What is Virgin Australia's strategy (post-administration)?

[RooFlyer]

Maybe it’s the routes I fly or maybe it’s luck but I’ve had a pretty good run with VA in regards to delays/cancellations and haven’t encountered many poor crews at all. The majority do a great job and I’m more than happy with VA. Obviously YMMV

I've been reluctant to pipe up and say so ... but that's my experience as well. Mainly HBA-SYD/MEL but also a smattering of HBA/BNE. When there is a less-than-stellar crew member, its very obvious. And less-than-stellar means got the job done, nothing special.

One recent substantial delay (an hour) was mechanical on push-back.

I guess on 'leisure routes' everyone are a bit more relaxed, and happy.

 

[justinbrett]

You seem to always have problems with VA so I guess rex would be better for you. Glad you have found another airline to fly.

I know you aren't an official company rep but I absolutely hate that response, it's up there with "sorry we did not meet your expectations".

Completely gaslighting the customer.

 

[MooTime]

Yeah But that’s an outcome of the sheer volume of flights. The more flights, the more problems that are going to get generated. What let’s VA down is that they’re not good with service recovery, either on the day of travel, or pre/post travel.

Plus the (very) small number of CMs and ground staff that really shouldn’t be working if they’re so unhappy.

You stayed the 50% in time performance sealed the deal to not fully VA.

Then "The one CM who refused to do any service prior to take-off was the game changer"

Done like just saying anything that suits.

I only sparingly now fly but upkeep WP status and seldom have delayed fights, one here and there, all Airlines have then, just be prepared.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

You stayed the 50% in time performance sealed the deal to not fully VA.

Then "The one CM who refused to do any service prior to take-off was the game changer"

Done like just saying anything that suits.

I only sparingly now fly but upkeep WP status and seldom have delayed fights, one here and there, all Airlines have then, just be prepared.

Both are true.

For the most part the crews are great, and made up for some of the problems on the ground. Until I got that CM who was so anti-company that it made me worried for the next few flights that I might run into them again.

That was the game changer… no longer did the crews mostly make up for the other shortcomings.

Once they hit the 50% on time performed however, that was it, confirming the choice - and cost - to move to other carriers. There are delays, but as an outcome of my travel patterns which are mostly evening flights, they are the ones most impacted with VA.

VA doesn’t seem to be able to recover well. On a recent Qantas flight they had a spare ground crew come on to do boarding so that when the operating crew finally arrived we were ready to go in minutes. On VA that would have extended the delay by another 30 mins.

 

[Harrison_133]

On a recent Qantas flight they had a spare ground crew come on to do boarding so that when the operating crew finally arrived we were ready to go in minutes. On VA that would have extended the delay by another 30 mins.

To be fair that does happen at VA too. I've had it a few times, the most recent being only a few weeks ago.

 

[ben95]

Yeah But that’s an outcome of the sheer volume of flights.

Yes, but I don’t sympathize with VA just because of that - it’s something they know and can fully plan and mitigate by slightly padding turn around time, having spare aircraft or crews etc. I’ve seen my aircraft coming in on schedule only to see my flight delayed by 20 minutes because of a coordination issue leading to delay in aircraft cleaning and catering, that’s hard to sympathize with TBH.

JL and NH are probably the best example in keeping a stellar on-time performance (>85%) with difficult circumstances (busy airports, extreme weathers etc). Even UA and DL which is probably 10x the size of VA and have >80% on-time performance.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

Yes, but I don’t sympathize with VA just because of that - it’s something they know and can fully plan and mitigate by slightly padding turn around time, having spare aircraft or crews etc. I’ve seen my aircraft coming in on schedule only to see my flight delayed by 20 minutes because of a coordination issue leading to delay in aircraft cleaning and catering, that’s hard to sympathize with TBH.

JL and NH are probably the best example in keeping a stellar on-time performance (>85%) with difficult circumstances (busy airports, extreme weathers etc). Even UA and DL which is probably 10x the size of VA and have >80% on-time performance.

Yeah. ATC is another major problem. But I wonder why the airlines aren’t working with ATC to fix it? Maybe it suits them to cancel some of their flights.

 

[Must...Fly!]

Yeah. ATC is another major problem. But I wonder why the airlines aren’t working with ATC to fix it? Maybe it suits them to cancel some of their flights.

It has to be led by Airservices really and as an organisation, it really is not in a strong position to be making significant operational changes/revolution. With that said I completely agree that a lot needs to be done but it's not QF or VA's fault that things are the way they are.

 

[AustraliaPoochie]

RE: MEL, maybe when/after the major works gets finished at MEL Tullamarine, the re alsphating, and the next runway gets completed, things would improve.
Seeing BNE now has its 3 major runway.
SYD is very compacted, but they don't seem to want to use the EW runway.
ADL is compacted, but the spread of flights in the day is not that bad, and not conjested.
Number of int flights into and out of ADL very limited, and spread out too.
PER has a lot of runways.
RE: ATC, and Air Services Aust, its all to do with the govt of the day too.
Not sure how much of our tix taxes goes to them.

 

[AIRwin]

Seeing BNE now has its 3 major runway.

2?

 

[justinbrett]

Seeing BNE now has its 3 major runway.

RWY 14/32 was closed and converted into the North Remote Apron prior to the new runway (01L/19R) opening.

I guess you're technically correct that the new runway is the third runway for Brisbane International (if you consider Eagle Farm a separate airport), and the second runway is now closed. It was often referred to as "Brisbane's third runway" by some in the planning & construction phases.

The total runway count today is 2, not 3. But a much better configuration than the previous.

 

[ben95]

SYD is very compacted, but they don't seem to want to use the EW runway.

Maybe it’s because the 2 parallel NS runways don’t align on the ends so the aircraft approaching would be at different stages of their approach even when horizontally parallel to each other so you couldn’t get aircraft’s paired so there’s a gap to use the EW runway to take off.

SFO have a similar layout and does use the NS runway for take off while aircrafts approach in pair on the EW runways. But the runways align on the ends and the intersection is on the ground for both runways unlike Sydney.

 

[AustraliaPoochie]

Its an amazing flight run/path, and only in SYD, haven't done the parallel arr / dep in BNE yet, but have sat on a plane, in SYD, and amazing to watch the parallel runway ops, with planes flying parallel with each other.
Out of my many flights into and out of SYD, both int and dom, have never had one that used the EW runway, always NS 16/32.
Been flying for over 30 years, (not as a pilot), but as pax, into and out of SYD.

 

[elanshin]

Its an amazing flight run/path, and only in SYD, haven't done the parallel arr / dep in BNE yet, but have sat on a plane, in SYD, and amazing to watch the parallel runway ops, with planes flying parallel with each other.
Out of my many flights into and out of SYD, both int and dom, have never had one that used the EW runway, always NS 16/32.
Been flying for over 30 years, (not as a pilot), but as pax, into and out of SYD.

Ive had quite a few E/W , it's usually when the winds are fairly messes up. But usually SYD wind aligns with N/S

 

[MooTime]

Ive had quite a few E/W , it's usually when the winds are fairly messes up. But usually SYD wind aligns with N/S

Will no it's really only when the wind are E/W. Wouldn't say messed up.

 

[BRIS_VA_HAWK]

It has to be led by Airservices really and as an organisation, it really is not in a strong position to be making significant operational changes/revolution. With that said I completely agree that a lot needs to be done but it's not QF or VA's fault that things are the way they are.

Each time I've had an "Airservices Australia" delay in BNE in the past 12 months it's been due to "ATC staff shortages" in BNE, that are still unresolved?

 

[Must...Fly!]

Each time I've had an "Airservices Australia" delay in BNE in the past 12 months it's been due to "ATC staff shortages" in BNE, that are still unresolved?

I would think so. But not necessarily every day, of course. It does take a lot of time to train up new controllers, of course.

 

[Saab34]

I was told that it’s not the control tower as such, but control areas en route. I was talking a Tower controller from one of the big three cities, they advised me they don’t have issues in the Tower (well at the moment)

 

[justinbrett]

I noticed the PM was quite chatty whilst sitting next to JH at the tennis (I assume it was him getting booed and not her)

 

[antycbr]

I noticed the PM was quite chatty whilst sitting next to JH at the tennis (I assume it was him getting booed and not her)

I also assume that flights with Jayne on board are tagged “must go” in the VA ops department.