Virgin Network Changes

Argh. Now stuck with BA or JET to Mumbai. I just can't see reason for this - every single BOM load I've been ex-BOM is full, and ex-LHR it's a high yield. And it's really nice timings....

The A330 was a nicer flight than the 747 on BA, and duration was slightly longer so allowed to count as PE under work rules. Now stuck moving to BA - good news for the rival...

Overall though it's better news for me, work wise apart from BOM I'm mostly westbound.

The woman on the phone said possibly ANA - what are they like?

Very good - I would be happy to swap to ANA, better than BA if reviews are to be believed.

Thanks! Will see what they say and update you all

Seconded, ANA are fantastic

Just wanted to chime in with some support for the changes and sorry to hear people who have already booked trips on the cancelled routes. Hope it all gets sorted ASAP.

I do think its good that VS are hunkering down on profitability and at the same time expanding services, luckily it is to all the places I fly to. Also glad to see a Clubhouse finally coming to LA. It's been long overdue

Must have missed that. When did it get announced?

[Neil]

Just wanted to chime in with some support for the changes and sorry to hear people who have already booked trips on the cancelled routes. Hope it all gets sorted ASAP.

I do think its good that VS are hunkering down on profitability and at the same time expanding services, luckily it is to all the places I fly to. Also glad to see a Clubhouse finally coming to LA. It's been long overdue

Must have missed that. When did it get announced?

It was confirmed a while ago.

We flew ANA business from Hawaii to Tokyo in May. The plane was an old 767 so the seats were nothing like Upper Class. The food was amazing and I regretted not ordering the Japanese meal! Service was polite, as expected from a Japanese airline. The choice of inflight entertainment in English was limited - I watched a fascinating Japanese film with English subtitles!!!

[Bazz]

I wonder if we will finally get a Clubhouse at LAX with a third daily flight planned? ANZ relocating to TBI will have freed up slots and also the Koru Club lounge space must be up for grabs. Fingers crossed.

We flew ANA business from Hawaii to Tokyo in May. The plane was an old 767 so the seats were nothing like Upper Class. The food was amazing and I regretted not ordering the Japanese meal! Service was polite, as expected from a Japanese airline. The choice of inflight entertainment in English was limited - I watched a fascination Japanese film with English subtitles!!!

Between London and Tokyo you'll get the 77W with the business staggered seat shown here

http://www.ana.co.jp/wws/uk/e/asw_commo ... de/c/seat/

Oh good grief. If DXB goes then I'm definitely off, as it is it's inceivable I'll be trying to maintain gold for another 6 years just for lifetime status. Have a feeling I backed the erong horse here 4 years ago, should have stuck with BA. They'll be getting my trips to DXB and JNB over the next month for sure...

My girls will just have to get used to going without CH access :-(

[Neil]

I wonder if we will finally get a Clubhouse at LAX with a third daily flight planned? ANZ relocating to TBI will have freed up slots and also the Koru Club lounge space must be up for grabs. Fingers crossed.

A CH has already been confirmed for LAX.
It is only 2 x daily for VS though, as the old 2nd LAX moved to Delta when VS got ATL.

I wonder if we will finally get a Clubhouse at LAX with a third daily flight planned? ANZ relocating to TBI will have freed up slots and also the Koru Club lounge space must be up for grabs. Fingers crossed.

A CH has already been confirmed for LAX.
It is only 2 x daily for VS though, as the old 2nd LAX moved to Delta when VS got ATL.

Well I missed that Neil, do you have any reference? A Virgin America Loft is obviously there, but a quick Google doesn't reveal anything ...

[Bazz]

I still have not seen anything official confirming that Neil? Do you have a link or you can PM me if not in the public domain.

http://www.businesstraveller.com/news/1 ... use-at-lax

[Bazz]

Thanks adjonline

So assuming that Virgin are obliged to rebook passengers on an alternative flight (or provide a refund), does anybody know what that means for upgrades? For example, do they rebook you in the equivalent reward class, or in the ticketed class?

I know what I'm hoping for. 12 hours to NRT is suddenly seeming like a long time...

So assuming that Virgin are obliged to rebook passengers on an alternative flight (or provide a refund), does anybody know what that means for upgrades? For example, do they rebook you in the equivalent reward class, or in the ticketed class?

I know what I'm hoping for. 12 hours to NRT is suddenly seeming like a long time...

History suggests that VS will be offering you economy flights where redemptions have been booked ... it will be pleasing to see if this is not the case but with the volume no doubt needing to be handling, I fear not.

I called Virgin and was put through to "Premier Services" as I have UC bookings to Japan in April.

We have been re-booked on to ANA (NH) direct flights from LHR to HND. Same dates, a few hours later leaving LHR, 10 minutes later leaving HND.

Business Class.

Good luck to others needing to re-book.

http://www.businesstraveller.com/news/100822/virgin-atlantic-to-open-a-clubhouse-at-lax

Thanks for that

This struck me

Kreeger said: "Within four years more than half of our fleet will be 787s. It caused us to look at our entire product line to make sure that we're offering, on every airplane, a level of surface that is differientiaiting on Virgin Atlantic.

I assume he meant 'service' and 'differentiating' so either BT typos or they came from the VS media pack (and I vote for the latter)

If only that were true, but unfortunately they are our mistakes. The giveaway is in the first one - surface for service, a classic homophone when you are taking notes while interviewing someone over the phone.
We've corrected it in the piece.
Many thanks, Tom

Have a feeling I backed the erong horse here 4 years ago, should have stuck with BA. They'll be getting my trips to DXB and JNB over the next month for sure...

There's absolutely nothing to suggest that JNB or DXB will go. If they're profitable and work operationally, they'll stay.

It's a shame so many people see a story about route closures and jump to the conclusion that VS is on the decline.

For every route that's going, they're introducing a new one or upping the frequency of an existing one. And they're investing heavily in new aircraft which says to me they're very much on the up.

Airlines review, drop and add routes all the time. BA's got rid of several this year alone, not to mention cancelled LGW-LAS during the winter, and no-one questions their long term viability. Airline margins are tight and just can't afford to operate non-profitable routes.

But the fact that VS are adding extra flights to MIA, SFO & LAX - all routes where reward availability has been seriously lacking of late - must be a good thing. It's sad to see routes go - and frustrating if you're booked to fly on them - but all businesses have to make tough decisions.

Have a feeling I backed the erong horse here 4 years ago, should have stuck with BA. They'll be getting my trips to DXB and JNB over the next month for sure...

There's absolutely nothing to suggest that JNB or DXB will go. If they're profitable and work operationally, they'll stay.

It's a shame so many people see a story about route closures and jump to the conclusion that VS is on the decline.

For every route that's going, they're introducing a new one or upping the frequency of an existing one. And they're investing heavily in new aircraft which says to me they're very much on the up.

Airlines review, drop and add routes all the time. BA's got rid of several this year alone, not to mention cancelled LGW-LAS during the winter, and no-one questions their long term viability. Airline margins are tight and just can't afford to operate non-profitable routes.

But the fact that VS are adding extra flights to MIA, SFO & LAX - all routes where reward availability has been seriously lacking of late - must be a good thing. It's sad to see routes go - and frustrating if you're booked to fly on them - but all businesses have to make tough decisions.

You are right - but it's the diversity of network an FF would look at and his/her ability to utilise a single carrier and maintain status.

For many, VS now look less viable...and, with a small number of routes, the perceived impact of removing 1,2 or 3 routes is far larger.

Once I started taking the family to more than Barbados and Orlando a few years ago, VS didn't look viable to me then, at the time I was considering CPT, SYD etc.

The option of VS now would look very bad indeed to me had I not made the switch already.

Gumshoe - it's not just this. It's the gradual erosion of benefits or service over time, or at least ones that are of value to me. I've been on a knife edge for a while now, things like the clubhouse, and VS's more family friendly approach to letting kids in has been a selling point, but when increasingly I'm sitting in an uncomfortable UC seat on a 333, I am asking myself 'why'.

That plus my increasing need for a short haul network means that I'm on the verge of cutting over to BA. Realistically I could only maintain gold status in one place anyway...

Whilst I understand the business decision fully, I have to say I'm gutted by the withdrawal of the NRT route. As many of you know we have reward upgrades booked for next April to NRT so I'm not very happy.

I've spoken to a rep on the number given and they can't do a straightforward swap booking to a partner airline like they could if it was a revenue booking. Instead they have to cancel and refund both money and miles and then rebook. Not keen to be backed into making a snap decision I asked about availability of reward upgrades on ANA and after checking was told they have to start a booking and then request the upgrade and it takes approx 24 hrs to come back with availability.

I can do this without committing to anything, and without having to start a payment process, so for now that's what I've done. The agent has requested upgrades to either business or first and I'm to ring back tomorrow afternoon and find out, then I'll have to make a decision.

My OH is more unhappy, he really isn't sure about transferring to another airline and is talking of cancelling the trip and losing the deposit on the holiday (although I'll check with insurance first before we really consider that). I of course still want to go as we've spent time planning this trip, getting the travel agent to put together the package we wanted.

If we find out tomorrow that ANA can't offer us miles upgrades (and I suspect not even though you're supposed to be able to with partner airlines), then I'll have to regroup and think about the options. Neither of us want to travel in a lower cabin, and luckily we can afford to pay for Z fares, but I don't wanna!!

I've started pricing Z fares with ANA and BA, and BA is coming in £2K cheaper, with an extra £450 saving if I go ex-DUB.

Unhappy, but considering options

Kreeger tried to take a out a layer of costs to turn VS around; now something more dramatic is required. His decision is based on allocating resources based on profitability per mile flown subject to a limited numbers of slots and a small quantity of aircraft.

What is being proposed is very sound but equally I am disappointed particularly with the end of Japan and Mumbai though, to be truthful, my business has pulled back from India recently. Now no chance of Malaysia and Brazil being on new routes alas!!

Sadly VS is not as good as it once was. There was a time I would only consider BA or VS across the Atlantic, but now AA and DL are viable alternatives. First on BA is fine, but club class is still not good as you either climb over people, or they climb over you unless you get a "corner" seat. At least with DL there is no climbing and the seats face forward. VS face inwards, making looking out of the window near impossible unless you are willing to risk permanent neck damage!

I only ever fly USA/UK/USA but the days of BA or VS being the only good airlines across the Atlantic are gone. I cashed in my VS credit card last year, preferring to earn BA miles as the writing now on the wall was evident then.

It's a shame so many people see a story about route closures and jump to the conclusion that VS is on the decline.

I'm not sure if people are "jumping to the conclusion" about this, as most of us are expressing our disappointment with the withdrawals, which makes VS less attractive to us due to the narrower network. I value the diversity of destinations, and for me, I have Vancouver and Cape Town on my to visit list, and was gutted that I haven't managed to do those yet before VS has withdrawn the service. It's not to say that VS is on the decline, merely that for me, I would want to hedge my bets better, and start paying more attention with my BAEC account.

I do get that they are only making a business decision, and are not just cutting routes, but also boosting other (transatlantic) ones. But I cannot seem to get very excited about Detroit, or the increase in frequency of the routes that they already fly to.