V-Flyer

So.. I've been planning to go to Las Vegas from Manchester (Flight VS085)
The problem I've seen is that from October 24th 2013, there are no more flights listed.

Earlier in the year, I checked the last week in October, and there was a VS085 flight, however, I've just looked again now... and it's gone!!

My question is... Is the VS085 flight being cancelled?

MAN-LAS is going seasonal, it will finish end the end of October and will resume early April.

I don't quite understand why its seasonal, its not as if it gets cold, and indeed, I'd not travel there during the sweltering hot months personally...

Perhaps they think that 'us up north' will be using their new internal connections to London?
Shame they will be flying into the wrong airport as if they bother to look at the timetable LAS flights go from Gatwick !

I'd imagine it's more likely that "you up north" aren't filling their planes.

Loadings on all holiday routes are lower during the winter because most - not all, but most - Brits tend to take their holidays between Easter and September. True LAS has a different traveller profile to, say, MCO but it's still primarily a leisure route.

A number of US flights out of LHR have regularly been cancelled this winter, simply because there weren't enough pax.

It's frustrating, but it's simply not viable for an airline to fly half empty planes every day.

Smid wrote:I don't quite understand why its seasonal, its not as if it gets cold, and indeed, I'd not travel there during the sweltering hot months personally...

It certainly does get cold in LAS in the winter, in particular DEC/JAN although I've had to wrap up NOV and FEB too.

In the current climate with fuel prices the way they are it's not viable to send a half empty 330 never mind a half empty 744 to Vegas.

Smid wrote:I don't quite understand why its seasonal, its not as if it gets cold, and indeed, I'd not travel there during the sweltering hot months personally...

Quite a number of flights this winter from LGW have actually been combined with the MAN flight because the loads were low, so they obviously have taken a decision based on how the route has been performing.

Annoying as it is for the MAN pax, if they can only sustain one flight a day LGW makes more sense as it offers the CH and also allows more flexibility with the fleet, plus as a destination for US travellers it is a more attractive lure.

I totally understand the commercial reasons, unfortunately (for Manchester load factors) I have often flown out of Gatwick and enjoyed the CH there.
Connection was easy but BA are I think withdrawing from the MAN -Gatwick route making this more difficult .

Seasonal????
That's really bad... I went to LAS last year beginning of November, and there were NO free seats!

..Disappointed

Yiazmat wrote:Seasonal????
That's really bad... I went to LAS last year beginning of November, and there were NO free seats!

..Disappointed

Yes but for the rest of the month the planes could just be half full and so uneconomic.

VS runs a few seasonal routes now - YVR, CPT and ORD for example - better than no VS flights to those destinations at all.

Don't worry everyone! I have just done a dummy booking from MAN - LAS in November around my birthday, no problem. y)
Just a small matter of the fine print, the Manchester to London flight is to Heathrow whilst, of course, the LAS one leaves from Gatwick! ?|
The connection time is two hours surely enough time to "walk" between the terminals.
Joking apart I think some folks are going to get caught out as the difference is not highlighted in an way, as often is on other travel web sites. v(

I flew on the vs085 to Vegas on 16th December 2012 .It was very cold in Vegas then it rained for one day and there was 3ft of snow driving up to the Grand Canyon. The filght going out and coming back to Manchester was empty , there were only 60 or so people on the flight each way , so I can see why it would go seasonal.

hazban wrote:Don't worry everyone! I have just done a dummy booking from MAN - LAS in November around my birthday, no problem. y)
Just a small matter of the fine print, the Manchester to London flight is to Heathrow whilst, of course, the LAS one leaves from Gatwick! ?|
The connection time is two hours surely enough time to "walk" between the terminals.
Joking apart I think some folks are going to get caught out as the difference is not highlighted in an way, as often is on other travel web sites. v(

The booking engine really shows you that as a viable booking with two hours to get from LHR to LGW? Seems way too tight to me...

And, you're correct, I'm sure that will catch a lot of people out, especially if they've used the VS85 before.

Concorde RIP wrote:

hazban wrote:Don't worry everyone! I have just done a dummy booking from MAN - LAS in November around my birthday, no problem. y)
Just a small matter of the fine print, the Manchester to London flight is to Heathrow whilst, of course, the LAS one leaves from Gatwick! ?|
The connection time is two hours surely enough time to "walk" between the terminals.
Joking apart I think some folks are going to get caught out as the difference is not highlighted in an way, as often is on other travel web sites. v(

The booking engine really shows you that as a viable booking with two hours to get from LHR to LGW? Seems way too tight to me...

And, you're correct, I'm sure that will catch a lot of people out, especially if they've used the VS85 before.

If it's all on one ticket, VS will be liable for £££ in hotel costs when people miss the connection from LGW.

I heard that one reason MAN to LAS was getting cut was not purely loads related, but to do with a lack of aircraft available. Remember that Virgin are still retiring a couple of A340s plus the 747 that just went, yet, there are no deliveries this year. This all has a knock on effect, and when they have no aircraft, the least profitable routes will always go first.

But surely, they could plan to lease additional aircraft....that should not be a blocker?

vs-ground-staff wrote:I heard that one reason MAN to LAS was getting cut was not purely loads related, but to do with a lack of aircraft available. Remember that Virgin are still retiring a couple of A340s plus the 747 that just went, yet, there are no deliveries this year. This all has a knock on effect, and when they have no aircraft, the least profitable routes will always go first.

I didnt hear that. The company were very honest and advised us many months ago that MAN-LAS was going seasonal.....the reason being insufficient loads in the winter season to justify the service....particularly as MAN base is going back to all 744 from the end of Summer 2013.