I've got to say, I've kind of given up communicating with VS about this now.
I don't have the energy, and I worry they don't either.
Basically, VS outsource nearly 100% of their cabin product (such as Food & Drink, what's loaded on the IFE, Amenity Kits, through to cabin cleaning) to a JV organisation called 'The House'. It's part owned by VS and part owned by LSG SkyChefs, and steered by the responsible managers and product teams in Virgin Atlantic.
However, 'The House' don't actually deliver any of the product themselves, they act as a supplier selection and contract management function. (Looks like a middleman, smells like a middleman...)
While the 'The House' may have delivered cost savings/increased profit for the VS' bean counters, I think the quality of the inflight product has gone noticeably downhill since they have been managing it, and it has introduced a layer of abstraction (and therefore an indirection of control) between VS and it's suppliers of cabin service items.
The majority of our inflight service gripes have roots in things which are managed by 'The House', I find that in itself an interesting observation.
If you Google for 'The House', you'll eventually find some dreadfully dry industry video on an LSG or Lufthansa Group website, with various talking heads from LSG and VS. At no point do they talk about the passenger in this. All they talk about is themselves, and things such as 'operating efficiency', 'cost reduction' and 'streamlining'.
No surprises guessing where their focus is. Not us.
(Sorry if I've offended readers' (especially VS and House staffers') sensibilities here, but that's how I see it.)
Mike
