V-Flyer

Looks like a 7 hour delay on VS15 today.
Anyone know why? Did it have a technical promblem as VS16 got in at a decent time this morning? Or is it to do with the delay on VS44?
Tjnewell

It looks like VS015 is going to be very late departing tomorrow as well. I just checked in online only to find it is already scheduled to be 4 hours late tomorrow. Is this normal?

abby

When there is a major delay on one of the flights it has a knock on effect for a few days on the routes that aircraft will be flying, with VS (and all airlines) stretching their fleets to the limits there is no way to make up this time except with the time already padded into the system.

It was reported on a.net that the 44 had a bird strike on landing the day before.

I notice VS043 left 8 hours late on the 28th, is this all linked?

I don't know if that is linked, but it looks like there is another problem with today's plane.

The VS044 was an hour late taking off from McCarran last night, but is due into LGW nearly five hours late at 1424 today. [?]

Nick

Thanks Nick, VS044 does look strange today doesn't it?

We're off to LAS in Jan (right in the middle of the Virgin/BAA aggro, but not on any of the actual strike days), so I'm keeping an eye on how they're running.

We're flying VS to avoid a connection (and the subsequent ubiquitous bag loss), but the price we pay is spending 10+ hours in one of those Alitalia reject crates!!!!

WOW Interesting!! Looks like VS044 stopped of at Montreal on the way!!

http://flightaware.com/live/flight/VIR44

Originally posted by Vegas Tone
WOW Interesting!! Looks like VS044 stopped of at Montreal on the way!!

http://flightaware.com/live/flight/VIR44

Probably a medical diversion. Would be my guess.

The other delays are either:
a) Residual delays rattling around inside the system.
b) VS are an aircraft down due to defects or MX.

ISTR there are 7 LGW/MAN config 744s, and on an average day, 6 of them need to be flying, and there are occasional days during the peak periods (e.g school hols) that all 7 need to be working.

If VS are one aircraft down, then the usual thing would be to 'step up' arriving aircraft at LGW to depart sooner than usual (send them out on an earlier flight than they would normally depart with).

Of course, stepping up A320s is one thing, a 450-500 seat airplane is a non-trivial affair.

The room for manoeuvre - to shuffle aircraft around to minimise delay - is limited if VS are an aircraft down, and further limited by the BGI operating from LHR, as this has taken one of the LGW fleet over to LHR.

Substituting one of the LHR fleet in is probably a non-starter, as the LHR 744 fleet is being worked particularly hard at the moment anyway - it's currently doing all the JNB flying, which takes the aircraft away for 2 days. Also the new LHR config isn't particularly suited to LGW routes.

Of course, all the above is a load of postulation.

Mike

Thanks Mike, interesting info. [y]

My folks are at Gatwick this morning (30th) waiting for VS27 which.... stopped at Montreal inbound for a medical emergency. They are now scheduled to depart at 16:40. That's about a 4.5 hour delay. Apparently VS15 is also delayed today until around 6pm

I know you can't avoid medical emergencies but YET AGAIN it is the MCO route that gets the impact. Virgin HAS to sort this out. As a reputable scheduled airline they should have at least1 aircraft on reserve.

I am flying VS from MAN in a few weeks. I just hope that nothing delays the incoming flight otherwise I am stuck. My future flights are now almost all BA and this is the main reason I have moved. As well all know the VS seats are better but that just doesn't cut it for me. I need a carrier that gets to me to destination roughly around the time I plan. When I travel to MCO I have a lot to do in a short space of time (These trips are generally not holidays for me) and therefore a significant delay generally rules out doing anything on the day of arrival and therefore I loose a day.

Anyway, rant over. On top of this VS lounge are not accepting paid entries today (My folks - Silver - Tried and were denied). I believe they are now holed up in either serviceair of aviance lounge.

Paul

Oh dear, not another delay.

I have friends on the VS15 today as well, I hope they get away OK.

In the 6 flights I've taken with Virgin this year, all on the LGW-MCO route, 2 were cancelled and 3 were delayed. As much as I like the Virgin product (including crew [y] ), I've opted to try BA on this route for my future trip.

Clare

Originally posted by p17blo
My folks are at Gatwick this morning (30th) waiting for VS27 which.... stopped at Montreal inbound for a medical emergency. They are now scheduled to depart at 16:40. That's about a 4.5 hour delay. Apparently VS15 is also delayed today until around 6pm

I know you can't avoid medical emergencies but YET AGAIN it is the MCO route that gets the impact. Virgin HAS to sort this out. As a reputable scheduled airline they should have at least1 aircraft on reserve.

I am flying VS from MAN in a few weeks. I just hope that nothing delays the incoming flight otherwise I am stuck. My future flights are now almost all BA and this is the main reason I have moved. As well all know the VS seats are better but that just doesn't cut it for me. I need a carrier that gets to me to destination roughly around the time I plan. When I travel to MCO I have a lot to do in a short space of time (These trips are generally not holidays for me) and therefore a significant delay generally rules out doing anything on the day of arrival and therefore I loose a day.

Anyway, rant over. On top of this VS lounge are not accepting paid entries today (My folks - Silver - Tried and were denied). I believe they are now holed up in either serviceair of aviance lounge.

Paul

I have been on 3 MCO flights in the last 12 months all of which have had medical emergencies.

[:D]Never mind s..t happens

You cant expect Virgin to know when a medical emergency will happen. like wise you cant expect them tio have planes sitting around just in case...............[y]

S**t does indeed happen, it has to be said.

Medical emergencies, technical problems, I don't think you can really blame anyone for these events delaying or cancelling flights.

I mean it's not like the cabin crew have gone on strike or something like that......... er, never mind [:w].

Originally posted by 747340
You cant expect Virgin to know when a medical emergency will happen.

No, I agree

Originally posted by 747340
like wise you cant expect them tio have planes sitting around just in case...............[y]

Umm, Yes I can and do expect just that. BA has several aircraft set aside for just an emergency and slot them as and when needed. I don't expect Virgin to cover ALL aircraft, but just have 1 spare, which they used to until they decided to have all aircraft fully allocated to make EVEN more profit

Having spare aircraft is exactly my point. Which respectable business does not have contingency in place, including spares for business critical operations? Have you seen how many spare tube trains are set aside for when faults happen?

Come on VS sort it out.

By the way, VS15 was boarding at around 4pm

Paul

The entire LGW operation is really tight with all the flights departing within about 3 hours of each other. Most time we take the second MCO flight it is normally late as they turn each arriving aircraft around to meet the next scheduled departure while the last one in will make the last due out departure.

Im sorry - leaving a multi-million pound plane sitting around just in case something goes wrong? That would be like owning a second home just in case the first one burns down. Thats just plain daft. BA probably have 'spare' stock around simply because they are a larger airline with more planes and they can shift maintenance patterns to suit a specific situation. And as for the thing about tube trains sitting there just in case - if thats true, why dont they use them and stop the crazy overcrowding on the tubes. No offence mate - but I think you are living in la-la land!!!

Originally posted by p17blo

Originally posted by 747340
You cant expect Virgin to know when a medical emergency will happen.

No, I agree

Originally posted by 747340
like wise you cant expect them tio have planes sitting around just in case...............[y]

Umm, Yes I can and do expect just that.
Come on VS sort it out.

Paul

I don't. What use is an aircraft sitting on the ground? OK, fine if you are a massive operation like BA where you can call on a plane that has just completed a check of some kind and would probably be going out later in the day and possibly could be swapped. However one of the things that struck me when visiting South Africa and passing JNB was the sight of a VS plane sitting on a remote stand for the best part of the day. It was then it occurred to me that a plane that goes out on a Monday night from LHR doesn't return till Wednesday. Other aircraft will have had at least one extra flight in that time including the LHR-HKG-SYD route.

If you look at the LCC model, be it Southwest, EasyJet, Ryanair or any other carrier you would care to mention, their aim is to keep the plane in the air as much as possible

OK fair enough - You don't want spare aircraft. That is your prerogative. But I think you will find that BA do have spare aircraft. It isn't all about maximizing every last penny out of an operation. You have to consider the impact that continued delays have.

I took a maintenance contract on at one point (around 10 years ago) whereby I had to maintain a very specialist printer. I found that it was better to buy, at great expense, a spare printer that I could swap out in the event of a problem rather than have specialist engineers on 24/7/365 standby JUST IN CASE the printer failed. Now I may be cynical but I believe that aircraft engineers are probably quite specialist also and that it is not in the realms of unbelievability that an untrained engineer could prepare a spare working aircraft potentially quicker that calling in specialist engineers to fix a fault of a aircraft which has gone tech.

Whatever the reason, unforeseen medical emergency, tech faults or ,heaven forbid, crashed aircraft, I believe it pays to have a spare in reserve.

edit to add; Your point about LCCs is absolutely correct. I hope (ney prey) that VS strive to be more than an LCC!

Paul

Originally posted by p17blo
OK fair enough - You don't want spare aircraft. That is your prerogative. But I think you will find that BA do have spare aircraft. It isn't all about maximizing every last penny out of an operation. You have to consider the impact that continued delays have.

I took a maintenance contract on at one point (around 10 years ago) whereby I had to maintain a very specialist printer. I found that it was better to buy, at great expense, a spare printer that I could swap out in the event of a problem rather than have specialist engineers on 24/7/365 standby JUST IN CASE the printer failed. Now I may be cynical but I believe that aircraft engineers are probably quite specialist also and that it is not in the realms of unbelievability that an untrained engineer could prepare a spare working aircraft potentially quicker that calling in specialist engineers to fix a fault of a aircraft which has gone tech.

Whatever the reason, unforeseen medical emergency, tech faults or ,heaven forbid, crashed aircraft, I believe it pays to have a spare in reserve.

edit to add; Your point about LCCs is absolutely correct. I hope (ney prey) that VS strive to be more than an LCC!

Paul

I think one of the major problems is that a lot of the tech issues happen on a down leg. Given the fact that a lot of VS routes are only served once or twice a day then if the ac developes a problem then you will end up in a late inbound ac.

Also in fleet size VS is still a very small airline with 39 (I think) ac having just one in reserve is a large percentage of the fleet not earning money let alone if you say have a spare 346 at LHR and 744 at LGW then what about a tech problem out of the country you can't justify having ac around the world just in case.

Its all very well having spare aircraft capacity. I had a 6 hour delay with BA to Edinburgh last week. After 1 hour they said they had got another plane, however they then found they didn't have the crew!!

Seems Monarch is the airline with the best punctuality, partly due to having a hot standby 757 and crew ready to go at a moment's notice, at Gatwick.

I know that Mytravel and Thomson fly both have a standby plane, as I have suffered a small delay with both while they bring in the standby plane when mine has gone tech.

I am actually supprised that VS do not have a plane on standby, if the charters can build this into their costs why can't VS.

You kind of expect it from a LCC but not from a company like VS. Seems they have cut back to the bare bones recently on almost everything.

In defence of LCCs, last time I flew EZY from BFS 2 planes went tech at the same time - we were 4 hours late but they managed to fix one and get a standby flown to replace the other - everyone got home that evening.