Virgin and the snow!

Hey everyone

I'm writing this from the comfort of my seat in the clubhouse at Heathrow overlooking the Air Canada gates, but I wasn't sure I would make it this morning.

I'm based up in manchester and was booked on a BA connection flight at 11:35. I checked last night at around 10pm and was told the flight would operate. For my own sanity I checked this morning when I woke up at 6am and it had been cancelled. In fact the next few flights had been cancelled i was told and the only option was to fly into T5 and hour before my flight to New York would leave (VS1)! ! ! So suitably unimpressed with BA, I rang up Virgin Gold Line.

I was put through to Upper Class support straight away who went out of there way to arrange for a limo to take me all the way to London. My car turned up a few hours later and we arrived at Heathrow early! I couldn't have asked for better service...

Can help feel this is why I Virgin... I know there not perfect but a league better then BA!

Nick

Sounds like great service! Enjoy your flight!

Nice work by VA

That's great. It really does show though how VS is dependent on BA nowadays for UK connections, bring on short haul!

Absolutely agree.. I hate the fact I need to use BA for the domestic flights. I've been gold for a few years and the only big issues I've ever had are with the BA connections.

The highlight was the lady in New York checked me all the through to manchester. When I came to board the BA flight at Heathrow the steward got really funny with me as it was printed on a virgin boarding card. He actually went to check and i demand an apology off him for being rude! I got it he wasn't happy!!

Wow, nice work VS y) y).... Tristar must be getting a good lot of business from them these days.

Enjoy the CH and the flight 8D

Well it would appear that BA have made an absolute pigs-ear of keeping their operation running through this snowy period.

Previously BAA were an easy target and quite rightly castigated for allowing LHR to close for 3-4 days at Christmas 2010. However, they now appear to have upped their game considerably, it would appear that no real delays have been caused by BAA (except for the necessary advance flow rate/capacity reductions which are agreed by all airlines).

BA controls de-icing and stand management at T5, and it would appear that they have been totally exposed now BAA isn't there to look worse. Judging by BA's Flyertalk page and the news, BA has been:
- regularly incurring de-icing delays of over 3 hours, causing crews to run out of hours and cancel flights
- not returning checked luggage to passengers on cancelled flights
- allowing huge re-booking queues to develop at T5
- allowing passengers to sleep on the floor of their own terminal

No other airline operating through LHR appears to have suffered the same level of delays as BA, which I'd suggest shows that they were totally underprepared.

BA are definitely getting slated over these cancellations at LHR and about keeping people 'trapped' on 'planes.

Now I am sorry but that is the VS that we all grew to love plus got them the loyal "fan base" they have today.

Personally, it gives me more than a glimmer of hope that below the surface the old VS is waiting to pounce back it to action and make us all love them as they airline to fly once more.

Well done to the Au line.

Well done VS ---- I totally agree this is what makes VS stand out, be good to hear some more positives this year, I think VS have been getting very negative comments recently, unfortunately we are in the worst ecomomic downturn for decades, VS are not making profits and therefore all departments are tightening belts, however still feel its by far the best airline 99% of the time

The second very positive thread praising VS service - marvellous, keep it up ^) ^)

This is exactly how you want this problem resolved - quick and efficiently - especially when you have the stress of cancelled flights -----NO WAY BA----- v( v(

Good to hear of this -- let's hope it's not a lone straw in the wind ):

Previously BAA were an easy target and quite rightly castigated for allowing LHR to close for 3-4 days at Christmas 2010. However, they now appear to have upped their game considerably, it would appear that no real delays have been caused by BAA (except for the necessary advance flow rate/capacity reductions which are agreed by all airlines).

Agreed, they are too quick to cancel flights too.

BTW, BAA doesn't exist any more, it's Heathrow Airport Holdings now, gives an idea of the companies future...

Pleased to hear they have improved their service during snowy period, in January 2010 Virgin cancelled our flight due to snow at Gatwick after allowing us to check in, said they would refund the holiday package money and then they didn't want to know after that. BA put all their passengers up at the airport and flew them out the next day.