V-Flyer

I was reading an article on Business Traveller about the LAX clubhouse opening and they mentioned that Keeger had said that this comes part of the new £300 million development of customer experience, along side adding wifi onboard all aircraft in the next few years. I was wondering if VS/DL are investing into customer experience then they may decide to rethink the UCDS. After all the UCDS hasn't received the best reaction to CUSTOMERS including myself so surely they must consider it?

All thoughts will be appreciated

They have rethought the UCDS - it has been ditched and isn't going into the new 787s following negative customer feedback.

That doesn't mean they'll be retrofitting all the A330s though - that would be extremely expensive and the suites, while unpopular with some, are still perfectly serviceable for many years to come.

Removing the UCDS and replacing it with the new UCS would represent a significant loss in revenue as on the 330 Upper capacity would be reduced. Not good when an airline is trying to return to profit.

Aren't the A330s on 10year leases? In that case they'll be gone in x years (which year did they arrive?)

I thought they were over 12 years wit the first delivered in 2011 as a 2-class config for LGW.

They could block that nasty gap behind UCDS divider which swallowed my mobile.


On Indian routes UC is always full or nearly so, while the expanded PE is almost empty. So a A343 style cabin might have been better- I agree re-fit is unlikely though I was amazed how basic the seat is (during engineers failed hunt for phone!). A box with wires to it (IFE) Velcro secured 1970s style fabric seat surrounds, plastic divider and manual seat/bed.

Have they gone back to electrical operation of the seat on the 787?

tugpilot wrote:Have they gone back to electrical operation of the seat on the 787?

Yep

What's the rest of the money going to go on in everyone's opinion if not this? I don't see wifi and a clubhouse costing more than £10 million surely?

a CH can be expensive to set up even a basic one. Everything has to be security cleared plus the airport may only allow building works during the night which is limited hours for work and more expensive.

You can only use certain equipment which can be more expensive eg no gas flames allowed. And good furniture costs too even at trade prices.

Even at say £100k a plane for wifi VS has 30 odd planes so that's £3m for starters

I was told recently by an FSM during my return flight from BOS on an A330, that the A330s cannot take the weight of the mechanised UC suites so they have to be manual, which I think makes it even less likely that the A330s will be refitted with the UC suites.

I am still in shock that UC customers do not have WiFi for free as part of the package!!

ColOrd wrote:I am still in shock that UC customers do not have WiFi for free as part of the package!!

Same, for the money/miles we give VS the least they could do is not charge us £15 for wifi