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

[MEL_Traveller]

Agree with Henrus and Saab34. Coming off another VA flight today things are certainly not getting better. Delays on SYD-MEL are too common. There’s a lack of any sense of urgency or initiative on behalf of the vast majority of crew… both on the ground and in the air. They don’t seem to care about passengers. Keep pax waiting? No big deal. Fail to mention wifi or streaming isn’t available? Don’t care. Board everyone at once when you know there’s only one boarding door? Don’t care. Have a good long chat with the agent opening the door, about matters not related at all to disembarking? Sure! No problem. The food is going backwards too.. slightly poorer quality. IFE rarely works these days. Ground crew are still looking sharp, but on-board the uniforms are starting to get a bit tatty.

It’s definitely becoming more of a ‘us’ airline rather than looking after passengers. Milking machine? Yeah. And we’re the cows.

Oh. And *still* waiting for the 1 point rewards launch.

 

[AustraliaPoochie]

LCC.
The premium side of VA went out the window when it went into VA.
Its not only in your/for your case MEL_traveller, also in other side of things, ie, no J ADL - PER, on nearly all flights and all days, to having to buy on board, things like food in the lounge, or the fact that the ADL VAd lounge is now a smaller space, ...
They are saving money, running on less expenses, we are paying higher fares for less, though they are having sales occasionally, but $99 ADL - MEL fares, havent seen that in a long time, lower fares now not being counted as eligible sectors to climb the status ladder,etc.
I can see your pov about them being chatty with main door closure or opening mode, so chatty, not only in this case, but generally, "oh see you lah lah" etc, etc.
Wordings should be "main aircraft door safe to open/close" and leave it at that.
Instead of them looking out that small little window and waving to the person driving the gate on wheels.
===
Or just have to be sitting at the gate, and the main staff member is typing on the keyboard, type, type, type, and one VAd staff member appears, chat, chat, chat, and another one appears, chat, chat, chat, then crew appears, chat, chat, chat, laugh, oh glee, happiness, flight captain and first officer appears, wow, its a party now, then the 4 inflight crew members appear, its a happy get together...

 

[jase05]

or the fact that the ADL VAd lounge is now a smaller space,

It’s twice the size of the old lounge

 

[MarkD]

LCC.
The premium side of VA went out the window when it went into VA.
Its not only in your/for your case MEL_traveller, also in other side of things, ie, no J ADL - PER, on nearly all flights and all days, to having to buy on board, things like food in the lounge, or the fact that the ADL VAd lounge is now a smaller space, ...
They are saving money, running on less expenses, we are paying higher fares for less, though they are having sales occasionally, but $99 ADL - MEL fares, havent seen that in a long time, lower fares now not being counted as eligible sectors to climb the status ladder,etc.
I can see your pov about them being chatty with main door closure or opening mode, so chatty, not only in this case, but generally, "oh see you lah lah" etc, etc.
Wordings should be "main aircraft door safe to open/close" and leave it at that.
Instead of them looking out that small little window and waving to the person driving the gate on wheels.
===
Or just have to be sitting at the gate, and the main staff member is typing on the keyboard, type, type, type, and one VAd staff member appears, chat, chat, chat, and another one appears, chat, chat, chat, then crew appears, chat, chat, chat, laugh, oh glee, happiness, flight captain and first officer appears, wow, its a party now, then the 4 inflight crew members appear, its a happy get together...

<redacted>. I laugh because you whinge but still fly with them. Regardless of the current expectations and fares, I clearly reall the $500 oneway standard fare MEL-SYD in the 90s or the 21 day advance purchase Apex return which was about $800, so all things considered, the fares we pay today are comparatively cheap. I tend to agree with several points re delays etc, but I still fly them so dont whinge as its my choice. Same as you.

 

[HeavyElectricity]

It’s twice the size of the old lounge

Three times

‘It’s a complete joy to be in that facility,’ Cox says of Virgin’s lounge. The airline also ‘put through that latest sort of brand retouch that they’ve done. It’s light, bright, wonderful, really fresh. It’s essentially three times the size of their former lounge too. They were well and truly at capacity.’

From today's article: Adelaide Airport plans for more lounges and flights

 

[MEL_Traveller]

<redacted>. I laugh because you whinge but still fly with them. Regardless of the current expectations and fares, I clearly reall the $500 oneway standard fare MEL-SYD in the 90s or the 21 day advance purchase Apex return which was about $800, so all things considered, the fares we pay today are comparatively cheap. I tend to agree with several points re delays etc, but I still fly them so dont whinge as its my choice. Same as you.

In my case it’s self inflicted I’ve set myself a task to see just how many SCs I can earn in a year on a single airline, so I’m kinda locked and loaded. This isn’t a case of the golden handcuffs of status, I check-in on line, only have one small piece of cabin baggage, and spend roughly 15 mins in the lounge, which I only go to cause it’s ‘there’ on the way to the gate. I just wanna see how far I can get, and if anything comes out of it! (which I suspect it won’t)

Next year will be different, will throw a lot more Rex and Qantas into the mix.

 

[justinbrett]

There's no doubt airfares are cheaper today than they were 25 years ago. They are almost the same in numeric value, despite inflation in that time being close to 100%.

 

[dajop]

I remember regularly paying $239 for SYD-MEL return around 1994/5. So almost 30 years ago. Stay away Saturday night, book 21 days in advance etc. That’s about $490 today using the RBA inflation calculator.

 

[MooTime]

I remember regularly paying $239 for SYD-MEL return around 1994/5. So almost 30 years ago. Stay away Saturday night, book 21 days in advance etc. That’s about $490 today using the RBA inflation calculator.

I thought you were more a youthful dude @dajop, by your posts.
1995 flying......

Of course we're all young at heart.

 

[serfty]

I remember regularly paying $239 for SYD-MEL return around 1994/5. So almost 30 years ago. Stay away Saturday night, book 21 days in advance etc. That’s about $490 today using the RBA inflation calculator.

The old APEX/Super APEX fares.

Remember flying MEL to SYD mid 80's on "Airlines of NSW" (Ansett turbo prop via ABX) $208 return. Saturday night stay.

 

[AustraliaPoochie]

<redacted>. I laugh because you whinge but still fly with them. Regardless of the current expectations and fares, I clearly reall the $500 oneway standard fare MEL-SYD in the 90s or the 21 day advance purchase Apex return which was about $800, so all things considered, the fares we pay today are comparatively cheap. I tend to agree with several points re delays etc, but I still fly them so dont whinge as its my choice. Same as you.

Aye, when the opposition charges a lot more, and does not have econX, why not whinge and still fly VAd.
After all, Aussies are known whingers, we have got so many Karens and Kens or the Sovereign Citizens Aust variety.
===
I would happily pay $499/$599 one way ADL - PER without having to call up the VA call centre, to book a comfort seat booking, if VA did have a 737-800 once a day, everyday ADL - PER.
===
But I am not a happy pooch when they put the 320 on the ADL - PER flights, all day, every day.
===
QF's not much better, asking for $798 or so, ADL - PER on their older 737-800.
---
Never mind, JH has got other things on her plate/mind.

 

[Saab34]

I think the employees not caring goes both ways. I was speaking to a VA Captain who advised management don’t give a rats about them nor anyone really, tone deaf culture, place is miserable to work at. That sort of culture seen in a wide variety of corporates not unique to only Virgin, just creates poor experiences for customers in the end. I understand they are having issues with non executive staff pushing for pay rises, yet they don’t appear willing to participate to give them a dime.

Also leaked to the media the other week was they are looking at sacking a large number of head office staff again. Again, this isn’t great for culture, really comes across like a toxic place to work looking in from the outside.

 

[jakeseven7]

I think the employees not caring goes both ways. I was speaking to a VA Captain who advised management don’t give a rats about them nor anyone really, tone deaf culture, place is miserable to work at. That sort of culture seen in a wide variety of corporates not unique to only Virgin, just creates poor experiences for customers in the end. I understand they are having issues with non executive staff pushing for pay rises, yet they don’t appear willing to participate to give them a dime.

Also leaked to the media the other week was they are looking at sacking a large number of head office staff again. Again, this isn’t great for culture, really comes across like a toxic place to work looking in from the outside.

Yes I was about to add that, there is industrial action and issues with frontline staff morale at VA2 at the moment, but you are right - it leads to the ‘normal’ pitting of HQ v the frontline staff ‘battle’, but the HQ staff are being axed as well in another restructure, unknown how deep that will go.

Per the other VA2 financial thread, Bain have not been able to sell VA2, roadshow has been an embarrassing failure for Jayne/Bain, was supposed to be wrapped up months and months ago…

On time performance is abysmal, they’ve trailed Qantas for almost a year now and cancellation rates are high.

So what next?

It sounds like / looks like Bain are sharpening the knives and cutting costs wherever they can, again, maybe the feedback from the roadshow was their operation was just not commercially attractive enough and they have to improve the investment profile to land some cashola….

(Unrelated / related note - VA2 are looking at either removing physical loyalty cards and baggage tags OR making them on request only. Another cost cut - actually one I personally agree with though. Terrible waste of plastic and environment)

 

[AustraliaPoochie]

Their IT systems, also is the pits.
After having done OLCI, there is still a chance that the BP you have, on phone, unless its printed (on hotel printer/on their card stock at the airport/lounge/at gate), when you get an opportunity, can just be a line of your "name, flight number, time of flight, date of flight..." etc, but the bar code does not come up for scanning at the gate.
For my last/latest MEL - ADL, trip, lucky I had 5 mins at the gate as boarding had commenced, and I found out that the VAd BP I had downlodaed, didnt exist, was not in bar code form.
Neither was it in QR code readable form, so I had to show passport, and had BP printed on their card stock.
I don't live in MEL, so had no way to print out the BP on A4 paper, and hadn't printed it out in the open area at T4, thinking that it was all good after having done OLCI 48 hours prior.
I didn't have the app downloaded either, but had the BP "sent/saved" to phone, which I thought was all good to "fly".
But nope.

 

[Harrison_133]

I would happily pay $499/$599 one way ADL - PER without having to call up the VA call centre, to book a comfort seat booking, if VA did have a 737-800 once a day, everyday ADL - PER.

They just added an extra 3 weekly 737-800 services on ADL-PER. The only days now without at least one J-class service are Thursdays & Saturdays. And more will become available as the all-Y 737-700s are fitted with J-class cabins.

 

[MooTime]

As per the thread title... Nothing has changed PE saved the airline and will IPO it.

I have to laugh, a survey comes out on the idea of baggage tags and the usual suspect says now cost cutting, haha.
Qantas on the other hand claim saving the planet, green tier etc etc yet dish out plastic electronic bag tags left right and centre. Oh boy!

 

[openseat]

I remember regularly paying $239 for SYD-MEL return around 1994/5. So almost 30 years ago. Stay away Saturday night, book 21 days in advance etc. That’s about $490 today using the RBA inflation calculator.

I remember nesting quite a few flights in those days.

 

[Saab34]

I just think it’s poor management to be targeting mass sacking in HQ again. They did it prior to bankruptcy, during and after. So a year to two later once again back axing the HQ staff. Then in a year or two they go advertising for HQ staff again.

It also might hint at, the books are ‘too fat’.

I do agree above though, IT platforms and functionality would be the worst across the industry. I get that they have called this out as being an issue, which is a positive, but it’s been a few years now nothing has really improved greatly.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

I just think it’s poor management to be targeting mass sacking in HQ again. They did it prior to bankruptcy, during and after. So a year to two later once again back axing the HQ staff. Then in a year or two they go advertising for HQ staff again.

It also might hint at, the books are ‘too fat’.

I do agree above though, IT platforms and functionality would be the worst across the industry. I get that they have called this out as being an issue, which is a positive, but it’s been a few years now nothing has really improved greatly.

I was gonna say… not immediately apparent what staff in HQ are doing.

It’s not customer service… my complaints about IFE being broken 50% of the time have gone unanswered.

It’s not IT… we’re *still* waiting for the 1 point award promo… how many months late?

It’s not enhancements to the FF program.

It’s not enhancements to customer experience… can barely get priority boarding right, or the timing of boarding calls from lounges, plan new meals, or organise lounge access

It’s not about improving on time performance.

So, that begs the question.

 

[HS-TQE]

IIRC, the only time that VB/VA actually wasn't that 'toxic' and was a 'happy place' in HQ was during the Brett Godfrey and the brief Scurrah eras.

Most of the Borghetti era and post-Bain eras would have to be pretty toxic during those days, especially the later half of the Borghetti era when he got 'found out' for continual losses and the amount of people baying for his blood started to increase for the continual financial losses at VA 1.0.

Let's not forget that some posters across here, a.net and other forums were absolutely sure that the IPO would "happen this year", and it's increasingly becoming unlikely. It's the same scenario with REX's "We're going to implement a FF program this year!", doesn't happen that year and then nothing in 2023.