V-Flyer

The A333 retirements are starting this year. G-VNYC and G-VGBR are leaving the fleet and are being leased to Thai Airways.

I believe they are not going until the end of the summer season. VS are due 2 more A339s to replace these along with another 2 A350s this year.

No idea when any of the new A/C deliveries are due though?

Interesting choice of retirement frames - both 11yrs old (MSN 1315 for VNYC & 1329 for VGBR) whilst keeping older aircraft, notably VSXY (MSN 1195 / 12yrs old) & VKSS (MSN 1201 / 12yrs old) in the fleet. Must be down to different leasing companies / the terms they are offering for extending leases.

It's not as though you can avoid an expensive D check by handing the plane back early, as a return to lessor check will be needed, as well as a white paint job.

Yes, 2 A350s this year which are are sitting unpainted at TLS now (VNVR and VELJ), 1 in 2025 and 1 in 2026.

I believe they are getting 4 A339s each year now through to 2026. This would suggest that after the next 2 A339s arrive, an A333 will be retired with every new A339 delivery.

It would make sense if the newer of the A333s remaining were kept until 2026 as they would likely be in better condition inside (VINE, VRAY, VWAG and VUFO).

747G-VXLG wrote:Yes, 2 A350s this year which are are sitting unpainted at TLS now (VNVR and VELJ), 1 in 2025 and 1 in 2026.

I believe they are getting 4 A339s each year now through to 2026. This would suggest that after the next 2 A339s arrive, an A333 will be retired with every new A339 delivery.

It would make sense if the newer of the A333s remaining were kept until 2026 as they would likely be in better condition inside (VINE, VRAY, VWAG and VUFO).

I can't speak for other A330s, however when I flew on G-VRAY and G-VUFO 2 years ago, the Y and W cabins were both looking tired and would need a refresh if they're staying part of the fleet for longer. I am due to fly on an A330-operated flight in May and I suspect they will be worse then if I get either of them again.

I'm sure VS and the leaseco have their reasons for withdrawing certain aircraft first. Age isn't a major factor compared to when an aircraft is due a C or D Check or how many hours/cycles it has done.

Does anyone know on the schedule of Neo deliveries this year?

I know schedules can/likely will change, but in November I see Neo scheduled on:

3x JFK, 1x MIA, 1x TPA, 1x BOS & 1x IAD all on the same day. Are we expecting 3-4 neos delivers before end of year? I’ve experience the Neo last year on TPA in retreat suite. Booked MIA in Nov currently scheduled on Neo, paid for both retreat suites already. I know VA along with many other airlines change aircraft but as Neo is used currently on quite a lot of MIA flights per week, I thought it would be a safe bet

OliverD241 wrote:Does anyone know on the schedule of Neo deliveries this year?

I know schedules can/likely will change, but in November I see Neo scheduled on:

3x JFK, 1x MIA, 1x TPA, 1x BOS & 1x IAD all on the same day. Are we expecting 3-4 neos delivers before end of year? I’ve experience the Neo last year on TPA in retreat suite. Booked MIA in Nov currently scheduled on Neo, paid for both retreat suites already. I know VA along with many other airlines change aircraft but as Neo is used currently on quite a lot of MIA flights per week, I thought it would be a safe bet

Ours for March has also been switched back to the NEO, can I ask how much you paid for the retreat suite upgrade? Showing available for us to book but at £300 per person. Sure it used to be £200?

The Retreat suite upgrade increased to £300 in December, mentioned in this post.

mitchja wrote:The Retreat suite upgrade increased to £300 in December, mentioned in this post.

Much appreciated, assumed it was the case but for some reason when searching didn't bring it up in the forums.

Hmmmm £200 felt worth it, not sure about £300.... decisions, decisions...

ScargillA wrote:

mitchja wrote:The Retreat suite upgrade increased to £300 in December, mentioned in this post.

Much appreciated, assumed it was the case but for some reason when searching didn't bring it up in the forums.

Hmmmm £200 felt worth it, not sure about £300.... decisions, decisions...

Yes I paid £300. It seems they increased it as I paid £200 per seat last January for the Tampa flight. Not sure if it’s worth it on JFK/BOS as that’s a quicker flight but I think it’s worth it for the longer flights definitely. Way more space!