Introducing Virgin Blue's new A330 Service

[NM]

Of course there are other ways to pay a lot less $$$ for a J seat east-west in Australia

 

[simongr]

If you look closeley at the photo, the Cabin Crew is holding the bottle of wine so it is covering the new Virgin name on the seat... Sneaky!

I am not sure there is anything obscured as if you look in later pics it just says Virgin.

 

[Reggie]

I'm a bit late to this thread, but I for one will be giving the DJ J class a go. Not because of the gimmicks, which I don't need and won't use, but becuase they are competiton for QF.

Even if DJ came in at exactly the same price, I would give them a go. Think of the enhancments from QF if there was no DJ. I strongly believe we need to support compettion in highly restrictive markets, and in this case the airlines.

Go get em Virgin, you have my vote (and that from a QF WP, PG, LTG premium customer)

 

[LiamR]

Liam we never said anything about 'BIG' - the post you are referring to simply stated - "Looking forward to sharing more news with you all tomorrow!".
It was actually me who posted that - i was at home working (yes, on a Sunday night!) and was feeling excited about the prospect of our Facebook & AFF friends finally being able to book the A330 product!

I do apologise if I offended you Virgin Blue, maybe I got over excited and expected something more (Working partly in Drama, I do tend to be dramatic ) Having Virgin Blue on this forum is a great boon to AFF, and I am constantly impressed that an Airline cares enough to listen to our discussions.

As for working at home on a Sunday night, I can sympathise, I'm a workaholic...

Liam.

 

[oz_mark]

Hopefully the rest will all be comming in one big package soon. But next time I see them post on their facebook the night before there is a big announcement comming shortly, I'm not going to be holding my breath.

As they previously announced, some things will be announced by June 30 (new brand, new product across fleet, revamped lounged, new marketing campaign), some by the end of the year (737 business class rollout, new loyalty program, ground improvements), and some next year (V Australia enhancements).

I expect the new marketing campaign and brand will co-incide, but if you are hoping for the changes to Velocity at the same time, then you may be disappointed! I would think their may be one or two more announcements between now and then as well.

As I commented after DJ said there was new coming Monday, they needed to get their skates on about the A330 timetable.

 

[kpc]

Of course there are other ways to pay a lot less $$$ for a J seat east-west in Australia

whAAt ways?

 

[DJ737]

Hi there

Maybe DJ won't sell the middle seats, but throw them into an upgrade inventory?

Maybe they will -

a: Upgrade with Velocity points.
or
b: Offer the middle seats to Gold members during check-in.

Don't think that any Velocity Golds booked in Y would refuse an upgrade to a middle seat in J.

 

[LiamR]

Hi there

Maybe DJ won't sell the middle seats, but throw them into an upgrade inventory?

Maybe they will -

a: Upgrade with Velocity points.
or
b: Offer the middle seats to Gold members during check-in.

Don't think that any Velocity Golds booked in Y would refuse an upgrade to a middle seat in J.

I'm sure if they are for sale, they'll definatley be the last seats sold.

 

[pshepvic]

I'm sure if they are for sale, they'll definatley be the last seats sold.

The problem is, unless DJ is going to introduce advance seat selection by May, you could be first to buy a seat but still get allocated the middle!

 

[LiamR]

The problem is, unless DJ is going to introduce advance seat selection by May, you could be first to buy a seat but still get allocated the middle!

Surley the System, or Check-In Agent would, if you are travelling alone, only allocate the middle seat if it's one of the last seats available.

Normally I would say the middle seats would be used by people travelling together or in groups of three. But J pax usually travel alone on DOM routes.

 

[pshepvic]

Surley the System, or Check-In Agent would, if you are travelling alone, only allocate the middle seat if it's one of the last seats available.

Normally I would say the middle seats would be used by people travelling together or in groups of three. But J pax usually travel alone on DOM routes.

If a lot of people are checking in using OLCI though there's a chance that there still might be only middle seats left if you check in at the airport. I agree they'd be the last allocated, but the problem is you might have been first to book but last to check in!

FWIW, I have to travel in Y for work (unfortunately) - anything in J is personal travel and I'm usually with someone - for most in J that may be an exception, but for me it's the opposite!

 

[Misha]

FWIW, I have to travel in Y for work (unfortunately) - anything in J is personal travel ... for most in J that may be an exception, but for me it's the opposite!

Alas, I am a +1 here

 

[LiamR]

If a lot of people are checking in using OLCI though there's a chance that there still might be only middle seats left if you check in at the airport. I agree they'd be the last allocated, but the problem is you might have been first to book but last to check in!

FWIW, I have to travel in Y for work (unfortunately) - anything in J is personal travel and I'm usually with someone - for most in J that may be an exception, but for me it's the opposite!

Hmm, well it will be interesting to see how often single pax are in the middle seat. I'm sure Virgin have done the research and know what is most likeley to happen...

Me.... I travel alone in J. I must just have no friends. :/

 

[Moopere]

There are ex Emirates planes so not sure why people are thinking they have suddenly put the V Australia IFE on them

$1399 is the $10 cheaper than Qantas....
Free limo transfers only for the first 2 months

Not sure what there is to be excited about really.

Yep, big sigh from me. Pricing competitive but not compelling, 2-3-2 seating not worth $$. I'll stay put on QF for the time being as careful flight selection less likely to disappoint.

Anyway, still interested to see where it all goes this year. Perhaps this underwhelming start is not the end of the story.

 

[oz_mark]

Yep, big sigh from me. Pricing competitive but not compelling, 2-3-2 seating not worth $$. I'll stay put on QF for the time being as careful flight selection less likely to disappoint.

While people focus on the 2-3-2, it does come with a quite large seat pitch.

 

[Misha]

Yep, big sigh from me...

Anyway, still interested to see where it all goes this year. Perhaps this underwhelming start is not the end of the story.

I have to say I am not too bothered by this announcement either - not flying to Perth very often - and not on J at that.

Hopefully the announcements most of us want to hear (Velocity revamp, J seats on all routes, New name/livery) will come soon. As frustrating as the Chinese water torture approach of the press releases is- it is a brilliant marketing strategy that has everyone guessing and talking 'Virgin'. They'd have to be happy with that I guess...?

A FA on a Syd-Mel flight last week had some interesting hints - though admittedly he was more interested in the charcoal/cherry seating coming on board than some of the bigger questions (picture 30 minute monologue about how the new seats match the male FA trousers - bless him, he was way to happy to be a Virgin employee, kind of freaky but very sweet and pleasant ). He wouldn't speak about RED versus L2A (though I don't think he had any idea) but did say the plane we were on (a newbie with no IFE facility) would be ripped out soon, and that the "cool new screens" were coming in.

Maybe I am reading too much into it, but I hope he was right...

 

[jsd]

So who has booked their ticket on this big beautiful bird



I know I have :mrgreen:

 

[777]

I'm kind of amused at how hard it is for DJ to please re: marketing timing.

So, DJ announce their intention to introduce a330s w business class (complete with some nice photos) on East West routes and get a rash of complaints that they've announced them but haven't announced the timetables, pricing and you can't book them yet.

DJ don't announce the new branding, layout, IFE, product etc for their revamped 737 config and rush of complaints that they are holding back on the details - despite the fact the product does not exist, can not be booked, and won't be available across the fleet for quite some time.

Seems to me that DJ are sensibly enough announcing things when it is ready (Such as this announcement of the a330 product schedules and the reveal of the new menu when you can actually buy it), when the work being undertaken to get there actually effects customers (eg. the lounge upgrades) or when they are obliged to disclose things to market (such as the ASX reporting when most of the information gleaned has come from).

I don't really see what else they can do. If they do a massive reveal of a product that is not yet available they will raise expectations that they can not meet in the short term. I think they are quite sensible to gradually roll out incremental improvements as they need to and then hit the big relaunch marketing campaign WHEN the new product is available.

Yes, there's some tease along the way but you can't make such a dramatic turn around without it being in stages. It's not like we'll all wake up one monday morning and discover that 50 jets have had their liveries changed overnight, their IFE upgraded, new business class seats put it, there's a whole new velocity program, there are new menus and are they flying under a new brand - inherently it has to be a staged a process.

I don't quite get what else they could do.

 

[Moopere]

While people focus on the 2-3-2, it does come with a quite large seat pitch.

Thats true and although I didn't comment above I did notice it from the promo photos.

Still, I find it odd, considering how this format was received by QF customers when it first appeared on their A330's, ie, not very well, that DJ has gone down the same road.

 

[lovestotravel]

Thats true and although I didn't comment above I did notice it from the promo photos.

Still, I find it odd, considering how this format was received by QF customers when it first appeared on their A330's, ie, not very well, that DJ has gone down the same road.

What do you really expect ? They have simply copied the Emirates seating...

Nothing new, nothing revolutionary