Yet another missing "Welcome back"

I've acknowleged the list is displayed in a public place, I am not saying it's a gross invasion of privacy. But I do think going out your way to nosey at information relating to other passengers is very bad manners. I am not interested in the flight status of other passengers, it has nothing to do with me.[/quote]

I too have seen the list hanging up whilst waiting for the WC but I only noticed that it had meal choices on it. I didn't notice any other info as I didn't feel it right that I was reading a private document. Perhaps the way forward is to stop putting the FC status in the list so that all passengers are garaunteed the same level of service and secondly it may then stop people getting upset about not being welcomed back. Yes some very frequent flyers may be recognized and still get that bit extra attention also VS staff who are on a staff reward flight, but that shouldn't matter as long as the promised level of service is delivered. After all quite a few 'golds' have earned that status by having their flights paid for by their employers where as somebody who has saved for a coupe of years to pay for a UC flight as a dream or special occasion deserves to be welcomed on board just as much. We should loose the snobbery over FC status, just enjoy the privileges of each level and once on board relax and try to enjoy he privilege of being able to sit in UC which the majority of VS flyers will never do

So how much do people pay for a train season ticket? I think my sister paid around £8k 10 years ago Lewes to London (50 miles/1 hr).

Does the guard welcome you aboard? What about the trolley service person?

I am a commercial pilot and freelance marine captain. I don't ask for or expect any perks for the thousands of £/$ I have spent. I am not famous and provided the crew are not rude, I get fed and arrive in one piece I got what I paid for.

The CSM has 300+ people on the flight, he/she has probably operated 4 or 5 flights in the last month yet 'you' are offended because there wasn't time to greet you by name?!

If that is all you really have to worry/complain about in your life you are damn lucky!

NO amount of it isn't about look at me/DYKWIA is believable.

W.

So how much do people pay for a train season ticket? I think my sister paid around £8k 10 years ago Lewes to London (50 miles/1 hr).

Does the guard welcome you aboard? What about the trolley service person?

I am a commercial pilot and freelance marine captain. I don't ask for or expect any perks for the thousands of £/$ I have spent. I am not famous and provided the crew are not rude, I get fed and arrive in one piece I got what I paid for.

The CSM has 300+ people on the flight, he/she has probably operated 4 or 5 flights in the last month yet 'you' are offended because there wasn't time to greet you by name?!

If that is all you really have to worry/complain about in your life you are damn lucky!

NO amount of it isn't about look at me/DYKWIA is believable.

W.

Given that I know a lot of V-Flyers, and have flown UC just once, I can say it's totally NOT a "DYKWIA" issue.

It's fine that you don't want it, the point of the thread was a question

1. Is welcoming by name a VS policy?

I work for a hotel company, and I cannot reiterate more the strength of using someone's name, you should not be offended by those of us who know this and want Virgin to do it. It's cheap, it's free and it works.

Rather than 'DYKWIA' - it's just nice.

With regards to the comparison with season tickets; season tickets give the holder some of the cheapest fares available, without restriction. The lump some outlay is a lot, from Lewes to London with Travelcard is £4644, which, assuming 20 journeys a month works out at £20 return -vs- £49 for the poor sap who turns up on the day. But I'm not sure that was the point you were making.

Yes, I'm off work today.

[Decker]

Barg - I don't recall anyone getting offended. I recall several people saying they prefer it if VS staff play by the book where possible. I also recall people expressing the wish to have elevated service levels for elevated expense. Let's face it my eztra money isn't going to get me off the flight quicker in the event of an emergency - we're all paying the same "safety levy" - so it must be paying for something else. Given how often kit is tech it can't be for guaranteed hard product so the only thing VS can guarantee to deliver is the soft product - but that is, of course, down to the attitude of their employees.

It is interesting just how many VS FFs from this board have jumped ship in the past few years.

Yes, I'm off work today.

I'm sitting in a very fun tax refresher course, thank you v-flyer for keeping me amused.

I think this is a discussion that will always have 2 different views.
As someone who doesn't fly for business and who doesn't pay 40% income tax, I'm lucky to fly once and rarely twice a year and even more rarely long haul. So for me the issue of being called by name, wouldn't be highest on my priorities.
But for people who travel with VS a lot and are AU, I can sort of see where you are coming from, but having worked for the service industry in the past, I feel that as customers, we do set our standards a little too high sometimes. I think if I was in 1st class or an au member, I would be perfectly happy as long as I got what I'd paid for and the staff treated me with respect.

doesn't fly for business and who doesn't pay 40% income tax, I'm lucky to fly once and rarely twice a year

I don't fly for business, don't pay 40% income tax, and also am very lucky if I can go away twice a year.

I think you're being somewhat judgemental about the user base of this sight, and dare I say it there is some reverse snobbery at play here.

don't fly for business, don't pay 40% income tax, and also am very lucky if I can go away twice a year.

I think you're being somewhat judgemental about the user base of this sight, and dare I say it there is some reverse snobbery at play here.

Nope not at all...
It stands to reason that the majority of the user base would be business users, as they are the ones that fly most often. The only point I was making is that for me flying anywhere is a HUGE luxury that requires a lot of belt tightening to achieve, so from my view point being called by name whilst onboard, wouldn't be my major concern.

That's the problen with the written word though isn't it - I thought my response was well considered and I was trying not to be judgemental at all, obviously a big fail on my writing abilities n(

Rather than 'DYKWIA' - it's just nice.

Exactly. It's nice and should be regarded as a pleasant bonus when it happens.

But to expect it, demand it and complain about it when it doesn't happen, to me, is pure snobbery.

I've only flown upper class the once on a reward ticket and was greeted by name so I guess I must be rather special

I work for a hotel company, and I cannot reiterate more the strength of using someone's name, you should not be offended by those of us who know this and want Virgin to do it. It's cheap, it's free and it works.

Rather than 'DYKWIA' - it's just nice.

True, but if it's after you've handed over your cc it's just (to quote Ryan Bingham in "Up In The Air") simulated hospitality

I admit it, when I was a regular at a particular hotel I used to enjoy being hailed by name as I approached the check in desk (or the bar :w ). I like to think it was more around feeling "at home" than being "the great I am", but perhaps I'm deluding myself.

strangest one i got once whilst boarding at Boston, from the gate attendant 'Welcome Mr Smith, we were just talking about you earlier'!

i was too taken aback to know how to respond

Rather than 'DYKWIA' - it's just nice.

Exactly. It's nice and should be regarded as a pleasant bonus when it happens.

But to expect it, demand it and complain about it when it doesn't happen, to me, is pure snobbery.

My sentiments exactly!
Although I stand by my origanal post, It was all about DYKNWIA.

Hello V-Flyers

I do spend quite alot of my time reading through the posts of this brilliant site. I don't post alot as I prefer to read what our customers are feeling or thinking and then incorporate that into how I interact with passengers whilst at work, however I really feel like I must say something here.

Yes, it has been communicated to crew (mainly to FSM's) that FF customers SHOULD receive a personal welcome back by name and a glass of bubbly (regardless of the cabin class flown).

I am quite annoyed that a fellow crew member has posted this and made the point that if this is not done then service standards are not being met.

I appreciate and fully understand just how important this is to many customers however, alot of the time, we simply do not have the time. This introduction should really be done at the soonest possible opportunity but with 1 FSM and the very likely situation of crew down, plus the mountains of paperwork that need to be signed off before door closure, there is rarely time before take off. As soon as the seat belt signs are off and menus are being handed out this is always a good time to do this. However, without meaning to sound patronising, it seems many people have forgotten that many of our Gold card passengers also fly in Premium & Economy. On my last 2 flights (JFK & SFO) we had more Gold card holders travelling in Premium and Economy than the total number of passengers travelling in Upper Class. In an ideal situation, with a full crew complement and problem-free flight this wouldn't be an issue. However, the facts remain that this rarely happens.

I always try and give a 'welcome back' to anyone with any kind of FF status at the boarding door but there is such a drive on OTP that a quick check of date and flight number and we have to continue boarding all passengers to achieve this.

I read another comment on here regarding why passengers (especially those of Silver/Gold status) are sometimes asked whether or not they know how to use the suite. The reason for this actually came from customer feedback! We had grown accustomed to thinking that our Gold card holders only fly Upper when in actual fact, many have achieved Gold by flying in other cabins and were, in actual fact, not familiar with the suite and therefore we were coming across as being presumptuous.

Lastly, regarding the issue surrounding the crew manifest being on display. Unfortunately, the nature of our work environment means that it is open to others. There isn't anywhere else that the crew meal order sheets can effectively be put up to achieve their purpose. Other than FF status there isn't any other personal information on there. I have recently asked crew to not put that information on there but instead to refer to our personal copies that contain other information and can be used to obtain FF status of a particular passenger. Unfortunately, being able to count the amount of FF passengers in the Upper Class cabin is not a true reflection of how many are actually onboard nor the many other factors that may have had an effect on whether or not the FSM was able to come round to all passengers with a personal welcome.

This situation, unfortunately, will always be inconsistent. This along with many other things really does depend on many factors on the particular flight, on a particular day.

I completely agree that consistency can be an issue however this is usually because of the fact that we, as crew, at times (more than you may think) are not given the correct equipment and tools to do the job to the level that the company requires it to be done.
Believe me when I say that we find this extremely frustrating and this is just one of many subjects that comes up time and time again on our private discussion forums.

That said, this site has given me a wealth of information and suggestions on what we can do better and I personally incorporate as much as possible into my flights.

I know that a large amount of staff read this site and I know that the vast majority of all crew want you to have the best experience flying Virgin, whether it be the first or hundreth time.

Kind Regards

G

Rather than 'DYKWIA' - it's just nice.

Exactly. It's nice and should be regarded as a pleasant bonus when it happens.

But to expect it, demand it and complain about it when it doesn't happen, to me, is pure snobbery.

No it's not. An observation after the flight is not a "DYKWIA' post.

Wow g1986 what a great and welcome reply. I know many VS staff read the forum and are sometimes pleased, and sometimes agitated by posts. I know some VS staff know who I am, and I hope I leave the impression that VS CC are one of the best if not the best things about the airline. Rarely do I have a complaint to make on that score. The problem, as you recognize, is inconsistency. As you say:

This situation, unfortunately, will always be inconsistent. This along with many other things really does depend on many factors on the particular flight, on a particular day.

Perhaps it's better to wind down the expectation, and up the consistency? That said we also see with our own eyes that some FSMs are more engaged than others and I do think that the OPs post, where there were two FC Au's in UC, was fair, albeit I don't know anything about particular staffing or other pressures on that particular flight.

[buns]

g1986

I echo what Slinky has said; such a well balanced post underpins your personal commitment for doing your best for your customers - like Slinky, it is the reason why I keep flying on VS

buns

G1986 - same sentiment from me, and it does my heart good to see the level of passion and committment that you clearly have for your profession.

And it's a fair point about assumed knowledge of the suites. Although frankly anyone that works their way to AU just from flying in Y deserves an upgrade for their persistence!

Working as I do in data, I know that it has the power to make or break an organisation, and with the right level of information, you could go into a flight armed not only with the status of the passengers, but other important facts like who may not have flown a particular class before and so may need a bit more TLC. Plently of opportunities to personalise the service further (resources permitting), would love to see VS make that leap...

Working as I do in data, I know that it has the power to make or break an organisation, and with the right level of information, you could go into a flight armed not only with the status of the passengers, but other important facts like who may not have flown a particular class before and so may need a bit more TLC. Plently of opportunities to personalise the service further (resources permitting), would love to see VS make that leap...

Totally get that point y) . BA in First equips their CC with iPads for example that record (or are supposed to) such information - perhaps one for VS, it should be easy to pull up and download data such as this prior to a flight.

[Decker]

Yay g1986 - what a wonderful breath of fresh air. Thank you.

Gold status.... Yet spells wander "wonder"..... It seems we all make mistakes!!!

Gold status.... Yet spells wander "wonder"..... It seems we all make mistakes!!!

???????

Gold status.... Yet spells wander "wonder"..... It seems we all make mistakes!!!

Yes. Your post was one.

Didn't get a welcome back last night or an offer to show me the suite but it didn't spoil the trip which was extremely enjoyable.