Gatwick clubhouse

quote:Originally posted by Darren Wheeler
OK, playing Devils Advocate here...

What would you want then to do?


well i'd quite like them to have not took the LGW sale prices away!

They announce a reduction in quality of service (as if LGW flights could get much lower) and at the same time bring back the UC sale but miss off most (all?) of the LGW flights!

Anyone know what the menu and drinks list is for the [V]V room[n]

[buns]

quote:Originally posted by AlanA
quote:Originally posted by Darren Wheeler
OK, playing Devils Advocate here...

What would you want then to do?


Put us in a comparable lounge, i.e a business lounge, Continental, Delta, any of them, even BA, anything but Chav Cafe.

Food and drink vouchers (which is probably how they will get round the drinks situation, Mmm, lovely choice diamond white or Fosters!)



Alan

You are being a little harsh here and whilst your sense of frustration is palpable, your sweeping statements are unjustified.

Firstly, I have visited the V-Room and on the plus side it has an excellent view of the runway, is spacious and has plenty to occupy every single visitor. I certainly felt that it was a haven away from the general frenetic atmosphere of Gatwick South Terminal. The chances are that I will be travelling through Gatwick during the planned closed period and the prospect of a stay there does not phase me one bit in the slightest.

Secondly (and watching the Sky Travel promotion on cruises confirms this) the Champagne is exactly the same as in the Clubhouse[:D]


buns

well I think on this trip I'll take the different route and enjoy a nice breakfast in the room at the Sofitel, watching the planes and give the lounge a miss this time round. Normally I like to get there with the kids around 3 hours before the flight so we can chow down, relax, have a quiet buzz down but the serviceair lounge isn't our thing at all. Never mind, it'll be back for the next trip in March!

[RichardMannion]

Hold on V:Room = Chav Cafe? Err, since when? Given the toss up of sitting in general departures or the V:Room, the latter wins hands down. From what I have seen of the detail and images of the V:Room it looks rather nice, and will slap any silly Delta or Continental lounge into the corner. Most airline lounges are of a similiar standard in reality (I've visited a fair few across the globe in the last 10 years), aside from some of the outliers such as BA Terraces/Galleries and the VS Clubhouse family.

VS Clubhouses have set the bar high - I know I have been accustomed to their luxurious facilities. In reality though, what I want from a lounge is somewhere to escape the normal noise of general departures. Any that serve a selection of hot food is a bonus, and free drinks (some of the suggsted lounges have been known to have a pay bar!). No one is forcing you to use the V:Room; what did you expect VS to do? Build another temporary Clubhouse? There are no real comparable alternatives at LGW South by any margin. What next, passengers complaining because they weren't able to get a treatment in the Clubhouse so didn't get the 'full' Upper Class experience, or demanding a lower price on the later LA flight because I won't be able to use Revivals?. Again, I love the Clubhouses but if one is not available then I'm not going to lose any sleep over it.

As to the sale comment - err, it's called business. If you have a sale, and manage to clear the stock that you needed to do then you no longer have to offer sale prices on that stock. Now if you still have excess stock of another product (route) then you may feel the need to put it back on sale. Lets not forget that the inventory on offer in Upper from LGW is far less in quantity than LHR.

[honey lamb]

quote:Originally posted by AlanA
quote:Originally posted by Darren Wheeler
OK, playing Devils Advocate here...

What would you want then to do?


Put us in a comparable lounge, i.e a business lounge, Continental, Delta, any of them, even BA, anything but Chav Cafe.
Given that Continental and Delta have moved most of their operations to LHR who is to say that their lounges are still in existence. US Airways are the only ones who haven't moved and they have had to give up their lounge as anyone who used it for Revivals can attest. As for the ones that are still there, the chances are they are very basic.

It seems to me that VS has done the best they can under the circumstances , that being the necessity of refurbishing the Clubhouse. I have no doubt that VS will do the best they can to satisfy their UC passengers just as they do in shared lounges around the world.

OK, it's disappointing that the CH isn't there, but at the end of the day the V-Room knows what VS passengers want and expect and quite frankly to diss V-Room passengers the way you do is both disrespectful and insulting. Many of them would have had access to the CH in the past and I don't remember complaints about shell suits and tattoos there.

On a personal level, Alan, you seem to be of the opinion that VS is out to get you by this move. You seem to crib at every hand's turn about them yet you still continue to fly them....

Perhaps BA might welcome your custom

I am sure Honey Lamb that they will after this continuing Virgin debacle. They seem not to care about the UC pax flying the Gatwick, Manchester route anyway compared to Heathrow, a discussion many times taken. Yes, I was foolish to give them another go and should have expected that they would not provide the service they advertised

As stated before, the difference is price was so minimal that the selling point was the Clubhouse, an oasis away from the hubub and yes, the Chav lands of Gatwick. Now they have dunped UC pax into this land.
Sure, I am dismissive of the majority of the V-Cafe lot, and if you read other forums, you can see why.

Certainly, Virgin should never have allowed paid access into the Clubhouse ofr people not flying UC or Gold card holders, have you ever seen BA do this?

My view is that VS management have gone for teh easiest option, not to provide a comparable, i.e. a buisness lounge or even a seperate area for those thrown out of the Clubhouse, but have shoved us into the V cafe.
I am interested in what they are going to do when the V-cafe is full and they start to turn away UC pax from the reception.

[RichardMannion]

FFS, would you stop whining about the LGW and MAN routes. It's not as if you didn't know this when you made the booking this time as you have continually bitched about over the last few years. There are far more Upper customers that really couldn't care less about the perceived differences, and will continue to use the service. There are 14 seats per LGW/MAN flight, and it would appear that VS has no problems filling these to a favourable load factor, a point reinforced by the removal of the sale fares this time round.

VS have not dumped you in 'Chav lands' by any stretch - access to the facility is only for VHols customers that are entitled or have paid a small premium for, so I think you will find the demographic in there is hardly Chav. Are you telling me you'd rather sit out in the main departure area with all the LCC and Charter traffic that don't have access to a private lounge unless they have paid for it?

As for Virgin not allowing paid access - whatever. They do it in a controlled manner and numbers are strictly limited. If anything it brings another revenue stream that helps keep the Clubhouse as it is, and with the luxurious, class leading facilities it has. I really enjoy my free haircuts and treatments of over 15 minutes in the BA lougne facilities, along with the waiter service....[:w] Yes BA don't do this, but I think you will find that many of the other airlines you mentioned (in particular the US carriers) are offering paid access nowadays to anyone that rocks up to the desk and is prepared to pay; not forgetting the 550+ lounges across the globe that offer access to anyone in the possession of a Priority Pass card (and there guests), and that's no small number. The V:Room is not on the Priority Pass list, so that puts it in the premium category for me.

It would transpire that nothing will please you - VS management have got it so wrong by providing an actual alternative (as the easiest option would be to do nothing, and issue miles or food/drink vouchers for the main terminal). No one has been thrown out of the Clubhouse, it is being refurbished to keep it up to the high standards it is expected to be. Sorry you feel you are beeing 'shoved' into the V:Room, looks perfectly fine to me and a suitable alternative while the renovations are happening.

[fozzyo]

A comparable business lounge? Unfortunately the nearest one is probably the Heathrow Clubhouse. Virgin have a reputation for their lounges being far better then most of their competitors. Can you really see BA agreeing to allowing Virgin pax in?

The V Room looks very good actually and I'd certainly be more then happy there! Having used 'Business' lounges of other airlines they are often drab, dreary and stuffy places to hang out. Very unlike the CH ... so the V Room is very similar in that respect.

The V Room is capacity controlled - you need to book access to the V Room if you are a VH customer, so I am sure they will have worked out the required space for VS Gold / UC pax.

And lets not forget that the lounge is something you use for two maybe three hours, the flight lasts a whole lot longer! I can't really see why they should reduce the price while upgrading the CH. Those prices are paying for it, and as part of the price you have access to a lounge, and that is what you have.

Mat

quote:OK, it's disappointing that the CH isn't there, but at the end of the day the V-Room knows what VS passengers want and expect and quite frankly to diss V-Room passengers the way you do is both disrespectful and insulting. Many of them would have had access to the CH in the past and I don't remember complaints about shell suits and tattoos there.


Very well said HoneyLamb!
I for one have been fairly offended about all the disrespectful comments about other Virgin Passengers posted in this thread.
I have never been in the V room but I use the clubhouse every single trip (we always fly Upper) and guess what...... I have a tattoo!!! Even worse for you... so does my husband!!!
I'm insulted and somewhat bemused that you brand everyone with a tattoo as a 'chav' and futhermore judge people by their choice of clothing.
I am sure you know the saying ''never judge a book by it's cover'' I myself try and live by that and not be as shallow to think I can tell what a person is like by the way they dress or if they have a tattoo. I find your views rather archaic.
I'm all for having a laugh and a joke in good spirts but really this thread is just turning into almost a ''come and bash people with seemingly less money than us'' one.
I say seemingly because unlike others that have the spare cash to fly Upper I DO have a tattoo. I DON'T feel the need to poppy show myself in my best evening wear to fly 8 hours AND if I wanted to wear a shell suit I blooming well would!!!! I don't right now but that's not the point [}:)]
As someone else quite nicely put it, maybe you would like to fly BA. Perhaps they have a no shell suits or tattoo clause in their T and C's for you.

[HighFlyer]

I have several tattoo's [:D]

Thanks,
Sarah

[y][:X][y]

[Neil]

quote:Originally posted by HighFlyer
I have several tattoo's [:D]

Thanks,
Sarah


Chav [:w]

I think Richard and HL have summed it up perfectly.

Amongst every thing else that has been said, surely cost was a factor. Using one of their own lounges makes total financial sense rather than coming to an agreement about using another carriers lounge at a cost.

quote:Originally posted by Islander
well I think on this trip I'll take the different route and enjoy a nice breakfast in the room at the Sofitel, watching the planes and give the lounge a miss this time round. Normally I like to get there with the kids around 3 hours before the flight so we can chow down, relax, have a quiet buzz down but the serviceair lounge isn't our thing at all. Never mind, it'll be back for the next trip in March!


Now I have heard it all, lounge snobs[:D]

I really don't give a toss as long as there is a bar with free drinkies.A bit of warm food is a plus as for treatments I have only ever bothered once in my life and while it was a decent shave I never bothered again.Mrs JP really does miss the Hair cuts though.BA do offer full waiter service in the Concorde room at T5 and we have found it spot on the few times we have had access,but to be honest I really prefer the self service T5 F lounge a lot less fuss.
On our very first UC trip about 10 years ago we turned up at the un-airconditioned S*** hole that is UVF to find there was no lounge whatsoever,now that was a mis-sold experience.

Crikey[:0][:0] that one went off quite well i thought LRoM might have lost a few marbles, but all in all went well[}:)]

If the feeling was so strong about the clubhouse then perhaps doing what i did and changing to miami and driving up, i posted the details yesterday on here, atleast the service all round would be a vast improvemmet out off LHR, and we are going to stop for a few days at Busch Gardens which we never do as its outside orlando!
The prices you paid cant be much different from the sale prices now being offered on the miami route so try and get these secured[:)]. Yesterday Vs waived the change fee on my tickets so i had only the 97 difference to pay, a bargain for the MIA route[y] total pp 1397.
Going on about it wont change the service now being offered, but you might miss the next best alternative![:)]

BTW Nemmie why dont you just come clean and get it off your chest that 'yes' you do wear a shell suit when flying[:D]

cheers

alex

As long as I can get a cup of earl grey in relative peace and quiet while my favourite clubhouse is being re-furbished then I will be a happy Gold Upper Class PAX

OK OK OK Ya got me!
Not only do I YES wear a neon pink shell suit I also make sure I have all my tattoo's on full show even if it means ripping said shell suit in certain places.
Happy now Alex

I knew it i just knew it!

quote:Originally posted by jaguarpig
quote:Originally posted by Islander
well I think on this trip I'll take the different route and enjoy a nice breakfast in the room at the Sofitel, watching the planes and give the lounge a miss this time round. Normally I like to get there with the kids around 3 hours before the flight so we can chow down, relax, have a quiet buzz down but the serviceair lounge isn't our thing at all. Never mind, it'll be back for the next trip in March!


Now I have heard it all, lounge snobs[:D]

I really don't give a toss as long as there is a bar with free drinkies.A bit of warm food is a plus as for treatments I have only ever bothered once in my life and while it was a decent shave I never bothered again.Mrs JP really does miss the Hair cuts though.BA do offer full waiter service in the Concorde room at T5 and we have found it spot on the few times we have had access,but to be honest I really prefer the self service T5 F lounge a lot less fuss.
On our very first UC trip about 10 years ago we turned up at the un-airconditioned S*** hole that is UVF to find there was no lounge whatsoever,now that was a mis-sold experience.


I think you'll find when quoting me that we're AU so are offered the serviceair lounge .... if we were offered the V-Room I would definately go there, but serviceair with children is not good, no kids facilities at all. Theres no runways view for a start which the kids love, which I will get in the hotel.

Please explain how that choice makes me a snob .... or did you just read into my posts too much?

quote:Originally posted by Islander


Please explain how that choice makes me a snob .... or did you just read into my posts too much?

My post was tongue in cheek and not directed at you specifically but the general tone of the thread.

I always found the Serviceair lounge at LGW more than acceptable when traveling without VS CH access and with a Child in tow a few years back.

quote:Originally posted by jaguarpig
quote:Originally posted by Islander


Please explain how that choice makes me a snob .... or did you just read into my posts too much?

My post was tongue in cheek and not directed at you specifically but the general tone of the thread.

I always found the Serviceair lounge at LGW more than acceptable when traveling without VS CH access and with a Child in tow a few years back.


Islanders kickin off too[B)], there must be something in the air[:o)]today

alex

Now I'm a bit confused[?] The UC passengers are going in the VRoom, so where does the Serviceair lounge come in ?? I thought golds were going to the Number 1 Lounge.

[|)][|)]

-Steve

I honestly don't care which lounge I use if any, I am Au and also travelling in UC in September. I very rarely have a treatment and usually only spend an hour or so in the Clubhouse anyway.

Another confused poster here, maybe I've missed something but I don't think that the information on the VA site is clear as to which lounge is available other than the VRoom, and if the VRoom is supplying alcoholic drinks free of charge.

Personally if alcohol is available in the VRoom I'll use that, otherwise I'd like to know exactly what the other option is.

Jilly

[Neil]

quote:Originally posted by Stevieboy
Now I'm a bit confused[?] The UC passengers are going in the VRoom, so where does the Serviceair lounge come in ?? I thought golds were going to the Number 1 Lounge.

[|)][|)]

-Steve


I think it is because the No 1 Lounge is basically a 'Servisair' type lounge, just under a different name, very much like the Escape Lounge at MAN.

quote:Originally posted by jaguarpig
quote:Originally posted by Islander


Please explain how that choice makes me a snob .... or did you just read into my posts too much?

My post was tongue in cheek and not directed at you specifically but the general tone of the thread.

I always found the Serviceair lounge at LGW more than acceptable when traveling without VS CH access and with a Child in tow a few years back.


ok - then I apologize, I thought you were directly posting at me.

my humour chip is defaulting today obviously![:)]