No more menus in the seat pockets in Y

[TirEoghain]

Just noticed on my last 3 flights that they no longer seem to have any menus in the seat pockets, and just have the last few pages of the Voyeur magazine being used for the menu.

Do you think this is the way it will be? Was quite amusing watching the amount of people trying to find the menu in the seat pocket, despite the crew saying that the menu is in the back of the magazine.

One good thing I noticed that the Pure Blonde is now priced at $6 instead of $7. Think an sandwich has been added too. I'm not sure though as I always have something in the lounge if I'm peckish.


As an aside, it was also a bit amusing hearing the cabin supervisor welcome the business class guests when the J cabin was empty. Next I was expecting her to put up the barricade and announce that the toilet at the front was for business class only. Thankfully once airbourne they seemed to recognise the absence of any J passengers. Surely they would have known not to expect any on the flight?

 

[KCMil]

Interesting too that two weeks before christmas there was a MEL-BNE flight trying out "full service" as in hot meal to all on board. People with clipboards and stop watches seen on board!!!

 

[Fruitcake]

KCMil, that is incredibly interesting.

 

[lovestotravel]

Interesting too that two weeks before christmas there was a MEL-BNE flight trying out "full service" as in hot meal to all on board. People with clipboards and stop watches seen on board!!!

Confirms the rumours on here and other forums about Virgin going full service on all routes in Q1 this year!

A good move from Virgin, considering they charge similar to Qantas they should include a meal on all flights!

 

[Fruitcake]

A good move from Virgin, considering they charge similar to Qantas they should include a meal on all flights!

Surely the consistency assured by a buy-on-board menu is more important?

 

[TirEoghain]

That would leave very little diference between a Saver and a Flexi, assuming that most of us here would already have baggage allowance.

How was the food served? Wasn't in those flexi fare cartons was it?

 

[williamsf1]

Interesting too that two weeks before christmas there was a MEL-BNE flight trying out "full service" as in hot meal to all on board. People with clipboards and stop watches seen on board!!!

What was the meal ? What aircraft type? how was it served?

 

[markis10]

Confirms the rumours on here and other forums about Virgin going full service on all routes in Q1 this year!

A good move from Virgin, considering they charge similar to Qantas they should include a meal on all flights!

Yes, although some seemed to think VA would not be able to do it, given the shambles the current system is in re choice in J and in Y it might be easier. Lets hope variety is a key word in the changes

 

[oz_mark]

A good move from Virgin, considering they charge similar to Qantas they should include a meal on all flights!

Now, if only Qantas included a meal on all flights (unless you count a Luken and May biscuit as a meal)!

 

[bullerdude]

Interesting too that two weeks before christmas there was a MEL-BNE flight trying out "full service" as in hot meal to all on board. People with clipboards and stop watches seen on board!!!

Well given they print new editions of the Mag often, maybe we could see slight variations in the menu more often as well...

Interesting too that two weeks before christmas there was a MEL-BNE flight trying out "full service" as in hot meal to all on board. People with clipboards and stop watches seen on board!!!

I'm glad to see they are actually testing this out... as opposed to just rolling it out and hoping for the best.

At first, I suspect the full service will be limited to capital cities only, and probably certain times of the day for the hot meals.

That would leave very little diference between a Saver and a Flexi, assuming that most of us here would already have baggage allowance.

I am wondering how this will work with the (reported) introduction of the saver lite fare. It could be something like:

Saver Lite: Seat
Saver: Seat, Bag, Meal
Flexi: Seat, Bag, Meal and Flexible

What ever the outcome, I agree the that gap between saver and Flexi is narrowing. I hope they change the Flexi fare in some way to make it worth the extra money - like perhaps making it actually flexible... so you can change flight without paying for the fare difference. In my mind, the only real benefit right now is the extra status credits a flexi gets, the food is not worth it.

 

[EuroFlyer]

Agree with you on the points below. Flexi is only good for extra status credits. I always think its a joke when you actually need to change it that they ask for more money if their is a fare difference !! Why call it flexi when in fact its only flexi if the seat fair isnt different

I am wondering how this will work with the (reported) introduction of the saver lite fare. It could be something like:

Saver Lite: Seat
Saver: Seat, Bag, Meal
Flexi: Seat, Bag, Meal and Flexible

What ever the outcome, I agree the that gap between saver and Flexi is narrowing. I hope they change the Flexi fare in some way to make it worth the extra money - like perhaps making it actually flexible... so you can change flight without paying for the fare difference. In my mind, the only real benefit right now is the extra status credits a flexi gets, the food is not worth it.

 

[markis10]

It's a flexi because it can be changed in the last 24 hours, cheaper fares cannot be changed, same with the QF flexi, both airlines apply an applicable fare difference.

 

[EuroFlyer]

You seem to know a bit more about this so maybe you can help me get it a bit better.
For example I book a flexi fare that is say 100 bucks more than the saver fare and come to change it as my travel plans have been changed. Virgin quote me a fare difference, is the fare difference the difference of what i paid for my flexi ticket to what the saver fare of the changed flight is? say the cheapest fare for the new flight may be 70 bucks more than what i paid for my flexi? may seem a silly question but prefer to know exactly how it works.

It's a flexi because it can be changed in the last 24 hours, cheaper fares cannot be changed, same with the QF flexi, both airlines apply an applicable fare difference.

 

[markis10]

You seem to know a bit more about this so maybe you can help me get it a bit better.
For example I book a flexi fare that is say 100 bucks more than the saver fare and come to change it as my travel plans have been changed. Virgin quote me a fare difference, is the fare difference the difference of what i paid for my flexi ticket to what the saver fare of the changed flight is? say the cheapest fare for the new flight may be 70 bucks more than what i paid for my flexi? may seem a silly question but prefer to know exactly how it works.

For flexis, the fare difference is current fare less previous paid, which often will be more unless you are changing from a popular to less popular flight. A colleague of mine wanted to get home from DRW to SYD earlier by a few hours, was quoted $600 to fly via ADL saving an hour with QF.

 

[kevrosmith]

You seem to know a bit more about this so maybe you can help me get it a bit better.
For example I book a flexi fare that is say 100 bucks more than the saver fare and come to change it as my travel plans have been changed. Virgin quote me a fare difference, is the fare difference the difference of what i paid for my flexi ticket to what the saver fare of the changed flight is? say the cheapest fare for the new flight may be 70 bucks more than what i paid for my flexi? may seem a silly question but prefer to know exactly how it works.

How I understand it is this: each Fare type (Saver, Flexi) can have multiple fare classes/buckets. Often these different fare buckets represent different price points. As the cheaper fare buckets run out, the price shown increases. This is what they mean by "Yield management" as well: they will sometimes replenish fares in cheaper fare buckets to make more seats available at a cheaper rate.

So if you buy a Flexi on a certain day, it is within a certain Fare bucket/class with a certain price point. When you go to make a change, there may be the same Fare class available at the same price point and therefore you wouldn't have to pay more. Due to the time lag between when you purchase your fare and attempt to make a change, there is a high possibility that your Fare class has run out of its availability, and therefore the price difference you are paying is for a higher fare bucket/class within the same Fare Type.

I hope that makes sense. And happy for people to correct me.



(The letters in the brackets are the Fare classes)

 

[simongr]

On the small number of whY flights on VA I have taken I have asked for food and been advised that there was no hot food for purchase. I was on a flexi so got a free drink and snack but couldn't buy food. This was a post 6PM flight would have had food on QF.

 

[lovestotravel]

Yes, although some seemed to think VA would not be able to do it, given the shambles the current system is in re choice in J and in Y it might be easier. Lets hope variety is a key word in the changes

Well if they can't change the menu for a small number of meals in J.. How will they do it for Y..........

 

[lovestotravel]

On the small number of whY flights on VA I have taken I have asked for food and been advised that there was no hot food for purchase. I was on a flexi so got a free drink and snack but couldn't buy food. This was a post 6PM flight would have had food on QF.

That's the biggest FAIL in the current VA food offerings

No hot meals for dinner on MEL-SYD-MEL and SYD-BNE-SYD - Shorter than 3 hour flights from memory ?

 

[markis10]

Well if they can't change the menu for a small number of meals in J.. How will they do it for Y..........

No idea, but I am guessing economies of scale given it likely to be 100x more meals needed on any given day and that same scale of people complaining when they get the same cough wrap might make a difference!