Velocity/Virgin websites are RUBBISH

[awilcockson]

Time to vent, if Virgin are wondering why people gave them a try then headed back to QF, you might want to first look at your website.

I just went to do web checkin for some flights tomorrow.

On QF, I would have:

1. Gone to Qantas - flights to Australia, New Zealand, Africa and Asia. Book airfares at qantas.com.
2. Typed in my PIN (because the site nicely remembers my FF number and Surname)
3. Selected "My Bookings"
4. Selected the booking in Question
5. Selected "Web check in"
6. Select passengers to checkin
7. Confirmed my seat selection
8. Answered the security question
9. Been provided with my BP

Now, on virgin it goes like this

1. Go to Velocity Frequent Flyer | Frequent Flyer Program of Virgin Australia
2. Enter my FF number and password
3. Select "My Bookings"
4. Select the booking in question
5. Select "Web check in"

Up until this point, almost exactly the same as QF, but this is where it all starts to go horribly wrong. At this point a new window pops up, redirected to Virgin Australia | Book flights & holidays with Virgin Australia and the domestic checkin screen

6. Enter my reservation number (what? oh hang on I'll get it from the other screen ... no you won't that screen has logged you out of velocityrewards and kicked you to the login screen!!), depature city and last name then click checkin.
8. Select passengers to checkin, then click on "select seat"
9. Confirm my seat selection and click "check baggage"
10. Answered the security question
11. Confirm that I'm not taking any checked luggage then click "checkin"
11. Finally get my BP.

By number of steps it is only 2 more, but I tell you it is one of the most frustrating experience known to man, and not one that I'm in any hurry to repeat.

Why, oh why are the velocity and virgin websites integrated. This has to be one of the worst IT/marketing failures in recent times.

That's my 2 cents, feel free to rip shreds of me if you don't agree.

 

[Deleted member 29185]

That's my 2 cents, feel free to rip shreds of me if you don't agree.

Agree totally. It sucks in a big way, but the thing that annoys me more is the booking/payment process where you have to actually type in all your details that they already have.

BTW, my velocity number is remembered but by my computer I think. (my pin is too), so probably not what I'd call the most secure method.

 

[toowongman]

I completely agree, it sucks balls. Or if you're logged into Velocity checking up on things and then decide to book a reward ticket, you have to login a second time to continue the booking process.

 

[medhead]

I basically just take the check in tab from the VA main website. There is absolutely no point logging into velocity first. Precisely because of the cough you mention. Going from the main website sometimes, just sometimes, it can find the booking from my velocity number. If it does, I win. If not I still have to log in or find the booking email, which is usually quicker.

 

[Boris spatsky]

And you can't login to velocity from the main VA page as far as i can tell. Stupid.

 

[grubbidok]

To be fair, I've used the QF website four times this week and all but one of those times the QFF was down and they had that 'essential functionality only' page-holder up where you can book a flight but not do much else. That means a reward flight I was booking could only be done last night, even though I'd wanted to do it since Sunday. Although VA has been clunky everything has always been 'open' and functional (albeit after logging in separately every time). Chrome seems to remember my details well.

I agree the VA website is currently rubbish though. I assume it's a teething issue and it'll be resolved issue by issue. A university I used to work at had a major website overhaul once - VA's problems were nothing compared to that. I'm happy to cut them some slack over the next month or two. But if they haven't sorted it by then, well then it's just unacceptable.

 

[awilcockson]

I agree the VA website is currently rubbish though. I assume it's a teething issue and it'll be resolved issue by issue. A university I used to work at had a major website overhaul once - VA's problems were nothing compared to that. I'm happy to cut them some slack over the next month or two. But if they haven't sorted it by then, well then it's just unacceptable.

The problem is this isn't a SABRE transition issue, the websites have been cough for well over a year now.

 

[grubbidok]

The problem is this isn't a SABRE transition issue, the websites have been cough for well over a year now.

True, they've never been good. But they're even more cough now.

 

[Justinf]

I'm not even going to try and requalify for VA Gold before my status runs out in July. I will go back to choosing whoever I want when I want.

 

[Deleted member 29185]

The problem is this isn't a SABRE transition issue, the websites have been cough for well over a year now.

True, they've never been good. But they're even more cough now.

This is the problem. We all assumed (a dangerous thing to do) that the Sabre transition would be all bells and whistles (well all except a few), but the reality is, the websites have always been a bit coughpy, now they're a mountain of cough. VA/VR seem to have tiers of cough a bit like rice paddies. Where does one start to resolve the issues (mind you, the rice would be well fertilised)

 

[RooFlyer]

<snip>

Why, oh why are the velocity and virgin websites integrated. This has to be one of the worst IT/marketing failures in recent times.

That's my 2 cents, feel free to rip shreds of me if you don't agree.

Oh, no, that's not an IT/website failure. THIS is an airline IT failure (or at least FFers reaction to it). Air Canada Aeroplan - FlyerTalk Forums

Air Canada - the airline that makes ALL other airlines look good. Their migration to a newly branded program / new website / new cards, tags etc is a continuing, unmitigated disaster.

 

[RickyT84]

To be fair, I've used the QF website four times this week and all but one of those times the QFF was down and they had that 'essential functionality only' page-holder up where you can book a flight but not do much else. That means a reward flight I was booking could only be done last night, even though I'd wanted to do it since Sunday.

This maybe due to the redesign of the QF website which happened over the week. At least the downtime is relatively short.

Back to the topic on hand, I agree with most other posters in that the lack of integration between the Velocity and Virgin Australia websites is somewhat frustrating.

 

[Simo]

The problem is this isn't a SABRE transition issue, the websites have been cough for well over a year now.

Yep never been a fan of the VA web site.

If I have to book travel at short notice I much prefer the QF web site.

 

[Warks]

Before all this happened I couldn't book a flight when I was logged into Velocity. Had to be logged out until it came to passenger details then I logged in and it all worked. Wasn't good enough but now it's 100X worse.


And what happened to car hire? That's just vanished.

 

[nlagalle]

The website is absolute garbage. It's even gotten worse over the last 2 months. Heck to select a seat i need to call up and wade through the IVR system and waste my time.

And after tonights debacle i think i shall give Virgin the skip for a while. Flying QF is so less painful!

 

[bullerdude]

The Virgin websites are indeed poorly developed and not well integrated.

In particular, I find it bizarre that the booking site and the web-checkin site are completely different sites despite both running on Sabre!!

 

[Elbobbo]

Must be a design by committee thing - how could you make such an unwieldy interface even worse, without doing it deliberately?!?

 

[adam15]

Perhaps with VA pursuing a significant stake of Tiger Australia, what we are seeing is but a stopgap measure. Perhaps they will be upgrading to the TT booking system .

 

[bb-fireman]

My fingers are crossed that VA have engaged a group of tech heads to design a completely new booking site and that it will be released soon. An awefully tempting April fools joke if someone feels so mischieviously inclined.

 

[Pilbaracommuter]

Have tried several times today to check my seat number on a flight booked next week. Trying with both booking ref and FF#, couldn't find it. In contrast QF has worked faultlessly over last few weeks

What really gets me is that you often need to log in multiple times as you navigate the site. Only ever happens with QF after a time out.

URGENTLY NEEDS ATTENTION VIRGIN