Flight Review: VA661 – CBR-SYD (Business Class upgrade!)

[japansuki]

Finally an upgrade to Business Class! Shame it is only a 25 min flight but whose complaining?
The configuration is a comfortable 1-2 arrangement and I am in 2D! Minimal seat recline but a very wide pitch in dark grey leather hues. Sure beats the propeller ATR-500 this morning.
No pre-take-off champers on this flight; rather the choice of a glass if water or OJ, and friendly, smiling, well groomed attendants instead.
No personal audio-visual screens but instead to sink into my fiction novel based around the adventures of the Knights Templar instead.
Shock! Horror!! Food service begins almost immediately. Row 1, seats 1, 2, and 3 are offered a choice of Mediterranean vegetables and sliced cured meats or a tomato and onion tart as their choice, BUT the guy next to me and I are offered a Spinach and Ricotta muffin and a glass of wine from Economy. What!? Surely a mistake?? Sadly no, as we were both upgraded, we are declined the business class food service, much to the amusement of 1A who keeps looking over her shoulder and smirking at us. Oh how I want to yell out and say ‘…well my fare was only $95!’ She would have paid at least $450 for pleasure

but what’s the point?
After arriving in Sydney airspace we circle for a good 10 mins before landing due to congestion at the airport. My brief experience flying VA domestic business class has come to an abrupt end.
Rating: 6.5/10 (would it kill Virgin to complete the experience with a Business Class meal)?



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[Jousams]

Not sure of your status.
But I think the 'economy' wine is poor form by VA. Especially if your gold or plat.

 

[japansuki]

I'm a Plat and agree too!

 

[moa999]

Agree. Given it is bottles should always be enough.

Personally I am 0 in about 35 for Virgin flights, pretty much all on golden triangle and most on flexibles so don't believe upgrades are common.
Have also been rejected from complimentary upgrades on flights with as few as 2 of 8 people ultimately in the cabin

 

[Jousams]

Agree. Given it is bottles should always be enough.

Personally I am 0 in about 35 for Virgin flights, pretty much all on golden triangle and most on flexibles so don't believe upgrades are common.
Have also been rejected from complimentary upgrades on flights with as few as 2 of 8 people ultimately in the cabin

I think VA's upgrade system is poor.
I've flown to BNK a fair bit. Much of the time the J cabin is full. And going from prioty boarding/baggage the people in the J cabin aren't status passengers.

I mean to write feedback. Intact I might do it now.

 

[Justinf]

Economy meal and wine is piss poor. If you are upgraded to business class, you should get the business class catering. Just my opinion.

 

[Deleted member 29185]

Why is this whinge doing the traps again?

Even when purchasing a business class ticket, they still run out of business meals. Not so long ago I was served 2nd and they'd run out of one choice and this was on a flight with 5/8 seats filled. We know J meals are a sore point but on an upgrade, I'd be content with just the seat and an offer of complementary F&B (albeit Y variety), especially as it was one of the shortest VA flights in Oz. I guess VA will be damned if they do, Damned if they don't. I would see this thread more as a "GREAT SERVICE VA, I LOVED THE COMP UPGRADE......THANKS HEAPS FROM A VERY GREATFUL PAX".

Tell you what, write them a letter of complaint detailing your details and the flight details and see how many upgrades you get in future. Mum always told me, "it's the thought that counts" and I hope to receive some of those thoughts in future, but the likes of this post whining about lack of freebie F&B does absolutely nothing to help that prospect. (I haven't been upgraded since before J was introduced fully with a hundred or more flights flown)!

Now if you PAID for J and didn't receive the meal (or all the choices) then I believe you'd be right to whinge.

 

[777]

The wine situation seems unnecessarily cheap. The meal situation is perfectly understandable as discussed before.

 

[Deleted member 29185]

The wine situation seems unnecessarily cheap. The meal situation is perfectly understandable as discussed before.

Haven't we read posts from J travellers saying they ran out of the J wines? Remember this was a E-jet with limited supplies on board.

 

[JohnK]

Economy meal and wine is piss poor. If you are upgraded to business class, you should get the business class catering. Just my opinion.

Could not agree more.

Seat only upgrades make the person receiving the complimentary upgrade feel like they do not really belong there.

 

[Deleted member 29185]

Seat only upgrades make the person receiving the complimentary upgrade feel like they do not really belong there.

Surely if a pax really believes they belong in business class, they wouldn't have bought cattle class to start with?

Let's see, options are (left hand) cattle class seat I purchased where I WILL have to pay for anything over and above a water/tea/coffee or (right hand) J seat where I don't get J F&B but will be offered anything from Y for free............such a difficult decision. I could waste countless nights of sleep wrestling with that conundrum.

(Sheeeeesh, I can actually see why any airline may be reluctant to bother offering an upgrade).

Bottom line, anything offered over and above what you purchase is a welcome bonus but could most likely be refused if it dents your dignity.

 

[mella2007]

We read time and time again that we know that airlines don't often have full catering on board or extra meals if they choose to give someone an Op Up, so I don't understand why people get upset over it. If you get an Op Up (on a short leg) who is honestly fussed over a glass of wine or the food? You got the upgrade complimentary.....anything else should just be considered a bonus.

 

[Jousams]

Going from OP's post it's sounds like J class wine and food was available.

If this is the case I don't understand why the FA wouldn't offer them J class food & drink. All it's done is left a sour taste in a status flyers mouth.

 

[JohnK]

Surely if a pax really believes they belong in business class, they wouldn't have bought cattle class to start with?

No. If a person is sitting in business class they should be treated as a business class passenger.

And I do understand that sometimes catering is not assured but in this case it would appear there was a choice but it was not offered.

Why sugar coat it and say it is OK? This is almost the same as the famous Virgin op-up that gets taken away.

And don't worry a Qantas flight attendant has treated me the same way one time when I had an op-up.

 

[lukenet]

If I was offered a last minute upgraded from economy to J, I personally would be very happy with the offer of a better seat. The J class food, if offered, would simply a bonus, but not expected.

If on the other hand, I had purchased a ticket in J, then I would expect all the J class trappings.

 

[oz_mark]

There's a 'cabin upgrade' and there's a 'class upgrade'. They aren't the same thing.

 

[japansuki]

Why is this whinge doing the traps again?
Now if you PAID for J and didn't receive the meal (or all the choices) then I believe you'd be right to whinge.

Not a whinge, just a review. Thought it very funny that 1A kept looking over. VA is exceptional - if you read the review you will see I am very fond of the service. The food bit was just tongue in cheek. By the way, 'swanning_it', your mother taught you well

 

[lovestotravel]

Economy meal and wine is piss poor. If you are upgraded to business class, you should get the business class catering. Just my opinion.

Exactly, but again Virgin simply don't seem to "get it"

 

[Bolthead]

I have had a class upgrade once since J class added with all the trimmings and maybe 2-3 trimes cabin upgrade with no trimmings (all on short flights). Although privately to myself I thought I was being ripped off not getting all the trimmings I then had a reality check and relaised that I should be thankful for having the more comfortable seat etc.. Let's face it on a short flight you blink and it is over. I noticed on my flight Easter Thursday night SYD-OOL ( I had paid for a J seat) The J cabin was full and all but one Pax had all the meals etc. The chap sitting next to me was not offered anything until the end when the CSM offered him a class of water - I think he was Gold according to his baggage tag and the flight was very full) The service was excellent and the crew expecially #2 was a blast. Especially during the safety demo. She was carrying on like a model on a catwalk. Very funny.

 

[Jousams]

I have had a class upgrade once since J class added with all the trimmings and maybe 2-3 trimes cabin upgrade with no trimmings (all on short flights). Although privately to myself I thought I was being ripped off not getting all the trimmings I then had a reality check and relaised that I should be thankful for having the more comfortable seat etc.. Let's face it on a short flight you blink and it is over. I noticed on my flight Easter Thursday night SYD-OOL ( I had paid for a J seat) The J cabin was full and all but one Pax had all the meals etc. The chap sitting next to me was not offered anything until the end when the CSM offered him a class of water - I think he was Gold according to his baggage tag and the flight was very full) The service was excellent and the crew expecially #2 was a blast. Especially during the safety demo. She was carrying on like a model on a catwalk. Very funny.

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