slinky09 wrote:Seriously though, it looks like some are coming ... I'll be delighted if or when! But it remains another monumental cock-up by VS management, fleet planning in an airline should be a decades into the future thing, VS can't see beyond 12 months.
Exactly. Surely in any industry any decent company is looking further than 12-24 months in advance. I agree it does stink of a tiny mess up by VS. Unless they ordered the first five 330s knowing they could send three out on lease and make more dosh- but that doesnt seem the case with the third still sitting around looking for someone to take it.
StillRedHot wrote:This is all being based on the fact that the tail hasn't been painted red yet?
No not at all but what I am saying is that VS seems to be the only airline in the world that orders an aircraft and doesnt have the rudder painted in its colours. This is highly unusual as the rudder is the first thing that is painted, in fact I dont think it is ever painted in the green primer paint that you see on the main body.
If, as others have eluded to, VS have employed such an expensive painting technique that it can be only conducted at MAN by one contractor (i.e.: Airbus dont have the facility), then this seems a huge waste of money in a time when VS seem intent on cutting costs all round. Certainly as crew I would be mightily peeed off to hear that my 1.whatever it is% payrise has been rejected when my employer seems intent on using expensive paint techniques to undertake an unnecessary rebrand of the airline.
:w 
