VA Business Class under review: What changes would you like to see?

[Mattg]

Virgin Australia announced today, among other things, that it is conducting a review of its domestic Business Class product.

The media release says:

Business Class
Virgin Australia will retain its much-loved Business Class seats and exceptional service provided by its cabin crew, but will complete an end-to-end review of the Business Class offering before relaunching it in 2021. The review, done in collaboration with the airline’s crew, will ensure better alignment to guests’ needs, while maintaining the elements they love.

More detail will be revealed next year.

The media release also makes reference to "creating a more accessible Business Class offering to better align to the expectations of the cabin’s core customers", which I assume means lower fare prices.

I have a few open questions for AFF members:

• What do you expect to change?
• What would you like to see in a new Virgin Australia Business Class offering?
• Would you be happy with a reduced Business Class offering if it meant cheaper airfares, or would you just pay more to fly Qantas?

 

[Bagpuss]

Sure I've said it before. Pretty simple.

Power at every seat

Holders on the baulkhead, seat back for your tablet device so you can eat and not have a device taking up all the space

... Pretty much it and surprised they've never done it.

 

[jakeseven7]

- A proper divider between J and Y - solid one not the dirty see through purple plastic and the rope

- Better food catering in shoulder periods (main meals were acceptable with VA1 but snacks were not great)

- Boarding before Plats, Golds

- Free high speed wifi (I was worried when I saw wifi was a 'we are looking into')

- Cushions - the J seats are really really hard, either soften them up or provide cushions

 

[Gold Member]

“The review, done in collaboration with the airline’s crew, will ensure better alignment to guests’ needs, while maintaining the elements they love”, and
”creating a more accessible Business Class offering to better align to the expectations of the cabin’s core customers"

That’s Qantas Enhancement Marketing 101 parlance which typically means cost savings at the expense of the customer’s experience. So I expect a reduction in service levels, food and bev levels, no hard product changes, but I do expect a minor decrease in the price to attract the business crowd that aren’t wedded to QF.

As long as I’m VA platinum with 4x annual biz upgrades from flexi, I’m not too fussed what they do to their business offering. Once they’re exhausted, it’s BA Avios and AA Advantage business points redemptions with QF.

 

[BCons]

Whadda we want ?

- USB power to the seats
- Free wifi
- Better grog - the J wines are often dire
- New seat cushions- they are hard and many are so indented so that one slips forward into a hunched seating position. Assuming VA kept only the youngest a/c, this might not be a problem
- On shorter flts, say under 2 hrs, I wud prefer a hot snack, like a quiche or pie in packaging in place of the more elaborate dressed tray and dish. Quicker and easier for all. Suspect thats coming anyway..
- Better policing of J locker space

 

[jakeseven7]

- Better policing of J locker space

X 1000000

Can't believe I forgot

 

[Dee#]

“The review, done in collaboration with the airline’s crew, will ensure better alignment to guests’ needs, while maintaining the elements they love”, and
”creating a more accessible Business Class offering to better align to the expectations of the cabin’s core customers"

That’s Qantas Enhancement Marketing 101 parlance which typically means cost savings at the expense of the customer’s experience. So I expect a reduction in service levels, food and bev levels, no hard product changes, but I do expect a minor decrease in the price to attract the business crowd that aren’t wedded to QF.

As long as I’m VA platinum with 4x annual biz upgrades from flexi, I’m not too fussed what they do to their business offering. Once they’re exhausted, it’s BA Avios and AA Advantage business points redemptions with QF.

Me too. Once Virgin advantages are exhausted its looking very like I'm off to Q and partners.

 

[Dee#]

Also stopping all the economy passengers trapsing down and using the business and crew wc. The hosties never get onto it and stop them. Its blatant now, they even remove the barrier.

 

[JK1964]

Never cared too much about the food. Finger sandwiches, cheese, crackers, fruit plate and / or a muffin would be fine on most flights. Definitely power at each seat, better IFE, more beer selection and keep the JW black.

 

[moa999]

- USB power to the seats
- Free wifi
- Better grog - the J wines are often dire
- prefer a hot snack, like a quiche or pie in packaging in place of the more elaborate dressed tray and dish. Quicker and easier for all. Suspect thats coming anyway..
- Better policing of J locker space

Locker space - including staff bags is half the issue typically.

Agree on the grog. Probably why so many were ordering the ink gin from the general menu, till this got stopped.

Personally I don't mind JQ Ints policy of a $10/20 voucher for the Buy on Board offerings (assuming this is a likely outcome in Y).

But agree power (USB or proper) and Wifi is needed.

I'm actually somewhat surprised that VA2 is keeping J on all aircraft . I'd been possibly been expecting a split fleet between golden triangle + PER/CBR and the rest

 

[Bagpuss]

I'm actually somewhat surprised that VA2 is keeping J on all aircraft . I'd been possibly been expecting a split fleet between golden triangle + PER/CBR and the rest

I think they would keep J on all aircraft, though would have thought they may have added an extra J class on on PER <> MEL / SYD / BNE, also for the AFL contract which they still have.

 

[Scarlett]

The Business.

Anything less is just 'star class'...
If you don't ask, you won't get.

 

[Mattg]

I'm actually somewhat surprised that VA2 is keeping J on all aircraft . I'd been possibly been expecting a split fleet between golden triangle + PER/CBR and the rest

I suspect part of the reason for this is that the J seats are already installed on all those planes. There would be a cost to removing the seats. Even Rex isn't bothering to remove the J seats on their ex-VA planes, even though they have no real interest in providing a business class service.

If a brand new VA was starting from scratch now with new planes, I wouldn't be surprised to see a "European" business class, i.e. Economy seats with a blocked middle seat and a moveable curtain.

 

[jakeseven7]

I'm actually somewhat surprised that VA2 is keeping J on all aircraft . I'd been possibly been expecting a split fleet between golden triangle + PER/CBR and the rest

They don’t really have a big enough fleet to split up anymore...

 

[kamchatsky]

Also stopping all the economy passengers trapsing down and using the business and crew wc. The hosties never get onto it and stop them. Its blatant now, they even remove the barrier.

During VA1 they have been very good at it consistently TBH. They just put that magnetic divider and everything worked out. They are certainly MUCH BETTER than QF.

Post automatically merged: Nov 19, 2020

Whadda we want ?

- USB power to the seats
- Free wifi
- Better grog - the J wines are often dire
- New seat cushions- they are hard and many are so indented so that one slips forward into a hunched seating position. Assuming VA kept only the youngest a/c, this might not be a problem
- On shorter flts, say under 2 hrs, I wud prefer a hot snack, like a quiche or pie in packaging in place of the more elaborate dressed tray and dish. Quicker and easier for all. Suspect thats coming anyway..
- Better policing of J locker space

On the grog side, as long as it is better than QF J offering, that's fine for me. VA are not going to earn more money by providing better grogs.

 

[Carrots]

My two retains.... Chicken skewers and the magnetic rope!

 

[AustraliaPoochie]

Idle waffley: a closeable would have been a better greater thing to have between J and economyX on the VA3 aircrafts.

 

[TheInsider]

Love how some think that VA is going to go more upscale with their Business Class, I guess everyone can hope!

 

[jakeseven7]

Idle waffley: a closeable would have been a better greater thing to have between J and economyX on the VA3 aircrafts.

I agree the number of times I flew J on VA1 and the cabin crew forgot to put old ropey up was really irritating.

I asked once why it wasn’t up and they they said the ‘plane had lost its rope’. I bit my tongue because the plane clearly cannot lose its own ropey being an inanimate object

 

[cove]

Frequent flyer point availability.