Coast to Coast J in a 737

[Strongarm]

Flying Perth - Brisbane in business class for the first time, I usually fly via Melbourne and enjoy the A330 business class, but this time on the direct flight with the 737. I have a few questions:

Is the service and availability of drinks (champagne, spirits etc) the same on the 737 as what I'm used to on the A330?

Is the in-flight entertainment the annoying digi-player or do the coast-coast 737's have the new streaming capability?

Is it a set menu, or are there a couple of choices, I'm assuming the galley has limited space on the 737?

Thanks for your help,

 

[Jousams]

Flying Perth - Brisbane in business class for the first time, I usually fly via Melbourne and enjoy the A330 business class, but this time on the direct flight with the 737. I have a few questions:

Is the service and availability of drinks (champagne, spirits etc) the same on the 737 as what I'm used to on the A330?

Is the in-flight entertainment the annoying digi-player or do the coast-coast 737's have the new streaming capability?

Is it a set menu, or are there a couple of choices, I'm assuming the galley has limited space on the 737?

Thanks for your help,

A quick TR would be great!

 

[Paul_PER]

My last J SYD-PER coast-to-coast was a downgrade from the A330 to the 737. IMHO:

• a huge gap between the two aircraft types
• drinks not as readily served as there is only one FA working the J cabin
• can't remember seeing a menu - I think the FA just asked if we wanted option A or option B
• food was OK, but there isn't much room to put everything
• entertainment was a Samsung Galaxy 10 inch tablet - I turned it on, flicked through it, realised I had either already seen every movie, already had a copy, or I wasn't interested in it and then turned it off. Back to the iPad and book.
• free earplug type headphones which you can keep vs NC headphones in the A330

 

[Comoman]

My last J SYD-PER coast-to-coast was a downgrade from the A330 to the 737. IMHO:

• a huge gap between the two aircraft types

Absolutely agree - I think it's very naughty they charge the same for Syd-Per A330 as 737. Absolutely vast difference with the seat, service, food and drink.

Edit to add: I go out of my way to avoid 737. Even going Syd-Mel-Per. Is (was?) the same fare.

 

[Paul_PER]

I was upset at the last minute change. I would have been furious if I had paid "full price".

It's one of the risks of flying VA - exposure to the vagaries of VH XFA and VH XFB.

I was also caught out on a Y flight shortly after they came into VA service. Couldn't even get into the 737 Blue Zone .... as it was full of the dead-heading VA A330 crew.

 

[Comoman]

I guess an A330 is sick again? I think one of them was u/s for a good week a few weeks ago.

 

[Strongarm]

Am I correct in saying all the Perth - Brisbane direct flights are 737's?

 

[Solid]

You are correct. I do it fairly regularly and also PER-SYD. Although not a patch on the A330 it's better than Y.

Not the same variety of drinks (and runs dry quickly, might be only two or four of a type of spirit).

Food is either A or B and again can run out of options if you are not Row 1.

i was originally told by reps that BNE-PER would be A330 by February........2012.

 

[mannej]

Am I correct in saying all the Perth - Brisbane direct flights are 737's?

I would say so

 

[93D]

i was originally told by reps that BNE-PER would be A330 by February........2012.

There 6th a330 has just started production, so I'm guessing once it arrives bne-per would be next to get the 330.

Dom,

 

[Deleted member 29185]

There 6th a330 has just started production, so I'm guessing once it arrives bne-per would be next to get the 330.Dom,

Just started? :shock: Forget the aircraft, what about my use by date expiring first!

i was originally told by reps that BNE-PER would be A330 by February........2012.

Maybe we should start our own VA On Time Performance chart.

A330 BNE-PER - delayed until further notice due to severe cloud in the cranial regions
Streaming IFE - delayed due to malfunction of crystal ball logic circuits
Full service F&B - Some departure cancellations due to LCC sclerosis of the chequebook
Luggage inclusions - Major disruptions to all outbound sectors at all airports except those with silver, gold or platinum runway lights
Streamlined Web interaction - Aircraft lost in transit. Please contact your nearest VA staff member.
Contact with VA staff member - Contact can not be completed due to lost aircraft, please board Air Asia X and try KUL or MNL
Booking of TWO41 Flights - Booking cannot be completed as your wild stab in the dark is required to be accurate to two decimal places. Yours wasn't correct so please try again after a short 4 hour diversion to BNE via AKL, MNL and KUL
Status upgrade - Cancelled due to lack of interest (from VA). Could those 350 silvers in the queue please contact us via the secret gold or platinum help lines.
Status Credit Posting - Delayed indefinitely......sorry we don't feel a reason is justified.
Fare increases on connection flights - ON TIME. We at VA pride ourselves on this achievement.

 

[DeKa]

I guess an A330 is sick again? I think one of them was u/s for a good week a few weeks ago.

I think so... MrsDeKa was to be on VA562 this afternoon but it was cancelled about 30min before boarding. It was a 2-3-2 In J so assume one of the older A330.

She's now on VA572...

 

[legalistic]

I've put a halt to all Virgin direct coast to coast flights between PER and BNE, and diverted it to Qantas, who services this route with mainly A330s. Had a really bad experience being delayed due to Sabre, gave Qantas a shot for my BNE-PER shuttles, and haven't looked back... would have also made platinum if I hadn't diverted last 2 months of activity to Qantas (180 SC shy of making platinum)

Big world of difference... so much so that this is my first post to protest against the poor treatment by Virgin of regular BNE-PER. Apologies for hijacking the thread! Maybe we should start a new Virgin BNE-PER moan thread?

 

[legalistic]

Took the time and effort to email Virgin regarding a Sabre delay and their slippage in customer service, with a poignant feedback point that centred on the need to improve their BNE-PER service with better planes (Qantas mainly used A330s whilst Virgin used only 737s), Virgin's feedback is provided below:

"Thank you for your welcome suggestions with regard to the aircraft configurations currently servicing Brisbane. I can completely understand why the bigger aircraft would be the preference of many of our Guests."


​Has anyone received written feedback from Virgin regarding an exact date as to when BNE-PER will be better serviced?

We should start contemplating boycotting Virgin's BNE-PER legs; I'm starting tomorrow afternoon via Qantas (A330 in J). Given I balance my BNE-PER with mainly Ys, Virgin removing the row 3 option was the death blow (it made the leg a little more bearable assuming you didn't need to walk all the way back to the loo). Through this process will likely slowly work my way up to Qantas Gold before hitting Virgin Platinum.

Give us one big plane Virgin, just one time slot per day, BNE-PER is a longer flight that PER-MEL or PER-SYD after all.

 

[bullerdude]

Give us one big plane Virgin, just one time slot per day, BNE-PER is a longer flight that PER-MEL or PER-SYD after all.

Improbable given that all the A330's are committed to delivering the marketed MEL-PER and SYD-PER service, and the fact that they are probably busier routes.

I can only assume (and hope) that VA will put one of the A330's to be delivered into the BNE-PER route.

At the very least though, they could upgrade to 737's used on Trans-continental fights with foot rests and more galley equipments to enable better meal service. I mean - why couldn't they use the rear galley to heat / prep all the business class meals where there is more space, then wheel everything up in a trolley and plate-up in the front galley? Surely that would enable better service then trying to do it out of the tiny front galley.

 

[bullerdude]

In addition, once a few more A330's are in the fleet, I would love to see the A330's shuttling between MEL/SYD/BNE on the way to perth to... it would be quite nice to snag a A330's on a morning flight before it heads onto perth.

 

[oz_mark]

Absolutely agree - I think it's very naughty they charge the same for Syd-Per A330 as 737. Absolutely vast difference with the seat, service, food and drink.

Pretty much every airline that operates multiple aircraft types on a route do the same.

 

[KCMil]

From 6 Feb a new menu style has been introduced onto 737 transcon. No more option a/b in a small dish. Food is now loaded as per A330 where individual meals are plated on board. Still only two choices though. No menu introduced, desert options available as per A330. Seperate meal course service not just one tray banged in front of you. No sparkling, though this is rumoured to be on the next wine rotation.
Internal advice was that next A330 will result in all transcon flights to Airbus only. Though they are still saying end of feb delivery with Apr into to flying.

 

[dk4]

From 6 Feb a new menu style has been introduced onto 737 transcon. ...desert options available as per A330.

Will there be a choice of entree (as per A330) or will entree remain a soup? If dessert service is altered, will they continue to offer an ice-cream as a midflight snack?

Internal advice was that next A330 will result in all transcon flights to Airbus only. Though they are still saying end of feb delivery with Apr into to flying.

Will the final B737 SYD-PER disappear, will they increase frequency SYD-PER (having reduced it since they focused the A330s on MEL-PER)?

 

[Deleted member 29185]

Internal advice was that next A330 will result in all transcon flights to Airbus only. Though they are still saying end of feb delivery with Apr into to flying.

Didn't someone mention the next A330 had only just begun production? Which Feb are you referring to?