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#938663 by horburyflyer
25 Sep 2017, 19:20
Some VS changes from next spring. Some have already been updated so might be worth checking future bookings for any seat changes which will have taken place. MAN looks to have 3 744 and 2 A330 based from next spring.

1xB744 does MCO daily
1xB744 does MCO 5 weekly and LAS 2 weekly
1XB744 does JFK on Tue/Wed/Fri/Sun and ATL Mon/Thu/Sat
1xA333 does JFK Mon/Thu/Sat and ATL Tue/Wed/Fri/Sun
1xA333 does SFO 3 weekly, BOS 2 weekly and BGI 2 weekly

Interesting to see a B744 on the New York and ATL rotations as I know the VS109/127 have delivered consistently strong loads in J for VS. I wonder if the 3rd A330 we've had at MAN this summer will be required at LHR for the sixth daily JFK, hence the 744!

Will be great to see a VS 744 again at JFK and in ATL too.

Jon
#938664 by SlimpyJones
25 Sep 2017, 20:00
Thanks for the heads up Jon - this would explain why I keep finding 747s popping up on MAN-ATL/JFK flights next year!

Agreed - very curious choice given the low J capacity, I assume all the old LHR-config'ed ones are long gone now? Perhaps the high W and Y capacities will make up for it somehow..

Not to be negative or go offtopic at all but this does show just how stretched the fleet is. There will be two new B787s by next Spring, though I'm not sure if these will be replacing any A346s. Nonetheless 747s will be a rare and welcome sight at JFK and ATL.
#938665 by VS075
25 Sep 2017, 20:20
Interesting indeed! I suspect aircraft requirements may be behind this, but in the case of MAN-JFK it makes up for the capacity lost with AA's impending withdrawal from MAN-JFK and could potentially stop Thomas Cook from increasing their JFK rotations, so it will be interesting to see what the loadings are like on the flights operated by the 747.
#938667 by Kraken
25 Sep 2017, 23:28
Interesting changes - especially on sending the 744 to JFK with only 14J seats 4 days a week. That said, I am sure VS have done their sums and think they have got this right. As one of the 744 flights to JFK is on a Friday, this is less likely to have high demand for J pax travelling on business due to the weekend. That said, passengers travelling on leisure are happy to pay for Upper Class - just look at any MCO flight even in the lowest of the low season... you can have under 150 passengers onboard a 744, but it's a safe bet Upper Class will be full.

The only other change we need from Virgin at Manchester now is a Clubhouse... I hope that plans are in hand for one to be created as part of the T2 expansion works which are now starting. If VS (& DL) miss this opportunity, then they are effectively waving a middle finger at their premium / FC status-holding passengers from MAN. They charge the same fares ex-MAN (to within a £ or two) as ex-LHR/LGW and deliver a poor lounge experience when compared to the LHR/LGW Clubhouses. (Yes, the Escape Lounge in T2 has improved, but it is nothing like a Clubhouse).
#938668 by David
26 Sep 2017, 08:43
horburyflyer wrote:Some VS changes from next spring. Some have already been updated so might be worth checking future bookings for any seat changes which will have taken place. MAN looks to have 3 744 and 2 A330 based from next spring.

1xB744 does MCO daily
1xB744 does MCO 5 weekly and LAS 2 weekly
1XB744 does JFK on Tue/Wed/Fri/Sun and ATL Mon/Thu/Sat
1xA333 does JFK Mon/Thu/Sat and ATL Tue/Wed/Fri/Sun
1xA333 does SFO 3 weekly, BOS 2 weekly and BGI 2 weekly

Interesting to see a B744 on the New York and ATL rotations as I know the VS109/127 have delivered consistently strong loads in J for VS. I wonder if the 3rd A330 we've had at MAN this summer will be required at LHR for the sixth daily JFK, hence the 744!

Will be great to see a VS 744 again at JFK and in ATL too.

Jon


3 747's based at Manchester leaves 5 maybe for Gatwick with 1 jiggling between Glasgow / Belfast during the summer months. Is there anywhere that lists Gatwick departures ?

Manchester must be getting close to Gatwicks departures with 5 planes now based there ?

A 330 based in Scotland taking over some Delta flights doing some JFK's / BOS's etc would be great !

David
#938670 by mitchja
26 Sep 2017, 09:42
Yes, all the remaining VS 744’s in service are indeed in the 14J/66W/375Y leisure config.

G-VBIG is the only ex-LHR 744 left which was converted to the same leisure config just minus the bar in the J cabin and a slightly different (though still AVOD) IFE system compared to the other VS 744’s.

Boarding and de-planeing a 744 at a remote stand at MAN is going to be fun - NOT!
#938672 by Kraken
26 Sep 2017, 15:27
mitchja wrote:Boarding and de-planeing a 744 at a remote stand at MAN is going to be fun - NOT!

Aah yes, gate 300 in T2 - that ground floor hell-hole. Have only had the pleasure of it once during the ash cloud and it was unorganised chaos. There were only 2 flights using gate 300 at the time too - I het with the T2 development works there will be increased use of remote stands (& therefore gate 300 to bus passengers out).

The passengers that do like gate 300 are the smokers, as there is an outdoor caged-in smoking area in the gate 300 area. (It's on the land-side facing side of the terminal, so it is deemed safe to allow people to smoke there as they are not near the aircraft / fuel... even though JET-A1 fuel will not ignite if a lit match / cigarette is dropped on it).
#938675 by Bluwes
26 Sep 2017, 17:05
Hi all, first post on here though have been lurking for a while. Just discovered these aircraft changes for next summer. So while we were looking at MAN-JFK on the reconfigured 330's, we now find that we are on the 747-400 instead.
We are in Upper Class and find our seats moved . Just been on line and tweeked them slightly into 8A and 8K.
Any thought on the 747 cabin compared to the Airbus.
regards.

Wes
#938678 by Kraken
26 Sep 2017, 20:15
The overhead bins only start at row 8 in the A-zone (nose section) of the B744. So you need to board early (& hope you don't get SSSS'd) if you want your bag above you.

My preferred row is row 9, followed by row 10. Row 9 is ideal as the cabin is getting quite wide then, so plenty of space & a good chance of getting your stuff in the bin over your seat. That said, there is plenty of UC storage space available in the cabin for the 14 pac, as there are 2 wardrobes at the back as well.
#938685 by gumshoe
26 Sep 2017, 21:16
Bluwes wrote:Just been on line and tweeked them slightly into 8A and 8K.
Any thought on the 747 cabin compared to the Airbus.


If you want to chat, you want two seats next to each other (e.g. 8A/9A). If you choose an A and a K you'll have to shout across the aisle (except 6A/K which are virtually touching).

With only 14 seats tucked in the nose of the plane, the 747 UC cabin feels very intimate - yet it's also very spacious unlike the Airbus or Dreamliner.
#938687 by Bluwes
26 Sep 2017, 22:42
Kraken wrote:The overhead bins only start at row 8 in the A-zone (nose section) of the B744. So you need to board early (& hope you don't get SSSS'd) if you want your bag above you.

My preferred row is row 9, followed by row 10. Row 9 is ideal as the cabin is getting quite wide then, so plenty of space & a good chance of getting your stuff in the bin over your seat. That said, there is plenty of UC storage space available in the cabin for the 14 pac, as there are 2 wardrobes at the back as well.


Thanks for the advice, have moved back into 9A and 9K, we don't mind being across the isle, we have experienced that in the 330, 1-2-1 configuration. Mind you we had gone for 5A and 6A when it was in the 1-1-1 cabin.
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