The Good & The Bad: BNE-HKT-MEL on VA in J

[haydensydney]

My partner and I have just returned from a trip to coughet, flying VA. Last year we were fortunate to travel VA in both Y+ and J on the BNE-HKT-BNE routes - I wrote up TR's for both of these journeys, which can be found here:

coughet on V Australia - Premium Economy - FlyerTalk Forums
Business Class: coughet - Brisbane on V Australia - FlyerTalk Forums

I was very interested in flying on the VA coughet route this year, to see if the trip was as good (or worse?) than last year. We would also be flying J in both directions.

My partner and I have recently had some fairly large projects keep us homebound in Sydney, so two weeks ago we decided to get away for a week of relaxation. We decided on coughet because 1) VA had extremely competitive J fares, 2) accommodation was cheap because it was low season and 3) the status points would indeed come in handy for our re-qualification with Velocity. Other destinations we considered included Bali & the US, but with one weeks notice all J fares were incredibly expensive and accommodation was fairly pricey also. We decided on the destination on the Tuesday, and we were off on the Sunday:

VA909: Sydney – Brisbane (737-700)
Dep: 07:00 Arr: 08:30

Our driver picked us up at 5:45am and we were easily at the airport by 6:15am. The check-in woman at the airport was fairly surly – she was about to send our bags onto the main belt without priority tags, to which I prompty questioned her on:

Me: “Aren’t you going to put priority tags on our bags?”
Her “I don’t have any sorry”
Me: “So your saying that when I land in coughet I’m going to have to wait for ages to collect my bags?”
Her: “I’m sorry but I don’t have any” *shrugs*
Me: “Isn’t this one of the benefits of flying business class?”
Her: *rolls eyes* “I’ll ask my supervisor but I’m not promising anything”

Anyway we decided to leave her with this conundrum and check into the lounge. We weren’t impressed by this stage, and the lounge lady wasn’t much better – it seemed as if everyone woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning, but I’m not surprised with it being that early. Anyway my partner and I had enough time for a soy latte in the lounge and our flight was called.

From memory we were in Row 3, but it was early so can’t recall. The flight was uneventful – a typical early morning DJ flight – watched Sky News and ate a muffin + some vitamin/endurance water. We arrived on time and made our way to the international terminal via the transit bus.

VA23: Brisbane – coughet (777-300)
Dep: 10:45 Arr: 16:30

Checkin was a standard affair: I attempted to weasel myself into Row 5, but was told promptly told that Row 5 was “unavailable” (though when we boarded there was a set of two seats available?). Not to worry, we were in Row 2 and the load was fairly light in J we were told.

Through immigration we went and there we loitered around the BNE terminal waiting for our flight to be called – BNE doesn’t have a VA lounge, which is disappointing. The one bonus with BNE however is that there is a smoking terrace, which is welcome for those of us who belong to the smokers club. We bought a couple of bottles of Moet Imperial and a bottle of Grey Goose to keep us entertained in Puket. I’m not a fan of the F1RST duty free stores in BNE and MEL: the selection and pricing appear to be poor in comparison to other stores found in other international terminals (OT, but I love AKL: competition never hurt anyone!)

Anyway our flight was called and we made our way onto the waiting aircraft. It looked exactly as I remembered: the J cabin from behind reminds me of a roller coaster (lol). We settled into our seats and noted that there were 13 of us in J on this flight. We were provided some champagne, amenity kits & menus. The crew appeared to be very enthusiastic and interested in the pax i.e. stopping past each of us to chat and ask if we had any questions about the seat etc.

 

[haydensydney]

We took off a little late, but were soon up in the air. There were a few bumps for the first hour after departure and crew were required to be seated once or twice during some quite nasty periods. We continued to have a few drinks and the meal was served, not from the trolley but bought out individually from the galley (much nicer feel to it than the mass service from the trolley). A couple of points about the meal:

- The “antipasto” starter is in my opinion a bit of a cop out: its easy to throw some artichokes, mozzarella and pickled veges onto a plate, but harder to make sure it actually taste nice. I picked through mine, but wasn’t overly happy with the offering
- The lamb for main was slightly fatty, but overall was very tasty!
- I don’t know why VA desserts are always served in tiny espresso cups: it’s a small serving size and the biscotti that is always provided isn’t to my taste – VA could put a little more effort here
- I chose not to indulge in the cheeses, but looked nice from afar

 

[haydensydney]

The menu provided included meals for both “Australia – coughet” and “coughet – Australia” so it was fairly obvious that we would get the other meal on the return journey. I am making a wild speculation here, but I am assuming that they don’t rotate the meals all that much, as the meal we had on this journey appeared to be very similar to last years J meal.

The amenity kit provided was very average (and I mention this in last years TR): contents include socks, toothbrush, lip balm, eyeshade and socks. That’s it. I was half hoping to get some of the Bulgari stuff, but again not to be so on this sector

After the meal was served, my partner and I enjoyed about 3 or 4 hours at the J bar – it was quite an interesting experience in that we got to meet a couple of other pax and even chat with the crew. The FSM was particularly friendly and even sat down with us for about 30 mins – a nice touch! One of the other pax got a little roudy, so was told to return to his seat by a member of crew. Not my partner and I however as we are fairly experienced in handling our booze (+ we like to alternate with water to ensure maximum consumption!).

Vietnam Airlines aircraft that tracked alongside us for a while...

 

[haydensydney]

About two hours prior to arrival “High Tea” was provided to those who wanted it, however we decided to pass and returned to our seats to watch some of the great shows available on IFE – the music videos were great, and some of the TV series were fantastic. The IFE is sensational on VA and the screens in J are more than adequate.

Before we knew it, we were descending into HKT. The landing was smooth and gentle so congrats to the pilot. Overall we were very impressed with the crew on this leg, being one of the best set of crew we’ve experienced to date.

We cleared immigration and found our waiting limo taking us to our accommodation.

 

[haydensydney]

Twinpalms – Surin Beach
Residence Apartments (Roof top pool apartment)

We got this room through our travel agent who matched the online price of about $500 AUD a night. We spent 5 nights here, encompassing a Sunday – Friday stay. I will let the photos speak for themselves, but we were very impressed with the offering at this SLH property. The 3 level apartment was stylish and contemporary with its fixtures and fittings, and the rooftop pool was amazing. Note: you don’t have sea views from the apartment, but you do have great local views & the view you do have is very green and tropical-ish. We definitely recommend this property/room for anyone wanting to escape from the Patong madness!

 

[haydensydney]

The best thing about Twinpalms, is the "Catch Beach Club" which is a 2min walk from the hotel - its a sister company therefore you can charge drinks etc back to your room... all sunsets are best seen from a bar IMO!!

 

[haydensydney]

We scored a late checkout on the Friday as our flight back was at 6:50pm.

VA20 HKT-MEL (777-300)
Dep: 18:50 Arr: 06:00

Our hotel limo dropped us off at 16:30 as we wanted to check-in early as we were previously advised that the flight was completely booked in J. And they weren’t wrong! I normally always ask for a window seat, as I have a slight flying anxiety and always like being able to see out the window. The good news was that we were in Row 5, the bad news was that we were in 5D/5F (the middle set). I wasn’t overly happy with this result, but counted my blessings that we were in Row 5 at least.

VA use the Thai lounge in HKT, but to be honest last time we left HKT we were very underwhelmed by the lounge so decided to try out the the Coral Executive lounge that I had read great reviews about and access was complimentary thanks to Priority Pass. A review of the lounge is below FYI:

Coral Executive Lounge coughet Airport HKT | Deluxe Upgrades

The lounge was MUCH better than the Thai lounge, in that the food/drink offering was more extensive and you had views over western tarmac. Also, you get a “fast track” through immigration which was appreciated. The only problem was that it was quite smallish, and pax are able to pay to use the lounge (there was this one guy who was stuffing his face as if he hadn’t eaten in days!). But all in all, a much better option than the Royal Silk lounge.

Boarding was called a whopping 1 hour prior to departure, so this came as quite a surprise. After another security check, we found ourselves in our “middle seats”. Champagne was provided, but not in the funky champagne glasses that were found on normal VA J flights – just those typical airline wine glasses with the short stem.

The FSM came up to us and asked us to move seats as a mother and her daughter were separated – they were last to check-in we were told – unfortunately I wasn’t in the most charitable of moods, so decided on a NO response. We felt bad, but we made the effort to check-in early, and Row5 was too much to give up. I believe some other pax made the move as I later saw them sitting together.

 

[haydensydney]

From here on in, the service turned to cough. For the entire flight, it seemed as if the service was exceptionally un-coordinated and messy. The crew appeared to trip over themselves – almost as if the concept of a full flight was too much to cope with. Row 5 didn’t have any menus/headphones/menus and there was confusion amongst the crew as to who was going to get what. It was the most bizarre display of team work I have ever seen. I wish I could provide more examples, but you just had to see it to believe it.

The doors were closed and we were soon taking off. It was interesting to hear the FA’s chat amongst themselves during the takeoff/first ten mins, I love hearing them cough and moan about their rosters and other crew related issues – interesting, yes – professional, no.

Once the seatbelt sign was turned off, the crew jumped up into action. Or appeared to jump into action. I don’t really know exactly what they were doing, as it was a good 30+ mins before pre dinner drink orders were taken. Then another 15mins to get the drinks delivered. The trolleys came out a good 1 hour after departure, delivering the entre. Then we waited.

And waited.

The main course came out about 2 hours into the flight – I was watching the clock as I was very well aware that with a flight time of 7.5 hours, the more sleep we get the better. We ate the mains and waited, and waited and bloody waited. Dessert was provided at about the 3 hour mark, and it was at this point that I made a point of speaking to the FA about the shocking amount of time it was taking to get the service out (on a night flight nonetheless).

Me: “Is it normal to have a meal service take three hours on a night flight?”
Her: “I know, I am so embarrassed – it’s the way they make us serve/deliver the service – your more than welcome to provide feedback via the IFE?”
Me: “Sure – but this is a 7.5 hour flight, we are three hours in and we have just started dessert – AND we have a breakfast prior to landing in MEL?”
Her: “I know, I know – I am so embarrassed – please provide feedback because otherwise nothing will change. You’re the 7th person that has complained about the length of this service”

Etc etc etc. She was very good in handling my objection, and she seemed to be obviously embarrassed. She was one of the better FA’s on this journey, though the majority were fumbly and all over the shop.

Once dinner was finally cleared, I closed the curtains and put the bed into “bed mode”. Well, I thought it was bed mode, but for some reason the upper backrest didn’t go back as far as it should. This meant the bed was not lie-flat, but semi sloping - I didn’t cause a scene knowing that there were no other seats to move to. I sucked it up and attempted to sleep.

I don’t know what it was, but I found it extremely difficult to drift off – the seats felt really hard and lumpy and I couldn’t find a groove. I popped a Xanax which helped me drift off into a light sleep, but as I was about to drift off into a deepish sleep – you guessed it – I heard the clunking of plates and glasses signalling the start of the breakfast service. Spewing. My partner also had a very difficult time sleeping, saying it was the worst flight he’s had to date.

I didn’t take many pics on this flight, as the flash would have been offensive to other pax and the DSLR I use takes cough night shots if not on a tripod. Nevertheless, it wasn’t a flight to rave about so photos weren’t going to be of much value.

We arrived into Melbourne at about 5:30. Our driver didn’t arrive until 6:30. Not the happiest camper by this point! Our driver took us to our room at Crown Metropol where we quickly crashed out until about 3pm.

On Saturday night, we went out to dinner with friends and gambled our lives away at Crown. We checked out on the Sunday morning for our 1:15pm DJ flight back to Sydney.

DJ845: Melbourne – Sydney

Check-in was over and done with quickly and it was my first time experiencing the DJ lounge in MEL – wow. I love it and it is by far the best DJ lounge I have been to. The views are great and the pool table is awesome (I didn’t play, but if I was there with mates I probably would have).

The flight was delayed about 30 mins, and once onboard there was a deplaning of two pax which delayed the flight a little further. We were the only Y+ pax on board, with all other Y+ seats converted into Y seats. The flight looked fully booked. The crew were fantastic and took care of us: we fit in two G&T’s on this short 56min flight.

Overall

The VA flight to HKT was awesome and the crew deserve gold stars for their impressive service. The FSM appeared to have the FA’s co-ordinated and everything went like clockwork. The return flight was the polar opposite: I really do not want to be on a full J flight with VA again if this is the norm. We are lucky in that we know that this is not the norm for VA so will give them another chance.

Thanks for listening, apologies if I come across a little precious in the HKT-MEL segment: it was quite difficult to articulate exactly how I felt at the time - but it obviously wasn't up to par.

Cheers

 

[markis10]

Great TR, appreciate your effort! It seems lately the VA J experience is starting to become the inconsistent offering QF is, with only 4 aircraft. I agree with your decision not to move BTW, you made the effort to get checked in early, I am not a fan of people trying the sympathy card when there is a good chance they did nothing to help themselves!

 

[haydensydney]

It seems lately the VA J experience is starting to become the inconsistent offering QF is, with only 4 aircraft.

I guess three great flights out of four isn't bad... the one bad apple won't ruin it for me just yet... but still, what a shocker.

 

[docjames]

What a great tr and thanks for posting.

I have to say, the return flight does not make me want to try VA but as you note, maybe it's the one-off. Have had similar shockers in J on QF, sometimes it just doesn't go to plan.

Two questions: Will you be providing VA with feedback? Did you get the priority tags?

 

[samh004]

Excellent TR, it’s good to see the positive and negative experiences lumped in. I wrote up a similar review of my flights with Pacific Blue but chose to email them to DJ instead of posting here… though they’re so slow getting back to me I might change my mind one day.

Interesting to hear the row 5 experience didn’t live up to the hype, perhaps the expectation of something amazing didn’t help though.

 

[craven morehead]

After recent flight in VA J on same route I would have to agree that I struggled to get 3 hours sleep before breakfast on retrurn flight :mrgreen:

 

[haydensydney]

Two questions: Will you be providing VA with feedback? Did you get the priority tags?

I provided some feedback via the feedback form on the IFE, but will leave it at that. I'm not expecting too much action on my comments given that the flight will soon be axed.

The priority tags were attached, but only as "premium economy" - not to worry though, as bags came out fairly quickly.

 

[craven morehead]

I'm not expecting too much action on my comments given that the flight will soon be axed.......

Which flight is being axed? I am looking at taking BNE-HKT return in Jan '11 :mrgreen:

 

[haydensydney]

... I wrote up a similar review of my flights with Pacific Blue but chose to email them to DJ instead of posting here…

Yeah I'm such a big DJ/VA fan that I felt like a bit of a traitor with recording my thoughts in public - still, it was below par service so they should be held accountable. People like us pay a fair amount more than economy to ensure they get a good nights sleep on night flights!

... Interesting to hear the row 5 experience didn’t live up to the hype, perhaps the expectation of something amazing didn’t help though.

I've been in Row5 previously and it was awesome - therefore this experience did not live up to last years standards. Dissapointing really, but I my expectations were'nt of line on this occasion.

 

[haydensydney]

Which flight is being axed? I am looking at taking BNE-HKT return in Jan '11 :mrgreen:

All VA HKT flights are axed from Feb 2011. But it will be interesting to see if DJ deploy the new A330's on the route?

 

[notzac]

I provided some feedback via the feedback form on the IFE, but will leave it at that. I'm not expecting too much action on my comments given that the flight will soon be axed.

In your shoes, I would take the time to write a letter - even perhaps post it to them, given that DJ appear to be too hip to have e-mail. They'll never get any better if they don't get feedback..! Appreciate that you entered your feedback on the IFE, but how much impact does that have exactly?

Yeah I'm such a big DJ/VA fan that I felt like a bit of a traitor with recording my thoughts in public - still, it was below par service so they should be held accountable. People like us pay a fair amount more than economy to ensure they get a good nights sleep on night flights!

Why on earth are you being a "traitor" by panning them (and deservedly so) for below-par service?

 

[haydensydney]

Why on earth are you being a "traitor" by panning them (and deservedly so) for below-par service?

lol.... I guess an airlines biggest fans are also the harshest of critics... I do feel bad because I really want them to excel and succeed, and by mentioning a negitive experience in an open forum did make me feel like a traitor (to some extent).