V-Flyer

... Seem VS are not competing with BA for once ... (annoyingly as I want to book VS - but head is saying book BA )

VS = 8k pp, chauffeur service available (so expensive buckets). (16k seems a bit steep LGW to MCO).
BA = 1.5kpp ... both in J.

Flight LGW -> MCO . Wouldn't care if they were competing on price with BA ... or even close.

But looks like it'll be a BA flight next summer unless they drop to compete soon :( I'd even pay more for VS< but not 6.5k more ;)

Dan

It’s not a question of competing as you’re not comparing like with like.

VS have presumably sold out the discounted fare buckets while BA haven’t. In which case you can’t expect VS to drop their fares, while BA’s are likely to go up so I’d grab them now.

Nah theres not been a sign of discounted fare buckets on the route yet on VS. Hence why I'm questioning it. IT's been high end chauffeur fares only.

Dan

Whilst I would prefer VS in August this year we flew BA in their new PE, LGW - Tampa it was significantly cheaper than VS

Sadly the same has happened for August 2019 so we have chosen BA again LGW - Tampa

Their new PE offering is very good seat / IFE

I do think VS have the lost the plot over their pricing, time will tell if people remain loyal to an ever inferior product especially out of LGW

Check with Virgin Holidays - they may still have an "allocation" available. Do a fly drive or similar...

Sadly ended up booking with BA - couldn't justify the wait, especially when checking Expertflyer, and the reason was likely half the seats gone in J on our perfect dates already (and seats allocated). Even ex-DUB didn't make VS viable.
Nothing available on Virgin Holidays either even on dates around our dates. VH were charging 3k for Y delight fares... we paid 3100 for 2x J BA flights, so can't complain.

Still first time in J on BA in 4 years, lets see how they do. TR next summer to come.

Bring on the A350's with more J capacity on VS ;)

starquake wrote:Bring on the A350's with more J capacity on VS ;)

The impression is that even the A350s out of LGW/MAN etc will be a subfleet with a low J configuration, while I can hopefully see the J cabin having more seats I doubt it will be to a level that is significant. I think upper cabin between doors 1 and 2 (so maybe 5 or 6 rows), all depending if there is a new configuration but if they stick with 1-1-1 then maybe 15-18 seats at minimum.

DL on their A359s have 32 Delta One seats (1-2-1), 48 Premium (2-4-2) and 226 in Y (3-3-3). Given the VS A350s are the -1000 model which is longer I would like to think we could see something similar with possibly more PE and Y, would be nice to have a decent number of seats in upper. Either way we will see a drop in the number of available seats from 455 on the 747-400, to somewhere I would imaging to be in the 320 - 350 seats max on the A350.

I guess we will get an idea soon enough, given the 1st ones are due next year - even if they are going to be configured for LHR routes.

Three years in a row VS have lost our custom to BA.

5 Tickets in PE 3 Adults 2 Young Adults, Gatwick to Orlando flying out late July

As of Saturday
BA = £6,253.00 (now got these reserved)
VS = £8,825.00

This morning VS is now over £9,770 or £11,600 depending on flight chosen. I have been watching these flights regularly to see if VS moves down but cannot justify the premium to fly VS.

VS clearly thinks it can fill the seats.

markyl wrote:Three years in a row VS have lost our custom to BA.

5 Tickets in PE 3 Adults 2 Young Adults, Gatwick to Orlando flying out late July

As of Saturday
BA = £6,253.00 (now got these reserved)
VS = £8,825.00

This morning VS is now over £9,770 or £11,600 depending on flight chosen. I have been watching these flights regularly to see if VS moves down but cannot justify the premium to fly VS.

VS clearly thinks it can fill the seats.

This year is the first summer VS and BA (and Norwegian) have had LGW-MCO to themselves after the Thomas Cook collapse along with TUI to SFB. I'm personally not surprised premiums are being charged on routes where they used to compete with them.

As mentioned before. always check Virgin Holidays (and BA Holidays) prices. They seem to have their own allocation of cheaper buckets which can often give great value. But given there is less competition now, it isn't a surprise that the cheaper buckets have gone |(if they were ever available....) Supply and demand, simple as that, in the school holiday season...
I think VH allow you to book more than 12 months out if you can plan that far ahead.
And

I bit the bullet earlier this month as I wanted 4 upper class to Orlando paid just over £2k each on z tickets went back a few days later and f I know booked would have been £23k I have to come back via Boston to get same price coming back to going out which is not a problem as Boston flight comes into LHR and I live 20 mins from LHR

VS also lost business from us this year on a "split" itinary to BA with the folks this April. On BA yet again. Which ended up getting us Silver, so more avois in future years.

I really don't like the BA J service from MCO to London though - took no joking half the flight to serve dinner on last flight, compared to an hour or two with VS. But is that worth £4000 more... Nope - thats another holiday in J to Thailand for us ;)

I am hoping to fly VS again this Christmas - just to keep the VS miles account active with a holiday to Caribbean. Booking time for that is obviously approaching now (Jan 2020 - so booking will be Feb/March). But I suspect BA holidays may be better priced (they are currently) at booking time.