of Virgin, check-in and stuff

[jakeseven7]

FYI I believe that the terminals are rented space from the respective owners of each airport. This has caused a bit of friction over who pays for what.
I assume that the lounges came furnished as they were taken over from AN and if that is the case surely the owner needs to replace them???

Then why is it that the DJ terminals look like something from a 3rd world (embarrasing) and Qantas manages to keep theirs clean, bright and new?

I just had visitors from O/S, flying Mel-Lst. Qantas had sold out, and Jet* was pretty full so DJ was the cheaper alternative. They booked a round trip with DJ but had such a horror flight (dirty terminal, dirty plane, late plane - no apologies just a silly laughing sorry and irritating staff) that they cancelled the DJ flight back and flew Jet*

I felt a little embarrased saying DJ weren't that bad.

 

[Yada Yada]

Then why is it that the DJ terminals look like something from a 3rd world (embarrasing) and Qantas manages to keep theirs clean, bright and new?

I just had visitors from O/S, flying Mel-Lst. Qantas had sold out, and Jet* was pretty full so DJ was the cheaper alternative. They booked a round trip with DJ but had such a horror flight (dirty terminal, dirty plane, late plane - no apologies just a silly laughing sorry and irritating staff) that they cancelled the DJ flight back and flew Jet*

I felt a little embarrased saying DJ weren't that bad.

Gotta say I am surprised to hear this. I've never experienced anything like that. You really should write to them. Hopefully crazydave98 from DJ will see your post and get in touch.

 

[DJ CC]

The DJ terminals are rented space the QF ones are owned by QF. So QF can do to theres as they as they please which includes perhaps having more cleaners than provided by the terminal operators.

Jakeseven7 I would let the company know of your experience because the best way to get things changed is complain. Unfortunately the public that do any feedback questions at the airport feel that the terminals and aircraft are clean. However it sounds like you and I have a higher standard as to what is clean

As for the stories about the staff. I am sure that if you ask around each airline has its own bad apples. If you fly regularly you will hopefully see more of the good employees rather than focusing on the small minority that make up any employers workforce in this country. I am sure you could tell me your profession and we could think of some bad experiences.

 

[jakeseven7]

The DJ terminals are rented space the QF ones are owned by QF. So QF can do to theres as they as they please which includes perhaps having more cleaners than provided by the terminal operators.

Jakeseven7 I would let the company know of your experience because the best way to get things changed is complain. Unfortunately the public that do any feedback questions at the airport feel that the terminals and aircraft are clean. However it sounds like you and I have a higher standard as to what is clean

As for the stories about the staff. I am sure that if you ask around each airline has its own bad apples. If you fly regularly you will hopefully see more of the good employees rather than focusing on the small minority that make up any employers workforce in this country. I am sure you could tell me your profession and we could think of some bad experiences.

DJ must think that their lounges are clean enough... If they wanted to they could hire their own cleaners in addition to those provided by the leasor.. I mean I agree they are always dirty, but also just old and tatty. Total refurb 8)

I wasn't the one flying DJ, but I know my friends did complain, I'll drop them a line and see what response they got. I think what got to them the most is that DJ treated everyone like kids saying lines like 'Yea so we are 2 hours late we'll go extra fast across the Bass Strait to make it up'. Not once was there a sincere apology for inconveniencing their customers.

Personally, I stopped flying DJ this year, I gave them a red hot go (about 6 flights?) and was let down either by delays, lack of frequency for changing flights and my own personal preference for less obstrusive and professional service. My last flight with DJ was when the FA tried to play HANGMAN with the pax, screeching down the intercom. No one played, it was a Fri PM flight back to Syd from Mel full of blue/white collars, probably like me forced onto DJ due to lack of avails on QF :roll:

 

[Dalmien76]

DJ's terminals

Jakeseven7, Like DJ CC said, the airport terminals where DJ are located are leased and they are at the mercy of the owners of the terminal space when it comes to refurbishment. I believe that they are gradually being refurbished, but unfortunatly like all things, it will take time to happen. Overall, I believe that the terminals are relatively clean compared to many around the world that I have been through, the terminals here in Australia certainly cough over some I have seen at international airports.

As for delays etc, can I draw your attention to this website: http://www.btre.gov.au/statistics/aviation/otp_month.aspx - This is where the on time performance is tracked for all domestic airlines that operate in Australia. As you can see, when you compare Virgin Blue to its nearest competitor (Qantas) and they are currently beating them on performance in all areas. DJ even beat Jetstar and Jetstar have a substantually lower amount of sectors flown and they have an on time performance of lower than 90%. The travelling pubic need to understant that delays caused by storms, aircraft issues and the like are a common part of the aviation history, and until they build an aircraft that can withstand lightning strikes, can land/take off in no visability, that will never, ever break down, then we, as the travelling public, will just have to put up with this. Having DJ in this country means that many more people can afford to travel, because with out them, air travel will only be affordable to those who drive BMW's, own mansions, and earn a wage of at least 6 figures. The sooner that people learn to deal with the fact that life never runs perfect all the time the better things will be.

Sorry to seem so harsh, but all we seem to do is spend our life complaining about when things go bad, how about complimenting when things go right.

:roll: :wink:

 

[drron]

Just done the trip to sydney on virgin.Did leave maroochy 20 minutes late to sydney but only 10 minutes late on arrival.Back on saturday,left on time and 5 minutes early into maroochy.Beats jetstar from the sunny coast.
Added bonus was being assigned an exit row seat at checkin going to sydney.For the price paid I would rate it good value.

 

[jakeseven7]

Re: DJ's terminals

As for delays etc, can I draw your attention to this website: http://www.btre.gov.au/statistics/aviation/otp_month.aspx - This is where the on time performance is tracked for all domestic airlines that operate in Australia. As you can see, when you compare Virgin Blue to its nearest competitor

Sorry to seem so harsh, but all we seem to do is spend our life complaining about when things go bad, how about complimenting when things go right.

:roll: :wink:

Oh I do all the time, I just compliment airlines that get me there on time, have decent terminals and flexibility with their schedules, which in Australia for me is QF.

Along with many others I don't buy Virgins on time recording system until they catch up to the 21st century and get electronic tracking. Their manual system reeks of the fox guarding the chicken coop. My company is currently re-reviewing our 'best fare of the day' policy to a negotiated contract with QF Group again (domestic only) primarilly because of complaints about DJ on time performance and schedule changes.

I completely agree that a second tier airline, in this case - DJ, is necessary in Australia to keep QF honest, and for the leisure traveller could well be a good option. Just wish it could still be AN instead

 

[crazydave98]

Dear Jakeseven7

I'm surprised that members of a group as informed (and it must be said generally sceptical) as this forum fall for Qantas' propaganda about our "manual" system. It's just so much easier for them to try to bag us than to actually improve their own on time performance. As well as beating their on-time performance every month since late 2004, we consistantly cancelled fewer flights. I wonder what the Qantas spin doctors will make of this - maybe we operate phantom flights complete with faked calls to control towers and alter the flight information displays at the airports to show that the cancelled flights actually departed? How about the fake baggage we put on the carousels at the destination airports and the rent-a-crowd - that fools them every time!

I will happily personally escort you through Virgin Blue's operations department to show you the process by which we record departure and arrival times to assure you of the integrity and accuracy of our process. In return, I would ask that we get a chance to present our case for our superior on time performance to your company

Funny how in the one post you can tell Virgin Blue to get with the times and yet still pine for your beloved Ansett (famously the only airline in the world to have an engineer in a B767). Especially ironic that you mention it in the same post as schedule. I can't lay my hands on an AN schedule right now, but I will perform some humilating public act (like flying JQ) if we don't presently operate a greater number of services than they did on SYD-MEL, MEL-BNE and SYD-BNE. Today we operate 24 return services SYD-MEL, which is 75% of QF, and 71% of what QF does on SYD-BNE. That's not to mention that our fully flexible fares are in the range where AN had 21 & 14 day advance-purchase fares, so we also give greater flexibility for the money. Ansett is dead - get over it. As an aside, nobody seems to remember that the two reasons Qantas can now offer a greater frequency than 5 years ago are, first, the vacum left by Ansett's crash and, second, the number of new travellers brought into the market by low fares introduced by guess who? We fully appreciate how critical frequency of service and flexibility of fares are to business traveller, and we're working to match them - but Qantas had rather a long headstart as well as the free kick when Ansett crashed.

Jakeseven7, I fully appreciate your comments about our style of service and have put some grumpy robots on order. Seriously though, I take at least 2 (often 4) flights a week, and I know the last thing I want is a "memorable" or "fun" flight. We are aiming to align service delivery as we move from our leisure roots to more of a focus on business travellers. Stay tuned for a major change to the Blue Room to be announced this coming week.

Enough of a rant from me. Sorry Jakeseven7 - I wasn't meaning to pick on you. Thanks for having given us a go and sorry we didn't meet your expectations, but I hope you will give us another chance some time in the future. Please just don't expect Ansett MkII

cheers

CrazyDave98

 

[jakeseven7]

Dear Jakeseven7

I will happily personally escort you through Virgin Blue's operations department to show you the process by which we record departure and arrival times to assure you of the integrity and accuracy of our process. In return, I would ask that we get a chance to present our case for our superior on time performance to your company

Seriously though, I take at least 2 (often 4) flights a week, and I know the last thing I want is a "memorable" or "fun" flight. We are aiming to align service delivery as we move from our leisure roots to more of a focus on business travellers.

Enough of a rant from me. Sorry Jakeseven7 - I wasn't meaning to pick on you. Thanks for having given us a go and sorry we didn't meet your expectations, but I hope you will give us another chance some time in the future.

I'd love to have a tour of DJ operations! heh heh, and I can point you to our procurement department if you want to re-pitch but I have a nasty feeling that QF has swooped in and presented a good case for returning to the fold as we find out on Monday new travel policy.

I acutally prefer best fare of the day (because it gives me more flexibility when flying international).

I just pine for Ansett service lol...even though AirNZ went bankrupt when I was still at uni..! QF is ok, and I'm sorry but DJ is just too annoying for regular business travel atm BUT I am very happy that the airline is addressing this as it is a common complaint around the place. Leave the happy memorable first time flyer moments to Jetstar who are the low fare airline now.

Will look forward to seeing these changes you have alluded to and I always try something new, even a new version of DJ.

 

[Yada Yada]

I'm surprised that members of a group as informed (and it must be said generally sceptical) as this forum fall for Qantas' propaganda about our "manual" system. It's just so much easier for them to try to bag us than to actually improve their own on time performance. As well as beating their on-time performance every month since late 2004, we consistantly cancelled fewer flights.

CrazyDave98 - thanks for your post. As I've written elsewhere on this forum, my personal travel experience matches what you've said - Virgin Blue has better on-time performance than Qantas, no question about it.

[soapbox] I've never had a problem with what the DJ FA's say on board - I much prefer them to the often snooty QF crews I've encountered. And I cannot see what the big fuss is about them saying "we hope you flight is fun and memorable". As a business traveller I do not find this any more irritating than listening to Angela Caterns say "subtly, every aircraft is different" and "...you may be sitting in a different seat each time you fly". Big deal. People need to get a sense of humour.
[/soapbox]

If I have one wish for change at Virgin Blue, it's that you put in 3 or 4 rows of 2+2 seating up the front with extra leg space. I don't need business class, I just want more space. And I'll pay for it, and I reckon you'd begin to steal QF business class travellers if it was priced right.

 

[oz_mark]

We fully appreciate how critical frequency of service and flexibility of fares are to business traveller, and we're working to match them - but Qantas had rather a long headstart as well as the free kick when Ansett crashed.

Hi CrazyDave98,

While I don't want to get to much hung on this debate (and being from Perth, I have views about the two products currently on offer and how well they suit the longer haul market), but this comment is one I couldn't let go.

My view is that both Qantas and Virgin Blue were given free kicks by the Ansett crash. I doubt Virgin would be the airline it is today if Ansett were still around.

 

[Dalmien76]

Originally Posted by oz_mark
My view is that both Qantas and Virgin Blue were given free kicks by the Ansett crash. I doubt Virgin would be the airline it is today if Ansett were still around

Man, all I can say about this comment is that you would think that after 5 years, can't people give this whole "If it wasn't for the Ansett collapse, Virgin and QANTAS wouldn't be what they are today"

Unless your a psychic and you can see alternative time lines and see what things would have been like if Ansett was around, then how can you make a ridiculous statement like that.

It has been 5 years since Ansett were around, can you please give it a rest already with Ansett. I lost my job with them, but I have moved on and realised that hanging onto the past can only be detrimental to ones health.

The 2 major players in Australia's Airline industry are now QANTAS and VIRGIN BLUE, let's live with that and move on.....

Well, thats my 2 cents worth anyway.

 

[oz_mark]

Man, all I can say about this comment is that you would think that after 5 years, can't people give this whole "If it wasn't for the Ansett collapse, Virgin and QANTAS wouldn't be what they are today"

Unless your a psychic and you can see alternative time lines and see what things would have been like if Ansett was around, then how can you make a ridiculous statement like that.

It has been 5 years since Ansett were around, can you please give it a rest already with Ansett. I lost my job with them, but I have moved on and realised that hanging onto the past can only be detrimental to ones health.

The 2 major players in Australia's Airline industry are now QANTAS and VIRGIN BLUE, let's live with that and move on.....

Well, thats my 2 cents worth anyway.

I didn't say anythin about Qantas not being the airline it is today. I was simply responding to CrazyDave's comment that Qantas got a free kick from the Ansett collapse. I believe both airlines gained some benefit from it. Please read my comment within that context.

 

[NRMOZ]

Memories and Fun - what's wrong with that on a business flight?

As a long time QF flier, and GF Gold FF (mostly gained through 'back of the bus' flights. as I work with corporates who hate paying business....)

I've also been using the DJ services of late to save further corporate dollars.

Last flight north was a recent late afternoon Sydney - Rockhampton direct; full of local school girls returning to Yeppoon from a choral festival in Tasmania.

"Self" I thought, "This is going to be noisy and uncomfortable!"

It wasn't; the FAs quickly found the common ground with ALL their passengers and by mid flight we were being treated to a round of equisitely sung songs, first by the choir girls and then by one of the FAs (he would do well on Idol!)

The trip was pleasant, fun and memorable. Good one Virgin!

 

[acampbel]

Return from Brisbane to Sydney last night on my first "voluntary" Virgin flight. I arrived at the terminal about an hour before the flight. Went to the self-check terminals to see where I was at (window seat in row 6). It took about 15 seconds to load the seat map and then I switched myself to 4C and printed the boarding pass - probably 60-90 seconds all up.

I wandered up to departures to peek in at The Lounge. Looked very nice and uncrowded but I wasn't about to fork out $30 to check it out with only 30 minutes to boarding. Walked around new bits of the terminal that I had never seen before.

The flight left exactly on time, was crewed by friendly and professional staff, and was clean and comfortable. We landed on time and were efficiently dispatched from the aircraft with apparently sincere good nature.

All in all about 9 out of 10 (1 mark off for no beer).


Qantas had better lift their game or I can see a gradual drift of the business crowd to Virgin.


Cheers,


Andrew

 

[Yada Yada]

I wandered up to departures to peek in at The Lounge. Looked very nice and uncrowded but I wasn't about to fork out $30 to check it out with only 30 minutes to boarding.

I used DJ's BNE lounge for the first time on Monday evening this week - it is very nice indeed. I've been in all three of DJ's lounges now and can say that they are all great. Free internet access is a real bonus for me, as is the real coffee made on a real machine by a real person.

 

[DJ737]

Hi there

Will be in the SYD lounge 15:30-17:45 (or therabouts) on Sunday 23 July, if anyone is departing SYD that afternoon (Do not have to be flying Virgin), they are welcome to join me as my guest.

As i am only allowed 1 guest, it's first come first served.......PM me for a free beer or whatever your poison is

Cheers
DJ737

 

[acampbel]

A very generous offer, DJ737, and I am almost tempted to take you up on it just to see what The Lounge is like. On the other hand ..... I am not actually flying tomorrow and it might seem a little bit desperate to drive 20 minutes out of my way for a free beer. Why don't you hang about the Quick Check terminals (is that what the Virgin ones are called?) and find the person most deserving of your help. You know - the young single one. Then whilst assisting them to select their ticket you can decide if they are "Lounge-worthy" and make the appropriate advances.

That's what I would do, if I wasn't married.

But on the general topic of patronage, I tried to offer a "free pass" to anyone doing QF1 a couple of weeks ago but got no takers. I think this was more to do with the qualification restrictions for international guests (must be same flight), than my popularity (though a few on this site would differ), so have not been put off the idea in general.

Now it looks like we will have a return to 2 full-service airlines, both of whom reward loyalty and provide extra services for a fixed cost. At the same time more and more businesses are purely focused on the $ and insist upon BFOD and user-pays for lounge access. We are being squeezed in the middle so I think we should set up a barter system. Something like this :-

I sponsor an "associate" into the QC, earning my self 1 point.
I can then spend that point at The Lounge by hooking up with another associate who is traveling that day on Virgin.

Do you think the ATO would get us before Qantas and Virgin cottoned on?


Cheers,

Andrew

 

[jazzamcc]

I checked in online this morning for my ADL-SYD flight for this afternoon, and for the first time it didn't offer me Zone 1. I think it may be because I was using my points for the flight, and relegated me more towards the rear. I ended choosing row 24 (last row 737-700), and had a nice trip home.
Don't mind the last row actually. Yesterday, on a 737-800, I was also in the last row, and had a great recline. Legroom was less, but didn't really matter to me.
Adelaide airport is great, though staff at ADL aren't too friendly like SYD or BNE. Only 2 desks open when I dropped my bag off. No-one else in the queue. Made my way through security, and noticed the sign for the Blue room, which they will have to change. It is a work in progress, but should be open within a month or so.
Virgin has 5 gates, but only require 3 at the most, but may ramp up services to compete with Jetstar eg ADL-DRW??

 

[Yada Yada]

Made my way through security, and noticed the sign for the Blue room, which they will have to change.

That reminds me... on my DJ flight BNE-CBR the week before last, the FA making the cabin announcement about the new Lounge got it wrong, saying that a casual visit was only $5.00. That was the cost for a casual visit to the Blue Room!