Happy new on-board service today

I realise that - I was simply picking up on the "elements of the service" comment and showing that the overall experience will be flavoured by the "elements" chosen...

As others have said, far more eloquently than I, the "marketing hype" implies a service enhancement across the board, whilst it is becoming apparent that this is not the case.

Time will tell...

I realise that - I was simply picking up on the "elements of the service" comment and showing that the overall experience will be flavoured by the "elements" chosen...

If that's the case then why did you say less food then?
I think you are being particularly hard on VS here, whilst the message may have not been entirely clear I'm sure it's common industry practice to have differing service levels depending on route length and time of day. After all we've seen plenty of moans here on TRs about the lights not going off quickly enough. Damned if you do, damned if you don't me thinks.

I think the comments are overly harsh - VS is trying to make a difference, so some elements disappoint, but we should applaud VS for trying, and provide constructive feedback through the available channels with comment.

I think the comments are overly harsh - VS is trying to make a difference, so some elements disappoint, but we should applaud VS for trying, and provide constructive feedback through the available channels with comment.

Slinky, I think we generally do appreciate VS for trying, but the challenge is delivering an improved service in line VS statements.

The impossible task VS have created for themselves is to match expectations with reality. The devil is in the detail. To quote Geoff's inital post, he says: "On most flights, it’s then time for our drinks service..."

Most of us are not on "most flights", we are on "my flight" which for many is the only one/two of the year. So if there is no welcome cocktail or ice-cream usherette box, we will feel let down.

@Geoff - What you or someone else at VS could do, would be to communicate exactly what to expect. A simple table with all the flights and the services on board must exist already within VS. Why not make it consumer friendly then publish it here or on the VS website?

Then, just like Tink's famous menu thread we would know what service elements to expect on each leg ... LGW-MCO, JFK-LHR or SYD-HKG etc. and morning/evening/overnight. No more guessing, no more disappointment.

My other suggestion is to rebrand the "Welcome Cocktail" as a "Virgin Special Cocktail". That way the confusion with the PE & UC preflight (real welcome) drinks and the timing of its delivery would disappear. To most of us, the word welcome is associated with the beginning of the event, not 2 hours into the flight.

I welcome the input and feedback from Geoff (and Greg, Fergus et al). Keep communicating, keep innovating, keep listening.

Hope this helps.

Martin

Martin - that's a great post, and captures my feelings precisely.

Just one point though - you said "I think we generally do appreciate VS for trying..."

No, no - I expect VS to provide me a service for my hard-earned money, and delivering what they promise. Every single flight I take is paid for by me, no business trips etc, and I expect expectations to be met or exceeded - end of.

Variability is natural, but should be the exception rather than the rule.

Hi Martin,

Thanks for your feedback. I've just spoken to one of our lovely team in in flight, and they've broken it down for me as follows...

On day flights leaving the UK, you'll receive a Welcome Cocktail as part of a separate drinks service plus separate dessert i.e. LAX, SFO, BGI

On flights leaving later in the afternoon or early in the evening, we speed up service slightly to give you more time to sleep. There is a drinks service included in meal service which has the Welcome Cocktail included, but we still offer a separate dessert. Example routes included in this are LHR to DEL, DXB etc

On our shorter flights leaving later in the evening, we replace the Welcome Cocktail with Hot Chocolate, and include the dessert on the tray. The best example of this is our later flight from JFK to LHR, where the priority is definitely sleep.

The very best guide to what you can expect on your individual flight is our new Economy menu. Hands up, we had some initial printing issues, but these have now been resolved.

Many thanks

Geoff

advertising the short flight service would not lead the majority of pax to expect more than they will get.
advertising/promoting the minimum and leaving the rest as a bonus may have been a better strategy.

One of the most important lessons I have learned in 25 years on business is to "under promise and over deliver".
Anything else just annoys customers.
Marketing people hype things up and this might persuade a customer to use your product once. Then they learn the truth. Because of the hype, the product actually looks worse. Perception is everything.

Looks like VS have fallen into the hype mentality here.

Oh crikey, I am so confused ?|

So..... if I travel MAN/MCO, will I get the same old same old...or will I get the new service

If I get the new service, how will it differ going out to coming back? Exactly what should I expect?

I feel we are in danger of a new repeating thread along the lines of 'what plane will I be travelling on' emerging here.

Everyone is going to be asking 'what service will I get?'

I would definitely like to see a table of services for all flights issued from VS, that would be helpful and avoid disappointment

thelaceys

advertising the short flight service would not lead the majority of pax to expect more than they will get.
advertising/promoting the minimum and leaving the rest as a bonus may have been a better strategy.

One of the most important lessons I have learned in 25 years on business is to "under promise and over deliver".
Anything else just annoys customers.
Marketing people hype things up and this might persuade a customer to use your product once. Then they learn the truth. Because of the hype, the product actually looks worse. Perception is everything.

Looks like VS have fallen into the hype mentality here.

Am sure this was an accident but the quote attributed to me is in fact by CHill710 who in his post correctly quoted me.

Geoff - thank you so much for coming back to us with more info and responding to the feedback on here.

It is still early days and everything like this will have teething issues until it settles down, it is impossible to please everyone. I wondered how the changes were been received generally through the Customer relations channels?

I have read some positive press reviews and clearly improvements which are welcome, might need some tweeking which again is pretty normal practice.....dare I mention the Guinea fowl in the summer.

It would be good Geoff to have more news on why PE has not changed very much and if it has (might have missed it) what the changes are? I know UC is getting a refresh in the spring so I am guessing PE will also have the magic touch!?

Thanks again - Jon y) y)

Hi Jon,

The feedback from both our passengers and the crew has been brilliant, and we're really pleased with how it's gone down. I promise this isn't marketing spin. It has been a sucessful project for us.

Every project has teething problems, and the great thing about this site is the fact you get instant feedback, which makes it very valuable.

The meal service changes we're making are firstly to Economy and then to Upper Class. Numerous other projects are underway at the moment. As I'm sure you can understand, I'd be hung if I discussed them in a public forum like this. What I can say is that they're really exciting, and as soon as we have news on them, I'll be sure to let you guys know first.

Cheers,

Geoff

Well, seems the feedback hasn't reached the marketing/PR/FC teams...

My wife received an email today, entitled "Delicious new changes to economy".

The only paragraphs related to this (the others were about purple parking, best western etc) stated:
"Our Economy meal experience has just got a fabulous makeover. You’ll find cleverly designed innovations and sprinkles of theatrical glamour.

From a welcome cocktail, to food that’s served in courses to give you time to enjoy it properly, and from sweet bowls to hot chocolate – you’ll be able to taste a seriously delicious difference."

The language yet again strongly implies this will be the case on all Y flights...

Grrr...