Further to the above messages, yes they do need to be moved to the BA thread but I flew on the High J 747 from BOS-LHR in Economy and it was appalling! I felt like I was in first class when I boarded the A319 up to Manchester and would've happily forgone IFE or a meal to sit in the positively luxurious A319 seat!
Virgin Atlantic
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Don't get too excited, BA are reduce the seat pitch to 29" on the European fleet.
I know! Might as well bring legroom in line with their standards in other fields
I think this April will be the last time I fly with them, at least shorthaul. Anyway, end of BA discussion!
David_itl
Well-Known Member
- Jan 31, 2016
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Nice to see the relevant industries using the forthcoming inaugural service as the impetus for a trade mission. Also pleasing to see a mix of companies from all over the North going on the trip to enhance MAN as a "natural" long-haul hub for the North.
"The delegation includes a mix of Northern corporates including Sage, of Newcastle, Co-op Digital, of Manchester, as well as a host of early and mid-stage tech firms including Hull-based Vis Vr, Vibe Tickets and On Iota, from Lancashire, and Manchester-based Wakelet."
http://www.manchestereveningnews.co...-news/tech-sector-leaders-join-trade-12783987
"The delegation includes a mix of Northern corporates including Sage, of Newcastle, Co-op Digital, of Manchester, as well as a host of early and mid-stage tech firms including Hull-based Vis Vr, Vibe Tickets and On Iota, from Lancashire, and Manchester-based Wakelet."
http://www.manchestereveningnews.co...-news/tech-sector-leaders-join-trade-12783987
Virgin Atlantic operating New York JFK throughout winter - Fully Bookable
News: Virgin will operate the JFK flight 3-4 weekly throughout winter with the A330-300. Now bookable.
VS 127 MAN 1035 JFK 1315 333 ex136
VS 128 JFK 1930 MAN 0700 333 ex136
News: Virgin will operate the JFK flight 3-4 weekly throughout winter with the A330-300. Now bookable.
VS 127 MAN 1035 JFK 1315 333 ex136
VS 128 JFK 1930 MAN 0700 333 ex136
Oh dear, it appears it is. I was thinking they might do SFO 3 weekly year-round but VS have other (worse) plans. It's really starting to go downhill - ATL should not be being decreased, they'll have very high-loads.
Whose bright idea this was, I don't know, but I always thought that scrapping Delta altogether was a bad idea - the 757 is needed to support MAN-JFK on a decent frequency in a winter. Decreasing a very popular and with low seasonality route is just terrible.
Would a better solution not have been to alternate JFK with LAS, keeping ATL unaffected?
Whose bright idea this was, I don't know, but I always thought that scrapping Delta altogether was a bad idea - the 757 is needed to support MAN-JFK on a decent frequency in a winter. Decreasing a very popular and with low seasonality route is just terrible.
Would a better solution not have been to alternate JFK with LAS, keeping ATL unaffected?
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I would love to think that that is the case, but then why not just keep DL on the 757 for JFK?
Very disappointing but is it really such a big shock? The recent reports of a significant drop in enquiries and bookings for US holidays from the UK, the fall in the value of the pound for an airport relying predominantly on UK originating passengers, what some rightly or wrongly regard as the 'Trump slump' and the increased cost for airlines of aviation fuel priced in dollars, were surely indicators that the financial realities were beginning to bite. Then news that Virgin had brought forward the date when SFO and BOS flights end for the summer was a further sign that expectations such as SFO going year round were not likely to be met in the foreseeable future.
Dobbo raises a good point on that other forum about reduction in flight frequencies affecting business pax. In my own mind, I think of 5 x weekly flights generally being acceptable for business travellers who want some flexibility to amend their travel arrangements if necessary. 4 x weekly becomes more marginal although there should only be 1 day missing between scheduled flights and CX appear to have done ok up to now with increases in frequency coming. 3 x weekly I think is more likely to be an issue where business folk turn to more reliable higher frequency options. Reduced frequency with lower yield passengers and what looks like a possible hike in fares to compensate does not spell great optimism for a route's future in my eyes. However, it could be argued that Virgin are just taking what they see as necessary measures to cut losses over the quieter winter period to try and protect their routes.
Nevertheless, perhaps we now ought to be more cautious as to what to expect in terms of transatlantic operations from MAN in summer 2018. Fortunately, there is a brighter picture looking East.
Dobbo raises a good point on that other forum about reduction in flight frequencies affecting business pax. In my own mind, I think of 5 x weekly flights generally being acceptable for business travellers who want some flexibility to amend their travel arrangements if necessary. 4 x weekly becomes more marginal although there should only be 1 day missing between scheduled flights and CX appear to have done ok up to now with increases in frequency coming. 3 x weekly I think is more likely to be an issue where business folk turn to more reliable higher frequency options. Reduced frequency with lower yield passengers and what looks like a possible hike in fares to compensate does not spell great optimism for a route's future in my eyes. However, it could be argued that Virgin are just taking what they see as necessary measures to cut losses over the quieter winter period to try and protect their routes.
Nevertheless, perhaps we now ought to be more cautious as to what to expect in terms of transatlantic operations from MAN in summer 2018. Fortunately, there is a brighter picture looking East.
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Dobbo
New Member
- Oct 27, 2015
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I think in the long term the fundamentals are strong at MAN. Provided we don't have TATL cuts reflective of the savage cuts of 2008-10 we will get back on the right track pretty quickly but the disparity of east v west is growing. It may well be that 2018 is similar to 2017, which is still very good in the current climate.
The strategy of Emirates/Etihad/Qatar on daily services, double daily (etc.) without seasonal cuts (at least not major ones) seems to pay off. The geography and the market are not the same, but I'd like to see someone (I hoped VS) have a run at offering a daily flight to 3/4 US destinations year round but perhaps that will come in time. Its a pretty tough set of circumstances right now.
However, for VS, it shows the risk of having all eggs in the US basket. Perhaps they will now cast half an eye east and maybe south?
The strategy of Emirates/Etihad/Qatar on daily services, double daily (etc.) without seasonal cuts (at least not major ones) seems to pay off. The geography and the market are not the same, but I'd like to see someone (I hoped VS) have a run at offering a daily flight to 3/4 US destinations year round but perhaps that will come in time. Its a pretty tough set of circumstances right now.
However, for VS, it shows the risk of having all eggs in the US basket. Perhaps they will now cast half an eye east and maybe south?
"However, for VS, it shows the risk of having all eggs in the US basket. Perhaps they will now cast half an eye east and maybe south?"
Your first point Dobbo is well made and is relevant for MAN & LGW, with LHR being slightly less exposed because of greater route diversity and also due to less reliance on UK originating pax.
We tend to think in these situations of how it affects routes and MAN but they are also reflective of the impact of changing economic times and travel trends on the airlines themselves. I'm not suggesting Virgin isn't a sound business but sometimes quite drastic cost cutting measures are appropriate and necessary. In those circumstances, I would have thought it fairly unlikely that a long haul airline would cast its net elsewhere in search of viable alternative routes with a strong business case. While reduced frequency on a route is disappointing, there is at least a chance the route will survive for when better times arrive. It is much more difficult to get a route, and in some cases an airline, back once a route has been chopped altogether.
Your first point Dobbo is well made and is relevant for MAN & LGW, with LHR being slightly less exposed because of greater route diversity and also due to less reliance on UK originating pax.
We tend to think in these situations of how it affects routes and MAN but they are also reflective of the impact of changing economic times and travel trends on the airlines themselves. I'm not suggesting Virgin isn't a sound business but sometimes quite drastic cost cutting measures are appropriate and necessary. In those circumstances, I would have thought it fairly unlikely that a long haul airline would cast its net elsewhere in search of viable alternative routes with a strong business case. While reduced frequency on a route is disappointing, there is at least a chance the route will survive for when better times arrive. It is much more difficult to get a route, and in some cases an airline, back once a route has been chopped altogether.
I don't find the Virgin web site particularly clear but does anyone have any information as to what VS are operating to MCO, LAS & BGI next winter after the disappointing news about JFK/ATL?
If I'm making sense of what is shown for late Nov/early Dec. for non stop flights, then MCO doesn't seem to operate Mon or Tues. Are there any days when 2 flights operate (as they did today)?
LAS & BGI only seem to be 1 stop/2 stop options on certain days i.e. nothing direct. (I thought LAS had gone year round).
On top of that, the fares showing are ludicrous.
If that is what we are left with, it would require only 1 x B747 and 1 x A330 for most of the week. What a contrast that would be with 5 based this summer. Hope it isn't the final picture.
If I'm making sense of what is shown for late Nov/early Dec. for non stop flights, then MCO doesn't seem to operate Mon or Tues. Are there any days when 2 flights operate (as they did today)?
LAS & BGI only seem to be 1 stop/2 stop options on certain days i.e. nothing direct. (I thought LAS had gone year round).
On top of that, the fares showing are ludicrous.
If that is what we are left with, it would require only 1 x B747 and 1 x A330 for most of the week. What a contrast that would be with 5 based this summer. Hope it isn't the final picture.
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Well it looks like I'm off to Australia and New Zealand next year! Booked with BA from Manchester via Heathrow with a stop in Singapore and returning with Air New Zealand and BA via LAX to Heathrow. Will circumnavigate the globe and be my first trans-Pacific flight. First long haul flight with BA as well and of course Air NZ.
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