V-Flyer

This flight was on a rather tired A340-600. These really feel like they are coming to end of life.

Pre-flight, check-in and security were fairly empty so I was through to the Clubhouse in about ten minutes. After breakfast and a haircut, I left for the gate. It was over on the far pier, so a bit of a trek.

Boarding started soon after I arrived at the gate and I was pretty much the first person on to the plane. They use two doors on the 346s so I entered at the front, whilst non-Upper passengers boarded by the bar.

The on-board service was good. I was greeted by name by both the crew member looking after me and the FSM. The food and drinks selection were good. I've been on a few flights on the currently menu, so decided to choose dishes I hadn't previously had. These did not disappoint.

The seat wasn't as well maintained as you would hope for, and the entertainment system was fairly loose from its stowage place. The older IFES with no touchscreen control was a bit of a shock. But I had stocked up on content on my iPad so didn't use it much.

All in all, a good flight service-wise, on a not so good aircraft. Looking forward to the A350-1000s coming on stream to start replacing the A340s later this year.

There's a video review over on YouTube as well.

Thanks Woralla, I agree with your comments in large part. I don't tend to find myself as bothered by the IFE screens as others but in 2019 I think they are considerably past their prime. In my eyes VS need to either commit to these aircraft and refurbish the IFE or slate them for removal. I'd prefer the former as they are not that old in comparison!

I subscribe to your Youtube channel so I shall have a peruse later!

Thanks fo rate TR.

I also agree that VS are being left way behind now when it comes to their IFE screen size (in all cabins). Hopefully VS will start to address this with their new A350's.

SlimpyJones wrote:In my eyes VS need to either commit to these aircraft and refurbish the IFE or slate them for removal. I'd prefer the former as they are not that old in comparison!

On the general cabin quality, I wonder if part of the issue is that the 346s no longer flies JNB, where planes get a deep clean during their 12 hour layover?
I agree the planes aren’t that old. They would need a serious makeover to continue though.

Thanks for the TR. Shame about the state of A346 IFE (particularly as at the moment that’s what will be transporting us to ATL in a week and a bit) but having done several long haul sectors at the back of a battered BA 747 I know how low the bar can be.