QANTAS versus VIRGIN Business Flights - Virgin would kill QANTAS/QANTAS Link with service, food and drink. I flew with both in the past fortnight -

[lwcarden]

Virgin was the initial flight I took - Business Class were called to the plane first; drinks were offered - orange juice or champagne; customers were offered help lifting bags (no sign of this in QANTAS); the lunch menu was difficult to choose from either Sate Chicken with Rice or King Prawns with a Vietnamese Salad. I chose the Prawns which were fresh and large and the salad was great. It was served with a bread roll and a cake (gluten free) which was delicious. All drinks were offered - I am unable to drink wine and don't like beer, so the Flight Attendant said what about spirits, and then proceeded to offer them and what would I like with it. They returned later offering another. It really was a great trip with very attentive Flight Attendants who also stopped customers coming from Economy.

I then flew QANTAS Business and experienced the new Melbourne Lounge. The food here was very much Asian along with a salad bar. Had a bit to eat prior to boarding - well that was interesting - the Priority Lane was overflowing with people - forget who was in Business, and I arrived before boarding but in the queue I had about 90% of the plane in front of me - I wan't impressed. The flight was fine and there was water or sparkling offered - no Champagne anymore. There was a couple of choices of food and I chose the pie - a mini one with sauce and a small block of chocolate - no roll offered. The fellow beside me had a cheese and biscuits offering with a bread roll!!! Choice of drinks was red, white wine or water/sparkling. No spirits to be seen. Then flew QANTAS Link to final destination and were to be offered refreshments - chicken in a tomato sauce with broccoli and rice or a salad, which as the Flight Attendant mentioned and showed as it certainly didn't look like one. Along with this was a cake - this was a difficult time as it left at 5pm and arrived at 6: 30pm, so it would have sufficed as a dinner. No one offering tea or coffee or second drinks on either of these flights!!!

Give me Virgin anyday!

 

[jase05]

QF will get you spirits if you ask.
Close to 90% of my domestic flying is with VA J and I really only fly with QF if it’s a connection as part of an international trip. I would say the meals are far better on VA as is the service. PB works most of the time with VA whereas it seems QF don’t really even try to enforce it the same as the use of the J toilet. I do like a nice glass of bubbly before a flight rather than water but it isn’t a deal breaker. Personally I think overall VA give a better service for my needs and at a far better price but I do understand everyone has a different opinion

 

[Ade]

Interesting write up Although I've never set foot on a VA plane so far, I have heard from trusted sources that the meal offerings in VA is far superior to meal offerings in QF.

However, Re : spirits in VA, did you choose (or asked to) to pay for any spirits that was not in the regular J menu ?

customers were offered help lifting bags (no sign of this in QANTAS);

I think QF FA's are NOT supposed to be assisting passengers with placing bags into over head lockers. I think the logic here is, if the bag is too heavy for you (pax) to lift, it has to be checked in as the FA's won't be able to assist you.

I've seen same behaviour in CX too. The FA said that she can't touch the bags of the pax and the pax have to move them around or turn them (if placed incorrectly in the overhead lockers)

So I'm guessing it's a Work and Safety thing for FA's

new Melbourne Lounge. The food here was very much Asian along with a salad bar

Have to agree on this I've had the same feeling when visiting J lounge in MEL. I'd (and I'm sure most pax) would appreciate if the made-to-order food at QF MEL J lounge is varied or rotated (say, Asian on Mondays & Thursdays, Mexican on Fridays & so on so forth). I remember vaguely someone mentioning there is a Mexican food place in MEL QF J, but I've never seen it so far

there was water or sparkling offered - no Champagne anymore.

Now, this is something I'm not happy about. I think, Champagne should be offered when flying Premium cabins. It's always nice to start your flight with a bubbly. I'm sure one would have the opportunity to drink their weight in the lounge before boarding. Personally, for me, I'd like to have a glass of Champagne, after I've settled in my J seat, sipping it slowly, until it's absolutely necessary (for safety reasons) to hand over the glass just prior to taxi (or sometimes, even take off)

I arrived before boarding but in the queue I had about 90% of the plane in front of me - I wan't impressed.

Ha ha Welcome to the club, mate There's so many of us here who share the same sentiment

 

[esseeeayeenn]

Champagne should be offered when flying Premium cabins.

Hard agree but do VA actually serve champagne or just Australian sparkling wine?

 

[Cruiser Elite]

No interest in the content for me - but congratulations OP in skyrocketing to lead of '2019 Longest Thread Title'!

 

[Ade]

Hard agree but do VA actually serve champagne or just Australian sparkling wine?

I'm sorry, I should've been clearer. I meant to type "Sparkling wine", but ended up typing "Champagne"

 

[kamchatsky]

Yes I agree that VA J is better than QF J in most aspects, not to mention that the price is cheaper on VA J.

QF can afford to provide such terrible domestic J is because of the QFF handcuffs. Really the public should be set free of such handcuffs and enjoy better services as well as lower price from VA J.

 

[lwcarden]

Hard agree but do VA actually serve champagne or just Australian sparkling wine?

I'm not sure as I can't drink it - but bubbles are bubbles!!!

 

[samh004]

the Priority Lane was overflowing with people - forget who was in Business, and I arrived before boarding but in the queue I had about 90% of the plane in front of me - I wan't impressed

Whilst I understand from what everyone else tells me – if you're in the wrong line boarding VA they turn you away, perhaps this is why they're losing money, by upsetting flyers? Despite that observation though, can you confirm with 100% accuracy that the long line of people didn't have the right to be there, after all, it is a priority line for status passengers too, and with the rate Qantas has been giving out status credit offers, I wouldn't be surprised if the whole plane had status.

 

[Leethal76]

Regards cabin crew assisting with carry on baggage, Qantas changed this with the increase in total allowable carry on baggage to 14 kg with the heaviest single piece allowed at 10 kg. I believe it simply comes down to OH&S, repeatedly lifting up to 10 kg bags above your shoulders will greatly increase the probability of physical problems for the flight attendant. As I heard one cabin crew advise a passenger, if you can't lift it up then most likely it is overweight. My partner is a physio and she is currently treating 2 VA staff with shoulder and back issues primarily caused by lifting baggage.

On my last 3 flights on QF we have been offered sparkling (Bubbles) wine, perhaps it was the flight departure time which decided if it was offered or not.

On my flight last Sunday night the Priority lane was "full" with no-one in the economy line so I simply walked down that line and boarded quickly, sometimes we do act like cattle

 

[esseeeayeenn]

Whilst I understand from what everyone else tells me – if you're in the wrong line boarding VA they turn you away, perhaps this is why they're losing money, by upsetting flyers? Despite that observation though, can you confirm with 100% accuracy that the long line of people didn't have the right to be there, after all, it is a priority line for status passengers too, and with the rate Qantas has been giving out status credit offers, I wouldn't be surprised if the whole plane had status.

Easily confirmed in two ways:
(1) the number of people who apologise for being in the wrong lane, feign unawareness, and are waved through anyway; and
(2) the number of people sent to the other lane on the rare occasions when QF do actually have a staff member policing it.

 

[esseeeayeenn]

On my last 3 flights on QF we have been offered sparkling (Bubbles) wine, perhaps it was the flight departure time which decided if it was offered or not.

But were you offered this on boarding or during the flight?
AFAIK QF never offers alcoholic drinks on boarding domestic flights, only on international flights.
Obviously flights such as the domestic sectors of QF9 & QF 10 are exceptions.

 

[samh004]

Easily confirmed in two ways:
(1) the number of people who apologise for being in the wrong lane, feign unawareness, and are waved through anyway; and
(2) the number of people sent to the other lane on the rare occasions when QF do actually have a staff member policing it.

Must be a first world problem, as it doesn't seem to upset me as much as it does others here and I've been WP since 2014

What generally upsets me is getting to the J cabin late to find no overhead space and having a crew member tell me to put it down the back... umm, no?

 

[Leethal76]

But were you offered this on boarding or during the flight?

On boarding, a week ago Bris - Syd , however unusually it was a 787 not a 737.

 

[Ade]

What generally upsets me is getting to the J cabin late to find no overhead space and having a crew member tell me to put it down the back... umm, no?

That is annoying, eh !!! I think part of the problem I have noticed is ;

1. Those sitting in Y bulk head or the extra leg room seat (row 4 in 737) take the liberty to put their bags into the J cabin over head spaces. This could happen

a. as they walk into the place or

b. the FA could ask them to put it there or

c. they just sneak into J and leave their bags when the FA is busy or something like that.

I have seen all the 3 scenarios happen

2. When Y overhead space becomes full, the FA then asks some passengers to put their bags into J overhead bins. Now, depending on when this activity happens, the experience could be varied.

a. For instance, if Y cabin gets super full, then the FA might ask the Y pax to put their bags into J lockers even before the flight door is closed or when all pax have boarded. This could mean that the J pax who, according to QF, can board at their leisure is at loss of a overhead space.

b. For instance, the FA notices that the Y cabin overhead is full after all J pax are seated and settled, then it wouldn't be an issue.

I think it depends on the FA, how loaded is the flight and of course, how many pieces of cabin baggage every pax brings in.

 

[esseeeayeenn]

On boarding, a week ago Bris - Syd , however unusually it was a 787 not a 737.

The two things must have been connected.
They would have been international crew, the aircraft was probably coming from or going to an international sector, and they probably had international catering on board.
Certainly an exception not the rule.

 

[BAM1748]

If Virgin are so good why is Virgin's economic position so poor?

 

[esseeeayeenn]

That is annoying, eh !!! I think part of the problem I have noticed is ;

1. Those sitting in Y bulk head or the extra leg room seat (row 4 in 737) take the liberty to put their bags into the J cabin over head spaces. This could happen

a. as they walk into the place or

b. the FA could ask them to put it there or

c. they just sneak into J and leave their bags when the FA is busy or something like that.

I have seen all the 3 scenarios happen

2. When Y overhead space becomes full, the FA then asks some passengers to put their bags into J overhead bins. Now, depending on when this activity happens, the experience could be varied.

a. For instance, if Y cabin gets super full, then the FA might ask the Y pax to put their bags into J lockers even before the flight door is closed or when all pax have boarded. This could mean that the J pax who, according to QF, can board at their leisure is at loss of a overhead space.

b. For instance, the FA notices that the Y cabin overhead is full after all J pax are seated and settled, then it wouldn't be an issue.

I think it depends on the FA, how loaded is the flight and of course, how many pieces of cabin baggage every pax brings in.

One of the reasons this happens is the FAs often put their own bags in the lockers above the first rows in Y.

 

[Ade]

If Virgin are so good why is Virgin's economic position so poor?

They're good and hence their economic position is poor

Just kidding !!

I think the reason why VA isn't doing great economically is because I think that QF has got some what of a monopoly in terms of routes, corporate arrangements & being a sponsor for any major event or such in Australia. Besides, I believe, that being part of OW is helping QF have better connections, better international/overseas presence and things.

There could be a million other things - but the above are that come to my head instantly.

To me, not being part of an alliance is a big NO NO ...

 

[Ade]

One of the reasons this happens is the FAs often put their own bags in the lockers above the first rows in Y.

Agree ! But I have seen some flights where it's clearly marked "Crew Only" on the overhead locker.

And these lockers are really small and sort stuck between J and Y lockers ... Are you referring to the same thing ? Or have I misunderstood you ?