Thinking it's time to give VA the flick

[simongr]

Good that you have given it a go tough!

I haven't heard of the op up down on QF just on VA.

 

[RooFlyer]

Haven't done much with VA lately, so disappointed to hear that the website / Sabre has degenerated the experience. Taking away an op-up at the gate is pretty bad.

I did take a points return J flight yesterday and it was brilliant. Priority security and PB were both 'walk through', really nice crew and meals. The lot .

May have to stick with freebies for a while, by the sound of it!

 

[nlagalle]

Good that you have given it a go tough!

I haven't heard of the op up down on QF just on VA.

I really thought I could keep flying both, but they just seem to remove any want to continue to persevere with them.

Never had an OP down on QF.

 

[RWJ777]

Certainly a recent experience DPS-SYD on VA was disgraceful. I wrote a complaint setting out in some detail the problems. I didn't even receive an acknowledgement. I have not been in a VA aircraft since. Seems to me that VA's competitive advantage is QF being so awful at times; now that QF is improving thanks to AJ's crew re-education camps and so on, VA's competitive advantage is slipping.

 

[Deleted member 29185]

I've spent about 10 hours on the phone in the past month trying to get issues fixed

TEN :shock:, now I'm jealous.

How come you've been let off so lightly? I can recall one 4 hour phone call and there's been many other 2+ hour calls. I'd estimate since sabre, I've lost double that amount of time.

 

[DaleS]

While being pretty disappointed with the new website for all the reasons outlined by members I've been flying with VA ever since QF left us high & dry at OOL. In that time I have gone from Red to Platinum with a combo of business domestic & int flights and while some flights have been average depending on crew I've never had a bad experience on any VA flight. I do sympathise with nlagalle tho. I would hate to have that happen.

 

[Deleted member 29185]

There was a post somewhere indicating the SABRE implementation team was needed elsewhere and it was January or bust (AKA late this year).

I read that too, but to be honest, with hindsight recognised as a wonderful thing, it appears we'll still be waiting until later in the year anyway, except with a delayed implementation, we'd have had the benefit of a workable system we were all use to, as opposed to an exceptionally ordinary system requiring many hours of lost time and frustration to make anything more complex than the simplest bookings.

 

[grubbidok]

My experience was the complete opposite. A few QF flights this week only reinforced that I'd made the right decision to give QF the flick. I'm only SG on both though, perhaps the difference is towards the top - that VA don't treat WP as well as QF does. Grass isn't always greener - the ways QF screwed me over have nothing on VA, even despite my recent trouble with them.

The op-down is pretty inexcusable, for anyone but the damage to VA is greater for a regularly flying WP who would know exactly what's been taken away. Sounds like something that needs to be escalated and I think deserves every bit of DYKWIA you throw at them.

The complete lack of acknowledgement by VA of the complete clusterf**k of the past few months is inexcusable IMO, especially in relation to communication with the high status flyers it wants to retain.

 

[Deleted member 29185]

Personally i'm not too concerned about the actual mechanics of the sabre switchover. I know that's heretical around here but from following FT and elsewhere the bugs are pretty standard for a switch of this scale and more or less what i expected in advance.

I'm thinking there will be VA flyers like you, with a philosophical outlook on this entire mess, but I'm also guessing it will be more because you've been a DJ flyer and can see the benefits over what was there. VA has not been so kind to all their old guard loyal patrons and have shown absolute distain to many. Now, with a number of the newly won QF flyers openly questioning their flying stadegies, I'm wondering if VA might now be thinking about all those previously loyal customers who are still smarting from the repetitive snubs during the "let's treat the newly won disloyal flyers much, much better than our proven loyal bunnies" campaigns of last year.

Karma, I call it. Hope they learn a lesson in loyalty being a two way street.

 

[bullerdude]

I've been happy with the recent flying experiences - particularly in business class which I believe has substantially improved since the sub-standard flight I had last year.

Perhaps, I’ve been just been lucky with my timing… given the not-so-good experiences some of you guys have had.

I’ve another 4 flights in the next few weeks to Sydney and the Gold Coast so I guess I’ll see if I continue to be lucky.

I am however extremely frustrated with the booking/online experience. The new frontend components of Sabre (i.e. booking, manage, check-in etc) are not only poorly integrated, but they just don’t work properly.

Now I see that some of you were complaining about Qantas having issues over the last week and comparing this to VA. Personally, I think Qantas got it right – they upgraded their site and probably expected some issue in the week following the upgrade (just like we expected issue following VA’s upgrade) but now it seems like Qantas has moved quickly to fix these issues and get the site working correct. I just logged into QF for the first time since the upgrade and everything appears to work for me, and unlike VA, I can actually find/do what I want!

Now compare this to VA, it’s been like 7 weeks since the upgrade and everyone is still experiencing issues everywhere, and the website still sucks.

If we break it down into pieces, this is how I see it:

• The VA website itself (i.e. everything but the booking parts) is pretty fine, I don’t mind the overall current design of the VA site.
• The ‘Sabre’ components in the VA site are the horrible parts (i.e booking engine, manage booking, web check-in, limited velocity integration). Put simply, to me it looks like bits of Sabre were just dropped into the VA site without much testing from a usability point-of-view
• The velocity website should have been upgraded at the same time but all they really did was try to make it work with Sabre and fail as it is still partially non-functional. It is clear that some of the Velocity sections such as book-with-point and manage booking by logging in with your velocity number are done by Sabre and are now part of the main VA site. In fact, I just go straight to the VA site fort these activities. I am really hoping VA plans to integrate the rest of the velocity site into the VA site, as right now the lack of integration between them just sucks.

Overall, I think VA need to get their act together on properly integrating their website so that the customer has a seemless booking experience. If they leave it disjointed then ultimately I think it will cost them some business.

 

[serfty]

There were significant changes made to the underlying VA website in the week or two after the switchover.

Immediately after the SABRE go live it was almost non functioning. (Have a look at some of the posts around then.)

The biggest pain for me is seat selection and not being able to do so online. (i'm ok with the WP only area) I have spent much of my time on hold merely to do this.

 

[eastwest101]

Regarding the IT/Sabre transition, for me, at the moment its a pretty simple matter of simply stating what works and what does not.

VA site - bookings work - the following don't work - OLCI, manage my booking, points upgrades, international booking of any kind, booking YASA or JASA using points, etc etc
Velocity - nothing works at all, pretty simple really - not accruing or getting points/SC credited or any of the above.

I agree with others that with Sabre they just should have integrated the Velocity website inside the VA website like every other airline whom has any sort of competent online presence. Now its to the point where they need to redesign a web site from the ground up using the existing Sabre architecture (which is proven technology), actually test it, and then put the existing VA and Velocity websites out of their misery. :evil:

Of course, YMMV, but on other related VA stuff, sometimes its the little things that make a difference. Like having to call to even select a seat, saw a little bit of a PB fail on VA for the first time in a while, or like leaving full rubbish bags on the airbridge when boarding a flight, or the old "no hot beverages will be served on this flight due to weather" despite the cruise being smooth enough for cabin service (and then seeing crew having a cup of coffee in the back galley), or those last minute gate changes that empty a full E190 out in the middle of a downpour at BNE (despite there being at least 4-6 airbridges available).

I could go on about the debacle that is called IFE on VA etc etc but I know that QF/JQ are not much better sometimes - PB anyone?? :shock: They are just worse at different things than VA - certainly neither VA or QF could claim to be very consistent. It weird that after flying both a bit - I can't believe that VA makes a profit sometimes, and, for completely different reasons, I still can't fathom how QFi and QFd don't make money.....

EDIT: And then just to make an cough out of my vent - my second flight of the day on VA was great! Started with a really great Lounge Angel getting me a seat that I wanted and good lounge experience, then one of the refurbished older 738's with gate to gate IFE, plane busy but not packed, different crew who provided great freindly service, better catering etc etc - it was like I was flying a different airline! or maybe the VA of 2011-12, not the 2013 one.

 

[KCMil]

Having already re-qual'd PG on Qantas i thought over the last month or so i would direct my flying to Virgin to do my re-qual there. I'm beginning to think i may be wasting my time after tonight..

I've had to put up with a useless website (no one can tell me that the website is good). I can't select seats online,

I've had more delayed flights this year on my VA flights than all of last year on QF.

Putting up with Sabre is something I'd like to forget.

The staff have little enthusiasm anymore, my last Qantas flight they were a lot happier.

The flexi food is a waste of a cardboard box, actually i think tonight i would have eaten the box.

The lounge still has no spirits!

Tonight was the icing on the cake. Arrived at SYD and used the premium entrance which i do think is brilliant. THe lounge was a complete Zoo thanks to the weather and re-furbishing works. To my surprise when i received my boarding pass i'd been upgraded to J.. Very happy i was, and despite all the delays my flight wasn't too late compared to some. Anyway as boarding was a total mess. people just lined up where they want and there was no order.. PB fail here. THen my BP scans red. told to go and see the agent for a new BP. I'm then given a BP for 7B. i'm like WTF???? couldn't even get my original seat back. no excuse no real apology. I may be a DYKWIA here, but that sort of stuff up is unacceptable. If you are going to OPUP someone leave them there! I had my usual Row 3 seat, then i get relegated back to a middle seat.

I see very little reason to keep wasting time, the Red Roo is looking so much better.

nlagalle, I can tell you for a fact that the upgrade/downgrade should never have happened. They have a policy now that once upgraded, it sticks! This is a sheer case of "I don't give a stuff" by the ground agent who changed your seat, be it the one who handed the boarding pass to you or the ops department who directed it. I hope you brought that up with the guest experience person who contacted you.

 

[nlagalle]

nlagalle, I can tell you for a fact that the upgrade/downgrade should never have happened. They have a policy now that once upgraded, it sticks! This is a sheer case of "I don't give a stuff" by the ground agent who changed your seat, be it the one who handed the boarding pass to you or the ops department who directed it. I hope you brought that up with the guest experience person who contacted you.

That may be the case, but it seems to happen on a too regular occurance.. As i already had a complaint in i emailed then phoned my Guest person (from the CEO office), i am yet to hear back..

 

[KCMil]

HIya nlagalle, just letting you know your msg inbox is full so couldn't msg you back

 

[nlagalle]

try now...

 

[cove]

Expecting any comped upgrades any time soon Nick????
The back seat next to the jump seat for you now.

 

[jasejman2000]

Having flown QF for a few trips just did a trip to MCY on VA with my family. At Melb they changed the gate twice which meant we had to go through security 3 times, 2 of those times with the other 100+ people on our flight (long queues). Flight was over 1 hour late (bad weather in Melb so that was understandable). Got on flight and walked past 2 stewards who never even said hello! Halfway through the flight had to do the inevitable nappy change of our 1 year old. Went to toilets but no change table installed in any of them. Sign on door said it was meant to have one. Complained. Steward then suggested that I change bubs on the toilet seat (you've gotta be kidding) so told them that it was gonna happen on our cabin seats (had a change mat luckily and it wasn't no 2's). Arrived in MCY. Walked past same 2 stewards. No greeting again. Overall I felt the service sucked! We head back in a couple of days so will be interesting to see how that flight goes. Oh and the booking system is terrible. Had to keep entering velocity number to login to sections of website to access bookings, then select seats, then check points status. Ridiculous! Not impressed at all. The cool factor seems to have gone from Virgin. The crew seemed tired and bored. Looking forward to my QF flights next week.

 

[Sprucegoose]

If VA don't sort this out it will cost them a premium slice of the market. JB knows this.

 

[markis10]

nlagalle, I can tell you for a fact that the upgrade/downgrade should never have happened. They have a policy now that once upgraded, it sticks! This is a sheer case of "I don't give a stuff" by the ground agent who changed your seat, be it the one who handed the boarding pass to you or the ops department who directed it. I hope you brought that up with the guest experience person who contacted you.

Ground Agents with Virgin Australia have way too much power and way too shortsighted in their actions in terms of doing things for the company good.