Virgin 737-8 Max Business Class - No Divider

[SJDOP]

Just experienced Business Class Brisbane to Perth return on VA462 from Brisbane on 31 October 2024 and on 5th November 2024 VA471.

Because there is no partition between Business Class and Economy on this plane, you have economy class passengers using the forward toilet usually reserved for Business and Cabin crew.

On the BNE to Perth route the cabin manager to my horror announced after take off that economy class passengers were welcome to use the forward toilet as well as the 2 at the rear.
On the Perth to Brisbane flight the cabin manager did not allow this, but the crew were constantly hassled by passengers because of this.
What on earth was the idea to not fit a cabin partition between business on these planes?

We had people queuing beside our business seats - we literally had business class seats become the 'seats beside the toilet'.

Idiotic.

 

[Human]

I initially interpreted the title of your post to mean that there is "no partition problem" -- ie there's no problem with not having a partition! Only after I read your post did I see that you meant the opposite.

That said, this has been discussed at great length on AFF, not least on the thread below.

T

Thread 'Virgin Australia to Reconfigure 737 Fleet - Spend $110M'

Jul 7, 2023

In the next two years All 737-800 Y/J seats will be reconfigured to the new seat prototype as seen on the 2 ex silk air and max aircraft.

The divider between J and Y will be removed to allow for another row of 6 seats, totalling 182 seats onboard.

A new sky divider will be installed.

All seats will have USB power once installed.

• twinaisle
• Replies: 357
• Forum: Virgin Australia | Velocity

• 
• 
• 

 

[Forg]

Do airlines normally have a divider for short-haul "business" these days (which looks like it just means priority boarding and an unused middle seat and maybe slightly less bad catering)?

 

[SJDOP]

Do airlines normally have a divider for short-haul "business" these days (which looks like it just means priority boarding and an unused middle seat and maybe slightly less bad catering)?

Is 5.5 hours short haul? Perhaps, but doesn't feel like it.

 

[harryhv]

Virgin's old planes had a divider and a little rope across the aisle, as well as 3 rows of extra legroom seats. After this downgrade of the interior to cram in an extra row of seats, extra-legroom is reduced to 2 rows and the divider between economy and business is gone. This means a line of interlopers from economy are buffeting the aisle seats in business class as they wait for the toilet.

So yes, Virgin business class could be renamed "the seats by the toilet"

 

[Forg]

Is 5.5 hours short haul? Perhaps, but doesn't feel like it.

It's not, but that doesn't stop "them" putting short-haul aircraft/cabins on those routes ...

 

[twinaisle]

Just experienced Business Class Brisbane to Perth return on VA462 from Brisbane on 31 October 2024 and on 5th November 2024 VA471.

Because there is no partition between Business Class and Economy on this plane, you have economy class passengers using the forward toilet usually reserved for Business and Cabin crew.

On the BNE to Perth route the cabin manager to my horror announced after take off that economy class passengers were welcome to use the forward toilet as well as the 2 at the rear.
On the Perth to Brisbane flight the cabin manager did not allow this, but the crew were constantly hassled by passengers because of this.
What on earth was the idea to not fit a cabin partition between business on these planes?

We had people queuing beside our business seats - we literally had business class seats become the 'seats beside the toilet'.

Idiotic.

Please complain
Please complain
Please complain
Please complain

We're pretty tired of it and having to monitor the toilet queues!

Please complain
Please complain
Please complain
Please complain

 

[PERLHR]

There has been plenty of convo on the lack of dividers on many of the aircraft and in particular the new ones. Yes it has been debated on how long the expected dividers are going take and look like but VA despite feedback(which they say the FF changes have been also based up...,) they must think we were all born yesterday.. seem not to bother about the onboard Complaints from J pax. However any CSD actively encouraging the use of the forward cabin loo on PA would certainly result on me having a quiet word and asking why I pay lots of money for a J seat if I have to Q to use the J loo. And it is the biz loo...no matter what others say. More regularly it is monitored and announced that the loo for Y is from row 3 back. The issue is Perth has longer sectors and hence issues further back with loo throughout! It is disappointing though as it is yet just another thing that makes J on VA not really even Premier Economy.

 

[SJDOP]

Please complain
Please complain
Please complain
Please complain

We're pretty tired of it and having to monitor the toilet queues!

Please complain
Please complain
Please complain
Please complain

Yes, I have.

 

[daft009]

noticed the same thing on a recent VA flight from SYD to DPS, no dividers.
I was flying Y so did the right thing and went to the rear loos

 

[Saab34]

I would have assumed, that employees who continue to complain to Management over it will have more bearing vs a passenger complaint who often goes as far as a customer team in Head Office who don’t send the thousands of complaints onwards to Management. We have had similar sort of issues in my workplace, after numerous town halls, monthly online meets, employee surveys, it got to the point where this one issue everyone didn’t stop banging on about was dealt with. Cost a few million in capex, but the company couldn’t ignore it for any longer. Bit hard to continue to say we value employee feedback, but we have been talking about this issue for at least a year now…

It probably gets to the point in which the executives don’t really see it as an issue, or don’t care, or don’t have any capital allocated for the project.

Management are often tone deaf when it comes to some front line things, even the tiny things. Bang on long enough and eventually they will wake up.

 

[HS-TQE]

So yes, Virgin business class could be renamed "the seats by the toilet"

Or "BIG FRONT SEATS" (TM Spirit) by the toilet.

A glorified Spirit Airlines with a 8-seater Recliner full service Domestic J cabin attached

 

[Freq Flier 2013]

No divider for MEL to OOL today.

 

[PERLHR]

No divider for MEL to OOL today.

Hope you complained.

 

[clifford]

Management are often tone deaf when it comes to some front line things, even the tiny things. Bang on long enough and eventually they will wake up.

Perhaps not when it hits the bottom line. If you don't like it, vote with your feet (and wallet).

 

[runwalkrunn]

Just experienced Business Class Brisbane to Perth return on VA462 from Brisbane on 31 October 2024 and on 5th November 2024 VA471.

Because there is no partition between Business Class and Economy on this plane, you have economy class passengers using the forward toilet usually reserved for Business and Cabin crew.

On the BNE to Perth route the cabin manager to my horror announced after take off that economy class passengers were welcome to use the forward toilet as well as the 2 at the rear.
On the Perth to Brisbane flight the cabin manager did not allow this, but the crew were constantly hassled by passengers because of this.
What on earth was the idea to not fit a cabin partition between business on these planes?

We had people queuing beside our business seats - we literally had business class seats become the 'seats beside the toilet'.

Idiotic.

flying domestic in the US on AA, there is also no divider between F and Y, and Y pax can liberally use first lavs since 2007.. US crew also don't interfere with lavs usage for "fear" of undisclosed disabilities discriminatory complains ( there is a whole thread about it on ftalk and reddit going back to 2007 )

It’s probably one of the “genius” at the Bain brain trust importing US aviation “best practices” into VA

 

[Human]

My understanding of the USA situation, with most airlines anyway, is that on a typical domestic flight there are no "J lavs" to use: all 3 lavs are for the use of all passengers no matter their class or where they're sitting.

There are business class lavatories in Australia, but it's a misnomer to call the lavatory up the front of a domestic narrowbody in the USA a "business (or first) class lavatory". That's my understanding, anyway.

I do agree, though, that it would be a retrograde step if this practice were adopted in Australia. When I fly in business class one of the things I'm paying for is not having to queue at the toilets.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

Do airlines normally have a divider for short-haul "business" these days (which looks like it just means priority boarding and an unused middle seat and maybe slightly less bad catering)?

I think most airlines do! SAS didn’t, but then again they didn’t have a euro business class (i believe they’re introducing one now). Rather their ‘SAS Plus’ was a higher fare with lounge access (not even a blocked middle seat).

VA is the only other airline I’ve flown this year without a divider.

What is odd is that Lufthansa and Swiss don’t have dividers for their premium economy on long haul flights! It’s just bigger seats at the front of economy.

 

[travelislife]

I don’t fly many business sectors each year (2-3) but fly a lot of sectors in rows 3-4 (80+) and I pretty much never use the toilet, so it is actually a downgrade of the experience in row 3/4 as well with people trying to use the front lav as well. Virgin have completely missed the mark here, and the frustrations of crew is noticeable in trying to police it. I have never once from memory ever had crew over the PA say that all pax can use front lav though. So that is odd to me.

 

[SJDOP]

I have never once from memory ever had crew over the PA say that all pax can use front lav though. So that is odd to me.

That was the experience outbound: the comments from the cabin manager inbound to me was that some cabin managers have just given up because management don't back them. Actually the second cabin manager on the inbound J class, came around the 8 business passengers and briefed us individually about how we was going to try and manage the toilet and lack of partition. They made a great effort I have to say. He did warn us though that on many occasions he has been barged out the way and stuff like that from passengers from Y class, and that there was only so much they could do. He strongly suggested to us all that we should leave feedback with a and gave us all a business card with QR code to facilitate.