G-VBIG

Hi
I noticed that G-VBIG is off to Cambridge this morning this could be for re-fit before going to LGW, the other 2 747's are l believe now are at LGW G-VHOT & G-VROC.

BIG is going into storage until it's refit in April. They have been retired from LHR earlier than planned and original refit date can't be brought forward as all the interior fittings won't be ready until April. HOT is going to be scrapped and ROC is going to LGW as extra aircraft until BIG comes back in april

BIG is going into storage until it's refit in April. They have been retired from LHR earlier than planned and original refit date can't be brought forward as all the interior fittings won't be ready until April. HOT is going to be scrapped and ROC is going to LGW as extra aircraft until BIG comes back in april

Couldn't they send G-VROC to LGW instead of VBIG? It is younger than all the LGW 747's, being delivered in 2003.
Shame G-VHOT will be going for scrap. Anyone know when she is going to the scrappers?
I read on the VS Source that G-VBIG is going to be returned to the lessor and will receive a repaint and be stored for 3 months but not sure about this.

I believe BIG has been purchased by VS and will be refitted in the LGW config (except Ive been told it will not have a bar in UPPER as its only being kept for 3 years so not worth the $$$).

The others ROC/HOT will just be returned to the lessors.

I believe BIG has been purchased by VS and will be refitted in the LGW config (except Ive been told it will not have a bar in UPPER as its only being kept for 3 years so not worth the $$$).

The others ROC/HOT will just be returned to the lessors.

I'm sure that won't be the case. The on board bar in UC is one of VS's key selling points when it comes to marketing & promoting UC. They'd be hard pushed to have to say "sorry, no bar if you end up on that particular aircraft but we'll still charge you the same for the privilege of ending up on G-VBIG"....

I fear you may be disappointed Vegascrazy ...

...(except Ive been told it will not have a bar in UPPER as its only being kept for 3 years so not worth the $$$).

Disappointing if that's the case.

It's all about the bottom line I'm afraid. The LGW 747s only have 3-4 years left in scheduled service so it's just not worth the expense of manufacturing and installing a one-off design of a brand new bar.

Disappointing as it is it's not the end of the world - you'll still be able to get a drink!

Incidentally the sceptic in me does wonder how long the UC bar will survive. With one or two CC (depending on aircraft type) due to come off each flight this year it's difficult to see how they'll have the time to staff it. I fear in the race to the bottom under DL it will eventually go the way of the UC beauty therapists.

It's all about the bottom line I'm afraid. The LGW 747s only have 3-4 years left in scheduled service so it's just not worth the expense of manufacturing and installing a one-off design of a brand new bar.

Disappointing as it is it's not the end of the world - you'll still be able to get a drink!

Incidentally the sceptic in me does wonder how long the UC bar will survive. With one or two CC (depending on aircraft type) due to come off each flight this year it's difficult to see how they'll have the time to staff it. I fear in the race to the bottom under DL it will eventually go the way of the UC beauty therapists.

Are you saying you think they would remove it from all the new dreamliners or just become some kind of self serve area ?

The bar on the LGW 744 is very rarely used. On most flights no one uses it all so o doubt it will be missed on BIG

I would say the bar is an asset as many a good photo has been taken to wow friends you were impressed , so to me it would be a shame and back to Premium I would go

Is it not true to say that MOST Upper Class passengers do not use the bar, so its removal will have limited impact ( if any) for most?

Personally I would not care.

It wouldn't change my travel plans if VS did away with the UC bar, it is a nice novelty & I have enjoyed a few sessions but generally it appears to me that it is not used a great deal. Much like the on board therapist I don't think it would be missed after a while, I would much rather see the money spent on a return to Lanson & more consistent on board service.

[honey lamb]

In the early days of V-Flyer the LGW 747s didn't have a bar and many were the complaints about the lack thereof and so they were refitted with a two-seater bar as opposed to the four-seater one then on the LHR 747s. Fast forward a few years and the removal of a bar from the LGW aircraft has revealed that perhaps it was under-used.

Mind you, to my mind a two-seater bar doesn't really inspire conviviality especially when I consider some of the amazing conversations I have had at the four seater LHR 747 bars and its later configurations. However I would hate to see the bar go on any of the fleet and sincerely hope this is not the thin edge of the wedge

Of topic I know...
I use the bar most flights, I enjoy the freedom of being able to sit somewhere other than my seat and enjoy meeting new ppl. Some of which I still stay in contact with. If the bar was ever to go as gumshoe predicts that would be it for me.

Remember the documentary "up in the air" SRB passed comment about the bar and it being part of brand and not being just some other airline....

D

Here she is at Cambridge Airport

I doubt the bar will go from the other aircraft there just won't be one on BIG

TBH the bar on the LGW 747's isn't really a place to sit as its tiny with only two seats so not great for socialising with others

I have used the bar but only for photo ops at the start of a flight.
I have also been on a night flight home when Mr Noisy and his partner sat there chatting for hours and I would quite happily have voted to get rid of all the bars.
But can we now keep it for a couple of months so I can take a fresh photo for my upcoming TR
Dick D

The bar on the LGW 744 is very rarely used. On most flights no one uses it all so o doubt it will be missed on BIG

Was the bar removed from G-VTOP when she left the fleet?
If so, they have a spare bar which could be refurbished and used.
Just a thought....

I must agree that the bar area is not the most comfortable or atmospheric place to be. However it is somewhere to stand and stretch your legs, as recommend, on a long haul flight rather than hanging about next to the restrooms or doors and feeling in the way!
Had a few BA first experiences recently and although you have plenty of personal space it would have been good to flex my legs in some sort of communal area. There should be plenty of space to do this on the A380 as Middle Eastern carriers have discovered but the penny pincher types at BA seem to have vetoed!
In summary "use it or loose it", you all know what has happened to your local post office!

TBH the bar on the LGW 747's isn't really a place to sit as its tiny with only two seats so not great for socialising with others

I'm sure I made reference to this in another conversation but the last time we flew on an LGW 747 the bar seats were taken by a middle aged (that's younger from my perspective) couple. Throughout they only stopped making goo goo eyes at each other to order another drink or glare at anyone daring to approach. At the end of the flight they b*ggered off back to PE.

How did they manage to stay there if In PE?

I must agree that the bar area is not the most comfortable or atmospheric place to be. However it is somewhere to stand and stretch your legs, as recommend, on a long haul flight rather than hanging about next to the restrooms or doors and feeling in the way!
Had a few BA first experiences recently and although you have plenty of personal space it would have been good to flex my legs in some sort of communal area. There should be plenty of space to do this on the A380 as Middle Eastern carriers have discovered but the penny pincher types at BA seem to have vetoed!
In summary "use it or loose it", you all know what has happened to your local post office!

Mine just moved to lovely new premises

How did they manage to stay there if In PE?

They'd cancelled a Barbados flight and made our St Lucia flight a double drop. At check in VS staff had been negotiating with the Barbados passengers about taking our flight or taking the next day's Barbados flight. Mr and Mrs Possessive got off in Barbados so I assumed that they had been in UC originally, taken the offer of a PE seat and negotiated the use of the bar somehow. It was a fairly confused situation as there were people in UC who were heading for Barbados who were delighted as they had been been in PE on their original flight.