Virgin to Qantas Comparison

[encryptededdy]

I posted previously (here? Or elsewhere) that it irks me that VA defaults to the all points option to provide the illusion of “free travel”…

Eh, I don't really agree here because they really are free in that instance, and I suspect some people do prefer that. My only issue is for people who have a points balance which is just enough for the reward ticket, but not reward ticket + taxes.

 

[SYD]

Eh, I don't really agree here because they really are free in that instance, and I suspect some people do prefer that. My only issue is for people who have a points balance which is just enough for the reward ticket, but not reward ticket + taxes.

Exactly. As per your previous the total “free” ticket isn’t necessarily good value. Offer flight + taxes by default but give the option to waste points if you have them spare like every other airline FF program does.

 

[1022]

The confusing thing was for the rows called forward is that they went into the PB lane and were not turned away.

So does this mean, that when VA call forward rows the rows called forward can use the PB lane, is the question. They were allowed to on the flight I saw it being used on, which was interesting.

This has been my experience on a few VA flights in recent weeks from SYD, MEL and ADL. They have called row 15+ at the same time as priority boarding but not policed which queue the >15 folk join and haven't held them back to first clear the priority line with both scanners. I also highly doubt they are policing whether people from row 3-14 are just piling on at the same time.

 

[jakeseven7]

This has been my experience on a few VA flights in recent weeks from SYD, MEL and ADL. They have called row 15+ at the same time as priority boarding but not policed which queue the >15 folk join and haven't held them back to first clear the priority line with both scanners. I also highly doubt they are policing whether people from row 3-14 are just piling on at the same time.

Ok, saw it out of Sydney tonight as well.

This is cough.

Do we think this is a trial?

 

[dk4]

Ok, saw it out of Sydney tonight as well.

This is cough.

Do we think this is a trial?

I also highly doubt they are policing whether people from row 3-14 are just piling on at the same time.

OK. So basically what this amounts to is:
1) almost doubling the time for initial priority boarding to pass through the scanners (by effectively halving the scanners from 2 to 1 during the first phase of priority boarding)... and it is noticeable, if you hang back and wait, and watch.
2) just about everyone* is eligible to board at once (granted using front and rear system) *EXCEPT the ONLY people held back are just rows 6-12 who are NOT high enough status holders, otherwise it's "all aboard"! (Rows 3-5 & 13-14 branded as "X" come with "priority boarding" 737-800).

If this is happening as a new standard, and not just when a flight is delayed, then I think it is a major dilution of the "priority boarding" perk for cabin class and status holders.

 

[jakeseven7]

OK. So basically what this amounts to is:
1) almost doubling the time for initial priority boarding to pass through the scanners (by effectively halving the scanners from 2 to 1 during the first phase of priority boarding)... and it is noticeable, if you hang back and wait, and watch.
2) just about everyone* is eligible to board at once (granted using front and rear system) *EXCEPT the ONLY people held back are just rows 6-12 who are NOT high enough status holders, otherwise it's "all aboard"! (Rows 3-5 & 13-14 branded as "X" come with "priority boarding" 737-800).

If this is happening as a new standard, and not just when a flight is delayed, then I think it is a major dilution of the "priority boarding" perk for cabin class and status holders.

What I suspect has happened is this (complete speculation of course), Virgins on time performance has been poor lately and is behind Qantas.

Some VA2 head office guru has suggested a new way of boarding to speed things up and they are trialling it in a few ports, personally I’ve only seen it out of MEL and SYD although I think someone else mentioned ADL?

But the head office person has failed to take into account VA2 mostly use rear stairs as well as front, so where is the increased speed coming from?

I can only think perhaps maybe the 15+ row people are just usually the slow fluff around boarders (the LCC leisure crowd) and maybe they are trying to allow them more time?

 

[klymen]

I’ve always found that my time is better spent in the lounge rather than on the plane or in a boarding queue, however ‘priority’ branded. Board as late as possible; disembark as early as possible.

So the flight should be called by lounge staff at such a time when an easy saunter to the gate will see lounge-eligible pax walk straight down the aerobridge. General boarding can then be paused for status pax as they arrive down the priority lane.

 

[Harrison_133]

Some VA2 head office guru has suggested a new way of boarding to speed things up and they are trialling it in a few ports, personally I’ve only seen it out of MEL and SYD although I think someone else mentioned ADL?

I’ve also only seen it out of MEL & SYD. Flew out of LST last week, and they held general boarding back until they let through the priority guests. Hopefully this is just a trial…they really should clear the priority lane first before calling general.

So the flight should be called by lounge staff at such a time when an easy saunter to the gate will see lounge-eligible pax walk straight down the aerobridge. General boarding can then be paused for status pax as they arrive down the priority lane.

On this point, I don’t necessarily have a problem with this new ‘trial’ if the lounge calls the flight at the appropriate time. I find Sydney pretty good at this. Flying out of there this week, I reached the gate while boarding was in progress, priority lane was clear, nothing out of the ordinary. But when the lounge calls the flights too early (Melbourne), or you’re somebody who prefers to go to the gate early, then I think it diminishes the ‘priority’ element of it.

 

[klymen]

But when the lounge calls the flights too early (Melbourne), or you’re somebody who prefers to go to the gate early, then I think it diminishes the ‘priority’ element of it.

I agree on the first part. The last few times I’ve been through MEL they called the flights way too early. It’s annoying to go to the gate when called only to have a 15 minute wait before boarding starts.

Priority boarding should make things more convenient, but there's no need to stroke the fragile egos of DYKWIA types anxiously hovering at the gate. If you’re someone who prefers to go to the gate early, you should expect to wait in a line.

 

[jakeseven7]

I agree on the first part. The last few times I’ve been through MEL they called the flights way too early. It’s annoying to go to the gate when called only to have a 15 minute wait before boarding starts.

Long known problem in MEL as VA2 rely on MEL airport infrastructure (won’t invest in their own) and have set timelines for pre/boarding calls. Incredibly annoying but best top is just to ignore the VA2 screens in MEL.

 

[Batterytraveller]

I’m on my 3rd VA2 flight in 7 days and it’s a bit of a revelation. I’ve been a QF WP pretty much since I came to australia with a short period on an Air Berlin OWS card matched from delta. Maria in the Melbourne business lounge knows me by sight and remembered my coffee order.

Flying VA2 because we hired a new travel manager and took a look at what we were paying, it’s half price on VA2.

Melbourne has been a breeze to get through with no status, more security lines and the nudoscopes seem better operated Tehran the ones in Sydney T3, better in terminal food options. Boarding is quick and sitting at the back and taking a chance on the rear stairs being there is a chance worth taking for a quick exit. I’m also 2 in 3 having an empty middle seat next to me.

I’m a bit pissed I didn’t take the status challenge because if I’d started at the beginning of this travel block I’d have cleared it with flying colours.

Basically the only thing missing is a Japanese airline partnership and I’d be fully converted, so here’s hoping the ANA deal revives.

 

[Bagpuss]

What I suspect has happened is this (complete speculation of course), Virgins on time performance has been poor lately and is behind Qantas.

Some VA2 head office guru has suggested a new way of boarding to speed things up and they are trialling it in a few ports, personally I’ve only seen it out of MEL and SYD although I think someone else mentioned ADL?

But the head office person has failed to take into account VA2 mostly use rear stairs as well as front, so where is the increased speed coming from?

I can only think perhaps maybe the 15+ row people are just usually the slow fluff around boarders (the LCC leisure crowd) and maybe they are trying to allow them more time?

If you look at some flights the turn around time is actually impossible unless the flight arrives early.
How they think they can turnaround a MEL > PER > MEL flight, in PER in 20 minutes is nuts.

 

[jakeseven7]

If you look at some flights the turn around time is actually impossible unless the flight arrives early.
How they think they can turnaround a MEL > PER > MEL flight, in PER in 20 minutes is nuts.

By not cleaning? half joking - their planes are pretty filthy at the moment. Got on a plane and it had a bag of chips trodden in the carpet across two rows, there is no way a cleaner could have missed it so I deduced they skipped that rotation (out of BNE).

 

[Bagpuss]

By not cleaning? half joking - their planes are pretty filthy at the moment. Got on a plane and it had a bag of chips trodden in the carpet across two rows, there is no way a cleaner could have missed it so I deduced they skipped that rotation (out of BNE).

Bring on wonderful!

 

[dk4]

By not cleaning? half joking - their planes are pretty filthy at the moment. Got on a plane and it had a bag of chips trodden in the carpet across two rows, there is no way a cleaner could have missed it so I deduced they skipped that rotation (out of BNE).

I think Flight Attendants are meant to give the plane a quick clean between sectors? (IIRC the only airline in Australia whose FAs don't have to clean between sectors is Qantas?)

As an aside, priority boarding back to normal last week in Sydney: two scanners processing the priority queue until everyone was almost through, and then general boarding called, with priority lane left empty to waltz down for those who prefer to stay in the lounge (or elsewhere) for as long as possible.

 

[twinaisle]

By not cleaning? half joking - their planes are pretty filthy at the moment. Got on a plane and it had a bag of chips trodden in the carpet across two rows, there is no way a cleaner could have missed it so I deduced they skipped that rotation (out of BNE).

Soz - we have to clean it. We're faced with unrealistic turn times and when delays hit it reduces the turn time even more. Sometimes it's better so say "f it" quick clean to get the AC out on time.

 

[jakeseven7]

Soz - we have to clean it. We're faced with unrealistic turn times and when delays hit it reduces the turn time even more. Sometimes it's better so say "f it" quick clean to get the AC out on time.

Feel really sorry for VA2 staff right now

 

[JohnK]

They are both as bad as each other.

Virgin informed me of 1h10m delay to my evening flight earlier in the morning.

Come to airport 90 minutes early to find a further delay now totalling 1h40m. Did they not deem the further delay worthy of mention.

Oh and the boarding pass has a boarding time of 4:55pm which is after I checked in.

 

[twinaisle]

Feel really sorry for VA2 staff right now

from the start up of DJ we had to clean. It's just a lot worse sometimes with extremely dirty pax who makes cleaning harder than it needs to be sometime. It's part of the job but yeah, our vacuums are quite coughe too!

Unrealistic turn times puts pressure on us but right now we don't really care, we turn around the aircraft as best as we can and go.

 

[pauly7]

from the start up of DJ we had to clean. It's just a lot worse sometimes with extremely dirty pax who makes cleaning harder than it needs to be sometime. It's part of the job but yeah, our vacuums are quite coughe too!

Unrealistic turn times puts pressure on us but right now we don't really care, we turn around the aircraft as best as we can and go.

Certainly with the brand revamp, a different type of customer is being attracted to Virgin these days which appears to be a little less…. ‘Refined’ to put it politely. I’m sorry you have to try and pick up after them.

I have also noticed how dirty the Virgin planes are at the moment so your explanation helps explain why…