VS16 18/05/18

I see VS16 was cancelled yesterday. Anyone know why?

Yeap I do !

I was on it or supposed to be. It came in tech from LGW, and they said it would need a part which was flown from ATL, took several hours to run diagnostics and fit the part only to find out that the part wasn’t faulty and it needed a different part which is currently on a plane as we speak from LGW. We were initially told a 0100 hrs departure. And they cancelled it just before then.

VS didn’t tell anyone , but they knew they would cancel as the part would’ve taken several hours to arrange and get here, and they craftily offered some pax a switch to the earlier flight , but didn’t say why. (Obviously that saves cost of compensation and hotels etc.)

There’s about 100 of us that ended up in a crap hotel last night an hour away from MCO and have just arrived back at MCO to be put on the VS1016 tonight. (This will be one of the planes coming in from LGW) and will just be us.

Tonight’s VS16 will be the plane from last night which went tech when (and if) the part arrives and works !

VS have been terrible with their handling of the matter, from staff at MCO to the staff at Crawley Towers. A lack of information, telling us the hotel was a good one and only 5 mins from the airport. They just dumped us with a bus driver outside MCO and he told us where we were going and it took nearly an hour to get there.

We were told that when we got back to MCO, we would get meal vouchers and be rechecked into our original seats, and that we had to go to the ticket desk for our boarding passes. Guess what staff at the ticket desk knew nothing of this or what we had been told last night.

So we are all sat at MCO, VS staff are noticeable by their abscence, and we even had to ask for the compensation booklet to be met with a “oh what’s one of those”.

Anyway fingers crossed couple of hours and we will be up up and away.

[mitchja]

Best of luck getting home Chumba!!

I guess this is also why the VS93 to CUN got canceled today if a 744 is stuck at MCO.

As an update.

We finally left MCO, 26hrs late ! We were all onboard the second aircraft with doors closed and ready to depart when the Captain announced that the lazy baggage handlers from the previous night had failed to unload the tech aircraft, and therefore our bags were still on it. It would take sometime to transfer them !! (His words)

He was fuming and said he had spoken to the manager for the handlers (Delta) and also senior managers in London and would be escalating it to the highest level once back in London.

2 hours of sitting on board the stationary aircraft waiting the bags transfer finally meant we left just before 2200hrs.

Lots of issues to be explained by VS and lots of compensation to be paid to all the 144 passengers.

As an aside whilst we were sat on the plane for 2 hrs the FSM made an announcement, that apparently it is federal law, that we have to be told that whilst on the plane waiting we can leave the plane at any time. But if we do then we won’t be let back on ! - never heard that before

Shockingly bad from VS. Dissapointing to say the least. I always think you can always tell a lot about an airline or any company by the way the handle problems/issues. Haven't had the federal law thing personally but seem to recall from an article about a situation in Abu Dhabi on Etihad when they had sand storms/poor visibility leaving people on a plane for something crazy like 7hrs+

[mitchja]

The 'being given the option to get off but if you do you cannot get back on again' is also used at the UK end as well as I believe it's a CAA mandate as well.

I remember hearing this a few years ago when I was sat on a VS 744 at MAN at the gate for 4 hours due to a broken fuel relief valve waiting to be fixed.

It's a US Dept Transport regulation that after a certain length of time being held on the ground the airline has to inform passengers of this right - and the consequences of availing themselves of that right - i.e get off and you won't be allowed back on and you may have to buy yourself a new ticket

https://www.transportation.gov/individu ... mac-delays

I believe when departing from a US airport the crew also have to announce the last chance to deplane before they close the doors.

I believe when departing from a US airport the crew also have to announce the last chance to deplane before they close the doors.

In that case Virgin have broken the US rules on every flight I've taken with them. The only "leave the aircraft" type announcement I've heard is always for ground crew to leave.

Ditto for both BA, AA and DL - have never heard any 'last chance to get off' type announcements - other than for ground staff of course.

going OT but I wonder what they would do if a member of ground staff did manage to stay on and at what point they would do something about it and go back to the gate. And especially if it was an international flight. How would they calculate the overtime pay if there are time zones involved lol

[mitchja]

The announcement is only made during what is known as a ‘tarmac delay’ i.e. when an aircraft is delayed either after landing or before departing whilst passengers are still onboard the aircraft.

More details can be found here.

Chumba - so sorry to hear of your delay. Funnily enough I was on the VS16 that left the day you finally did - we were the ones that nearly went with your luggage (what a mess)!!

Completely agree about MCO communications being a disaster. I made the "mistake" of waiting in the Sky Lounge and relying on the information given by the staff in there. We were sent to the wrong gate......twice.....it's a long walk between the high 80s and the high 90s!! In fact I nearly lived out my worst nightmare as I was waiting by the first gate sent to for boarding - it was your flight the VS1016, a sickening feeling realising you are waiting to board the wrong flight The Sky Lounge knew nothing about the VS1016 leaving that day, which is weird as they have a direct line to the gate staff!