New business class for VA 737 [deferred]

[toowongman]

Re: Easy fix for VA - new 737 J class!

Even installing something like VX's current F class recliner would be a fantastic change to the current offering!

Indeed. Just put new versions of those seats 737 fleet-wide - with IFE screens. Done, move onto next problem.

Otherwise folks will again be complaining that they booked J in SYD-PER and ended up with the regular J and not the transcon J when irrops caused a plane change.

 

[Pleb Status]

Re: Easy fix for VA - new 737 J class!

Looks like you'll get your wish!

https://www.ausbt.com.au/virgin-australia-to-launch-all-new-domestic-business-class

Whilst there isn't a mention of whether it'll be a flat bed (and I personally doubt it will), they're going to have dedicated 737's for East coast-West coast flying

The other big question is how many J seats will be provided in the 73H. Assuming an angled lie flat seat, 8 J seats will require at least one row of Y to be removed. They may choose to drop to 4 J seats to keep Y the same and then they also have the option to go fully flat.

I would prefer angled lie flat with more J seats than fully flat with less J seats as I generally upgrade and 4 J is going to make this almost impossible.

 

[moa999]

Re: Easy fix for VA - new 737 J class!

And for a more detailed review of JetBlue's Mint product on the 320.
http://onemileatatime.boardingarea.com/2016/08/15/review-jetblue-mint/

 

[HeavyElectricity]

Looks to have been confirmed now:
https://www.ausbt.com.au/virgin-australia-to-launch-all-new-domestic-business-class

Borghetti is mindful that travellers who have become accustomed to the spacious Airbus A330s on those 4-5 hour flights may recoil at the thought of shifting to the likes of a Boeing 737, “but we have a solution, and you’ll hear about it later this year.”

Borghetti says the new seat will represent a “quantum leap in domestic business class.”

“I’d say everything we've done product-wise has not been half-baked, and we would not put a product on transcon that was not up to scratch.”

 

[Tallfont]

Re: Easy fix for VA - new 737 J class!

And for a more detailed review of JetBlue's Mint product on the 320.
Review: JetBlue Mint A321 New York To Los Angeles - One Mile at a Time

Now if VA could do that, up their service and make it consistent and stop the front end being a lavatory waiting room for the whole aircraft they might get my business again!

 

[Tassieoptom]

Looks to have been confirmed now:
https://www.ausbt.com.au/virgin-australia-to-launch-all-new-domestic-business-class

I have a weekend trip from Hobart to Perth in early August booked in Business on the A330 for the MEL to PER and PER to MEL legs. My booking still shows this as true, now wondering if that will be the case on the days i fly. Will they change aircraft on forward bookings i wonder?

 

[Tallfont]

I have a weekend trip from Hobart to Perth in early August booked in Business on the A330 for the MEL to PER and PER to MEL legs. My booking still shows this as true, now wondering if that will be the case on the days i fly. Will they change aircraft on forward bookings i wonder?

I have had it happen several times on BNE-PER.

 

[Tassieoptom]

I have had it happen several times on BNE-PER.

Was going to like this but really need a dislike button, . Oh well what will be will be.

 

[DavidFlynn]

Re: Easy fix for VA - new 737 J class!

In today's West Australian;

https://thewest.com.au/business/avi...new-business-class-will-be-mint-ng-b88528677z

It seems like Geoffrey Thomas has decided it will be MINT (same product as JetBlue). Part of me hopes it's the F product on AA A320T's (transcon) - because every seat would have direct isle access, and also because Geoffrey would be proven wrong.

There's zero evidence to support it being Mint at this stage. I'd not be surprised to see Virgin's new transcon business class draw from a 'Mint-type design', so looking at Mint is useful in terms of context for that, but any claim that it will be Mint without backing up is a bit of a stretch.

 

[Bagpuss]

So in 2017 ...

The a330's are off to Asia
The E190's are being disposed of
End result ... Existing B737's will be working hard ..

Then 2018 new J class on some B737's ... I would imagine it would be a 3 week turnaround for each aircraft, what's going to give?? (bring the B737's back from Tiger?)

Surely, you would start the refit B737 whilst they have the capacity to do so. Here's hoping 3 airframes don't go tech (due to accidents) like they did last December!

 

[Bagpuss]

Re: Easy fix for VA - new 737 J class!

There's zero evidence to support it being Mint at this stage.

A few days ago as part of the B737 business class upgrade discussions on here many thought there was zero chance of any such upgrade occurring.

 

[Pleb Status]

Mods,

Is it possible to merge/close some of the new 737 J threads so all future discussion is in one place.

I would say this will be a hot topic over the next year or so....

 

[DavidFlynn]

Re: Easy fix for VA - new 737 J class!

You're conflating forum speculation with journalistic reporting, which if it's going to make a definitive statement in a heading has to back that up.

 

[Tallfont]

Re: Easy fix for VA - new 737 J class!

If Geoffrey says it will be MINT then it will be MINT 'cos he is an Aviation EXPERT! Even Chicken Noodle News has called him an EXPERT

 

[andyhui01]

Re: Easy fix for VA - new 737 J class!

I think an angled lie flat with a cubby in the middle for your feet. With some modifications to the front bulkhead for the cubby to go in for Row 1 (not sure if it is even possible, just speculating) and sacrificing a little room in Row 3 or redesigning the Y/J Divider I think it can be done without losing seats. Sort of like

/\| |/\
/\| |/\

It may not be the best J product but would be fine but the 738 is never going to fly more than 6 or so hours

The mint design is great but if any config results in less seats means an excuse for them to raise prices.

 

[dajop]

Re: Easy fix for VA - new 737 J class!

I actually don't understand the need for US style fully flat F seats on the Australian transcontinental. The US routes are very limited (depending on airline DCA/NYC/BOS/FLL/MIA - SFO/LAX ) with JetBlue soon to add SAN, SEA and LAS. There is some serious money there. By contrast the shorter ORD-LAX gets old style F seats, and it is slightly longer then MEL-PER.

A beg step up would be some sort of shell seat, that make it easier to get out from window and use a laptop - to avoid seats reclining into your face which is probably all that is needed for most flights ( the red eyes the exception).

 

[DavidFlynn]

Re: Easy fix for VA - new 737 J class!

Mint comes from Thompson Aero Seating's Vantage platform, and Thompson of course counts Qantas as a customer (the Vantage XL being the basis of the A330 & B787 Business Suite) but there are narrow-body lie-flat configs available from other seatmakers and at least two 'skunkworks' projects (of which I have some awareness) for next-gen narrow-body business class seats, so plenty of options. I wouldn't mind at all if Virgin did go for Mint , but it could be considered a relatively old product if we are talking about a 2018 launch.

 

[serfty]

Re: Easy fix for VA - new 737 J class!

There's the AA version on their three class A321T's.

 

[Standby]

Re: Easy fix for VA - new 737 J class!

I'm not sure but on a 737-800 it looks hard to fit more than 6 seats in a 1-1 herringbone over 3 rows without reducing Y cabin density significantly and driving cost thru the roof,not to mention significantly reducing the total VA J seats available on Transcons with A330 withdrawal. Of course they could get more 737's/use the TT A320's(the subfleet as alluded to) Also all the US carriers with narrowbody -lie flats use A321s I think which have a wider cabin to help fit these in the first place. All these VA options look to drive cost up at a time they aren't making huge amounts . Good luck getting J redemptions too with such a small cabin. As Sir Humphrey might say "Courageous decision" Minister. I'm prepared to wait for details to be announced and proven wrong though

 

[serfty]

Re: Easy fix for VA - new 737 J class!

There's the AA version on their three class A321T's.

Some pics:







[pics courtesy of www.nycaviation.com]