Thinking it's time to give VA the flick

[bullerdude]

I just had a quick try of the eithad website and have to say that the experience feels much better what we are seeing on the VA website.

Its easy to tell that the booking engine is sabre as it has a very similar layout to Virgin, but I honestly found it easier to see needed info whilst making booking. Also, the manage booking pages and the like seem more integrated with the site when compared to VA.

The management team at VA need to wake up and realise that their website is not great and the sabre integration doesn't work well, and get on with making a new site that works.

That said, does anyone have any 'insider' info from VA that could confirm they are aware of this and are actually working on a new site???

 

[BrentH]

I just had a quick try of the eithad website and have to say that the experience feels much better what we are seeing on the VA website.

Its easy to tell that the booking engine is sabre as it has a very similar layout to Virgin, but I honestly found it easier to see needed info whilst making booking. Also, the manage booking pages and the like seem more integrated with the site when compared to VA.

OT: Wondering if Etihad'll have the same issues as Virgin with "fat finger discounts".

Considering offering a cash bounty on mistake fares. :mrgreen:

 

[nlagalle]

Seriously though, I think some people are a little quick to judge. It's been what, a month or so since the change. Things will be bumpy. If it were me, i'd be moving quietly back to QF until things are running smoothly back in the VA camp, then quietly move back.

The problem is that many of these "bugs" should not have been there in the launch, the fact that they will take months to fix now is inexcusable.

It's not just Sabre that leaves a sour taste lately. The staff attitude is not the same and some of problems encountered just feel like it been amateurish. The only shining beacon I see is the Melbourne Lounge staff, especially Moana.

 

[DaveB]

They will not be without glitches for some time come with Sabre.
With four separate bookings for J seats on the same flights to MXP & DUB return, phoned Etihad yesterday and was issued new booking codes compatible with Sabre. The nice gentleman from Manchester said they had been getting the odd call or two from Virgin seeking help trying to sort out their problems. Etihad though still has more than its fair share of glitches. The seat allocation wasn't quite what I wanted but their system still crashes when I attempt to make any changes.

 

[drewbles]

From reading people's comments on here, it seems like VA are a bit hit or miss, either one extreme or the other at the moment. I flew them for the first time in years last month, and couldn't fault them (except that they called me Miss rather than Dr ). However, I have no status so I guess my expectations are a little lower than others...

I find them as inconsistent as QF was when I stopped flying them regularly at the moment.

That said, I just got off my first trans-con Y experiences this w/end. Must say, the A330 product down the back-of-the-bus is much more pleasant than QF. The food, well, it's presentation is bordering on jail-like presentation (disposable plastic trays, and a bread roll that could be used as a weapon) but both the meal options were exceptionally tasty; was a Vege curry one way and roast lamb on the return. Both extremely edible.

One way was on one of the new 330's, the return on one of the ex EK clunkers (and holy cough the noise that came out of the undercarriage when the landing gear was being opened; sounded like an explosive decompression with a huge rush of air, VA you listening? Might want to sort that out, half the cabin turned white when they lowered the gear). The ex-EK birds are in desperate need of a re-fit, but the service was excellent both ways. Ground service is a little lacklustre recently, sabre really seems to have thrown them into a tizzy!

 

[drewbles]

The problem is that many of these "bugs" should not have been there in the launch, the fact that they will take months to fix now is inexcusable.

It's not just Sabre that leaves a sour taste lately. The staff attitude is not the same and some of problems encountered just feel like it been amateurish. The only shining beacon I see is the Melbourne Lounge staff, especially Moana.

Agreed they shouldn't be there, but they are unfortunately. This is the problem with migrations on this scale. I've been involved in many projects over the year with large scale migrations (nothing like this though) and not one has gone to plan. As they say, no one expects the Spanish Inquisition Unfortunately, migrations that are very visible to public make it a magnitude worse than those behind-the-scenes type ones that I was involved with.

The VA lounge staff in general (well, BNE, MEL and PER at least) are exceptional. My other half was recently in an lounge for an extended period and sung the praises of VA lounge staff and the level of attention received during the visit. SYD staff i've found fairly indifferent.

 

[notzac]

I just had a quick try of the eithad website and have to say that the experience feels much better what we are seeing on the VA website.

Agreed - but it's definitely not perfect. I just had a look at their updated booking site and managed to get it to misbehave within a couple minutes: searching for random destinations from MEL in J, picked BEG (Nikola Tesla airport, cool name!), search completely failed and threw me back to the main screen without any sort of useful error or suggestion on how to fix it. Granted, that's pretty esoteric; the OBE guys at VA could learn a *lot* from how EY seem to have managed their migration.

I'd also be really keen to at least get a progress update of what problems have been identified and when they're trying to get them fixed by ... but the rep that we had here seems to have vanished.

 

[medhead]

You know what, all these whinges you lot are having - upgrade/downgrade, seat selection and all the rest. They're nothing! Take a teaspoon of cement and harden up! rolleyes:, )

No, the real problem is that they seem to have replaced my preferred beer with VB. It's an absolute travesty. This must be related to the sabre introduction as it's happened shortly after the change.

 

[nlagalle]

You know what, all these whinges you lot are having - upgrade/downgrade, seat selection and all the rest. They're nothing! Take a teaspoon of cement and harden up! rolleyes:, )

No, the real problem is that they seem to have replaced my preferred beer with VB. It's an absolute travesty. This must be related to the sabre introduction as it's happened shortly after the change.

what beer is that.. and i hate VB!!

 

[Harj77]

You know what, all these whinges you lot are having - upgrade/downgrade, seat selection and all the rest. They're nothing! Take a teaspoon of cement and harden up! rolleyes:, )

No, the real problem is that they seem to have replaced my preferred beer with VB. It's an absolute travesty. This must be related to the sabre introduction as it's happened shortly after the change.

OMG. Thats the final straw for me. VB???????? QF here i come

 

[drewbles]

OMG. Thats the final straw for me. VB???????? QF here i come

QF *almost* won my business back when they installed a Bulmers tap in the J lounge

 

[nlagalle]

QF *almost* won my business back when they installed a Bulmers tap in the J lounge

Wasn't enough to sway you? Even with the spirits?

 

[drewbles]

Wasn't enough to sway you? Even with the spirits?

I'd rather Bulmers than the cough spirits they have. I only drink good spirits.

 

[Happy Dude]

what beer is that.. and i hate VB!!

It better not had been the Fat Yak!?!?

 

[grubbidok]

It better not had been the Fat Yak!?!?

+1 (*1,000,000,000)

 

[medhead]

what beer is that.. and i hate VB!!

Well it was almost VB. the Victoria Pale Lager, VL? Or VPL?

 

[nlagalle]

It better not had been the Fat Yak!?!?

Fat Yak was still there last Friday.

as an update i emailed the rep from the Guest centre yesterday as I'd had no reply, I received an email alter in the day advising she had passed it onto her boss as he could deal with it better. Seems she has given up on me now.. mind you I now have to wait another week to get any answer back from him!

 

[smit0847]

That said, does anyone have any 'insider' info from VA that could confirm they are aware of this and are actually working on a new site???

I have a friend who is reasonably high-up in Ops at VA and was discussing this exact point with them recently.

They said VA bought the absolute cheapest version/platform of Sabre they possibly could and that is why the systems dont talk to each other properly (ie having to log in multiple times to access different parts of the site). They likened it to buying a computer without any software and then just adding random software bit by bit and expecting it to all work harmoniously together. They said while VA management are very aware of the problem there is absolutely no contingency plan and staff are expected to come up with solutions themselves and advise their management of how they solved the problems (rather than the other way around).

This person said staff morale is very, very low at the moment as there is absolutely no light on the horizon.

 

[bcworld]

They said VA bought the absolute cheapest version/platform of Sabre they possibly could and that is why the systems dont talk to each other properly

So much for implementing Sabre to shake off their LCC roots!

 

[drewbles]

I have a friend who is reasonably high-up in Ops at VA and was discussing this exact point with them recently.

They said VA bought the absolute cheapest version/platform of Sabre they possibly could and that is why the systems dont talk to each other properly (ie having to log in multiple times to access different parts of the site). They likened it to buying a computer without any software and then just adding random software bit by bit and expecting it to all work harmoniously together. They said while VA management are very aware of the problem there is absolutely no contingency plan and staff are expected to come up with solutions themselves and advise their management of how they solved the problems (rather than the other way around).

This person said staff morale is very, very low at the moment as there is absolutely no light on the horizon.

Sabre is a fully integrated solution AFAIK. I doubt very much that one sabre system is not able to talk to another. Put simply, that's what LCC GDS's like Navitaire are like. VA have moved to Sabre to get away from patches and strung together solutions.

Give it time I say. From my sources in VA things will be getting better, but I can't say much more.