MAN>ATL winter schedule change

[mitchja]

Just a heads-up for anyone flying on the VS 109 / VS 110 over the winter season as VS have just re-scheduled both flights slightly.

Not had any notifications from VS themselves yet, however, Flighty sent me a notification today for my flights in December.

The schedule change alert was showing in my VS booking; which I've now accepted.

VS 109 - now departing MAN 12:00 (was 13:00) and arriving ATL 16:45 (was 17:45)
VS 110 - now departing ATL 18:40 (was 20:05) and arriving MAN 07:35 (was 09:00)

Definitely a step in the right direction, as the previous flight times offered very little connecting opportunities.

Thanks James for the heads up. Hopefully upstairs are beginning to realise the lack of connectivity with the old time

Looks like the A330-900 will be deployed on MAN-ATL-MAN on Fridays this winter. Good to see some regular use of the A339 at MAN!

VS7 and 8 changed for February

was 12.00 now 10.20

VS8 was 17.10 now 15.25 - still 350-1000

I'm flying VS109 in October and departure is 11:40 as it stands. Ironically DL have changed my domestic flight by one hour and now my connection is almost 5 hours VS say it's a minor change and are reluctant to help me re book but I'm now not getting into SRQ until 10PM. in the early days of the VS/DL joint-venture they were really good at aligning schedules. since the pandemic that has gone out the window and in regard to VS109/110 it schedule is all over the place and it's not like they do aircraft swaps in Atlanta like they did in the early days.

[mitchja]

This is one of the very few times where booking DL flights separately has an advantage as you can change/rebook DL flights at any time without any fees (though any fare difference may apply).

I’ve done this with my booking as the VS flights are reward and the DL flights are revenue. With the VS 110 departing a few hours earlier I’ve rebooked my DL flight to an earlier flight as well. No fees and not even any difference in fare for my FLL>ATL booking

I’ve left the outbound DL ATL>FLL flight as it is for now.

Be advised that VS109 will depart MAN at 13:30 from the spring just tried to do a booking for next Easter.

Be advised that VS109 will depart MAN at 13:30 from the spring just tried to do a booking for next Easter.

Ridiculous. Makes connecting on so much worse and in some cases impossible.

For those that book separate tickets for their connecting flights I have a couple of questions:
- How long do you typically feel is "safe" between flights? Does that differ for outbound (i.e. where US immigration is involved) vs inbound?
- Anyone any experience with missed unprotected connections? If I miss my return VS flight and lets say it's a Z fare, am I toast and have to buy a new ticket?

[mitchja]

I wouldn't be happy with anything less than 3 hrs in either direction when on separate tickets. Do you have Global Entry?

If you can get both VS and DL to thru-check your bags that will cut down your required inbound connection time considerably.

If VS and/or DL refuse to thru-check bags, re-checking bags at ATL is actually very easy as DL have check-in desks opposite the flight connections bag drop belt. They will tag your bags then you just drop your bag onto the same connections bag-drop belt. Head through flight connections security and transfer to the required concourse. You don't need to go upstairs to normal departure check-in. It's pretty much the same process with or without thru-checks luggage when arriving on an International flight at ATL connecting to domestic.

Coming home it's slightly more complicated as if not thru-checked once off the aircraft you will need to head down to collect bags from the domestic baggage reclaim which can be a ~20min walk depending on which concourse you arrive into. Once you have collected bags, head outside to the free transfer mini-bus to the International terminal (which takes about 20-30minutes depending on traffic) then check-in with VS. If your bags are thru-checked you just get off your domestic flight then head to the International concourse. There's no further security check points as you are already air-side. I've done gate to gate in this direction in under 20mins before now as I once had a very tight connection due to a delayed DL arrival.

If you miss flights, your options will be limited for MAN as whilst VS & DL have multiple flights a day from/to LHR, MAN doesn't op every day during the winter season (no flights SUN + MON).

Yes I have global entry.

My 2nd question was more aimed at the financial penalty of missing an unprotected connection to a VS flight. If I'm on a Z and I basically no show, surely they don't just book me on the next available flight free of charge?

I have just done VS109/110 twice in the last month exactly as James describes above. I tend to book reward with Virgin and revenue with Delta. As James says very easy to change flights with Delta if things move often for no cost. It’s a bit of a faff having to pick up bags and re-check in ATL on the way back but a small price to pay for the flexibility.

I have purposely booked 10A so I can be first off so I can get to the transfer desk. ATL concourse F is a very good layout to be fair not like ORD back in the BMI days. My plan is to try and catch the early flight to SRQ. If that fails I will just go to the SkyClub no Delta One lunge in ATL just yet but i can see one coming in the near future.

[mitchja]

Last time I flew the VS109 (Dec 23), I was on separate tickets with a 2hr 12min connection time which was a little tight for my liking though I easily made it.

With Global Entry I was at the luggage carousel in under 20mins. We landed 35mins early. Luggage did take then another 20mins or so to start coming off; it also came off in no order what so ever with zero priority baggage.

I still had time to visit the delightfully packed SkyClub lounge in concourse A before my flight to FLL.

Doing exactly the same again this Dec though with a 3hr 11min connection which I may try to get on an earlier DL flight to FLL as they op every hour or so.

I have just done VS109/110 twice in the last month exactly as James describes above. I tend to book reward with Virgin and revenue with Delta. As James says very easy to change flights with Delta if things move often for no cost. It’s a bit of a faff having to pick up bags and re-check in ATL on the way back but a small price to pay for the flexibility.

Why do you have to do this? Is it just in case you want to change to a different flight?

Twice recently I've been flying with Virgin and had a Delta flight on a separate itinerary / booking, and I have asked them when checking into my first flight to check my bag all the way through to LHR, once via ATL and the other via JFK - it's not been an issue either time, other than one staff member having to ask her supervisor for a reminder on how to do it. I just had to give them both flight numbers and they printed my tag with both flights and labelled for LHR.

Because they’re on different booking references. I have asked many times to check them through and every time they have said no because of that. Maybe you just got someone helpful, maybe I am eternally unlucky, who knows.

Strange - they can definitely do it, but sounds like I’ve been lucky so far from what you’ve said!

I also managed to get my bag tagged through to my onward destination on my outbound from Heathrow when my second flight was on a separate booking. I still had to pick up my bag after my first flight of course, because of customs, but meant I could just drop the bag onto the belt after customs without having to see an agent and print a new tag.

[mitchja]

I've had the same issues at MAN as well. I think it's because MAN check-in staff are not VS staff and are all outsourced so they don't know VS/SkyTeam systems as well as LHR check-in staff.