Virgin Business Class Lottery - Pay for Business, get Premium Economy! Now 0 for 2.

[MichaelD]

Re: Virgin Business Class Lottery - now 0 for 2. Pay for Business, get Premium Econom

Did you ever receive the compensation?

Yes, but it did take several more phone calls and emails before the refund appeared on my credit card.

Apparently it takes up to 21 days for a refund to appear to a credit card and Virgin were OK with that. I wasn't and had it pushed along.


So many things went wrong, and still continue to go wrong with Virgin J; 737-700 substitutions, E190s sold as J, inadequate compensation which takes forever to arrive and only arrives if you chase it, catering mixups.

I think they've well and truly fumbled the ball with their J rollout, possibly fatally; Qantas J is consistently very full on my routes/times and when I do occasionally throw a J bone to Virgin the planes are empty in J apart from me and sometimes one or two others on the same routes/times as the full Qantas planes.

It's the inconsistency which I find hard to swallow; walking to board a Virgin J flight I find myself very uneasy wondering if I'll have an unannounced substitution. I don't have that same worry with Qantas (even with 737-400s!).


Disclaimer: I may be extra favourably biased towards Qantas at the moment since I have just been shown some very pleasant P1 Grand Prix love + had a J international award seat released when there were none to be had.

 

[serfty]

Re: Virgin Business Class Lottery - now 0 for 2. Pay for Business, get Premium Econom

Thanks for that - at least you received the refund in $$$ rather than a 'voucher credit'.

I guess the ½ price points upgrade sale is an indicator of the lack of patronage.

 

[overrun]

Re: Virgin Business Class Lottery - now 0 for 2. Pay for Business, get Premium Econom

Temporary truce.

I just love the J product on the A330's. What a pleasure after years of grinding back and forth over the Nullarbor in narrowbodies with economy / premium economy / blue zone or whatever. They now deliver really great service, good food, good wine, plenty of space and peace. And all at a reasonable price.

Truce over - go back to ripping into everything

 

[notmensa]

Re: BNE-CHC Booked as Etihad business but got PE - should I request compensation?

An update: The ticket was booked through Jetaboard (online TA) so I made a complaint to them. They asked for evidence that I was not provided with a business class service on the BNE-CHC sector. I've just sent them a copy of my boarding pass (which says 'BUSINESS/PREMIUM') and they have opened an investigation. I also pointed out that VA/Pacific Blue have never offered business class seating to NZ. I'll post again when I have some news.

FYI after three weeks, my SCs and points from the entire trip - DUB-AUH-(SIN)-BNE-CHC - have still not posted in my Velocity account. No impressed.

 

[dk4]

Rogue Business Service from Virgin Australia

A B737-700 "rogue" aircraft.

Row 2ABC Port Side, no row 1ABC this side once bulkhead fitted.

Order what you like, gratis, from the BOB menu.

Showing the centre tray table deployed across middle seat, and arm rests repositioned to give extra width to A & C seats.

 

[maninblack]

Re: Rouge Business Service from Virgin Australia

A B737-700 "rouge" aircraft.

So it's still painted red.

 

[dk4]

Re: Rogue Business Service from Virgin Australia

So it's still painted red.

LOL as is my face

 

[muppet]

Re: Rogue Business Service from Virgin Australia

A B737-700 "rogue" aircraft.


Row 2ABC Port Side, no row 1ABC this side once bulkhead fitted.
Order what you like, gratis, from the BOB menu.
Showing the centre tray table deployed across middle seat, and arm rests repositioned to give extra width to A & C seats.

i had a subbed 73W last night. No middle tray, no meal loaded, no food choice (as it was mel-cbr) they didnt even block Y so i could get my bags.

I honestly dont care if they dish up the premium seats instead of business, but just do the rest of it! Not hard! She just said "didnt they tell you? No business class. You'll get a credit" meanwhile they heated their (and pilots) meals and gave us a cheese and biscuits packet from Y.

 

[MichaelD]

Re: Rogue Business Service from Virgin Australia

...She just said "didnt they tell you? No business class. You'll get a credit"...

And Virgin are surprised that their Business Class is empty?

Note to Virgin:
Your Business Class is NOT empty because it is too expensive. Qantas charges more and is routinely full.
Your Business Class is empty because the product is inconsistent.

 

[markis10]

And Virgin are surprised that their Business Class is empty?

Note to Virgin:
Your Business Class is NOT empty because it is too expensive. Qantas charges more and is routinely full.
Your Business Class is empty because the product is inconsistent.

I have never been on a QF J flight that was full of rev pax, in fact I just took one that was full of op ups! And that's a sample of 1800 or so flights .

 

[eastwest101]

Re: Virgin Business Class Lottery - Pay for Business, get Premium Economy! Now 0 for

May be an element of truth in there markis10 - I suspect that QF may not always have a J cabin with all revenue paying J pax, so the crew, op-ups, JASA's and J classics may make the QF J cabins look a little busier than it may actually be on the revenue front.

 

[lovestotravel]

Re: Virgin Business Class Lottery - Pay for Business, get Premium Economy! Now 0 for

I have never been on a QF J flight that was full of rev pax, in fact I just took one that was full of op ups! And that's a sample of 1800 or so flights .

Can I ask how you know this ?

 

[Moopere]

Re: Rogue Business Service from Virgin Australia

Note to Virgin:
Your Business Class is NOT empty because it is too expensive. Qantas charges more and is routinely full.
Your Business Class is empty because the product is inconsistent.

Mmm. Frustrated as I am with some of the service failures with DJ, I find QF overall much more inconsistent. A good day at QF is, in my view, far better then the best day at DJ so far as my perception of hard and soft product goes. The trouble is hitting that good day .... Virgin definitely have bad days, and I find them pretty annoying - I've never failed to be fed on a J flight with QF for instance, but its a lottery for me with DJ. However, mostly I find the premium stuff with DJ is working.

I do happen to think though that their product, prior to the price drops we saw a day or so ago, was too expensive for the hard product offered.

 

[lovestotravel]

Re: Rogue Business Service from Virgin Australia

At these new prices I can pretty much justify J for all my personal trips now instead of having to debate it to myself.......

 

[markis10]

Re: Virgin Business Class Lottery - Pay for Business, get Premium Economy! Now 0 for

Can I ask how you know this ?

A look at flight loadings normally gives a clue, then onboard the dead heading crew are obvious by their crew tags on the cabin baggage. No dead heading crew on today's DRW ADL flight but J was all 9's last night and until T-2, then half filled while the Y cabin opened up.

I cannot remember the last time I saw a full J cabin with QF, not in the last two years at least and I did 90 sectors last year, 40 of them in J as part of a JASA.

 

[MarkD]

Re: Virgin Business Class Lottery - Pay for Business, get Premium Economy! Now 0 for

The product was introduced in January, There is 11 years of LCC Culture to break in the crew. As inconsistant as it may be, the reports of slack service and stupid LCC cough has slowed to a drizzle, and the staff are trying. Perhaps thats why they have dropped the price, because at the moment, yes it is hit and miss, but every day it is improving. We should also consider the crew, who step onto a 737-700 and all of a sudden the game changes because they cant deliver the service they are supposed to. There is also the rebel crew members who will not embrace these changes.
With these new prices, I can Justify flying J on occasion on certain legs.
This is not a fanboi response, but a fair neutral opinion from an outsiders perspective, who has been on QF only for the past 3 months becasue they have been cheaper on my routes

 

[muppet]

Re: Virgin Business Class Lottery - Pay for Business, get Premium Economy! Now 0 for

. We should also consider the crew, who step onto a 737-700 and all of a sudden the game changes because they cant deliver the service they are supposed to.

I'm sorry? Are you serious?
The only thing different is the seat!
Put the middle seats in, fold down the coughtail table, serve a business meal and block off Y when disembarking. Not rocket science, not metal dependant!
I am a fanboi, and i have enough credit shells thanks - i just want to fly J!
m

 

[MarkD]

Re: Virgin Business Class Lottery - Pay for Business, get Premium Economy! Now 0 for

I'm sorry? Are you serious?
The only thing different is the seat!
Put the middle seats in, fold down the coughtail table, serve a business meal and block off Y when disembarking. Not rocket science, not metal dependant!
I am a fanboi, and i have enough credit shells thanks - i just want to fly J!
m

Yes I am serious, and understanding how a business is to turn from LCC to a Premium service cabin airline takes some serious culture changes in staff. We all know the 700s lack of J seats has been beaten to death, so thats not the issue, the issue is, obviously when a 700 is scheduled, the catering may not be loaded, (Are they only sold as Y, Wasnt that mentioned earlier ?) and isnt there 1 less FA in a 700??? maybe Im wrong on that count but regardless, dude just buy a bloody Y ticket until you are satisfied that you can get what you have paid for, or simply fly Qantas. There are quite a few Keyboard warriors on here who just **** stir and troll at the moment, and its getting harder to actually extract relevant and factual information from this site, which is a shame, because it used to be a happy knowledgable place where ideas were shared, now its all MEMEMEMEMEMEMEMEMEMEMEME . Look at me, Im a PLATINUM, I want mycoffee at 56.5 degrees or Im going to cry, I want my hot towel delivered between push back and taxi, I want my champaign with 105 bubbles, not 106. TOLERANCE and UNDERSTANDING is the key in life.

 

[muppet]

Re: Virgin Business Class Lottery - Pay for Business, get Premium Economy! Now 0 for

Yes I am serious, and understanding how a business is to turn from LCC to a Premium service cabin airline takes some serious culture changes in staff. We all know the 700s lack of J seats has been beaten to death, so thats not the issue, the issue is, obviously when a 700 is scheduled, the catering may not be loaded, and isnt there 1 less FA in a 700??? maybe Im wrong on that count but regardless, dude just buy a bloody Y ticket until you are satisfied that you can get what you have paid for, or simply fly Qantas. There are quite a few Keyboard warriors on here who just **** stir and troll at the moment, and its getting harder to actually extract relevant and factual information from this site, which is a shame, because it used to be a happy knowledgable place where ideas were shared, now its all MEMEMEMEMEMEMEMEMEMEMEME . Look at me, Im a PLATINUM, I want mycoffee at 56.5 degrees or Im going to cry, I want my hot towel delivered between push back and taxi, I want my champaign with 105 bubbles, not 106. TOLERANCE and UNDERSTANDING is the key in life.

You're right, there is a lot of boo-hooinng. Right now its me.
But my flight was a late sub. The meals were loaded. I could tell from the a4 sheet stuck on one of the carts that stated the contents. That cart may not have been for my flight - but i presume it was. It was never accessed. The CSM stood there doing nothing until her dinner was ready.
I dont know about less FAs but the recovered seats suggests they were meant to be J, with J service.
One of the FAs had enough time to steal about 10 cheese packets, so i dont think time is an issue. My point with mentioning that, is that making sure the 5 J customers were happy was not the priority.

 

[serfty]

Re: Virgin Business Class Lottery - Pay for Business, get Premium Economy! Now 0 for

I think an anecodate based on a flight taken on "Good Friday" on the number of paid business passengers should be discarded - it generally one of the heaviest flying days of the year in Oz - most PAX in economy.

I'd reckon Qantas YM see business seats on a day like today as basically economy seats that can be sold for higher economy prices.

... The meals were loaded. I could tell from the a4 sheet stuck on one of the carts that stated the contents. That cart may not have been for my flight - but i presume it was. It was never accessed. The CSM stood there doing nothing until her dinner was ready.
I dont know about less FAs but the recovered seats suggests they were meant to be J, with J service.
One of the FAs had enough time to steal about 10 cheese packets, so i dont think time is an issue. My point with mentioning that, is that making sure the 5 J customers were happy was not the priority.

Maybe some CSM see a 737-700 as an opportunity to relax and not provide the "Business" style service.