Has VS got it wrong, cutting a NYC flight?

So, I want to fly home from New York in UC on Friday, according to E-F:

VS4 J0 D0 R0 Z0
VS46 J0 D0 R0 Z0
VS2 J0 D0 R0 Z0
VS10 J0 D0 R0 Z0

Great, do I stay till Saturday and take a day flight, no way, not another day away from home ... oh well, off to BA then [:#].

Made me think about VS dropping the 25 and the effect it has had, many New York flights are chocker as a result and I can't get seats as easily, which is just what I'd feared.

Maybe EF have got it wrong.

Had a quick look at Virgins website, tried booking 5 UC seats NY-LON on Friday and there was availability and a choice of flights VS026 or VS018.

These are morning flights, was it an afternoon or evening depature you was after ?

Originally posted by nevadakaz
Maybe EF have got it wrong.

Had a quick look at Virgins website, tried booking 5 UC seats NY-LON on Friday and there was availability and a choice of flights VS026 or VS018.

These are morning flights, was it an afternoon or evening depature you was after ?

You can always get seats on the early morning flights from EWR and JFK - as a business traveller though, taking this option is a luxury I cannot afford. I personally believe VS is mad to leave these planes on the ground for ten hours and then fly them back half empty all the time. One would do, route the other later when people want to fly ...

[Neil]

It did seem like the logical thing to do, the route was probably over serviced and I know I have been on a few VS flights that have been very empty down back. I guess you are always going to get flights/dates that are popular, but surely VS would rather have 4 full flights rather than 5 not so full, especially when it free up an a/c to help do the new HKG.

I do however agree about the early flights, surely one is more than enough, they can only suit business travelers, as for tourists it is just a waste of time.

Neil

[mitchja]

The other problem with the New York>London day flights are connections once you get to LHR. By the time you've got in LHR in the evening, your choices for connecting flights are running out, both for domestic and European flights.

Regards

Neil has summed it up pretty well.

One would imagine VS looked at loads across the past year and decided 4 full flights was better than 5 semi full flights.

I bet that profit had a part to play also, easier to make money out of LHR-HKG 2nd daily than it is out of a short 5 hour NYC hop.

Originally posted by slinky09
So, I want to fly home from New York in UC on Friday, according to E-F:

VS4 J0 D0 R0 Z0
VS46 J0 D0 R0 Z0
VS2 J0 D0 R0 Z0
VS10 J0 D0 R0 Z0

Great, do I stay till Saturday and take a day flight, no way, not another day away from home ... oh well, off to BA then [:#].

Made me think about VS dropping the 25 and the effect it has had, many New York flights are chocker as a result and I can't get seats as easily, which is just what I'd feared.

At the risk of opening a can of worms, is this not were the very very very frequent flyer status should kick in ?


David

Originally posted by David
At the risk of opening a can of worms, is this not were the very very very frequent flyer status should kick in ?
David

Even then, if a flight is oversold there's little they can do - other than offer Y or PE [:0].

Also to be fair is availability in UC from NY on a Friday a fair test of whether a route is popular. You have to consider how full UC is on the other (less popular) days of the week.

FM