Condition of Suites

Have not flown VS for about 6 months. Last time we flew to Miami the suites looked fit for the dustbin. Flying to Tobago on weds just wandered if anyone new if anything had been done to sort out the problem of the suites looking knackered!!!!! Out of interest the skysuites on the Singapore Airlines 747's look pristine 7-10 years on!!!! Thanks guys

I flew on VS07 a week ago and mine was is a terrible state.

Hit and miss really - last week I had a pristine suite on a 2 year old a/c but have had suites covered in pen marks on much newer a/c. On the whole, however, most don't seem to have stood the test of time very well.

45.

In defence of VS they fly their aircraft pretty hard & downtime is at a minimum. I know it sounds a bit daft, but if they look that bad tell the FSM & hope that they enter the faults into the cabin defect log.

Only noticed on our return flight from LAX that the bed was very hard - harder and less comfortable than on previous flights. Mr A reminded me that his headphone socket worked intermittently and that he did have a grumble before going too sleep. Would not say that in general the suites were scruffy but as school reports so often say "could do better".

There is no way the crew can check all suites pre flight, due to time.
However if your suite is damaged or dirty, tell the CSS/FSM and we can get it fixed. If we don't know about it, it will not get done!!

Virgin FSM

Isn't that what i said?? Perhaps more thorough pre-flight checks are required by engineering staff as there is no way the crew have time to do it.

Thanks for all the replies!!! Seems a sorry state... Well I will reserve judgement till after my flight on Thurs but I have to say if the suite is in a sorry state (as was my last 4 flights) I will look elsewhere. Have been fc gold for over 5 years and fly on average 6 or 7 returns in upper a year but of late the cut backs have left me feeling very peeved, i know you should complain to fsm/customer services but the point is i dont want to moan and whinge just want a1 aircraft and service... we will see

[Bazz]

Always a sorry state when the QA has to come from the customers! [n]

Sorry state indeed & one which VS should take notice of. Mrs D has had numerous complaints of late due stained clothes from "lubricant" on the seat & one seat that when "converted" looked like a chimps tea party had taken place. All logged in the appropriate manner, but a bit late for the pax involved!

I wouldn't say I have ever come across a suite in such a state of disrepair that it significantly detracted from the overall experience, but it's just one of those little things, as you say, that leave you feeling a bit peeved.

Nevertheless, dirty seats are not really something you would think you would have to complain about in any class let alone J.

45.

Originally posted by vscss
There is no way the crew can check all suites pre flight, due to time.
However if your suite is damaged or dirty, tell the CSS/FSM and we can get it fixed. If we don't know about it, it will not get done!!

Virgin FSM

To true, and I do, but as a high paying customer it feels like I shouldn't need to. One time my suite was filty, and I meant bits of food, not just crumbs, all over it - I mentioned it to staff and they of course ended up cleaning the suite which is not what I would expect from an airline of VS's calibre.

It really shouldn't be down to the cabin crew to clean the a/c. Cleanliness should not even feature regularly on the list of complaints about an airline such as VS.

45.

Agree 100% - it should not be down to VS Cabin Crew to clean the aircraft. Yes, they should do a quick check for anything obvious that the cleaners have missed [as part of any pre-flight checks they do to check life-jackets are in place etc], but that shoud be it.

I remember an episode of the BBC "Airport" programme showing the Quantas station manager at LHR checking one of their 744's before the pax boarded. He was unhappy with the cleaniness of the F cabin / toilets, so he called the cleaners back to the aircraft and delayed boarding. That is the right approach.

I'm off to MCO in a few days and will give the UCS the once over. If there are any marks that a simple hot towel will easily remove [as has already been mentioned on here] then I will be "speaking with the FSM" to make my views known! That said, the UCS I had to MCO last year from MAN was in very good nick - hope the same is true in a few days time.

James

Perhaps a cleaner should be kept "on call" to deal with any complaints while the aircraft is still at the gate.

45.

Originally posted by VS045
It really shouldn't be down to the cabin crew to clean the a/c. Cleanliness should not even feature regularly on the list of complaints about an airline such as VS.

Exactly.

Sadly, poor cleanliness on VS aircraft is frequently on my list of complaints about VS. Almost every flight I log a comment with the FSM about the poor quality of the turnround clean - dirty tables, crumbs and food, old socks, crap in seat pockets, smeary monitors, etc., and don't get me started on the state of toilets.

Contrast this with my recent trip on Air New Zealand, where even the corners in the lavs which are usually dust and muck magnets, were sparkling clean, along with the rest of the plane. There wasn't a single dirty mark inside either aircraft (ZK-NBW "Wellington" and ZK-NBV "Christchurch"). Even Air New Zealand's suites don't look as bashed and beaten as Virgin's (and you still get a little cushion, even in Premium Economy, teal rather than red).

This leads me to wonder who is actually "in charge" of something like this? Is there a proper delegated chain of responsibility for making sure the aircraft are kept clean inside?

VS needs to stop getting high on it's own exhaust fumes and pay attention to simple things like this.

Mike

pay attention to simple things

How many times have we heard that...

45.