I am "almost" completely fed up with Qantas, whats it like on the "Dark side" ?

[ntn001]

I am QF LTG and due to work obligations I started flying VA domestically (BNE-Syd/Melb/Cbr). I am now almost VA Gold and loving the experience.

The service IMHO is vastly superior in VA. The lounge is so much better than the QC - granted the J lounge in Q is a step above.

But the reason for my enthusiastic endorsement of VA (after rubbishing them for decades) is QF doesn't give a cough about my loyalty anymore. The biggest asset for them is their QFF but they have trashed it repeatedly. I was platinum for 3 or 4 years and they changed the rules so much so, I struggled to be gold any longer. I used to be able to pick up the phone or flash my QFF card and nothing was too much trouble. Now it seems the opposite - after 20years of exclusive loyalty.

Other than US or UK flights, I will be loyal to VA whilst they show me the love.

<redacted>

 

[The-Aviator]

Have flown VA and partners almost exclusively since 2016, after a nightmare of an experience on QF flights to and from South Africa where on the way they downgraded us from Business to Economy at the check in desk and then on the way back we departed Johannesburg on a 12hr flight with no catering whatsoever.

I find catering on VA far exceeds QF, really love the lounges, status benefits are good and for me personally I find it a lot easier to retain Gold status with them. Slight let down when it comes to international airline partners and I live in hope they'll be invited into a global alliance some day, but for the time being they are small inconveniences I'm willing to put up with in order to avoid QF!

 

[Matt_01]

I get the OP thought process, I have jumped ship between QF and VA for the domestic offering a couple of times. Sure at the moment VA does seem to have a better domestic J offering but the food choice is very limited. Case in point MEL-ADL-MEL the CSM informed me the J menu is fixed to routes so while many think the lamb with barley, the chicken with penne or the cold offering of salad with prosciutto is much better than the QF offering, consider if these are the only options you are presented with week in, week out for 10-12 weeks straight it gets pretty boring very quickly. On the occasions I traveled ADL-SYD-ADL or MEL-SYD-MEL and visa versa guess what the that lamb with barley, chicken with penne or salad with prosciutto was still the only offering. For those that have been flying for a while may remember a few years back VA dumped all hot meals in domestic J and only offered a single salad offering. This was short lived and most likely a cost cutting exercise.

Sometime the grass is not always greener on the other side.

 

[ntn001]

You might want to take a closer look at the kinda people that own this business....

I seriously doubt they can be any worse than Murdoch. In all markets where he has a presence democracy is destabilised, policy is short sighted and targeted at the immediate financial benefit of the few and views are polarised via lies and distortions. So I don't care who owns Virgin they're not as bad as Murdoch and as long as QANTAS promotes Murdoch's business, I won't support them.

 

[amaroo]

I seriously doubt they can be any worse than Murdoch. In all markets where he has a presence democracy is destabilised, policy is short sighted and targeted at the immediate financial benefit of the few and views are polarised via lies and distortions. So I don't care who owns Virgin they're not as bad as Murdoch and as long as QANTAS promotes Murdoch's business, I won't support them.

Cool, you're a Murdoch hater. Plenty of them around.

If you're really interested in bigots, etc the motley crew that own VA would be hard to beat. UAE and China - don't really set the bar for human rights.... just saying.

 

[Buzzard]

I'm SG with QF whilst +1 has status with VA so best of both worlds for us as most of the time we travel together. The first thing we look at is cost. VA is a clear winner here so there goes my QF status next year.
Whilst the ADL lounge is not great (a new one is coming) I find the VA lounges superior to the QP. Perhaps it's because VA don't have a J lounge.
I eat what I want to eat in the lounge so the onboard Y meal doesn't matter. VA also have arrival access for SG.

 

[drron]

I seriously doubt they can be any worse than Murdoch. In all markets where he has a presence democracy is destabilised, policy is short sighted and targeted at the immediate financial benefit of the few and views are polarised via lies and distortions. So I don't care who owns Virgin they're not as bad as Murdoch and as long as QANTAS promotes Murdoch's business, I won't support them.

Sorry but the Sky programs run on QF TV are news,weather and sport.None of the late night presenters including such right wing stirrers such as Richo and Nicholas Reece have their programs on the QF Sky presentations.
And for your information virtually every year Sky wins the Logie for best news program in Australia.

 

[Ausbt]

And for your information virtually every year Sky wins the Logie for best news program in Australia.

VA aren't in the clear on this one, I've caught them broadcasting this Sky rubbish in the Sydney lounge of an evening a few times.

<off topic comments redacted>

I'm pretty sure in VA's CBR lounge the ABC rules the roost.

 

[Must...Fly!]

There are so many more important things in life...

 

[JessicaTam]

[mod hat]
Please stick to discussing the airlines, not the broadcasters.

Thank you.
[/mod hat]

 

[drron]

In Y I see little difference between QF and VA.I have no status on either.these trips are usually for work and it is BFOD generally so it can be either that I travel.

The only time I am flying J domestically is on an International itinerary.Seeing I have status on BA and AA it means QF wins.

 

[Max Samuels]

I too am a recent QF deserter.... after a horrendous experience in April this year when QF wouldn't let me change a flight MEL-BNE on "the cheapest possible business class ticket you can buy" (that was what the d**** at the "customer service" desk said to me - what an irony - customer service lol) - the ticket was 100% refundable including no show - but not changeable (so strange). So I spat the dummy, literally walked across the terminal to Virgin sales desk and bought a J oneway to BNE on the next available flight which cost LESS than the fare difference QF wanted to charge me! Then I just no-showed on the QF flight and the refund automatically appeared on my credit card the next day.

But I digress.... I agree with so many posters here that QF really doesn't makes its customers feel loved. Since then I have almost exclusively flown VA domestically - i still had a few QF flights already booked which I had to fly, but since April have booked no new revenue flights. I'm only a Silver with VA (almost gold though), and fly almost exclusively in J as I book 28 days out and that costs the same as a QF Y Flexi. Anyway, even as a lowly Silver, the service and welcome I get on VA is so good. Always warm, genuine smiles, and I am not an elite frequent flyer with them, so i assume that is just how they are - QF in my opinion is full of worn out old leather shoes that pose as cabin crew.

However..... QF's technology is so much better. I cannot work out the Velocity App versus the Virgin App - seems you use one to book, and then one to manage said booking? The websites are similarly coughbersome and confusing to use. And it seems to take days for points to be credited to your account. QF's single portal is by far superior.

QF's lounges are better, I think. At least QF's domestic J lounges are better. Last Thursday at MEL there was not a single spare seat in the VA lounge - not even at the standing bar areas - I have never experienced that with QF before. Sure, QF also gets busy but I have never seen a no seat scenario and I travel pretty much every week for the past 10 years.

Trying to understand how VA works with partner airlines is also confusing. QF's oneworld alliance is much clearer to understand.

Both airlines operate the same aircraft domestically, and I prefer VA's cabin layout on the 737 - seems more intimate in J. And they are better with enforcing the exclusivity of the J cabin. I have not flow VA internationally so cannot compare.

I am probs going to remain QF Plat for at least another 2 years but after that I might just abandon them altogether... the only thing I will miss are the F lounges but with LTG I think I can be happy in the J lounges... and let's face it - the only "amazing" F lounges that QF gives access to are SYD, MEL, HKG, NRT, DXB, LAX.... but I hardly go to HKG anymore, LAX i can use the AA F lounges (as they allow OW sapphire members)... I go to NRT a lot and it will be sad not to have use of the JL F lounge, but I will have access to the EK lounge which is pretty amazing. And the JL J lounge is not shabby either.

 

[Max Samuels]

One thing I love about VA J class is the FAs don't disappear into the galley for 45 minutes after take off to set up a ridiculous drinks trolley.

Completely agree! I noticed the other day they don't use a trolley at all in J... they just come take your order and carry back a tray.... AA also do this.... QF have so much they could learn from

 

[kermatu]

Completely agree! I noticed the other day they don't use a trolley at all in J... they just come take your order and carry back a tray.... AA also do this.... QF have so much they could learn from

I've had the no trolley service on QF quite a few times CBR-SYD or CBR-MEL and vv. Can be done.

Clearly a time-waster tactic on other routes in my view, notwithstanding the 3 QF rows vs 2 VA rows on a 737 . Only benefit of the trolley is it -- just for a little while -- blocks Y pax from using the J bathroom.

 

[esseeeayeenn]

I've had the no trolley service on QF quite a few times CBR-SYD or CBR-MEL and vv. Can be done.

Clearly a time-waster tactic on other routes in my view, notwithstanding the 3 QF rows vs 2 VA rows on a 737 . Only benefit of the trolley is it -- just for a little while -- blocks Y pax from using the J bathroom.

Not even that slim silver lining on the A330s!
Qantas is long, long overdue for a shake up of it's soft product.

 

[Max Samuels]

notwithstanding the 3 QF rows vs 2 VA rows on a 737 ...

AA and UA have 3+ rows and they still manage

 

[amaroo]

OP might want to check this thread out..... Virgin Australia Financials 2019/20

 

[QF WP]

@GPH, I'm in a similar position to you - less than 1K SC's to go and throwing flights to QF during DSC periods, whilst the rest go to VA Gold (I maintain VA Gold using family pooling - so all family holidays are with VA). Once over the LTG threshold, my flying on Red Roo will decrease markedly and will be flying VA more often, whilst also buying points and flying in premium cabins instead.

 

[jakeseven7]

OP might want to check this thread out..... Virgin Australia Financials 2019/20

It is really worrying.... but at least they have got rid of JB.

 

[Solid]

As a new minted QF LTG I’ve been tossing up swapping over to VA due to the reality of never reaching LTP. Have been platinum on VA before and the goal would be to convert points to SQ for family holidays but the most recent financials concern me about what cost cutting measures could come up.

Mostly fly golden triangle and trans con for work so may not be affected.