So I recently flew return to the US on a VA/V Ameica/Delta itinerary. Because I wanted to avoid a redeye trans US return flight, I flew SYD-LAX-BOS-LAX-BNE-NTL. It's the first time in a while I've flown the trans pacific route as I had been covering the European routes the past year and my experiences of the codeshared Delta and Frontiers connections of the past had really left me dreading flights on US metal. In fact, my last couple of Delta flights had been my worst flying experiences and I was a UA Prem Exec back when I worked in the USA.
With this in mind, I thought I might share my current perspectives on the VA-Delta and VA-V America agreements and my experiences on my recent trip.
I've recently started flying frequently for business again so having dropped to Gold in 2013 I requalified for Gold in Oct and upgraded to Platinum between Nov and March and this trip was as a newly re-minted WP.
I guess this is kind of a trip report, but because it’s mostly a VA FF point of view, I thought it best here. Mods, sorry if it’s not appropriate.
SYD-LAX, SYD & Etihad Lounge
My outbound leg was from Sydney, check in was standard at the VA Business counter, fast and professional, but no more so than usual. I stopped in the new Etihad lounge (when I eventually found it, I walked by it the first time) before the flight and was impressed.Personally I prefer the interior to the Koru lounge, but I was there at 10am, so Idon't know if the food and beverages are as good in the evening when compared to Koru, but I would suspect so, based on other Etihad lounges.
SYD-LAX, VA Metal, Premium Economy
For my first leg I was in premium economy row 11 aisle, it had been a couple of years since I flew transpac and that was PE too.The PE product isn't quite as good as l remembered. The space and recline are certainly a step over economy and miles ahead of US carriers similar products, specifically Delta and United,the noise reducing headphones are a bonus, but I see a lot of FF on my route usually have their own. Overall, the hard product didn't feel significantly better than Etihad standard economy, which is strange as I know they compete SYD-AUH and wonder why anyone would specifically choose VA metal over EY on theAUH route.
The service had a few tweaks over economy but was only really better by virtue of the fact that there was a higher flight attendant to Pax ratio. On boarding the flight I encountered the first of a clean sweep of VA staff getting my (anglo saxon) name wrong. Amusingly, the V America and Delta staff didn’t have this trouble. They were helpful and courteous, but I do remember my previous flights in PE on this route feeling like a far more significant step up from economy than this time.Maybe its because I fly international business more these days.
Notably, one thing that is missing is the VA elite tier recognition. In my previous flights this was a very nice touch and included having meals brought out in advance of the cart. This didn’t happen here,although they did park the cart at the end of the aisle and deliver meals from there rather than walk it through the cabin. Reading the forum, recognition seems very hit and miss anyway. It's a pity, although meaningless, it was always a welcome touch.
LAX-BOS, LAX & The Loft
US immigration has improved for frequent visitors, now esta holders who have visited since 2008 on the same passport get fast tracked thru the passportscanners. Amusingly, the majority of people who knew about this in advance were those who weren't eligible, I guess those who have been before don't read up onit.
I stopped by the loft in LAX . The wifi and snacks were welcome but it's nothing special as a lounge. US domestic lounges really don't caterwell for international flyers as a general rule. It was a couple of minutesfrom my gate and to be honest, I might give it a miss next time. Boarding was priority as a PE ticket, just after 1[SUP]st[/SUP] class. I can’t remember (due to jet lag) if VA status got advanced boarding.
LAX-BOS, V America metal
The Virgin America PE flight was certainly a noticeable step up from their econ. Nice plane decor and very modern cabin. I was in row 3 aisle in a 3-3 formation. PE comes with complimentary food, beverage and entertainment. The best touch was that food and drinks were ordered via the touchscreen. Add to your cart, (if you're not in PE you swipe your CC to pay) and the FA will appear with your order. It's a really nice system that makes dining on board un-intrusive.V America entertainment was virtually identical to VA.
BOS-LAX, Dealing with Delta call centre as VA.
My return flight was on Delta and because my ticket was PE and they have no true PE product, I was in economy. I was aware of the comfort plus product,similar to United economy plus and knew that as a platinum I was eligible foran upgrade, gold can call 24 hours before and platinum 72 hours. I wasn't overly optimistic, given my past experiences with Delta as a VA platinum back in 2012, but I was pleasantly surprised at just how good the Delta staff were,even with a few hiccups with my ticket.
Let me first say, it isn't immediately obviously who to call to request the upgrade. The answer is the Delta skymiles number but I cant find this on any website. There was some issue with my recent WP qualification hadn't updated with Delta and saw me as gold. There was one economy plus seat left and they wanted me to call back with 24 hrs to go as Gold status. As there was only 1 seat left I knew it was unlikely to still be there by then, I called VA(twice, because with time difference, Velocity team hadn't opened yet - it should really be a 24 hr line), had them refresh my status and also got me a transpac points upgrade.
Calling back the Skymiles team they confirmed the Delta site saw me as platinum but delta's ticketing system didn't. They were great, a supervisor took over and after about 30 mins worked some magic and I got my economy comfort plus seat 72 hours ahead of flying. It was a middle seat, but given my experiences with US domestic carriers l imagined it would be better than regular seats (I was wrong, but that is another story).
BOS-LAX, BOS & SkyLounge
Skypriority check in at Logan was a breeze, great, friendly staff who checked my 2 bags through to my final destination and the sky priority lane was fast and efficient.No issues or even question with the second bag. Previously, my VA WP experience didn’t get Skypriority or even advanced boarding– even though the website suggested it way back in 2012, so this was a welcome change. No drama at all entering the lounge which was spacious enough, clean and with fast wifi. Hot and cold snacks were available as were a decent selection of drinks through the bar.
At the gate, I was surprised to see myself wait listed for an upgrade to first! Alas I was 6th in the queue with 2 seats available. Still it was nice to see and there were 18 on the list so on a quieter route there is a realistic chance. I did get a call to the gate attendant asking if I would like to move my middle economy comfort seat to my profile preferred aisle seat in the first row before comfort (but not comfort). She advised to stay put but said she thought she wanted me to have the option. I politely declined but was again impressed by the recognition. Priority boarding again was without incident. Delta have clearly set out a goal to recognise VA flyers… I really couldn’t fault any Delta staffer I met.
BOS-LAX, Delta metal.
On taking my seat I immediately regretted my decision not to move. For some one my height (175cm) the extra legroom just doesn't make a huge difference. Next time, I would take the aisle. On the plus side, the row did have power and USB ports, two of each across three seats. The service perks of better snacks were fun sized mars bars and goldfish crackers instead of pretzels. But the drinks were free. I bought a sandwich which wasn't awful. The entertainment was via a screen or your wifi device, though my Samsung S5 got a 'not compatible' error for their in-flight wifi entertainment. The iPad in the seat beside me worked fine. There was wifi but it was extortionate in price. Service was very Bostonian in that it was loud and friendly and very nice. After 6 hours I was happy to deplane
LAX-BNE, LAX and *A lounge
I had the option of making my own way to TBIT or waiting for a VA bus transfer which bypassed the need for security rescreen. Having been in TBIT before, I waited for the VA bus. It was a surreal experience. The 3 ground staff, with VA badges but not uniforms, were professional, but not friendly. While I waited for the bus (20 mins) quite a few pax in various emotional states arrived,knowing they were running late for the Sydney departure. The male ground crew member, who was by far the most approachable, said they would call the gate and either hold the plane or rebook the pax to the bne flight. The bus left but had quite a few pauses on the trip across runways (we stopped at a stop sign to give way to a 777!!!!!!) and it took just over 40 mins to get to TBIT. I think I'd have been quicker making my own way. At TBIT, I was reissued a VA boarding pass by an American VA ground crew member who was rather abrupt, and directed to the lounge. *A lounge entry was without issue and its a nice lounge, but honestly, not as amazing as I’ve heard some people claim. I had a quick beer and snack and went to the gate. The VA gate crew were really quite confused about the boarding sequence for status pax and were shouting across the gate to each other as to whether they should let a gold member through. It didn't bother me with the J ticket but was a contrast to the way the Delta staff operated on the previous flight. I have noticed consistently in my US trips as a VA status pax that US VA staff can be quite poor in their knowledge and generallyunhelpful compared to the general VA experience. In fact, I would say that Delta staff offer the best recognition of VA status that I have seen. Some contrast to my last encounter.
LAX-BNE VA Metal Business Class
[FONT=&]I had a Row 5 window for the trip which in my view is the best seat in the house.The VA Business class area is modern and nice but with its 2-3-2 layout, it is vastly inferior to EY and as a solo traveler I’d pick Delta business just for privacy – it may be on a par with UA, which is odd, because VA economy is so superior to Delta and United. When the person beside me lay out their bed flat,I literally had to jump over them to get in and out. I stayed to watch them makeup the bed just to see how they managed it with the space they had. I would imagine that a middle seat would be quite unpleasant for a 14 hour flight – I did have a look at the main Business section and it looked very crowded compared to other airlines J product… almost a PE feel in terms of privacy. Personally I find Redbox to be limited compared to other IFE systems but I think that is purely down to personal preference. (the first airline to sign a deal with Netflix will be the winner of IFE for ever) I really missed having wifi internet in business class.I have an upcoming AUH-SYD flight booked on VA metal and I think I’m going to call and see if I can change that to the closest EY flight. That said, the service is excellent, the food was as good as I’ve had in international business and the cabin manager did come down to introduce herself personally and handout customs cards. She also remembered my name when I was wandering around the cabin or at the bar, so she wasn’t just going by seat number, which was impressive. Still no specific WP recognition, so my guess is that VA have stopped this (or everyone in business was WP), again not a big deal but certainly a change from my previous experiences. [/FONT]
[FONT=&]BNE-NTL[/FONT]
Transfer from the international terminal to domestic is easy but a little slow. Annoyingly when I dropped my bags, there were upgrades available, but these can only be processed at the lounge. By the time I got to the lounge they were gone. I thought that this is a bit of an oversight for internationally connecting pax, oh well. VA flexi fares really offer nothing in terms of service. An FA came down with something in her hand and held it in front of my face asking “do you want you flexi fare snack”, I declined and was amused to find that there isn’t even a soft drink included in the ticket fair.I think Jetstar full price tickets offer this? The new NTL terminal is nice but very minimalist.
TL;DR version.
Virgin PE product isn’t quite as good as I remember and I’m not sure if it is reflective of the price difference to standard Y when compared toa J ticket. VA J has good service but the actual seat is lacking in privacy and comfort when compared to competing airlines. Delta consistently offered excellent recognition and perks for VA status and were probably better than VA themselves. VA recognition of status noticeably declined.
Based on this trip.
Delta and EY Business over VA for future flights.
Virgin America over Delta hard product for flights within US.
With this in mind, I thought I might share my current perspectives on the VA-Delta and VA-V America agreements and my experiences on my recent trip.
I've recently started flying frequently for business again so having dropped to Gold in 2013 I requalified for Gold in Oct and upgraded to Platinum between Nov and March and this trip was as a newly re-minted WP.
I guess this is kind of a trip report, but because it’s mostly a VA FF point of view, I thought it best here. Mods, sorry if it’s not appropriate.
SYD-LAX, SYD & Etihad Lounge
My outbound leg was from Sydney, check in was standard at the VA Business counter, fast and professional, but no more so than usual. I stopped in the new Etihad lounge (when I eventually found it, I walked by it the first time) before the flight and was impressed.Personally I prefer the interior to the Koru lounge, but I was there at 10am, so Idon't know if the food and beverages are as good in the evening when compared to Koru, but I would suspect so, based on other Etihad lounges.
SYD-LAX, VA Metal, Premium Economy
For my first leg I was in premium economy row 11 aisle, it had been a couple of years since I flew transpac and that was PE too.The PE product isn't quite as good as l remembered. The space and recline are certainly a step over economy and miles ahead of US carriers similar products, specifically Delta and United,the noise reducing headphones are a bonus, but I see a lot of FF on my route usually have their own. Overall, the hard product didn't feel significantly better than Etihad standard economy, which is strange as I know they compete SYD-AUH and wonder why anyone would specifically choose VA metal over EY on theAUH route.
The service had a few tweaks over economy but was only really better by virtue of the fact that there was a higher flight attendant to Pax ratio. On boarding the flight I encountered the first of a clean sweep of VA staff getting my (anglo saxon) name wrong. Amusingly, the V America and Delta staff didn’t have this trouble. They were helpful and courteous, but I do remember my previous flights in PE on this route feeling like a far more significant step up from economy than this time.Maybe its because I fly international business more these days.
Notably, one thing that is missing is the VA elite tier recognition. In my previous flights this was a very nice touch and included having meals brought out in advance of the cart. This didn’t happen here,although they did park the cart at the end of the aisle and deliver meals from there rather than walk it through the cabin. Reading the forum, recognition seems very hit and miss anyway. It's a pity, although meaningless, it was always a welcome touch.
LAX-BOS, LAX & The Loft
US immigration has improved for frequent visitors, now esta holders who have visited since 2008 on the same passport get fast tracked thru the passportscanners. Amusingly, the majority of people who knew about this in advance were those who weren't eligible, I guess those who have been before don't read up onit.
I stopped by the loft in LAX . The wifi and snacks were welcome but it's nothing special as a lounge. US domestic lounges really don't caterwell for international flyers as a general rule. It was a couple of minutesfrom my gate and to be honest, I might give it a miss next time. Boarding was priority as a PE ticket, just after 1[SUP]st[/SUP] class. I can’t remember (due to jet lag) if VA status got advanced boarding.
LAX-BOS, V America metal
The Virgin America PE flight was certainly a noticeable step up from their econ. Nice plane decor and very modern cabin. I was in row 3 aisle in a 3-3 formation. PE comes with complimentary food, beverage and entertainment. The best touch was that food and drinks were ordered via the touchscreen. Add to your cart, (if you're not in PE you swipe your CC to pay) and the FA will appear with your order. It's a really nice system that makes dining on board un-intrusive.V America entertainment was virtually identical to VA.
BOS-LAX, Dealing with Delta call centre as VA.
My return flight was on Delta and because my ticket was PE and they have no true PE product, I was in economy. I was aware of the comfort plus product,similar to United economy plus and knew that as a platinum I was eligible foran upgrade, gold can call 24 hours before and platinum 72 hours. I wasn't overly optimistic, given my past experiences with Delta as a VA platinum back in 2012, but I was pleasantly surprised at just how good the Delta staff were,even with a few hiccups with my ticket.
Let me first say, it isn't immediately obviously who to call to request the upgrade. The answer is the Delta skymiles number but I cant find this on any website. There was some issue with my recent WP qualification hadn't updated with Delta and saw me as gold. There was one economy plus seat left and they wanted me to call back with 24 hrs to go as Gold status. As there was only 1 seat left I knew it was unlikely to still be there by then, I called VA(twice, because with time difference, Velocity team hadn't opened yet - it should really be a 24 hr line), had them refresh my status and also got me a transpac points upgrade.
Calling back the Skymiles team they confirmed the Delta site saw me as platinum but delta's ticketing system didn't. They were great, a supervisor took over and after about 30 mins worked some magic and I got my economy comfort plus seat 72 hours ahead of flying. It was a middle seat, but given my experiences with US domestic carriers l imagined it would be better than regular seats (I was wrong, but that is another story).
BOS-LAX, BOS & SkyLounge
Skypriority check in at Logan was a breeze, great, friendly staff who checked my 2 bags through to my final destination and the sky priority lane was fast and efficient.No issues or even question with the second bag. Previously, my VA WP experience didn’t get Skypriority or even advanced boarding– even though the website suggested it way back in 2012, so this was a welcome change. No drama at all entering the lounge which was spacious enough, clean and with fast wifi. Hot and cold snacks were available as were a decent selection of drinks through the bar.
At the gate, I was surprised to see myself wait listed for an upgrade to first! Alas I was 6th in the queue with 2 seats available. Still it was nice to see and there were 18 on the list so on a quieter route there is a realistic chance. I did get a call to the gate attendant asking if I would like to move my middle economy comfort seat to my profile preferred aisle seat in the first row before comfort (but not comfort). She advised to stay put but said she thought she wanted me to have the option. I politely declined but was again impressed by the recognition. Priority boarding again was without incident. Delta have clearly set out a goal to recognise VA flyers… I really couldn’t fault any Delta staffer I met.
BOS-LAX, Delta metal.
On taking my seat I immediately regretted my decision not to move. For some one my height (175cm) the extra legroom just doesn't make a huge difference. Next time, I would take the aisle. On the plus side, the row did have power and USB ports, two of each across three seats. The service perks of better snacks were fun sized mars bars and goldfish crackers instead of pretzels. But the drinks were free. I bought a sandwich which wasn't awful. The entertainment was via a screen or your wifi device, though my Samsung S5 got a 'not compatible' error for their in-flight wifi entertainment. The iPad in the seat beside me worked fine. There was wifi but it was extortionate in price. Service was very Bostonian in that it was loud and friendly and very nice. After 6 hours I was happy to deplane
LAX-BNE, LAX and *A lounge
I had the option of making my own way to TBIT or waiting for a VA bus transfer which bypassed the need for security rescreen. Having been in TBIT before, I waited for the VA bus. It was a surreal experience. The 3 ground staff, with VA badges but not uniforms, were professional, but not friendly. While I waited for the bus (20 mins) quite a few pax in various emotional states arrived,knowing they were running late for the Sydney departure. The male ground crew member, who was by far the most approachable, said they would call the gate and either hold the plane or rebook the pax to the bne flight. The bus left but had quite a few pauses on the trip across runways (we stopped at a stop sign to give way to a 777!!!!!!) and it took just over 40 mins to get to TBIT. I think I'd have been quicker making my own way. At TBIT, I was reissued a VA boarding pass by an American VA ground crew member who was rather abrupt, and directed to the lounge. *A lounge entry was without issue and its a nice lounge, but honestly, not as amazing as I’ve heard some people claim. I had a quick beer and snack and went to the gate. The VA gate crew were really quite confused about the boarding sequence for status pax and were shouting across the gate to each other as to whether they should let a gold member through. It didn't bother me with the J ticket but was a contrast to the way the Delta staff operated on the previous flight. I have noticed consistently in my US trips as a VA status pax that US VA staff can be quite poor in their knowledge and generallyunhelpful compared to the general VA experience. In fact, I would say that Delta staff offer the best recognition of VA status that I have seen. Some contrast to my last encounter.
LAX-BNE VA Metal Business Class
[FONT=&]I had a Row 5 window for the trip which in my view is the best seat in the house.The VA Business class area is modern and nice but with its 2-3-2 layout, it is vastly inferior to EY and as a solo traveler I’d pick Delta business just for privacy – it may be on a par with UA, which is odd, because VA economy is so superior to Delta and United. When the person beside me lay out their bed flat,I literally had to jump over them to get in and out. I stayed to watch them makeup the bed just to see how they managed it with the space they had. I would imagine that a middle seat would be quite unpleasant for a 14 hour flight – I did have a look at the main Business section and it looked very crowded compared to other airlines J product… almost a PE feel in terms of privacy. Personally I find Redbox to be limited compared to other IFE systems but I think that is purely down to personal preference. (the first airline to sign a deal with Netflix will be the winner of IFE for ever) I really missed having wifi internet in business class.I have an upcoming AUH-SYD flight booked on VA metal and I think I’m going to call and see if I can change that to the closest EY flight. That said, the service is excellent, the food was as good as I’ve had in international business and the cabin manager did come down to introduce herself personally and handout customs cards. She also remembered my name when I was wandering around the cabin or at the bar, so she wasn’t just going by seat number, which was impressive. Still no specific WP recognition, so my guess is that VA have stopped this (or everyone in business was WP), again not a big deal but certainly a change from my previous experiences. [/FONT]
[FONT=&]BNE-NTL[/FONT]
Transfer from the international terminal to domestic is easy but a little slow. Annoyingly when I dropped my bags, there were upgrades available, but these can only be processed at the lounge. By the time I got to the lounge they were gone. I thought that this is a bit of an oversight for internationally connecting pax, oh well. VA flexi fares really offer nothing in terms of service. An FA came down with something in her hand and held it in front of my face asking “do you want you flexi fare snack”, I declined and was amused to find that there isn’t even a soft drink included in the ticket fair.I think Jetstar full price tickets offer this? The new NTL terminal is nice but very minimalist.
TL;DR version.
Virgin PE product isn’t quite as good as I remember and I’m not sure if it is reflective of the price difference to standard Y when compared toa J ticket. VA J has good service but the actual seat is lacking in privacy and comfort when compared to competing airlines. Delta consistently offered excellent recognition and perks for VA status and were probably better than VA themselves. VA recognition of status noticeably declined.
Based on this trip.
Delta and EY Business over VA for future flights.
Virgin America over Delta hard product for flights within US.
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