Why choose Virgin Atlantic?

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  • Anonymous
    Guest

    Mheeley
    Participant

    What is significant about Virgin Atlantic?

    Why would you choose Virgin Atlantic? If, you don’t why not?

    What do you consider to be valuable on a long-haul flight?


    SimonS1
    Participant

    Is this some attempt at gathering market research for the airline, or some other use?


    Ah,Mr.Bond
    Participant

    As above!. Hope you work for VS… my answer as follows;
    1] Nothing
    2] No, Vs are all style and no substance. Ploughing millions into fancy add campaigns yet still operating old beat up aircraft and tired cabins. Plus, destination choice is extremely limiting.
    3]I’m a very fussy traveller. Why not offer me a ticket in Upper Class and I’ll tell you exactly where what areas you need to address.


    TimFitzgeraldTC
    Participant

    Think Mr Heeley is a consultant to Virgin – but not a VS member of staff.

    a) Nothing significant about Virgin – other than a few years ago they stood up to BA and the dirty tactics – but that is now history

    b) Personally I’d choose VS over BA in Club. But then I’d choose many more airlines over BA or VS. Product offering is not what it used to be – and feedback from my clients is that service has gone rapidly downhill. Seat also needs to be improved in Upper.

    Other points though – connectivity in US now with DL is much better. Though it is obvious that DL are now running VS. Also Flying Club is now not really worth joining – might as well join DL and get points on all of SkyTeam plus VS, rather than join VS and get a points on the odd carrier here and there.


    AnthonyDunn
    Participant

    Has anyone else, like me, seen the recently broadcast ITV1 programmes about Virgin Atlantic?

    Rather than the utterly crass and superficial “A very British Airline” which appeared more fascinated with shades of lip gloss than anything else, this series actually takes a rather less patronising and rather more substantive look behind the scenes at VS. That said, there is the obligatory focus on the larger than life personalities – this time including one of the warehousemen, who is, admittedly, rather entertaining.

    One of the things that sprung out at me is that VS does not appear to be run with a rod of iron: one false move and you’re issued with a warning notice, which is the very real impression given by the management at the Waterside. The programmes are also entirely up front about VS’s commercial situation, the desperate need for its new Dreamliner and the support of DL to help get them back into the black (financially).

    Not a total waste of time in watching.


    Irons80
    Participant

    Nothing is especially significant about them on an actual experiential level – however, they have a successful brand and distinctive voice which makes people think they are significant / different.

    I wouldn’t choose them as my first choice – when I last few in UC a few years ago, I didn’t like the seat (it’s a like a coffin, you cannot see out the window, you had to get up for it to become a bed and the service wasn’t great and neither was the arrivals lounge). However, I liked the car service and the lounge in LHR is great.

    On a long-haul flight, I want quick airport access, a great lounge, I want a decent seat, peace and quiet, good food and drink and great in-flight entertainment.


    SimonS1
    Participant

    I agree Anthony. At least there was some focus on the paying customer and not just on doing hair and makeup.

    I’ve only used Virgin upper class a couple of times and thought it was pretty ordinary. Good lounge at LHR but tired planes. Too much PR for my lining – whatever happened to 4 Engines 4 Long Haul, planes run on chip fat, starting grids to save energy etc.

    Thank heavens Delta stepped in.


    StephenLondon
    Participant

    I used to fly VS quite a bit in the 90s and into the 00s, but gave them up in favour of other carriers. They used to have a wonderful edge, a better product that most other carriers, and were fun to fly with. For a carrier that branded planes 4 Engines 4 Long Haul, a deliberate snub at BA and their 777 operations, it is interesting to see VS buy into the twin engine ops of the A330 and 787.

    Latterly, I found the VS service had gone downhill, with continual disappointments such as not having my preferred main meal choice (it ran out by row 3), crew forgetting so many things (top ups, offering other drinks, etc.) and an overall reduction in quality of everything from food to wine, poor baggage delivery, etc.

    The Upper Class coffin drove me nuts. I loathed drifting into that wonderful doze moment, ready for sleep, when I had to get up, flip the seat back forward to get my bed ready, which woke me back up. Also, crew were quite keen on bumping the footrest during the night or peak nap hour, waking passengers up. And the worst was having a couple of yappy idiots at the bar who insisted the entire cabin should hear their ever-so-dull inebriated chat. It just wasn’t worth it anymore – flying VS had become dull, uninspiring and a bit of a hassle.

    From a company that had been so innovative, challenging the way everything was done in a business cabin, what have they come up with in the past decade? A Grey Goose bar in the lounge? I think the only thing that will drag them into profit is a strong alliance with DL, but beware that LHR lounge should they join SkyTeam!


    julmops
    Participant

    For me, VS is my airline of choice for long-haul as I travel mostly US for leisure and India for business.
    I’ve tried BA twice in Club and found it totally and utterly bland … Cabin crew are uninterested at best, the food was nothing special and the cabin is generally monochrome … A very “beige” kind of experience.
    On the other hand, I’ve flown Virgin in all classes and always had great experience. Service can be a bit bland in Economy but Premium and Upper Class service were always top notch …
    When I travel in Business Class, I want something that excites me … Something colourful, engaging people, interesting food, quirky bits and bobs … Considering that VS and BA are aligning their business class ticket prices, this is a no-brainer … Furthermore, if you compare Galleries Lounge with the Clubhouses … Well, there’s no comparison possible … Again, Virgin wins hands down. They have tried to differentiate themselves from the competition since their inception and still manage to make it so. For their old planes, most of them are leaving the airline in the next 2 years and they will only be left with brand-new Dreamliners and not so old Airbus 330. It’s always a matter of personal choice but I much prefer the style over the substance if that’s the case here …


    openfly
    Participant

    Gave up VS Upper Class a couple of years ago. Fed up with having to tolerate drunken VS staff at the bar partying. Most of these staff seem to appear from the economy cabin.
    It seems that, even complaining to the IFM has little effect….maybe they are afraid to control the situation.
    The bar seems to attract noisy passengers which in itself affects the quietness of the Upper Class cabin. Nope, done with VS.
    The Upper Deck of the BA 747 is the best!


    MickBettesworth
    Participant

    I used to fly Virgin Upper Class regularly ( I was Flying Club Gold) until about 6 years ago when service suddenly went down hill. Also had a problem with a seat in upper class that wouldn’t recline. A full plane mean that I had to sit upright all night. These things happen. When I complained to Virgin afterwards they trivialised my incident. I voted with my feet. Imo it ‘s how a company reacts when there are problems that is the mark of a good airline.


    LuganoPirate
    Participant

    I agree the ITV programme on VS was very good. The reason I never fly them is simple.

    LHR – JNB return Upper Class on VS metal is +-£ 5,000 plus I need to pay a return flight to London and I cannot through check.

    MXP – JNB return via FRA or ZRH in First £4,300

    Says it all really.


    Carajillo2Sugar
    Participant

    LP – a good agent will get you this trip for a lot less than you seem to have been quoted:

    1. BA 573 28JUL MXPLHR 1135 1235
    2. VS 601 28JUL LHRJNB 2105 #0905
    3. VS 602 02AUG JNBLHR 2010 #0635
    4. BA 572 05SEP LHRMXP 0750 1045

    Obviously subject to availability, but this is priced at less than GBP2000 inc.taxes and (if required) even allows stop-overs in London in both directions.

    – Business Class on all sectors
    – Flexible
    – Refundable
    – Single ticket so through check-in not a problem

    (and before you ask, no, you don’t get free limousines!)


    andystock
    Participant

    PE, you know what seat type you will get and Virgin PE is much better than BA old style PE.

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