Virgin Atlantic joining Skyteam – what “new routes” can you envisage?

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Viewing 15 posts - 136 through 150 (of 204 total)

  • cwoodward
    Participant

    Why !
    Under-utilised aircraft – too many long lunches – poor management planning?
    Perhaps all three.

    1 user thanked author for this post.

    onajetplane
    Participant

    Agree with some previous comments re. DXB launch – early morning arrival hardly ideal for holidaymakers re access to their hotel rooms. Albeit not that it warrants launching a route based on a presumption of early check-in, but I would say the city I have had the most success with being granted early access to my room is Dubai. Also agree on the under-utilisation of aircraft point. At the very least, they could have invested some thought to see if there is anywhere they could add a quick tag-on route from DXB rather than having the aircraft on the ground for that length of time. Muscat springs to mind – at only x4 a week anyway, this really does seem to be a leisure route focus – BA has quit Muscat – I think Oman would fit well with a Virgin Holiday market.

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    AlanOrton1
    Participant

    You can’t help but wonder if Virgin Holidays are a main driver of this route, if they’ll be selling packages with the first night of the hotel starting the day before arrival – otherwise it’ll be a throughly miserable start hanging around for hours to gain access. Given hotel prices in Dubai in the winter month, plus EK and even BA’s wider choice of flights, the savvy traveller may see VS’s offering as a false economy.

    Like other posters it seems a most odd choice of departure times, plane sat on the tarmac for a hours / utilisation and only 4 departures per week.

    I dallied with VS after moving away from UA and settling on BA / OneWorld as they fly to most the long haul destinations I visit with work.
    However, it was their stop start nature of their timetable that left me feeling slightly uncomfortable. It’s hard to keep count of routes that have started, stopped and started again. ORD & CPT spring immediately to mind. They’ve ditched HKG and it now sounds like they may not return, perhaps like BA focussing more on routes west. Apart from this rather odd one.

    (I flew the LHR-AUH-MCT route with BA, the last leg was relatively quiet. It’s a shame this route has ceased as the timings worked ok from a pax perspective and it’s such a beautiful destination).

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    MarkivJ
    Participant

    AlanOrton1: I’m with you on the start stop nature of VS (ORD, CPT, YVR) but also the constant changing of flight times for some cities (my city – SEA for example) which makes things sooooo unpredictable and at times not suitable for connections. On Corporate travel; worn so many things constantly in motion, the last thing I want is to verify airline dep and arr times everytime I book. Love BA that way. They’ve been flying to seattle since 1994 and their evening dep is always 6-8p window. VS started flights to SEA in 2016 and has at least 2 schedule changes every yr (not inc the daylight saving change that’s expected ).

    Plus of course, the extremely limited network (I’m not changing terminals from T3 to T4 to fly onwards to EU on AF/KL).


    sparkyflier
    Participant

    Agree with main points above re the very unattractive schedule from LHR-DXB, and points made by onajetplane, AlanOrton1 & MarkivJ

    Re the stop/start VS routes, I think you can add Nassau, St Lucia and Havana to that list.

    BTW – back in the day did ORD ever actually operationally start?

    And re the Muscat idea, I think VS have shown some lack of imagination here. VS could have added MCT with the crew staying on and resting in MCT. As it stands, and until Oman Air is finally a member of Oneworld, UK based travellers cannot earn miles or points on a direct flight on a UK based airline.

    Oman is a stunning country and I think will have attracted both premium leisure and business travellers into their cabins towards the front.

    It does seem that VS have missed a trick here.

    2 users thanked author for this post.

    AMcWhirter
    Participant

    [quote quote=1367128]Oman is a stunning country and I think will have attracted both premium leisure and business travellers into their cabins towards the front.

    It does seem that VS have missed a trick here.[/quote]

    Indeed. It is both stunning and upmarket. Lots of new hotels since I visited in the mid-1990s.

    These ‘tag’ or ‘triangular’ schedules are not as popular as they once were.

    I can remember the days when airlines, bound for Australia, would often combine SYD and MEL with one flight.


    MarkivJ
    Participant

    sparkyflier – “BTW – back in the day did ORD ever actually operationally start?” Yes it did. I’ve seen it several times parked at the tarmac, not to mention the inaugural flight with Sir Branson on board, and his usual “Chicago is a city close to my heart” (same thing he said in YVR and more recently, in Austin).

    The single biggest problem with this airline is that they don’t know who they are – all the start/stop, bizarre schedule changes, prioritisation on things that could be deemed less important…etc is an outcome of that.

    1 user thanked author for this post.

    cwoodward
    Participant

    Yes seasonally – they stopped very quietly in 2018


    AndrewinHK
    Participant

    VS also used to operate LGW to YYZ, a flight I was scheduled to fly, with the outbound cancelled at the last minute, we were then bussed to LHR and routed on VS via ORD connecting to AC to YYZ. The return sector operated normally, 747, was a nice ride.

    1 user thanked author for this post.

    sparkyflier
    Participant

    Another BTW – what is going on with the VS schedule to IAD?

    The current schedule – looking at June, has the 789 leaving LHR at 19:05 arriving IAD at 22:30.

    It then seemingly sits on the ground doing nothing until 18:15 arriving LHR 6:45.

    Is the plane just doing nothing or being used for US charters or cargo etc?

    A) In my opinion this is an unattractive flight out (I had been looking at potentially going to DC)

    B) Why is it seemingly at IAD for nearly 20 hours?

    With that time an aircraft could easily go from LHR to Accra and back and arguably even Nairobi.

    It is quite bizarre and there must be some reason for the aircraft to be thee for so long.

    Generally the Summer timetable has lunchtime flight out returning early evening with about 3 hours on the ground.


    AndrewinHK
    Participant

    Virgin CEO just announced at the IATA conference that Sao Paulo and Bangalore will be the next VS routes. He also said VS expects record revenue this year and will look at an IPO in due course.

    2 users thanked author for this post.

    MarkivJ
    Participant

    So the brief says they want to cash in on the usa traffic to BLR which means they’ll need prime slots at LHR to allow for said connections – which is a challenge to obtain I suppose?!

    All BLR needed is another arrival in the 11p – 2am window! The BA flight timings may not work for VS as a 130p arr into LHR means most VS USA flights would’ve left.


    sparkyflier
    Participant

    Many thanks AndrewinHK for sharing that news with this forum. Good news to wake up to.

    Have since found out GRU will start in just under a year away and BLR not until..next March.

    GRU it seems odd they are not starting before the Brazilian Summer period and carnival time which is the busiest season. I would have thought that would be the opportune time to start a route, especially as they will be in partnership with Latam.

    There is a huge Brazilian diaspora in UK who will be pleased with this news and will be customers for all 3 cabins.

    Will be interesting to hear what schedules they come up with.

    1 user thanked author for this post.

    MarcusGB
    Participant

    Really VS Appears to have carved itself out as a Holiday / Leisure Airline, more similar to the routes of a Charter Carrier!

    They no longer have ties to Virgin Australia, who did in fact have flights to Thailand for Phuket, Bali, HKG, SIN, some years ago, with A330’s 3 classes. So they did in fact have some chosen routes. They fly to Bali now, but with 738 Aircraft, then it is only about 5.5 hrs.

    Within and ex Australia, Qantas actually have a greater presence in Skyteam than VS, as for KLM/AF, you can earn and spend miles on Qantas with their Codeshare and tie up agreement. This includes XP’s, as in fact with Malaysia Airlines.
    Virgin Australia used to offer a connection via HKG with VS also.

    So for Domestic travel using KLM/AF within Australia or the Pacific, Qantas is now the linked carrier. They did pretty well through Covid having such a large Domestic continent, subject to each State Accepting flights. In fact, if you try to book a flight with AF/KLM, Ex UK or EU to Australia, it often includes the Asia to Australia, as Qantas. Lounge access is equal, and as a Platinum member you can access top tier Qantas Lounges also.

    There is no tie up in being able to book from Virgin FFP onto KLM/AF, limited with Delta even on line.
    I have not seen any feature within Flying Blue for Virgin flight FFP bookings, nor any publicity of VS Joining Skyteam.
    Virgin Atlantic has lost its way, and are seen as a Leisure Airline now.They are a confused identity, and it has been poorly Managed as a Brand, or a serious Business Airline.

    In relation to Terminal 4, i find quite the opposite for access.
    Even long stay Parking is very nearby, tube access or to drive or be driven is quieter and no hold ups as accessing T2,3,the roads and drop off always quieter. They always were at T4, and it is a much less congested Terminal and efficient to fly from than others.
    You have Hilton, Holiday Inn, Crowne Plaza connected to T4 with a 5 min link walkway.
    Pity Yotel are not operating there still now…It really is an excellent Terminal as far as i am concerned, especially as a Skyteam FB Platinum

    I am sure they will redevelop their own Lounge again, as the Main Skyteam lounge and other Airlines always was there, excellent it was too.
    I find Plaza Premium Lounges Worldwide dismal, overcrowded, not clean, and people buying themselves in means they are always overcrowded.The food is poor quality, basic, and simply not near the standard of the 2 floor Skyteam Lounge at T4 prior to Covid.

    I certainly hope they will re-open a Skyteam Lounge once more, with so many AF /KLM flights and Skyteam Partners from T4.


    sparkyflier
    Participant

    Is it known which aircraft will be used yet for GRU & BLR?

    Frankly their J product on 789 will not pull people away from the BA Club Suite on either route and on the GRU flight, which they will codeshare with Latam, any LA regular travellers in J will feel short changed if they were expecting 77W J standards – their hard product is excellent.

    I suspect both will be 789 but to be competitive VS need to either change their J product onboard or get more A330neo & A350.

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