Excellent service - improve the goodies

When VS is below par, I make it clear. It's only fair, therefore, that I comment on the excellent service I have received in a number of UC flights in the last couple of months. The crew have been cheerful, helpful and engaging. Weirdly, the only partial exception to this was a very empty flight. I assumed that service would be good, but the crew were more interested in chatting amongst themselves than giving anything else than the bare minimum. It turned out that one of their number was retiring, so perhaps it's understandable.

Otherwise, well done ladies and gentlemen.

The good service did reveal a number of small issues which could be fixed:

1) The food: for a busines-class plus product, it's just not good enough. There's a way of solving this without costing much more. I noticed that the portions are large and bland. I would prefer smaller portions of good quality food.

2) The beds: I find the bed quite uncomfortable, because the actual bit of the bed that's the mattress is relatively limited - the rest is the grate, the stowed armrest and the ottoman. This could be ameliorated by a memory-foam slide-over cover to replace the fairly useles one now given.

3) The pillow: It feels weirdly cheap and not sufficiently substantial to cope with the metal grating it finds itself upon below the window.

4) The entertainment system: An aircraft with Nova is not a happy one. I understand that the costs of conversion are high, but I think they should scour for a good deal; they're currently being ripped off, and I say so as someone who understands well the technology. Hell, I could put together a good Linux-based IVOD, including hardware, for literally a tenth of what they pay now

5) Priority boarding. Nuff said.

6) Crisps. Petty, I know, but it's surprising how often I've seen people ask for more crisps and be told they've run out. Just load a few more bags. Sometimes you crave a little salty crunchy something, and the trip to the bar presents you with little more than fruit these days. More little treats are psychologically fun.

They can have their retirement party on their own time and dollar -- not yours.

I was surprised to see one omission on your list: Don't you also find the amenity kit to be lacking? Or are you not bothered with the current offering? At least it has a shoe bag now...

GJ

[RichardMannion]

'Retirement party' & 'Just load a few more bags' surely some contradiction? [:)]

Grinner, you are correct - they should have limited their celebrations to after the flight. That said, they didn't do anything positive offensive or wrong, they just made it clear that once they had fulfilled their duties (which they did efficiently), they had no further interest in putting in that bit extra, and preferred to chat and laugh amongst themselves in the galley. I didn't mind so much, because this was a day flight. Had the party been going on throughout the night, I might have had words about it

As for the amenity pack, it's mildly better than the embarrassing cadbboard sleeve, and at least the little basket now contains metal pens and not the cheap, plastic rubbish that falls apart as you fill in your landing card. But there is one really stupid aspect which, again, makes me wonder whether they really do proper usability analysis: the little tubes of lipgloss, shaving cream and moisturiser all come in identical tubes, with tiny print on to indicate their function, and only very subtly different black and white abstract patterning to differentiate them. As such, it's all too easy to end up putting shaving cream on your lips in the middle of a night flight

Ah, food, including bar 'treats'. My favourite UC gripe.

I don't recall even the portions being that huge, but that's maybe because I can't eat an entire plateful of bland, boil-in-the-bag-ish stodgyness.

There's something about the food on VS which reminds me of chain faux-gastropub food, or supermarket ready-meals, and there's an increasing propensity for wet things like stews and casseroles.

I don't want to sound like I'm harping, but whoever thought that 'Mini Cheddars' were a 'fun Upper Class snack, aligned with the fun Virgin brand', and that microscopic fairy cakes filled with plastic non-dairy cream made for a nice afternoon tea, needs to get a reality check (or a just good slap).

The lack of snacks is a real issue. I've been served a miserly little saucer with *three* crisps on it before now, and thought hell, you get more in Y. When I asked for more snacks, 'Oh, sorry, we've run out'.

On a recent SFO flight, bar nibbles were obliterated very early on (during the first cocktail service), and a co-worker's desire for something salty had to be met by a packet of Hula Hoops raided from the crew's snack cart.

There's also what appears to be a growing obsession to round trip elements of the catering service.

The alcohol selection has always been round-tripped ex-UK as far as I know (with the exception of SYD, I believe?), and there seems to be a lot more being round-tripped these days, such as the W and Y snack services on many flights(probably why they are now smaller, and ambient rather than fresh), the crew cart, elements of the breakfast service, etc. (ISTR, there's one route which is entirely round-tripped.)

Round-tripping shorthaul flights is commonplace these days, but less so on longhaul, because it takes up a lot of space, and therefore cuts down the amount of things you can carry per-sector. I therefore wouldn't be surpried to learn that the reduction in goodies is a result of increased round-tripping, which causes either less stuff to be loaded to allow more room for things which are round-tripped, or items which are round-tripped are rationed on the outbound to ensure the return sector isn't left short.

Given the strength of the Pound, I'm almost surprised that VS choose to round trip what looks like a lot of stuff from the UK, when surely they can get a bigger bang for their buck downline, unless the cost of logistics is higher.

Mike

It sounds weird to complain about little snacks and things when typing from the ground. But at 37 thousand feet, there's something normalising and comforting about such things. Again, VS don't seem to quite get the psychology of the little things. Getting the big things right is easy - it just takes time and money. Getting the details right is what differentiates genius. Little things like thinking 'crisps are moreish and are hardly a weight burden - so let's add a few more bags per trip!' really don't take much to consider, and yet it seems that such obvious details are missed. I don't understand why. Does Virgin not do any mystery-shopper style reports?

As for your description of VS food as ready-meal/boil-in-the-bag - spot on. It doesn't actually have to be like this, it's just cheapest way of producing food that's easy to serve and prepare. The bland plop-it-into-a-plate simplicity suggests not so much that VS don't spend enough on the meals, but that they don't really trust their crew not to bugger up something more complicated. That's odd.

As ever I totally agree with mike - I've been on flights where hours before landing I'm told there is no more champagne in UC, this on the outbound! I can only assume that the allocation for the flight has been used up or someone forgot to load enough or VS have cut back. Once I was told by a crew member 'we're amazed at how much champagne people think they're entitled to' - bloody insulting when I've paid £3,000 a ticket and VS probably get their crap champagne for £10 a bottle.

Emirates, which I fly a lot, does a fantastic sandwiches and cake service at tea time, a trolley full of large sandwiches with great options, smoked salmon oozing out, beef, vegetarian, and a fab cake selection with cream in a big pot that is doled out by a large spoon - you ask for and get as much as you want and there is always more to be had ... compare this to the dried up misery on VS.

Golly, pithy or what, but it is a constant sore that VS simply cannot get the food right - I think the fall back is always, well you can eat in the club house (which is usually great, and in Newark last week I was very happy with the choice and service).

OK rant mode off!

It seems odd that all excuses given by VS for perceived service deficiencies, are effectively nulled by numnerous other airlines not experiencing the same challenges. Whether that is volume, quality or availability for food, drink, snacks, and other comfort related addons.

I guess it's priorities, and cost-effectivness perception, that determine these services.

I have a suggestion. Ditch the IFBT. Replace with a 'chef' and some space for better kitchen-ish kit.. and ingredients. And cook the food.. rather than re-heating sub-standard ready meals. An on-board chef.. THAT would attract customers, even more than 'Book the cook' on another airline.

Originally posted by frangipan
Does Virgin not do any mystery-shopper style reports?

That's something I don't know the answer to, but to be honest, haven't they got the best source of mystery shoppers going? Us! We even pay for the privilege, rather than get paid! VS could so easily have their cake and eat it.

but that they don't really trust their crew not to bugger up something more complicated. That's odd.

You may be on to something here.

The majority of J food is heated in separate containers and plated to order in the galley. A handful of items seem to be assembled ready plated by the flight kitchen, such as the GNF salad bowls, but as far as I know, all the hot items are heated seperately from, and subsequently dished up onto, the flatware it is served on.

(Ironically, you can tell that the GNF salad bowls are put together by an assembler, they somehow look much neater and tidier than the on-board prepared product.)

Compare that to most other carriers' J cabin meals, which are usually assembled by the flight kitchen and pre-plated on oven-to-tableware. Occasionally, certain components require different reheat times or conditions and so are heated separately and added at the last minute, but these are exceptions.

The J food on SQ, which everyone seems to agree is of a high standard, is done this way, for example.

The plate-to-order service is something you would normally associate with a 12-14 seat F cabin. VS are doing this in 40-50 seat J cabins, and indeed they have done this at least since the start of the Freedom menu (maybe longer?).

I can't help feeling that VS do a bit too much navel gazing.

Mike

Actually, that was going to be one of my suggestions. The IFBT is a gimmick. You really cannot receive effective massages with all your clothes on, balanced on that uncomfortable stool whilst in turbulence. And that's if you're lucky enough to get selected. The IFBT is there merely as a symbol of luxurious excess for the adverts. In reality, I think the suggestion that he/she be replaced by a J food-quality-supervisor is an excellent one!

[RichardMannion]

Originally posted by frangipan
Actually, that was going to be one of my suggestions. The IFBT is a gimmick. You really cannot receive effective massages with all your clothes on, balanced on that uncomfortable stool whilst in turbulence. And that's if you're lucky enough to get selected. The IFBT is there merely as a symbol of luxurious excess for the adverts. In reality, I think the suggestion that he/she be replaced by a J food-quality-supervisor is an excellent one!

Careful what you wish for now! [:p]

I do agree though, IFBT has been very much redundant in the last year of my flights. 'You've had a treatment in the CH, so even though I'm not busy I'll stick to GalleyFM'. THat is of course when they actually make the flight.

[preiffer]

Weird [:?]

On the past 6/7 flights I've had, despite having a haircut in the CH, I've always managed a treatment onboard [y]

Ditch the IFBT? Boot the Beaut? Interesting idea, and one with which I would be fully in support if, of course, it meant improvements elsewhere.

I've long believed that the whole IFBT is a bit of a gimmick and probably works much better as a marketing tool for VS than it does in delivering any real benefits for pax. And if you consider how much space it takes up, especially on a 747, it does make you wonder about its worth. If the same resources, as suggested, could go into making VS' J food the envy of the skies, well, who'd complain about that?

If you take something away, even if it's a bit gimmicky like the IFBT (like others here, I've been on several flights in the past year without an IFBT), people will notice that something has been removed, and unless it is clearly and unambiguously replaced with something else, they will complain about being short changed.

The assembled masses here are proof-positive of this.

I think part of the problem with onboard service is that in creating 'The House', which is the inflight service agency created as a partnership between VS and LSG to manage the VS inflight service, VS themselves have created an abstraction layer between them and their inflight service.

In closing down their own inflight service logistics team, and transferring them to 'The House', VS hoped it would free them from the specialist tasks of inflight logistics, and leave them free to think about the bigger picture.

I think it's done the opposite. VS are now constrained by contract and specification, and no are longer able to exercise direct control over what the suppliers downstream of 'The House' are doing.

My perception is that all the downsides in the onboard product have come about since 'The House' was created.

(Apparently, The House are responsible for managing the aircraft cleaning contracts, as well as food, drinks, duty free, amenities, etc., and you know my thoughts about aircraft cleaning - somewhere in line with food.)

Starting to look like just another failed outsource to me...

Mike

Originally posted by frangipan
Actually, that was going to be one of my suggestions. The IFBT is a gimmick. You really cannot receive effective massages with all your clothes on, balanced on that uncomfortable stool whilst in turbulence. And that's if you're lucky enough to get selected. The IFBT is there merely as a symbol of luxurious excess for the adverts. In reality, I think the suggestion that he/she be replaced by a J food-quality-supervisor is an excellent one!

Excellent idea. Perhaps the space could also be used for an extra lav on the woefully underequipped A340-600?

IFBT seems popular with the once a year leisure traveller, but completely pointless for the business traveller.