Manchester Options

Hi Everyone,
New recruit to VFlyer -Have been a keen watcher of all your topics for some time now and have gained a lot of useful info.
Over the past 15 years we have become used to regular twice a year trips from MAN-MCO in UC on the 747's usually with Z tickets. Booking what we wanted has been relatively easy despite Manchester not having the range of choices available from London, and the flights are enjoyable!
Unfortunately, circumstances this year mean we are late booking and on looking at availability now we see that UC has no seats for weeks on end, and those few that are shown are significantly higher in price than previously.

Our ideal plan was MAN-MCO Sunday 27 Sept - MCO-MAN Friday 23 Oct. but nothing in UC online.
Would a load factor show the true situation?

I was wondering if it is possible that the Delta tie up is causing Virgin to instead push the VS109/110 MAN-ATL to generate traffic on that route, and will release VS75/73 MAN-MCO UC seats later?

I have researched the Airbus used on VS109/110 and Seat Guru comments for example on that UC cabin/seating are very negative with comments on ''the number of seats STUFFED into the cabin, smaller seats, feet get bumped when sleeping due to narrow aisle etc.'' I see no Trip Reports yet on VFlyer (I did see David1946 had flown the route and made a comment about space)
I think its a relatively new route so maybe that explains lack of Trip Reports, but has anyone got any input for me?
It looks a possible for a day flight but is the cost worth it for a disturbed night flight??

I also looked at Deltas JFK-MAN on a 757 (75W) VS4022/DL234 as a return route since that appears to have a Business cabin with 2 + 2 flat bed seating and only 4rows.
Does anyone have input about that flight? - VS4022 doesnt appear on Trip Report drop down list at present.

Ok thats it - three questions really - sorry its a bit long winded - any advice would be gratefully received.

1. I wouldn't hold out much hope for any more upper seats to MCO it is a popular route with only 14 seats on the aircraft.

2. The A330 has the dream suite upper cabin, whilst the two centre seats are shorter in bed mode the outside/window seats are a good length. Try searching for trip reports on the a330 LHR-ATL/DXB/JFK for a general review.

i have not flown DL business and so can't advise for or against the JFK routing.

Is the train to London and flying from LHR/LGW an option for you? Virgin trains are possibly an option to London.

Load checks scour data from airline systems and won't show any sort of extra availability over what an airline system will.

Airlines will try and sell any seat they can and won't stop just because a partner airline flies from the same airport - new route or not.

I have flows DL from LHR to JFK in business and had a really good flight though this was about 5 years ago. I wrote trip reports but can't remember id this was DL148 ot DL149. Plus I'm not obsessed with the type of plane that flies a particular flight,

Welcome to posting on V-Flyer NorthernLad.

As you know the VS 747s out of MAN only have 14 UC seats so the chances of them releasing two for your preferred dates are slim at best. It of course would be a big gamble to wait amd see if UC prices reduce on other MAN-MCO flights around the time.

The Airbus cabins do not get the thumbs-up in the way 747 cabins do but the way I look at it they have got to be fairly decent (and a whole lot better than Economy) or else other would not buy them. I would book window seats though, they are bigger. I fly on my first VS airbus iin UC next years so can not comment first-hand.

Is heading down to London, staying a night and then flying on VS to MCO from there an option for you?

Welcome to V-Flyer Northernlad. Could you get an ex-EU flight from say DUB or AMS? If you did your positioning flight the evening before from MAN, stay overnight in DUB, AMS or whichever EU hub has the best prices, then on the day, fly from there to LGW for flight to MCO. You'll also then be able to use the CH at LGW.

There's a sticky thread explaining how to do it and how to avoid having to take the final leg back to the EU hub though you would have to get back to MAN from LGW.

Due to aircraft problems our trip back from Orlando at end of March meant we were flown MCO-ATL-MAN so ended up on VS110. The trip was fine and UC service was up to the best Virgin traditions. The A330 cabin was ok and we have already booked VS109/110 for a trip next year. The main problem is that an A330 is not a 747 so does not have the same space . We have been on the A340/6 and they are better than the A330 but are still not a 747. So the main problem for us is that we are spoilt with the 747 and nothing else compares. We will miss them when they eventually go. The other advantage, at the moment, is that there is more availability of G's on the ATL route and we already have ours for next year.
As far as travelling by train to Gatwick I wouldnt fancy the trip there or back with luggage and Gatwick doesn't have many more flights than MAN so is there availability in UC?

Thanks to all of you for those replies - which pretty well confirmed what I was thinking - We have had a great many years in a spacious 747 cabin, direct flight, we even have been able to select our favourite seats most of the time and are somewhat spoilt!
As David1946 mentions, Gatwick isnt the best starting point from Manchester - would have been easier before LRed went.
I hadnt realised that the new suites were refered to as Dream Suites so I searched that term here in VFlyer and found many reports supporting what I had seen on Seat Guru.
It seemed to be a topic that was in vogue a year or so ago on London flights using the Airbus 333. Now that 333's are on the MAN-ATL run maybe some further comments will emerge.
However its good news that Virgin will not be using the Dream Suite again.
Good advice re longer window seats - thank you Maximus.
I had spent some time prior to my post looking at the EUR options but being relatively late in booking unfortunately nothing appeared attractive.
Thanks again to all - I will let you know if the miracle happens and UC on the 747 becomes available without having to rob a bank.

i would use the man-mco and lgw-mco routes quite often and only once have i managed to secure an upper reward seat, as said earlier , the fact there are only 14 uc seats naturally has a major impact, i have managed to get lhr-mia upper reward seats much easier and then just get an internal up to mco, you may want to try that as an option.