Has LGW re-furbishment started?

Just been on trip advisor and read a report stating that someone had taken a VS flight to St Lucia in PE and was seated upstairs in leather seats!

Have VS already started refurbing the LGW fleet then, if so is their anyone who can give us an update on which aircraft have been done so far?

According to previous suggestions this wasn't happening until 2009 now.[?]










Edit to thread title for clarity... Nick

[Neil]

Do you have a link for this report?

I am pretty certain that none of the LGW fleet have been refitted yet, it certainly hasn't been reported. Without reading the post it is difficult to know 100% what they mean.

Yes here is the link, in the first paragraph the poster clearly states Premium, upstairs with only 2 seats either side!

Link to tripadvisor.

Cant have been a refurbed LHR 744 as i understand they have had an all UC upper deck for some time now.







Edit by mod to shorten link......... Nick

[Neil]

Hmmmmm interesting. Seems pretty definite, would be interested to know which a/c they flew on. Wonder if any of our VS staffers could clarify or whether the poster has just plain got something wrong.

[Darren Wheeler]

Ahhh. Sussed it, I think. Date of travel is given as Nov 2007 (took their sweet time [;)]. Could well have been an 747-400 config 1 that was covering LGW for some reason, prior to being changed to config 4. Would certainly fit the scenario.

[Neil]

I thought that too Darren, but IIRC the LHR 744's didn't get the new PE seats until they got the new config so still doesn't fit the description of the leather PE seats upstairs.

could you just email the people who did the trip report and ask them? (Via the trip report website)
They will wonder what a lot of anoraks we all are!!![:I]

Scarlet

I came back from Miami to LHR upstairs in PE with the new VPort and purple seats. That flight was 20 JUL 2003 but I couldn't tell you which plane it was. I remember it well as it was the first time I had seen v-port. We had the two seats at the back 74, H/K.

Darren, it did cross my mind at the time that it could have been a LHR 744 prior to refurb but as stated above surely VS wouldnt upgrade PE upstairs shortly before changing the upper deck to all UC, would be a bit of a waste of time and cash.

[Darren Wheeler]

Unless the seats were in such a poor state they needed to be done. A mystery to be sure.

Well this seems to have really stumped the boffins of the site.[:D]

Originally posted by virgin crazy

Well this seems to have really stumped the boffins of the site.

I wonder, and this is a big wonder, if the a/c is G-VROY maybe she got the new seats when she got a repaint which was around October time IIRC.

Although of course they may have just got lucky and for some very odd reason an LHR based 744 was used ex LGW. November did seem to have some very odd VS69/70 flights to Boston ex LGW using LHR 744's which seemed to stay for a couple of days at LGW according to the movements page.

Originally posted by contractor
I came back from Miami to LHR upstairs in PE with the new VPort and purple seats. That flight was 20 JUL 2003 but I couldn't tell you which plane it was. I remember it well as it was the first time I had seen v-port. We had the two seats at the back 74, H/K.

No this comment has got me stumped. Contractor I am a bit confused as to what you are trying to say? The purple seats can't have been installed in 2003?

Maybe they thought it was the J2000 seats?

No this comment has got me stumped. Contractor I am a bit confused as to what you are trying to say? The purple seats can't have been installed in 2003?
[/quote]

I went to JFK in the 'new' seat December 07. I am sure that this was the same seat that I came back from Miami on. I remember it was all very new at the time, maybe it was a pilot/prototype. Can anyone remember if there was there a refit of some sort going on around 2003?

[Neil]

The new PE seats were only on trial from the early part of 2006, and they were on the A346. The refits of the new leather PE seats didn't start until very late 2006/early 2007 and as of December 07 all A346 and B744's had the new seats so it can't have been the same seat as your flight in 2003.

The only way we will find out is if someone has hands on knowledge of this aircraft.

Maybe someone out there knows CC that have flown a LGW 744 that has been refitted?

[Neil]

Certainly no LGW 744's were refitted in Nov 07 which is when the poster you have linked too took their flight, the LHR fleet were still being refitted at that time. I guess we have to presume that the poster has got some of the facts wrong as we can never be 100% certain.

Originally posted by Scarlet46
They will wonder what a lot of anoraks we all are!!![:I]

Scarlet

I've just logged on and read this thread and you're right[;)]

Miopyk[8D]

[mitchja]

I seem to remember reading something saying that some of the LGW PE seats on one A/C had new leather seat covers just as a trial before the LHR A/C actually got the new PE seating. Maybe this explains it [:?]

Regards

Maybe I can help with this information I flew PE on September 28th from BGI - LGW in the upstairs PE the seats were not converted then and there still was no V:Port neither for the return journey October 23rd. I travel the route (temporary redirected the LHR but same LGW aircraft February 14 - Mar 16 and the upstiars was not outfitted still check those dates see what aircraft they were. Hope that helps

Originally posted by drezman
there still was no V:Port neither for the return journey October 23rd.

Sadly V:Port will not be fitted onto any LGW based aircraft for the foreseeable feature.