[bqtraveller]

Bucksnet, you re right, from the 4 star current ranking only Porter and Jet Blue are US based (and I think Porter is Canadian) I guess i was having in my mind rankings from past years. But again my point was VS Upper wins compared to several of the business class products of that list. I use to fly from Miami as departure site, and with the exception of swiss and some, not all, BA planes operating from there, and of course VS, I would have to take a detour to NY or LA should I want to have a good business product.

[Bucksnet]

I have just started a new topic about Virgin planning to invest £100 million in an upgrade of their operations. Maybe this is in response to their 3 star ranking: –

http://www.businesstraveller.com/discussion/topic/Virgin-Planning-A-pound-100-Million-Upgrade

[VintageKrug]

Bucksnet, it gets rather dull if you keep cross referencing threads by bumping old ones; I’m sure most people saw it the first time! This board is not exactly overly busy….

[Bucksnet]

VK, it is not dull as the 2 topics may well be related to one another. People following this topic will get an email informing them of a new post, and they can follow the link long after the topic drops off the BT homepage!

I personally believe that the cut to 3 stars, and the negative PR this has caused, has forced their hand.

[RichHI1]

Just as long as Virgin do not announce New Upper Class to be rolled out by Spring 2015, with some 747’s not being upgraded. Now that would be deja vu and boring…

[VintageKrug]

It might have been better netiquette to link this old thread in the new thread, rather than the other way round, thus avoiding bumping an older topic.

You’re quite right about the passengfer feedback forcing their hand, though I doubt anyone pays much attention to Skytrax; for many reasons oft rehearsed on here, it is a discredited ranking.

[Bucksnet]

The links run both ways, so people following this topic can click through to the upgrade story, and people starting with the upgrade story can click back and get some background.

We know about Skytrax, but it is high profile and may have been the final straw for VS.

[MartynSinclair]

Mrs S and son are now back in London after their winter break in Florida. Flew both ways on VS.

Outbound Gatwick to Orlando (direct) – flight ruined by “a group of travelers” who made the lives hell for passengers and crew alike. The problem when Mrs S (one of many passengers who raised this with the VS cabin crew) complained to the cabin crew she was told by the senior crew member “we are aware of the problem, but took a joint decision to ignore the problems”! Alcohol was flowing freely as was the language.

To cap it all off, the senior trouble maker, who had been merrily dancing around the cabin had ordered a wheel chair at Orlando so she and her entire entourage could skip the immigration Q. She had not needed one at Gatwick.

The return flight from New York encountered a different set of problems. The crew were 2 staff members down, so when Mrs S wanted to get help with the inflight entertainment system, she was told that they were too busy due to crew shortages to resolve.

How much control do Virgin Cabin crew currently have???

All in all glad I am not having to suffer VS when I return next week.

[LeTigre]

http://www.airlinequality.com/news/081112_virgin.htm

Looks like this thread is now useless…right?

I suppose criticising VS after downgrading, means that everyone will now reiterate how little credibility Skytrax has?

The reasons are good: new A330s and refurbished 747s, plus better service.

Anyone agree?

[BigDog.]

Good news indeed LeTigre, Virgin are my preferred carrier across the Atlantic and would put more business with them if they offered more destinations.

As I posted on the Skytrax thread – the guilty findings against Skytrax appeared IMO to be due to lack of rigor and self aggrandisement – not corruption.

The actual ratings did not appear in dispute.

[MarcusUK]

I agree with their downward grading.
In the last year i flown 8 varied route classes in Upper, and they have been shocking in service. Un hygienic, sorting trays out on the floor at the exit door, un-interested staff rushing meals out, Managers rarely acknowledge Gold members these days as they used too.
Queues at VS access to “Private” security at LHR, normal fast track is far quicker.
Others i know, generally worse experiences in the last year, Many of them will not be taking more flights.
My Gold card membership will expire, as i am not interested in flying with them any longer.
My business has gone to other Airlines

[JohnHarper]

Interesting that Virgin have moved to four star status, a quick scan of their reviews on Skytrax over the last three months would suggest that they were scoring about 6/10 as an average which if they are the measure would suggest a three star rather than a four star experience.

Of course, Skytrax has never been transparent in the rating system they use so how they reach their conclusions is a mystery.

[LeTigre]

These reactions were exactly what I expected.

MarcusUK, a few things:
-I have never seen a queue in the upper class wing security, I go there very frequently
-The BAA fast track is somewhat more congested but not the responsibility of VS
-Cabin hygiene standards are very high, trays are not randomly scattered as you imply, if this was an individual case, please complain, otherwise why pretend it’s normal

I agree, Skytrax are a bit bizarre, however, considering how many scathing posts people made on this thread when downgraded, it’s time you acknowledge that almost half of the VS fleet carries the latest products for most passengers, instead of about 5% BA planes.

Come on, be fair!!!

[Henkel.Trocken]

Is some of the Virgin problem that they advertise a very sleek and sophisticated product that for most people turns out to be economy class where the seats and service are never that great no matter who the carrier is?

If you raise expectations, you have to deliver something extraordinary otherwise the complaints roll in. I think some things about VS are very good like the LHR lounge, other things less so.

[Cedric_Statherby]

HT

I think you have hit the nail on the head.

I would go further and say that a very large contributor to the airline industry’s problems is that airlines still like to think (or try to persuade their customers) that flying is in some way glamorous. It isn’t; it is public transport. And as public transport, the key things they ought to be aiming for are reliability, safety, comfort, value-for-money.

Any airline that tries to promise more than this runs into the challenge of unrealistic expectations. And any airline that concentrates on the fripperies (who cares how good the wine is in F – and I speak as one who travels in F on both business and personal account from time to time) at the expense of the essentials has lost the plot.

I work in an industry which routinely over-promises to its customers. It is disastrous and counter-productive, but if everyone else is, it is very difficult to be the only honest player in a market of knaves.

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