V-Flyer

This was a new aircraft which we didn't really want to use as we are quite happy in the 747 bubble. However, we had no choice due to available dates on which we could fly.
We did try to get on board quickly as I wanted to get some photo's to post here without disturbing the other passengers. I only managed to get pics of the front row and our seats before I was getting in the way
This is the front row seats 18 A&C
This was our seat row - 22 A&C, which we had 'reserved' online when they became available during our holiday -
I thought that they didn't have a lot of leg room and this was confirmed when my husband sat down.
I appreciate that he is 6'4" tall but he is sat right back in the seat and there is only a couple of inches clearance between his knees and the seat in front which is upright. VA claim that there is 38" seat pitch for all PE seats but this is clearly not the case. There is definitely more room in the 747 upstairs PE seats than the PE seats on the airbus 330 - so which of them has the 38" seat-pitch? This is the facts from a preson of 6'4" and not a supposed guess from someone else just guessing from photo's.
These are the pic's from both aircraft for comparison -
On the airbus -
from my other trip report in the bubble of the 747 for comparison -
The overall atmosphere in this section was claustrophobic and it wasn't a great deal different to economy although their legroom was ridiculously short and the section seemed to go on forever. I only had one quick peek through the section at the back of PE into economy and it looked awful. OK everything was shiny & new but the passengers were still packed in like sardines.
All in all, although the seats were supportive and cushioned, they did not have the amount of leg room I have come to expect from PE. Years ago, travelling with Airtours. there was much more legroom and seatwidth in their Premiergold seats than is available in this new aircraft.
Of course, the entertainment unit was very good but the touch screen is a bad idea for people who are unaware that they only need a light touch in order to work and not a continuous thump, thump, thump which can clearly be felt through the seat back.
Getting back to our flight, we had the usual drinks, food (my main was cold, but exchanged for another meal which was also barely luke-warm so I can't comment on what it tasted like) lovely salad though. I put this down to teething problems with the new equipment. Lights went out then woke to a cooked breakfast which again, was not overly hot but was edible.
I'm sorry if this sounds all negative as the flight was OK really, just disappointing compared to previous VS flights in a 747.
It was very fortunate that the young lady sat in front of my husband didn't recline her seat at all as he definitely would have had an extremely uncomfortable flight jammed in his seat for almost nine hours.
Had the seat arrangement been 2-2-2 and with one less row, I'm sure this would have given a better VS experience as there could be more leg-room and wider aisles, thus reducing the claustrophobic atmosphere. I also really cannot understand why there is such a massive amount of space in the front row side seats. OK, there was a family with a baby but do you really need an extra 2-3 foot of room to accomodate a tiny person? I can't remember seeing such an expanse in the other front PE sections reserved for sky cots.
I'm sure you will all have a slightly different opinion when you try out this new section so please don't shoot me down in flames for being honest.

Katie

Thanks for the TR - this is the 2nd i've read on the A330 and twice it has been acknowledged that there is less legroom in PE. I expect it is 38" but the 747 bubble is more and feels a lot more spacious. I expect the seating is the same as the other PE seats on the LHR aircraft.

Sad to hear that, as expected, the new touch screens are distrubing passengers - obviously an education piece for VS crew when turning on the IFE at the start of the flight "gentle touch please!".

Thanks very much for posting, hope you had a lovely time in Orlando!

Luke

Thanks for the PE pictures, the comparison between the 747 and the 330 are very interesting and look forward to hearing from other passengers if they feel the legroom is less than on the jumbo. Also very interesting the excessive room in the first row, I know that row is for sky cots but it does seem massive compared with the rest of the PE cabin. I also believe that the seating arrangement of 2-2-2 would have made the PE cabin much more appealing.

Thanks for the TR Katie.

sorry to be a bit thick -is the setaing 2-3-2 ??

that legroom looks awful -the good old bubble for me every time and blow the IFE

flabound wrote:sorry to be a bit thick -is the setaing 2-3-2 ??

Yes it is 2-3-2 which is the same as all other VS Airbuses in PE.

Thanks for taking the time to write up your TR.

As a regular PE traveller, I'm slightly concerned at the comments re the PE seats and cabin on the A330, let's see how this pans out over time.

I even felt that the newer PE seats had less room than the 747 in the bubble, so you could view the old 747 in the bubble as extra-ordinary rather than ordinary, and the newer purple seats plus the A330 is the actual norm - if you see what I mean!

Anyway, what with all the shuffling about and refits, things might change again?

flabound wrote:sorry to be a bit thick -is the setaing 2-3-2 ??

that legroom looks awful -the good old bubble for me every time and blow the IFE

Ditto!!

Katie

As soon as photos of the A330 started surfacing I thought the PE cabin looked even more cramped than usual. It does seem like virgin have jammed as many in as possible.

Thanks for the TR and I hope you enjoyed your trip :-)

Thanks for the TR

I have to agree, the PE legroom does look shocking and does not look the same as the other fleet.

Thanks for the TR.

I don't think it is fair to compare the new PE on the A330 with the PE in the bubble on the 747. It is never going to be able to compete in terms of a cabin, space etc because the bubble is unique for that, and isn't available anywhere else.

Compare it with the PE cabin on the A346 or the LHR 747's, and it will almost be identical. It is a bit like comparing UC in the A zone on a 747 with UC on an A346, two totally different experiences.

It is a very good seat and a very good product, and with all the extras is way ahead of WT+.

The good thing is that if you don't like the A330, then you can fly on the 747's still.

Neil wrote:Thanks for the TR.

I don't think it is fair to compare the new PE on the A330 with the PE in the bubble on the 747. It is never going to be able to compete in terms of a cabin, space etc because the bubble is unique for that, and isn't available anywhere else.

Compare it with the PE cabin on the A346 or the LHR 747's, and it will almost be identical. It is a bit like comparing UC in the A zone on a 747 with UC on an A346, two totally different experiences.

It is a very good seat and a very good product, and with all the extras is way ahead of WT+.

The good thing is that if you don't like the A330, then you can fly on the 747's still.

Have you any idea how much longer the 747's will be on the Man/MCO route Luke?

Katie

They are planned to operate the VS73/74 4 x weekly flights MAN to MCO, and there has been nothing to suggest that will change anytime soon.

VS 73 will be operating on a 744 for the forseeable future

Thank You - I'll just make sure I am able to book the right days next time.

Katie

Many thanks for a most informative TR!
The photo. comparison is excellent

Looks like we are going to have to carry a measuring tape for a few trips.

We have travelled PE in the A340 a few times and I don't recall the seat pitch seeming so much less that the LGW aircraft.
Perhaps one reason for the difference is the new leather needs time to compress; certainly there is very little depth to the back cushioning on the well worn PE seats in the LGW bubble but I cannot see that alone being responsible for such a great variance.

A great shame if this issue is going to degrade the enjoyment of the A333 - it could end up with seating simply being compared with charter flights.

thanks for the TR the leg room is the same as lhr. Its just the gentleman sat in the seat is 6ft 4. and yes the 747 bubble has more room but its a very old fashioned seat and a very unique cabin.

Interesting report thanks very much.

I agree that the seats look a bit cramped, very disappointing. I was considering giving the new aircraft a whirl, but on reflection might just steer clear where possible.

We are booked on VS073/74 in the bubble this year and had no problems bagging seats up there, I wonder if the disappointing new aircraft will force a lot of other flyers to go for the VS073/74 in future which will make it harder to get those bubble seats perhaps.

Thanks for the very informative TR/pics Katie.

johnvscrew wrote:the 747 bubble has more room but its a very old fashioned seat and a very unique cabin.

And long may it remain so.

Should the proposed refurb of the LGW/MAN 747s ever occur it will be interesting to see whether the layout (upstairs PE) remains the same. If so, fortunately, there is probably not enough room for VS to endeavour to fit more seats up there - or is there?

Oh dear I am travelling back in PE at the end of May from MCO to LGW on an A330

I will try and reserve judgement until then

Sunshine

Thanks for the excellent TR and comparative photos
The 747 is still my a/c of choice in whatever class.

It just has that very safe feeling about it.

I never tire of watching it fly.

Iain

HWVlover wrote:Thanks for the very informative TR/pics Katie.

johnvscrew wrote:the 747 bubble has more room but its a very old fashioned seat and a very unique cabin.

And long may it remain so.

Should the proposed refurb of the LGW/MAN 747s ever occur it will be interesting to see whether the layout (upstairs PE) remains the same. If so, fortunately, there is probably not enough room for VS to endeavour to fit more seats up there - or is there?

The problem may be a shortage of UCS on the LGW 744 fleet - where would you expand the UC cabin in these aircraft? - the downstairs PE area has never been popular and might not be acceptable. So some of the upstairs PE could be replaced - such as those you cannot book (the area currently "reserved" for VH?)
Downstairs PE could be expanded to take up the whole area in front of the doors.

I fully agree it would be a great shame to remove that "unique cabin" but VS do seem in the process of losing the reputation for being a unique airline...

Sunshine

All will be well as long as don't fall asleep in the toilet again!

R-P

I haven't ever used the "new" PE seating; only the old - 747 in the bubble for one round trip. (Actually, I thought that was a bit more cramped than I expected for the price paid). Since then, I've actually been lucky enough to always fly "Upper".

However, walking through the refurbished PE section on a 340-600 on my way to the front, I certainly felt that it wasn't overly spacious and so I suppose the same will be true of the 330s.

The thing that concerns me more than anything, though, is the obviously poorly-thought out touch screen entertainment. There are few things worse than having the back of your seat contantly hammered.... I think it disappointing that this wasn't thought about. No announcement from the crew will stop people.

I likewise think it disappointing that these brand new seats don't have a reclining mechanism whereby the base of the seat moves forward rather than the back going back. In other words - when you choose to recline, you do so at the expense of your own personal space, and not that of the person behind you.

Harpers Tate wrote:I likewise think it disappointing that these brand new seats don't have a reclining mechanism whereby the base of the seat moves forward rather than the back going back. In other words - when you choose to recline, you do so at the expense of your own personal space, and not that of the person behind you.

I think the new Air NZ PE seats take this approach; there is a review floating around somewhere that didn't rate it.