fee as a singular item to any fare class. They were also looking at the fare classes, names and inclusions as well.

I’m not sure if there are many high ranked VFFs left on here now but those who are would not be happy with everything being able to be bought as it erodes benefits of the tiers of anyone can just add PB for $10 for example. Personally as someone who just flies VA2 for occasional leisure I wouldn’t mind that!

Anyway let’s not panic until we see what comes out! Plenty of market research ideas never see the light of day

yeah sounds like I did very similar research in the virgin community hub. I remember the fare class stuff & what's important etc
I do plenty research & companies put all & varying ideas to pundits out there for feedback.

I doubt many would pay for PB, I don't see much advantage to sitting on a plane longer than need be. Only to get your items into the above luggage.

True, lets save the panic for, well I don't know.

 

[jakeseven7]

I doubt many would pay for PB, I don't see much advantage to sitting on a plane longer than need be. Only to get your items into the above luggage.

Yes - see for the right price I would because on the 737’s on VA2 (or any airline really) finding overhead space is sometimes like winning the lottery or jamming it in like a really annoying puzzle. So if it was reasonable I would add PB for a few bucks to take the hassle out of fighting the ‘kitchen sink’ people …

 

[Mattg]

Yes - see for the right price I would because on the 737’s on VA2 (or any airline really) finding overhead space is sometimes like winning the lottery or jamming it in like a really annoying puzzle. So if it was reasonable I would add PB for a few bucks to take the hassle out of fighting the ‘kitchen sink’ people …

Doesn't paying for an exit row/row 3 negate this problem anyway? Since all bags have to be in the overhead lockers.

 

[jakeseven7]

Doesn't paying for an exit row/row 3 negate this problem anyway? Since all bags have to be in the overhead lockers.

Like I said the research broke every single ‘benefit’ apart into singular $ items able to be added to any fare class. Who knows what will/won’t happen.

 

[eastwest101]

I doubt many would pay for PB, I don't see much advantage to sitting on a plane longer than need be. Only to get your items into the above luggage.

Yeah - this unbundling and pricing of 'benefits' is all interesting and is all interrelated. There are visible and hidden costs of every baggage policy, sure you can charge extra for checked-in baggage and then save money on baggage handlers, but you have really just transferred the problem from below the wing to the cabin, and that means cabin crew playing tetris, slower embarkation/disembarkation, gate checking, delays, etc and all of these things can rapidly consume more money than the original 'saving'.

An airline with free checked baggage does not have quite the overhead bin issues as other airlines where checked-in baggage costs the pax. When flights are full overhead bin space is more of an issue, now if you know an airline with extra charges for checked-in luggage would logically result in motivating everything plus the kitchen sink into the overheads then for some, paying for priority boarding all of a sudden does not look as crazy, so one monetization policy has essentially created a problem that is solved by another monetization policy.

I'm still questioning the monetization of exit row seating and how that interacts with the safety evacuation rules about the number of emergency exits given the requirements for exit rows to be occupied by fit/proper and briefed pax. If no one is prepared to pay and the flight is pretty full and leaves with empty overwing exits, then there must be a loophole in CASA regulations that some airlines have found...

I got the same research poll about monetizing/unbundling every conceivable benefit but before VA2 goes down that road they really need to consider where they want to be in the market.....

 

[henrus]

As others have mentioned it depends on what path VA now wants to go down.

Ironically the one thing I think VA could actually get away with is charging for seat selection especially on a lower-tier fare type to compete with Rex. Given Rex charges for seat selection, I don't see it as a major problem plus would give another small benefit to silver/gold/plat who could continue to receive it for free.

Add ons like prepaying for food/drinks, adding a 2nd carry on bag or prepaid wifi would also be welcome.

 

[jakeseven7]

I got the same research poll about monetizing/unbundling every conceivable benefit but before VA2 go down that road they really need to consider where they want to be in the market.....

They’ve already said this… well Bain originally wanted ULCC but changed their tune to get the deal over the line to more of a ‘Slightly above JQ, so equivalent thereabouts to Rexy jet ops but leaving corporate and business to QF’ model.

Ironicaly JT who was fired by VA1 (he was supposed to take over from JB) had the exact same positioning in mind and wanted to unbundle and charge for everything. He introduced Economy X. The illfated PS was then parachuted in with a more ‘business as usual we can beat QF at their own game’ and we all know how that ended for him and the new owners, who did not agree….

Interesting times….

 

[MooTime]

I think maybe the OP is laughing at all this conjecture over seat changes, we have certainly gone off on a tangent.......

He probably went fishing on this one....and caught a few clown fish!

 

[MarkD]

Maybe its just a route thats being handed over to Alliance and the ERJ190? That would be a win for you regardless of class.

 

[henrus]

Maybe its just a route thats being handed over to Alliance and the ERJ190? That would be a win for you regardless of class.

VA is handing routes to alliance?

 

[BNEFlyer]

VA is handing routes to alliance?

Perhaps what Mark means is routes being operated by Alliance. VA won't be 'handing' any routes over to QQ.

 

[BNEFlyer]

There's still a 737-700 or two right?

The aircraft coming from the US are ex-VA aircraft anyway so they should be in what I call the Borghetti/Scurrah configuration.

Even moving Y seats about on aircraft seems an expensive exercise right now.

They're not just getting former VA aircraft back though. I've also done a dummy booking for BNE-HBA-BNE (that I might actually book) and the seat map is the same as usual.

 

[jakeseven7]

VA is handing routes to alliance?

Yes they are handing them over, well that was the plan before this latest Covid disaster.

Many routes that VA1 used to operate cannot profitably be served by a heavy 737 anymore so better to take a small slice of something than a large slice of a loss making route (even if QF gets a slice of it too via its ownership in Alliance )

 

[henrus]

Yes they are handing them over, well that was the plan before this latest Covid disaster.

Interesting, will these be E190 or F100/70 routes?

 

[jakeseven7]

Interesting, will these be E190 or F100/70 routes?

Both I think I read.

 

[HS-TQE]

Both I think I read.

Interesting, will these be E190 or F100/70 routes?

Apart from the 18 being allocated to the QantasLink wetlease contract, The remainder of the E190s (14x E190s) from what I read will replace some of the F100s, assumably on their FIFO contracts and their own regional (state-government subsidised) RPT services.

Leaving the remainder for charter/expansion opportunities.

If there are any VA wetlease services set to commence within the next 12 months, It'll be likely mostly on the older Alliance Fokkers with some of the leftover E190s in the following 12 months

Australia’s Expanding Alliance Airlines Posts Strong Profit – Smart Aviation Asia-Pacific

www.smartaviation-apac.com

 

[Mattg]

This is probably the change that the OP was referring to: New Virgin Australia fare categories