Recent Decline of VA service

[Bali Belly]

In terms of in-flight service:

saver buyers = improved service

flexi / business buyers = ever declining service

I agree on our last 2 flights in saver we received a drink and meal for our trip to dps which is something that we have always paid for

 

[QF WP]

Soup? Bland pasta salad? Soggy toasted sandwich? Or the vegetarian fried rice?

I cannot get too excited about those options. I end up (over)eating on the kettle potato chips but they are not in every lounge anyway.

We must go at different times and Lounges

 

[lovestotravel]

We must go at different times and Lounges

So what exactly is on offer in the VA lounges ?

I was in the SYD lounge nearly a month ago for dinner, and it was exactly at John K described, along with hot dogs!


Breakfast in MEL, again, about a month ago, no hot food unless you wanted a sandwhich!

 

[serfty]

...


Breakfast in MEL, again, about a month ago, no hot food unless you wanted a sandwhich!

A bit like Qantas clubs at breakfast time these days ...

 

[lovestotravel]

I bit like Qantas clubs at breakfast time these days ...

Wouldn't know as I am in a J lounge which when compared to VA is a dream, although it's declining too

I am sure the QC still has a hot selection though, may take a look on Friday...

 

[Virgin Bart]

I bit like Qantas clubs at breakfast time these days ...

Please, please VA, bring back the bircher muesli. So simple but it makes me happy.

 

[QF WP]

So what exactly is on offer in the VA lounges ?

I was in the SYD lounge nearly a month ago for dinner, and it was exactly at John K described, along with hot dogs!

Breakfast in MEL, again, about a month ago, no hot food unless you wanted a sandwich!

For breakfast (predominately in BNE), I am a simple soul - boiled eggs, toast and fruit (I have porridge, fruit & muesli at home) and a cup of tea will get me to lunch. If the pancake machine is there and I have time...

For evening (SYD, MEL & ADL) - soup and a hot dish (eg. pasta) and a beer will do me, along with salad items.

Maybe I am fortunate to get early evening flights where The Lounge still has them available.

 

[here2go]

I hope the DRW lounge when built embraces DRW cuisine. Laksa and/or green pawpaw salad for breakfast, and lunch, and dinner.

 

[Moopere]

I don't know ... my guess is that as with hotels, all the various players are constantly watching each other and trying to find the minimum service levels that they can get away with whilst still attempting to stay half a foot ahead of their closest rivals. This is my perception any way. I guess all we can do in a market with limited players, aside from having a legitimate whinge now and then, is to choose the provider who ticks the most boxes on things important to us as individuals.

For mine, the complaints of food in the various Y classes are legitimate, I never buy flexi tickets except as a leg up to J because there is essentially no value in it (for me). Offerings in the lounges outside of SYD/MEL are laughable. It really does seem like the effort is to provide a minimum comparison to competitors rather than any form of self set standard.

Having said that, other things are more or less retaining their value and service provision, at least in the limited sample set that I am exposed to, priority boarding is still being policed, last evening, for instance, BNE-PER a mature ground staffer was very polite yet firm in policing this despite the large crowd and a delayed boarding ... for elites and J passengers this worked well and exactly as per my expectations of this service. Likewise, more often than not I'm greeted at the gate and/or the cabin door with at least a 'welcome back' and more often a 'welcome back Mr Moopere', a small but nice recognition. Priority baggage seems to work 80% or more of the time, and this too adds real value to my experience as it allows early access to Taxi's or on-travel or whatever.

I don't have to deal with check-in kiosks at VA and the priority check-in and security (where it exists) works well for me, I never get held up.

All in all, most of the things that make me happy with VA as a status holder are individually pretty small items, yet collectively they make a compelling case when I'm comparing fares and carriers. I am consistently underwhelmed by the lounges outside of MEL/SYD, if they could lift their game at the smaller ports and do something, pretty much anything, with the in-air catering for Y ticket holders then I'd find it hard to complain about much aside from individual service failure if/when that occurs.

 

[JohnK]

So what exactly is on offer in the VA lounges ?

I was in the SYD lounge nearly a month ago for dinner, and it was exactly at John K described, along with hot dogs!

I'd take the hot dogs over the cheap sandwich and salad dishes on offer any day.

 

[Moopere]

I'd take the hot dogs over the cheap sandwich and salad dishes on offer any day.

Absolutely! Me too

SYD/MEL often have hotdogs, or a type of chilli, or party pies, or something ... pretty much anything to save me from the salad and cold cut ham ... please!! Its not that I'm against salads and ham, but day after day after day after day ... yikes!

 

[here2go]

I'd take the hot dogs over the cheap sandwich and salad dishes on offer any day.

Hot Dogs, while cheap, made of unpleasant things, and not at all high brow, are immensely satisfying. Nom nom nom

 

[markis10]

Hot Dogs, while cheap, made of unpleasant things, and not at all high brow, are immensely satisfying. Nom nom nom ��

I like them too, even if the health effects are likely to be the equivalent of smoking a cigarette, without being as addictive.

 

[n17]

In J from Syd to Bris yesterday, and offered a sausage roll. Akin to a Mrs Macs that has sat in a BP warmer cabinet all day.

J is becoming very disappointing to say the least

 

[Moopere]

In J from Syd to Bris yesterday, and offered a sausage roll. Akin to a Mrs Macs that has sat in a BP warmer cabinet all day.

J is becoming very disappointing to say the least

You gotta whinge about this type of thing. I have in the past and have had some 'success' in the form of a credit note from VA and an apology. Of course I'd prefer they got these things right first up, but if no-one ever complains then the risk is that eventually they think they're doing this sort of thing right and it becomes the norm.

I approach these things from a statistics/revenue point of view. If I just give the FA a sour face and perhaps complain on board ... which I might actually do if I'm really disappointed and think something more acceptable might be hidden behind the curtain, then the complaint is pretty likely to just end there ... FA's are busy, and I'm not sure if there is much of a process for grumpy/grumbly customer feedback directly from FA's to management.

However, I'd be almost 100% certain that someone behind a desk, and possibly high enough up to matter, would be paying attention to credit notes and other 'loss of income' that might arise because of grumpy passengers. A few hundred, even a few thousand dollars of credits won't get past background noise, but if J food substantially under-performs, and J passengers routinely complain and gain some sort of compensation which then turns into more than background chump change loss, something will be done. Can't always tell what the something might be, it could result in better food, or perhaps a ban on credit notes for complaining customers but _something_ is likely to happen.

 

[n17]

You gotta whinge about this type of thing. I have in the past and have had some 'success' in the form of a credit note from VA and an apology. Of course I'd prefer they got these things right first up, but if no-one ever complains then the risk is that eventually they think they're doing this sort of thing right and it becomes the norm.

I approach these things from a statistics/revenue point of view. If I just give the FA a sour face and perhaps complain on board ... which I might actually do if I'm really disappointed and think something more acceptable might be hidden behind the curtain, then the complaint is pretty likely to just end there ... FA's are busy, and I'm not sure if there is much of a process for grumpy/grumbly customer feedback directly from FA's to management.

However, I'd be almost 100% certain that someone behind a desk, and possibly high enough up to matter, would be paying attention to credit notes and other 'loss of income' that might arise because of grumpy passengers. A few hundred, even a few thousand dollars of credits won't get past background noise, but if J food substantially under-performs, and J passengers routinely complain and gain some sort of compensation which then turns into more than background chump change loss, something will be done. Can't always tell what the something might be, it could result in better food, or perhaps a ban on credit notes for complaining customers but _something_ is likely to happen.

Indeed, and I intend to complain, to be honest I struggle to justify a J fare from Syd anyway. I think yesterday's cheap snack has ensured that saver will be booked from now on, row 3 is not all that bad

 

[here2go]

I like them to, even if the health effects are likely to be the equivalent of smoking a cigarette, without being as addictive.

Noting the sodium nitrate content in the red Frankfurt, and what that does to the body, I am prepared to compromise: Bavarian Weisswurst (white sausage) with pretzels and sweet mustard.

 

[here2go]

In J from Syd to Bris yesterday, and offered a sausage roll. Akin to a Mrs Macs that has sat in a BP warmer cabinet all day.

J is becoming very disappointing to say the least

That's seriously going downhill! Anything that might even remotely belong in a servo's Bain Marie of Courage doesn't belong in J. What next, Chiko Rolls?

 

[Isochronous]

A sausage roll can be good if done right - on a recent QF PE HKG service it was the afternoon snack - a proper gourmet sausage roll. Satisfying. But I agree hot dogs are a no go.

 

[Princess Fiona]

That's seriously going downhill! Anything that might even remotely belong in a servo's Bain Marie of Courage doesn't belong in J. What next, Chiko Rolls?

I couldn't agree more, I have 6 J sectors on VA coming up this month and I'm approaching them with trepidation after reading a few of these shockers