VA 830 Sydney to Melbourne, total incompetence!

[RooFlyer]

come on peeps. We all like to ventilate when stuff happens. If you cannot ventilate to your "mates" on AFF without the risk of being slammed as a whinger who can you ventilate to?
Not quite why some of the posters above had to adopt the tone that they did
<snip>

Here here. Since when is venting against bad service by any airline on AFF a crime?

 

[Ausbt]

Ok Pinkmoose, fair enough, your more informative follow-up post clarifies the issue somewhat. Don't write off VA though based on one experience. As others have said, every airline will let you down at some point.

 

[dk4]

...its how the staff involved communicate these things that sometimes makes a difference.

Some times simply communicating that they have nothing to communicate (at this stage) is important.

If the announcement is not a boarding call or boarding time, then IMO the end of the announcement should also advise when the next PA update should be expected by customers.

In regards to the OP's situation, I don't think that VA controls allocation at its gates at SYD T2 (?), anyway, it seems that often VA don't know where a delayed aircraft will dock, sometimes until it docks (with aerobridge staff forced to do a last minute sprint to the gate to drive it). I have also seen gate changes at the last minute, just prior to boarding, where operations have obviously commandeered an aircraft at a different gate, and changed its destination (confusing two sets of passenger groups in the process).

IME Qantas' ground staff are excellent at keeping passengers informed in these situations, and Virgin's are extremely poor. (But these gate problems seem to arise significantly more often at VA in SYD, than at QF in SYD!)

Many people become anxious when flying, and sitting at a terminal with a boarding pass that shows departure time in the past, can worry to the best traveller, especially without staff reassurance that they haven't missed their flight.

 

[markis10]

Some times simply communicating that they have nothing to communicate (at this stage) is important.

If the announcement is not a boarding call or boarding time, then IMO the end of the announcement should also advise when the next PA update should be expected by customers.

In regards to the OP's situation, I don't think that VA controls allocation at its gates at SYD T2, which means that often VA don't know where a delayed aircraft will dock, sometimes until it docks (with aerobridge staff forced to do a last minute sprint to the gate to drive it). I have also seen gate changes at the last minute, just prior to boarding, where operations have obviously commandeered an aircraft at a different gate, and changed its destination (confusing two sets of passenger groups in the process).

IME Qantas' ground staff are excellent at keeping passengers informed in these situations, and Virgin's are extremely poor. (But these gate problems seem to arise significantly more often at VA in SYD, than at QF in SYD!)

Many people become anxious when flying, and sitting at a terminal with a boarding pass that shows departure time in the past, can worry to the best traveller, especially without staff reassurance that they haven't missed their flight.

QF own their terminal and its systems, so flight information displays are wholly based on data from ops, whereas VA and others rely on SACLs FID, in such cases data from the net which is pulling info from a better source will leave SACL ( and melair) for dead.

 

[lovestotravel]

Virgin continues to do amateur hour very well

I don't blame you for not wanting to fly them again

Couldn't care less if the flight was free, it was your first flight on Virgin and it was cough, perfect reason not to go back and use them again

 

[Jamesl]

Virgin continues to do amateur hour very well

I don't blame you for not wanting to fly them again

Couldn't care less if the flight was free, it was your first flight on Virgin and it was cough, perfect reason not to go back and use them again

I would hate to see how many airlines are on your no fly list :/

 

[lovestotravel]

I would hate to see how many airlines are on your no fly list :/

Virgin domestic is highest on my don't wish to fly list

Never had an issue with Air NZ, Qantas, Singapore and even United Airlines

 

[777]

Virgin domestic is highest on my don't wish to fly list

Never had an issue with Air NZ, Qantas, Singapore and even United Airlines

Still, they're very high on your "never miss an opportunity to complain about" list...

 

[medhead]

Virgin domestic is highest on my don't wish to fly list

Highest? Must be above Air Koryo then.

 

[lovestotravel]

Still, they're very high on your "never miss an opportunity to complain about" list...

Still, they are very high on your quick to defend list

Pathetic airline and given my recent poor experience on them it's funny their incompetence still continues

 

[notzac]

Virgin domestic is highest on my don't wish to fly list

Never had an issue with Air NZ, Qantas, Singapore and even United Airlines

I didn't want to bite, but ... I am genuinely astounded that you have never had a problem with UA, to the point of putting them ahead of VA. I've only flown on UA a small number of times but the miscommunication, non-delivery of Star Alliance benefits and general grumpiness of their staff (let well alone the appalling condition of two of the UA planes I had the distinct displeasure of flying in) made for an awful experience that I don't want to repeat .. and reading posts here and on Flyertalk tell me I'm not alone in my thinking.

 

[Deleted member 29185]

if the Flight Information boards were kept up to date and accurate, then maybe staff wouldn't feel like they have to hide from, or be kept busy by, numerous passengers making many enquiries about late/delayed and change of schedule flights and gates. If the operations people didn't keep their colleagues in the dark too - that would be nice.

I think this is the important point. I see markis10 has supplied the reason as to why the VA boards are so often left wanting, but surely that is a problem they should be aware of and working toward fixing.

My latest VA flight last Sunday afternoon SYD-OOL was delayed (no real biggie) but the flight information displays were outright misleading. We were on VA531 programmed to board from gate 32 at 1540 (dep 1610). We were seated in the lounge around behind the down escalator on the main floor where there is no PA speaker and a little difficult to hear. I faintly heard a final call for a OOL flight departing gate 32 at 1535 which ran a brief state of panic through me. Whilst quickly scurring to the desk, I noted on the FID, 2 x OOL bound flights with my flight VA531 showing "Boarding Now". Thinking it must be the previous flight called, but not trusting the FIDs, I continued to the desk to enquiire and they confirmed that my flight had not yet commenced boarding and would be leaving from a different gate as the delayed previous OOL flight was still occupying that gate.

Now you take the case of the not so frequent OOL bound flyers who were not in the lounge and just largely had the boards to go by. They had an OOL bound flight in the gate that their boarding pass displayed, being called at roughly the time their flight was to be called and the FIDs showed their flight number as "boarding now" from that same gate! :shock: Same gate, same destination, same time, wrong flight.............I'd wager that our flight was delayed at least partly by the confusion ensuing. I didn't hang around the lounge long enough to hear when our flight was finally called as I could see possible pandemonium occuring, but the gate change happened at about 1550 to gate 42 (I think), so quite a distance between that and the original gate (which still had an OOL bound flight with doors closed).

Surely changing FIDs is an easy and fluid process? If it isn't, than that is problem No.1 that someone needs to address (perhaps VA, perhaps SYD airport Corp, perhaps ATC.....whoever is responsible for them). Whilst they continue to leave blantantly misleading information displayed to the public, they are making difficult situations, far worse and are contributing possibly more to pax anxiety than the initial delay (the word "they" is referring to whoever is responsible for the FIDs). As others have said, frequent communication is not difficult and although many pax's won't like the delay, that's far preferable to a delay followed by utter confusion about whether their flight is about to leave, left already or not yet arrived and the ensuing thoughts of "where should I be"????

 

[Mogul]

Still, they are very high on your quick to defend list

Pathetic airline and given my recent poor experience on them it's funny their incompetence still continues

When was the last time you actually flew with VA ?

 

[777]

Still, they are very high on your quick to defend list

Pathetic airline and given my recent poor experience on them it's funny their incompetence still continues

Unlike you I actually fly them. So my experience is actually relevant.

Someone who refuses to actually fly them but chirps in at every opportunity to call them "pathetic" is hardly contributing much to the conversation.

 

[TiredOldFlyer]

Virgin domestic is highest on my don't wish to fly list

Never had an issue with Air NZ, Qantas, Singapore and even United Airlines

Luck of the draw !
Last three flights United this year - One 3 hour delayed departure, One denied boarding, one lost luggage for two days !!!!!!!!
Several flights with VA - No problems.

 

[RooFlyer]

A quick plug for TripIt Pro. Once you give it your itinerary, it will text you:

* If your flight is on time, or not, and the departure gate
* Flight delay info - inevitably well before its displayed by FIDs, sometimes more than an hour before;
* Gate changes, again, always before displayed on FIDs, sometimes well before

Not sure if it works for ALL airlines, but its performed for the dozens of airlines I've used this year, all round the world.

Great for tight-ish connections - if you turn your mobile on when allowed (usually during arrival taxi these days), by the time the doors are opened you know the flight status and the gate of your next flight.

Biggest drawback is that if you check (say) an early notification of a delayed flight notification with ground staff, often they will swear black and blue that no, flight on time etc and then you have doubts - until you get a chance to log into FlightAware to see where the incoming plane is.

 

[serfty]

...
Not sure if it works for ALL airlines, but its performed for the dozens of airlines I've used this year, all round the world.
...

Tripit Pro uses flightstats and if that is not updated then you can miss a flight. (Would have happened to me if I had trusted Tripit while doing the 30 day free trial, cancelled after that as my personal data gathering resources are more reliable.)

 

[Deleted member 29185]

A quick plug for TripIt Pro.

my personal data gathering resources are more reliable.

I guess this is exactly the point being raised.

Most flyers probably do not use other methods of notification of flight status other than the a) the FIDs and b) the airline. Yes, I do realise that a lot of FFers will toy with them, but as the two of you are slightly at odds, it shows that even FFers are not all that certain of which one, if any, is best or correct!

Surely the responsible parties keeping FIDs current and correct is the most logical solution?

 

[pauly7]

Unlike you I actually fly them. So my experience is actually relevant.

Someone who refuses to actually fly them but chirps in at every opportunity to call them "pathetic" is hardly contributing much to the conversation.

He does fly VA, though I don't know why , so in your words his experience is actually relevant as well.

People who make sweeping assumptions in their comments are hardly contributing much to the conversation I'd say as well...

 

[pauly7]

I think this is the important point. I see markis10 has supplied the reason as to why the VA boards are so often left wanting, but surely that is a problem they should be aware of and working toward fixing.

Surely changing FIDs is an easy and fluid process? If it isn't, than that is problem No.1 that someone needs to address (perhaps VA, perhaps SYD airport Corp, perhaps ATC.....whoever is responsible for them). Whilst they continue to leave blantantly misleading information displayed to the public, they are making difficult situations, far worse and are contributing possibly more to pax anxiety than the initial delay (the word "they" is referring to whoever is responsible for the FIDs). As others have said, frequent communication is not difficult and although many pax's won't like the delay, that's far preferable to a delay followed by utter confusion about whether their flight is about to leave, left already or not yet arrived and the ensuing thoughts of "where should I be"????

VA's poor FID in numerous ports have been discussed, reported and complained about many many many times on here. It really seems that they just don't care, or think it's important enough to have remedied.

I don't care if Donald Trump owns and operates the FID if I was the operator I'd be making sure it was providing MY pax with a good service. The pax aren't going to blame the airport operator they will and do blame the carrier!

Frontline VA staff just shrug and say it's not their system and VA customer 'care' have said they are working on fixing the problem (in response to a few complaints by me... Over a year ago)