VA wishlist. Time for.....

[Darkavid99]

Yeah agree with most of what is being said:
Lifetime status is a big one
Business class on 737 needs improvement. My biggest complaint is the meal times. Lunch is only served between 12-2pm and dinner between 6-8.
So if you take off from Adelaide at 11:15am and get into the gold coast at 2:15 you get a snack because take off time wasn't between 12-2.
I have raised this issue with Virgin time and time again and nothing has been done. Even the cabin crew are bemused by it.
Lack of status when flying internationally, I have found its better off to convert the points to Singapore airlines as you have a greater chance of getting reward seats albeit it usually at the more expensive tier.

 

[wyvern]

- Star Alliance or SkyTeam - either would give meaningful benefits in the rest of the world, and consistent benefits across an alliance - the current arrangements are confusing and inconsistent.

- Fix the website (there are good points in this thread, decent single sign on and points and SC info when booking would be a start, I'd also like to see partner redemption bookings and upgrades available online).

- Lifetime status (yes, they would need to sort out family pooling).

- Waive the credit card fee when using a Velocity branded card.

- More destinations, and more codeshares worldwide (and alliance would help here)

- Better tie-ins with other Virgin group airline FFPs including more consistent benefits (what if all three Virgin airlines joined Star or SkyTeam and offered enhanced benefits on Virgin airlines?)

 

[Gazza129]

- - More destinations, and more codeshares worldwide (and alliance would help here)

- Better tie-ins with other Virgin group airline FFPs including more consistent benefits (what if all three Virgin airlines joined Star or SkyTeam and offered enhanced benefits on Virgin airlines?)

Never get tie ins with other Virgin airlines ..........to my dismay I have had the experience of being told in no uncertain terms that they are separate businesses. That they both start with a "V" is a coincidence .

 

[wyvern]

Like Virgin Trains East and West Coast in the UK!

They may be separate business but there would be benefit to all of them if they offered a more consistent customer experience, especially to their regular customers. But if Virgin Atlantic and Virgin America will not join an airline alliance, VA should definitely start the ball rolling. Either Star or SkyTeam would do. Also why not join Etihad Partners, since this can be combined with another airline alliance? Anything which delivers consistent customer benefits across different airlines would be an improvement. At the moment flying One World or Star Alliance out of Australia with status offers consistence and flying VA and partners does not.

 

[Gazza129]

Like Virgin Trains East and West Coast in the UK!

They may be separate business but there would be benefit to all of them if they offered a more consistent customer experience, especially to their regular customers. But if Virgin Atlantic and Virgin America will not join an airline alliance, VA should definitely start the ball rolling. Either Star or SkyTeam would do. Also why not join Etihad Partners, since this can be combined with another airline alliance? Anything which delivers consistent customer benefits across different airlines would be an improvement. At the moment flying One World or Star Alliance out of Australia with status offers consistence and flying VA and partners does not.

I've said it before......."The Virgin is a cough"...........

 

[Bigglesworth]

Agree with most of what has been stated during the thread re: the sentiment that Virgin has stopped innovating or continuously improving
Some of the issues are basic no brainers especially the time it has taken to try and clean the website up.
I notice many have been suggesting upgrading the J class seating on the 737 long haul to Perth.
As a self employed FF who has been commuting from BNE to PTH each week this year flying discount economy on a 737 for 5+ hrs was not a great experience. Trying to go to the bathroom is a nightmare, 20 SC's only and flying discount economy also does not allow one to use the 4 Complimentary upgrades. Given there is a small difference between Qantas and Virgin discount fares and Qantas is flying A330's with better in flight service it was an easy decision for me to move to Qantas during the course of the year.
The long haul flights to LAX also need to be revamped especially in the "premium" economy class.
The ability to book reward seats is becoming more and more difficult however, I applaud the fact they have continued to maintain the taxes at the reasonable rate compared with the continuing price gouging by Qantas.
I have been a fan of the new Virgin but if there is little choice between the two I am back to favoring Qantas who appear to have risen to the challenge.

 

[kyanar]

One simple request, surely not to difficult: Put the name of the airline on the frequent flyer cards.

May be harder than you think actually. Velocity Frequent Flyer is a seperate company from Virgin Australia.

 

[24601]

May be harder than you think actually. Velocity Frequent Flyer is a seperate company from Virgin Australia.

probably, but the Velocity bag tags have the airline name on them.

 

[Denali]

My wish list is for a direct Japan route.

 

[rocket47]

Hype is the problem vs substance
None of this 'identity crisis' if you want to call it that is surprising at all. There is a lot of hype and mystique surrounding JB and while I am assured he is a 'nice guy' and all that, he is not the messiah that everyone makes out - incidentally, I read the book 'Game Changer' and it has some pretty basic, some would say, astounding, mistakes in it. As someone who is familiar with some of th events glaringly idiotic mistakes like 'Trans Australia Airways' (when it was Trans Australia Airlines) might seem minor but scream that there was no attention to detail - similarly, some fairly off-colour comments about the competitor are included which is bad form in my book (no pun intended). I realise the book was written by someone else but still no excuse.
This sort of thing says 'amateur' or conveys a lack of professionalism usually present in someone who is not sufficiently mature in some respects - spending 40+ at Qantas, or surviving 40+ years isn't a guarantee of genius, it might just indicate good political survival skills.
In his conference on being appointed CEO, I seem to remember 'I've worked at airports' being muttered - most people who were in the industry know this is not the case and interestingly it's 'downgraded' in the book to handling bags during strike breaking.
Now, here is the essence of the problem with VA - billy the blind man's dog could have seen what needed to happen at DJ to get to where VA is now... it was no genius required to list lounges, business class, meaningful FF program, etc. yet the upper echelon at VA are anointed as some sort of geniuses for doing the bleeding obvious.
If we are all seeing a lack of 'innovation' from VA now it's because copying others is easy, creating something new is much, much harder.
On the outside, VA has become a 'real airline' but underneath it is still a 'toy airline'.
A principal cause for the website problems based on what knowledge I have of the industry would seem to be something to do with the choice of SABRE over Amadeus - Amadeus is a true next generation system - SABRE is 60's technology dressed up with a GUI but which has less functionality than just about every other legacy system had in the 70s (not exaggerating - the Air NZ system is 40 years old and has more customer-centric BASIC functions that SABRE in it's VA guise). This is another aspect of failure at VA, a CEO who knew the first thing about airports or had been listening during 40 odd years would never have chosen SABRE - which is a very, very good sales tool but pretty useless functionally at the back end - how many of you have gone through the laborious process of using the check in kiosks only to front at the gate and find that you're not checked in at all. This to me while not a criticism of the person, exposes one of the flaws in JB coming from a sales background - for most people in airline sales, the airport is a mystical place about which most of them understand nothing.
VA have run out of things at QF to copy - but having copying most of what they've seen (and in the case of lounges done it worse in my opinion - awful white cold spaces vs the luxury leather, etc. of the Qantas Club - albeit getting a bit old in some airports, still a 'warmer' environment) - where are the auto bag drops??? Where are the electronic bag-tags??? Where is any sense of innovation other than slavishly and in some cases, badly, copying the opposition.
Despite it's issues over the last few years, QF IS a 'real' airline and you can only get that with good people or the longevity to gather some corporate memory of what the industry is about.
For this reason and others, I won't touch VA with a barge pole... they are years behind QF in my view and no amount of copying will make it better.
Jazzy uniforms, a bland and boring but new livery and recycling two TV commercial/musical themes that were both invented for/by or first used by failed airline Pan American does not represent success.

 

[Gazza129]

Love your work!!

 

[rocket47]

Thanks Gazza, just a bit sick and tired of all the 'hype' and 'cult' that has been built up around VA... it has far worse systems, not a scratch on QF - on top of that, QF not only was the launch customer for Amadeus Altea but it's Airport IT people developed the system for Amadeus... that sort of depth of innovation in a carrier like QF (who also invented Business Class, the slide/raft and many other innovations used industry-wide) just can't be emulated or 'faked' by some Johnny come lately.
I try to avoid VA wherever possible because I know something about the industry and having to queue up for a voucher during a delay, while a manager (yes, a manager) waits for some clerical functionary in Brisbane to 'approve' a $15 voucher in a delay, or being transferred from another carrier always resulting in being sent from one desk to another because the VA people don't know how to handle it or once again, have to wait for some 'clerical' person in Brisbane to 'approve' the acceptance just drives me up the wall.
I am reliably informed that shareholder and partner Air NZ more often than not sends disrupted passengers to QF because it is just easier for both the staff and the customers who have been disrupted because QF just accept the paperwork and process the passengers as per normal and they don't get sent back to NZ and back to VA and back to NZ again while someone at VA tries to work out what to do with an FIM.
In all my travels, I've had maybe 2 delays with QF in 25 odd years, I've had many delays with VA in a short time and QF just handle it better.

The slavish copying of QF, even down to the purchase of TT to provide a 'VA-Jetstar' has apparently led to JB being referred to in some parts of QF as 'mini me'... LOL

One more thing... I just have to say this as I've noticed others have commented on it in other threads... something unique to VA I believe... every flight I've done with them, their Pilots either don't know the concept of 'flare' or they have some obscure money-saving gem that the rest of the entire industry hasn't discovered... that SLAMMING the aeroplane into the ground is a good thing...

I swear, every time I'm on VA my guts take a trip up my throat, out my mouth and back again every time the aircraft touches down, I mean EVERY time... by contrast I have travelled a LOT and I was on a QF flight recently and while there's always some minor bump on this occasion I looked out the window and to my surprise we were already on the ground.

Not so on VA... they must get their Pilots from a demolition background or something... it can't be doing the landing gear any good either.
'

 

[Deleted member 29185]

How about we add points for VAs valet parking to the list? Seems comical that it's not a point earning expense.

The other thing that needs attention is the staff morale. It's been dropping off over the last two years but just recently the Platinum GCC line varies from excellent through mediocre and right down to just plain rude and ignorant. Perhaps someone needs to start monitoring some of those recorded calls and take a size ten boot to a number of backsides........and dish out some well deserved rewards to those that are in the "excellent" category.

 

[rocket47]

How about we add points for VAs valet parking to the list? Seems comical that it's not a point earning expense.

The other thing that needs attention is the staff morale. It's been dropping off over the last two years but just recently the Platinum GCC line varies from excellent through mediocre and right down to just plain rude and ignorant. Perhaps someone needs to start monitoring some of those recorded calls and take a size ten boot to a number of backsides........and dish out some well deserved rewards to those that are in the "excellent" category.

It's not their Valet, its a contractor that doesn't even operate from their building (despite the old AN Valet area at most airports still existing) - just another cobbled together piece of cough to make it look like they're matching the competition...

Morale is dropping because there have been trimming of staff and staff costs and from what my friends there tell me, the least capable are the ones that survive and the most capable - those who tend to make a bit of noise trying to improve the company - are let go because the majority don't want to hear anything about what isn't working - some truly horrible stories of people/passengers being handled in a way that is not even blasé or average but just plain incompetent...

On top of this, in it's current guise the company has spent millions but has not made a single profit and I believe only managed a meagre $8.5m in the first quarter - all along, staff see good managers and employees leaving or having their positions made redundant while the executives still get paid bonuses. You can say what you like about Alan Joyce and Geoff Dixon but at least at times both of them refused bonuses... not so at VA.

To me, they are nothing more than a charade, like a mudguard, all shiny and fresh on top with a lot of cough underneath.

 

[Deleted member 29185]

It's not their Valet, its a contractor that doesn't even operate from their building (despite the old AN Valet area at most airports still existing) - just another cobbled together piece of cough to make it look like they're matching the competition...

Morale is dropping because there have been trimming of staff and staff costs and from what my friends there tell me, the least capable are the ones that survive and the most capable - those who tend to make a bit of noise trying to improve the company - are let go because the majority don't want to hear anything about what isn't working - some truly horrible stories of people/passengers being handled in a way that is not even blasé or average but just plain incompetent...

On top of this, in it's current guise the company has spent millions but has not made a single profit and I believe only managed a meagre $8.5m in the first quarter - all along, staff see good managers and employees leaving or having their positions made redundant while the executives still get paid bonuses. You can say what you like about Alan Joyce and Geoff Dixon but at least at times both of them refused bonuses... not so at VA.

To me, they are nothing more than a charade, like a mudguard, all shiny and fresh on top with a lot of cough underneath.

I whine a lot about VA, but I sense a tad of vindictiveness in your posts. It may be well deserved (I don't know), but your points detract from the info posted. The question posed is a wishlist given the possibility of VA making some changes (presumably because of the survey many of us received). I know that the VA valet parking is contracted out....doesn't stop it earning points. Staff morale levels may be due to a lot of things....all I'm suggesting is that it needs attention!

 

[rocket47]

I whine a lot about VA, but I sense a tad of vindictiveness in your posts. It may be well deserved (I don't know), but your points detract from the info posted. The question posed is a wishlist given the possibility of VA making some changes (presumably because of the survey many of us received). I know that the VA valet parking is contracted out....doesn't stop it earning points. Staff morale levels may be due to a lot of things....all I'm suggesting is that it needs attention!

My intention isn't to be vindictive, just to dispel the aura that seems to surround the company, which IMHO is not deserved.

Air NZ is an innovator, VA is a larger company than Air NZ yet Air NZ seems to be continually re-imagining the travel experience, both in fleet choice and in the services it offers. I don't have anything personally against JB, I don't know him personally. He certainly presents as someone who wants to create a great brand. The problem is that the changes to date have been more about an attempt to create a Qantas clone.

Given, yes, I haven't listed changes - so for a start, why lock a 737 cabin into just 8 seats - why not use a similar system to Qantas (and that was started by AN and TN) to enable flexible business configuration on 737s so more of us can use points to upgrade rather than current system where I believe business class passengers (I don't have evidence for this, it's anecdotal) have been downgraded to accommodate higher status FF who wish to upgrade. Flexible J cabins give the opportunity to recognise valuable passengers while not displacing those who have booked months ahead. Re-fit the Valet areas at various terminals that used to be there when AN was operating and yes, they should be a points earning service if the intention is to replicate QF's product in that regard. Last time I traveled J to SYD on QF I was offered a limousine at the destination for a very reasonable price, about $20 more than a cab which considering it was a Friday night, avoided the interminable wait for a cab and I earned points for use of Qantas Limousines as well. Joining Star would also strengthen the VA offering. To be fair, curb side lounge entry as in SYD is an innovative product and while I don't reach the status levels of others (although I have lots of points, over 500,000 with QF and nearly 100,000 with VA, probably fair enough it goes to the most frequent/loyal customers. More of that is what is required as well as industry standard (not necessarily innovative, just industry standard would be nice) website, booking facilities and/or functionality and systems would be a welcome improvement - that talk to each other in the way QF's do. The VA App is inferior to Qantas', it doesn't allow log in to Velocity as the QF points app does. Lounge announcements should stop and the lounges need revamping, I feel cold, like I'm in a hospital waiting room compared to QF. They lounge looks fantastic on paper but not in practical terms. One of the reasons I chose not to renew my VA Lounge membership as I don't see the value in it when more often than not I simply use points to travel J on the occasions I do have to travel with VA. I did purchase a Life Qantas Club membership many years ago so travelling QF for me is a natural choice as I've invested in their product. There is nothing compellingly different enough for me to jump ship, to experience a poor copy of the opposition!
Some time ago, I attempted to use points to upgrade on Qantas not realising I was on a fair that didn't allow this, I didn't know that at the time so the agent in the Qantas Club explained this to me which was somewhat disappointing, but then handed me a complimentary business class upgrade anyway. That's logic to me, here is a customer who is prepared to pay/make up the difference in points but wasn't aware of the rules yet I walked away happy. In disruptions I've experienced much better recovery at QF than VA any day. This is what differentiates when I am busy and on a schedule, that the airline tries to give me what I paid for or the closest alternative. I'm taking the kids to the US next year, it will be on Qantas, because I can fly the domestic sector and the international sectors all on the same metal. The only non-QF sector will be LAX-SFO because obviously QF don't fly that sector for obvious reasons. No one expects VA to be able to replicate the QF International network in its own right but despite QF's shrinking international presence, it still flies to all continents. With EK's reach, it makes Qantas a very compelling proposition but for now, there is not enough depth to the VA product to justify a switch. I'd like to see better systems at VA, a more enlightened approach to frequent travellers and more level of capability in their workforce before I would consider switching. So much of the product now seems 'tacked on' to compete, yet, despite the end of the capacity war which yes, was initiated by QF, VA still don't seem to be able to make a profit.
I don't want to get into the reasons for Ansett's collapse, but Ansett was very innovative, pioneering (in Australia) Golden Wing lounge concept, frequent flyer and e-ticketing. I don't see that type of forward and out of the box thinking at VA, I don't think it's in the company's DNA.

 

[here2go]

Exactly - same product, same schedule and prices essentially the same. One has a web site that generally works, the other one has a web site that is twice as difficult as the other and you end up having to phone for the most routine changes/alterations or tasks. Guess which airline some customers will choose? Especially customers whom frequently have to do their own bookings?

Not that I fly much now as I have no reason to leave Canberra except for holidays. When I travelled lots last year, I always preferred Expedia to book over the Virgin website for this reason.

 

[flybynight]

This is one of the more interesting topics. I fly too much but it's for my own business. Been QF platinum for more years than I can remember and even though I'm old I still manage around 300 flight sectors a year.
I have always stuck with what I know which is Qantas and by and large I think that loyalty has been repaid. I don't care too much about points and all that stuff because I have more than I can use anyway. Even whenBirgin were offering free like fie like status I couldn't be bothered.
The only things that have really peeved me with qantas was the blitz they had last year on taking more than 2 bags into the cabin ( the third being more like a "handbag"), and the fact that QF don't do HK to London.
Other than that, I look at Virgin as being like a two dollar shop whereas Qantas is the real deal. I'm happy to have been loyal to Qantas.

 

[flybynight]

Sorry about the typo's!!

 

[Deleted member 29185]

even though I'm old I still manage around 300 flight sectors a year.

All I can say is wow! I'm not sure if I say that in awe or in sympathy!