Manchester Virgin - Must do better!!!!!!!!!!!

I've just recently come back from my holiday to Orlando, and I have t say I'm very disappointed with the Virgin planes that operate out of Manchester. The planes were virtually falling apart!! This resulted in a least 4 people having to move seats just as we were due to take off due to the fact that the seats would not fix in a upright position.

The toilets were a disgrace very dirty and very dated, looks as if a good clean was needed.

By far the most disappointed aspect of the flight was the in-flight entertainment, or should I say the lack off it. Firstly is appeared as if around 50% of the control pads for the games didn’t work. Also a large amount of screens didn’t have a stable picture, it was like watching channel 5. Virgin seriously need to sort there act out, I flew with My Travel to Mexico early on in the year and they were at least twice as good. My Travel beating Virgin surly this can't be the case.

Oh and the Sky map feature didn’t work!

Overall if I knew the equipment would have been this bad I quite happily would have booked with any other firm flying form Manchester.

[Nottingham Nick]

As has been discussed in several threads, plans are in hand to get different planes doing the MAN runs.

By the sound if it, the sooner the better.

Save-it, You refer to the planes, did you get different ones in bound and outbound, if so, which were they?

Nick

May 2005 will see the existing Air Atlanta aircraft leaving and being replaced with a LHR 400, offering V-Port, and Upper Class Suite.

Hope you book again and have a much better experience in future.

Remember to share your concerns with VS customer relations, or go on the website and click on the 'how was it for you'

[honey lamb]

With LHR 747s going to MAN (and also to LGW while their 747s are undergoing refits) does this mean a reduction of 747s on the North American run? I hope not. They are my favourite planes and as far as I am concerned are far superior to any Airbus. (Having said that I haven't flown an A346 yet but I have not been enamoured with the A343)

Sorry Nick, i was in rant mode. We flew on Island Lady on the 12th Sep and returned on her on the 28th September.

Actually I think its the 3 LHR 400 with Oydessy getting based at LGW and MAN.

But first they will go in got refit and be reconfigured from 44/32/310 to 14/50/379.

Poor plans are always being reconfigured:D

quote:Originally posted by declansmith
Actually I think its the 3 LHR 400 with Oydessy getting based at LGW and MAN.

But first they will go in got refit and be reconfigured from 44/32/310 to 14/50/379.

Sounds a bit of a waste as the Odyssey 744s have only just had suites added - Ruby Tuesday has had them less than a month. So now in the second Q of 2005 they're going to take 30 of them out again? Hmmmm.

Phil (Buffy)

I was told recently by an IFS that the LGW and MAN planes on the MCO route were going to be configured differently from the other US routes. Apparently there is a reduction in UC and a large increase in PE as there is such a demand for PE on these routes.

I have to agree, I'm doing the LGW-MCO run on 7th May next year, and the seat map on the website is very slightly different to any I've encountered to date. Looks like there's been a few more PE's shoe-horned in!

Hi all

Just to clarify aircraft/config queries... AFAIK the 5 current LGW based 744s (VGAL/VLIP/VROM/VROS/VROY) have started to be re-configured from 28/38/373 to 16/50/373 (...at least that's what the Res system says anyway! ) At the same time, the old Reccaro UC seats are being replaced by Suites and the IFE is being upgraded by having extra film/tv channels. After these a/c have been done, 2 LHR based 744s (reg's TBA) will be converted to the same config and this pool of 7 a/c will operate LGW flts + MAN-MCO. I'm not a betting man but I'd be surprised if any of the v:port 744s are the ones earmarked for bucket-and-spade duty!

Cheers
Alan

Alan,

I think that it will be 14 UCS on the new config as there is no way you can fit another row in the a-zone.

As for the IFE fiasco (and it is one) the current VFAB has v-port so when all the refits for LGW are done FAB will go and then Odeysey will come along, together with VPORT for UCS in some planes and NOVA or superNOVA whatever Virgin decides on. I can just see the Virgin Holiday reps at MCO next summer being got at by all the pax as they get off a plane without whatever VH has advertised. And it will happen.

With First Choice and other charters improving their inflight services it won't be long before pax start voting with their feet and flying with anyone BUT virgin for their annual bucket and spade trips. Maybe this is what the 'middle management' at VS that you employees are refering to need to show that more and more people are expecting a decent service even if they fly once a year and down the back.

quote:Originally posted by ade99
I think that it will be 14 UCS on the new config as there is no way you can fit another row in the a-zone.

An extra two suites could be placed in the middle of the A Zone, replacing the planned mini-bar?

This layout was originally proposed on the upper class suite patent application.

Is this making a comeback I wonder??

Hi ade99

I take your point about the number of Suites in A-zone - I can't see how they're going to get 2 more plus a bar in there either! We'll have to wait and see what VROS looks like when it comes out.

The IFE situation isn't ideal but I think fiasco is a bit strong! Realistically it isn't possible to ground every a/c in the fleet for a month every 3 or 4 years when a new version of IFE becomes available. The LGW based 744s were originally ordered by Alitalia who specified the IFE. When VS took over the order it would've meant a lot of time and money to rip the Nova system out and install Odyssey (since v:port wasn't around in 2001) just for the sake of being able to play Super Mario!

I don't agree that the VH reps in MCO are going to be 'got at' by every passenger who flies there next year - after all, the service is going to be the same or better than it is at the moment: IFE will be better, UC pax will have Suites plus there are rumours about improvements to the W/Y service. I agree that the charter carriers are catching up fast but it's a very price sensitive market and there's a limit to what VS will invest, especially if the flights are all full anyway.

Cheers
Alan

quote:Originally posted by airchabum
Hi ade99

there's a limit to what VS will invest, especially if the flights are all full anyway.

Oh Alan, I hope not. Did you really mean to say this;)

Iain

Maybe that wasn't what we were hoping to hear!;), but business is business. VS aren't in this for the fun of it, let's be honest. And British airlines have done well to weather the recent industry storms compared to their American counterparts - so their approach appears to be working.