Gatwick premium seats

Are the seats at the front of the upper deck on the ex LHR based planes at LGW the old style seats or are they the ones with the plastic backs?

Booked seat 72A for a flight to MCO and would rather be sitting in the older style than the newer one.

Cheers!

All the LGW (including the ex-LHR) a/c have the old style p/e seats on the whole of the upper deck. The section downstairs (Row 81 and 82) has the ones with the plastic backs.

Ok cheers - ill stick with 72a then!

YEP

LGW are still 2nd Class Virgin PE Customers and for a long time to come !!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[HighFlyer]

Originally posted by markyl
YEP

LGW are still 2nd Class Virgin PE Customers and for a long time to come !!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Don't forget that LGW currently has all PE upstairs in the bubble (where as LHR no longer has any PE seating upstairs). I'd say that LGW has the edge here over the 2x4x2 LHR config any day.

Thanks,
Sarah

I'd say that LGW has the edge here over the 2x4x2 LHR config any day

Totally agree. So much so that when asked, the other day, if I'd be so kind as to swap seats with somebody downstairs I had to decline. I got the impression that the other pax and cc thought I was being a bit mean spirited , but an aisle seat in the block of four downstairs doesn't compare to a window seat in the bubble. Besides when they then asked the same question downstairs they found somebody willing to swap almost immediately...

Originally posted by markyl
YEP

LGW are still 2nd Class Virgin PE Customers and for a long time to come !!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I don't know about that. I have never been on a LGW based flight and had the FSM or CSS say 'Right guys, this is a Gatwick flight so the passengers are not as important as at Heathrow.' I would say we strive to deliver in Premium on these flights. If we had started the conversion at Gatwick then I am sure Heathrow passengers would be complaining that Heathrow got no attention. Alot of the Gatwick flights are very competitive with other airlines that fly from there, and are still a cut above the rest. While I am sure the company would love to snap their fingers and have the new seats on every a/c it just cannot be done. I don't know how the PE customers come second class in any way besides not having the new seats. The service is identical (if not better as they have their own galley), along with many little perks. No Y Class interlopers using the W toilets, no middle seats....

Originally posted by Galley Guy

Originally posted by markyl
YEP

LGW are still 2nd Class Virgin PE Customers and for a long time to come !!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I don't know about that. I have never been on a LGW based flight and had the FSM or CSS say 'Right guys, this is a Gatwick flight so the passengers are not as important as at Heathrow.' I would say we strive to deliver in Premium on these flights. If we had started the conversion at Gatwick then I am sure Heathrow passengers would be complaining that Heathrow got no attention. Alot of the Gatwick flights are very competitive with other airlines that fly from there, and are still a cut above the rest. While I am sure the company would love to snap their fingers and have the new seats on every a/c it just cannot be done. I don't know how the PE customers come second class in any way besides not having the new seats. The service is identical (if not better as they have their own galley), along with many little perks. No Y Class interlopers using the W toilets, no middle seats....

Oh dear GG. [:(]

I think you need to look at other postings on this forum, travel forums about the 'quality' of the Vs flights to Florida and especially the Crew comments on their own forum wher this flight is hated by the crew.

Y class interlopers? how about PE interlopers into the UC toilets?

FCA and TCD are going to 33' in economy seat pitch, much better than VS and have VOD IFE for example.
UC at gatwick never had IFBT, Manchester does not have a Clubhouse

[mitchja]

Originally posted by AlanA

UC at gatwick never had IFBT

Not wanting to take this topic any further off-topic but that's not strictly true. Some flights did. YYZ flights departing LGW using the old 742's with J2000 cabin config, did have an IFBT on board.

Regards

Originally posted by AlanA

Oh dear GG. [:(]

I think you need to look at other postings on this forum, travel forums about the 'quality' of the Vs flights to Florida and especially the Crew comments on their own forum wher this flight is hated by the crew.

Y class interlopers? how about PE interlopers into the UC toilets?

FCA and TCD are going to 33' in economy seat pitch, much better than VS and have VOD IFE for example.
UC at gatwick never had IFBT, Manchester does not have a Clubhouse

Can't speak about MCO as I've never been but I've flown ex LGW for several years on scheduled VS flights to the Caribbean that allow me flexibility about my holiday dates and times and have, to date, had no issues at all with price and service.

Paul

Went to Las Vegas last year in PE, outbound was upstairs and i made sure on the way back i was downstairs.

I prefer being upstairs, but the seats were in poor condition, in fact mine was broken and I had to move from a bulkhead.
I was then stuck next to a large chap who did n't move for many hours as he was asleep. I also saw a large family get more and more drunk and get a bit rowdy.

On the way back, the downstairs section was quieter, darker and mainly mature couples with older children. The seats were in better shape.

On both flights the service was excellent. However, I was not ready for the huge amount of people they shoe horn into those flights, every single possible standing location was full pretty much al the time.

If I had my way, I'd have the new PE Leather seat upstairs.

Originally posted by AlanA
FCA and TCD are going to 33' in economy seat pitch, much better than VS and have VOD IFE for example.

Lets get real here:
AVOD on both these carriers is way below that of VS and if some reports are to be believed this will be introduced across the LGW fleet next year.
TCD is going to merely catch up with the rest, it has for years been offering a sub standard service across to SFB.

The average Joe Bloggs on the street is not going to care if the IFE is AVOD or not. As I posted last time you had this moan, there are many major international carriers that do not offer seatback TV screens at all.

UC at gatwick never had IFBT, Manchester does not have a Clubhouse

Well the IFBT is gone from LHR, so LGW, MAN and LHR will all be on a par.
With regards to the CH- what a waste of money. If VS invest more fully in MAN then maybe just yes a CH will be introduced. Sure some destinations such as BOS (which also on the whole only has one flight a day) have CH but you have to to keep in mind that BOS has a much greater demand for premium travel than MCO does

Times are hard in the industry and now is not the time for VS to be 'wasting' money when the current product suits. Even EK, who posted mega profits last week, have an inconsistent product.

Sure some passengers may leave but the grass is not always greener on the otherside.

If you want the LHR experience then fly to MIA and get CO up to MCO or drive the 4 hours.

[buns]

I have been travelling on LGW routes long before the 'Alitalia' aircraft were acquired.

Mrs Buns & I have always found the premium cabin in the bubble preferable to the various LHR PE incarnations through the years - the comfort of the seat and the the service of the crew has, with only one exception, been pleasurable.

As pressure on availability on the LGW routes (particularly LAS) increases, it is inevitable that the cheaper fares become harder to come by, but I remain a committed LGW fan and have never seen it as a poor relation to LHR. The LGW Clubhouse may not have all the glitz and glam of LHR, but it more than makes up for it in the levels of service.

buns

Originally posted by buns4vs
I have been travelling on LGW routes long before the 'Alitalia' aircraft were acquired.

O how I miss California Girl and Spirit of Sir Freddie!

Originally posted by willd

Originally posted by AlanA

If you want the LHR experience then fly to MIA and get CO up to MCO or drive the 4 hours.

That is exactly what we are doing in August, we are staying in Orlando as usual but flying from LHR to Miami, Upper, then driving the 4 hours up.

Originally posted by willd
Lets get real here:
AVOD on both these carriers is way below that of VS and if some reports are to be believed this will be introduced across the LGW fleet next year.

Yes, lets get real here. You need to actually take off the Vs glasses and look at what people are saying who use the service for their holidays.
AVOD is far better than NOva, and you know it.

TCD is going to merely catch up with the rest, it has for years been offering a sub standard service across to SFB.

again, read the forums where people have actually used TCd with the bigger leg room and same other services to economy Virgin. At least they are upgrading their aircraft for the passengers

The average Joe Bloggs on the street is not going to care if the IFE is AVOD or not. As I posted last time you had this moan, there are many major international carriers that do not offer seatback TV screens at all.

wrong again. the 'average Joe Bloggs' (what a comment on your fellow passengers!) DOES know how good VOD is and how bad Nova is compared to same flighst. Of course some airlines still have rubbish IFE and they are quite rightly pillioried for that and are not the normal flying choice of 'Joe Bloggs'

UC at gatwick never had IFBT, Manchester does not have a Clubhouse

Well the IFBT is gone from LHR, so LGW, MAN and LHR will all be on a par.
With regards to the CH- what a waste of money. If VS invest more fully in MAN then maybe just yes a CH will be introduced. Sure some destinations such as BOS (which also on the whole only has one flight a day) have CH but you have to to keep in mind that BOS has a much greater demand for premium travel than MCO does [/quote]

Manchester could have a V-Room at least.
But thats OK eh? wiild? not your airport of choice so it does not matter. Look at the screams from the LHR gang at taking away their exclusive 'toy' the IFBT, not really a peep out of them when for years LGW and MAN did not have this service.

Times are hard in the industry and now is not the time for VS to be 'wasting' money when the current product suits. Even EK, who posted mega profits last week, have an inconsistent product.

Sure some passengers may leave but the grass is not always greener on the otherside.

If you want the LHR experience then fly to MIA and get CO up to MCO or drive the 4 hours.

yes, time are hard and the airlines investing in their passengers will survive the best, the ones who treat them like Cattle will suffer the most.

[preiffer]

Originally posted by AlanA
But thats OK eh? wiild? not your airport of choice so it does not matter. Look at the screams from the LHR gang at taking away their exclusive 'toy' the IFBT, not really a peep out of them when for years LGW and MAN did not have this service.

Careful, Alan...

We're each entitled to our opinions, most of which are based around the products, services and environments that affect US. In the same way that people don't belittle your continual bleating about LGW's 'lower service offering', I'd consider affording them the same courtesy when something directly affects their £6,000 ticket...

We all know there are differences between the services available at each of the bases that VS operate from, in reality while we'd all love every base/aircraft/staff member to be consistently great - it just ain't gonna happen given the current financial climate. If anything, by the look of it, you may find it more likely that the LHR services LOWER to MATCH those of MAN/LGW over the years to come! [:0]

Who are FCA and TCD?[?]

[preiffer]

First Choice Air/, and Travel City Direct. Charter Airlines.

well i do tend to agree with ALAN A but once the refit in 09? comes then it will be just as good as LHR imo. much prefer the lgw clubhouse[y] and if by some miracle we get v-port and a mco plane leaves on time ill be using vs more and more[y]

Originally posted by AlanA
Yes, lets get real here. You need to actually take off the Vs glasses and look at what people are saying who use the service for their holidays.
AVOD is far better than NOva, and you know it.

Well to be honest on my last TR I actually commented on how I thought Nova was just fine and preferred it to Odyssey. I think you need to look at the economics. When V:Port was originally introduced to the LHR fleet, the LGW fleet was less than a year old. It would have been a huge waste of money to rip out a practically brand new IFE system to install V:Port. Its also worth remembering that V:Port does have its problems, it is always (or at least was at the start and every now and again these days judging by TRs) crashing.

again, read the forums where people have actually used TCd with the bigger leg room and same other services to economy Virgin. At least they are upgrading their aircraft for the passengers

Well I have never seen a TCD trip report on here or a.net. But based on my experience ~1999, looking at the history of the a/c flying and the slatting that XL have recieved for their LH services in the past I feel that VS offers a better product. In fact a quick search shows there seat pitch to be between 30-33 inches and they only talk about their 767 and 330 fleet. The 330 is yet to arrive and IIRC they mainly use 744's ex MAN. Of course the Y class product will be nearly the same but then again there is not much different you can do with a Y class product.

wrong again. the 'average Joe Bloggs' (what a comment on your fellow passengers!) DOES know how good VOD is and how bad Nova is compared to same flighst. Of course some airlines still have rubbish IFE and they are quite rightly pillioried for that and are not the normal flying choice of 'Joe Bloggs'

I disagree, Neil in his recent TR commented on how happy his Sister's family were with NOVA as they had never been on a plane with seat back TVs. I think you are forgetting that those who frequent boards such as this and the Dibb are not average passengers. I still hear people getting excited by having their own TV. I think you will find that there are some major carriers still flying with out seat back TVs. Of course what you mean to say is that amongst the charters there are few without seat back TVs.

Manchester could have a V-Room at least.
But thats OK eh? wiild? not your airport of choice so it does not matter. Look at the screams from the LHR gang at taking away their exclusive 'toy' the IFBT, not really a peep out of them when for years LGW and MAN did not have this service.

Manchester wont get a V:Room until they have seen how successful the one at LGW is.
For your information I have flown more out of LGW and MAN in the last six years than LHR. So they are both my airports of choice. So please do not brand me with the nimby attitude you allude to.

yes, time are hard and the airlines investing in their passengers will survive the best, the ones who treat them like Cattle will suffer the most.

At the end of the day, the carrier that is the most clever with its money will survive. There is no point in spending big bucks and not surviving. Likewise there is no point in spending a little and not surviving. Its all about an economic balance. IMHO VS have got it about right at the moment. They are cutting back on certain things across all cabins and are continuing to offer a good service across the board. There are of course areas for improvement, there always are. As I pointed out in my original post even the most successful carriers of late, such as EY, SQ and EK have inconsistent products.

As I finished with earlier, if the grass is really greener then there is nothing stopping people from leaving.

At the moment VS believe (and I think quite rightly (and I say that as a predominantly LGW-MCO user)) they face more competition from EK, SQ, BA, DL, CX than they do from the likes of FCA and XL. The reason for that is that it is, and always will be, premium classes that make airlines money.

Call me stupid if you like but I am of the view that VS still offers the best product across all cabins to MCO. I have been to the other side and found the service absolutely pants.

certainly right on the MCO route. Luggage allowence is best in class and on the one time i did fly TCD (never again) 28 hour delay and what can only be classed as the worst place ive ever been stuck for 9 hours[:$]

Originally posted by willd
At the moment VS believe (and I think quite rightly (and I say that as a predominantly LGW-MCO user)) they face more competition from EK, SQ, BA, DL, CX than they do from the likes of FCA and XL.

Together with the fact that VS run services to most destinations at least a couple of times a week.

Paul

[RichardMannion]

Why bother investing on that route? The traffic loads are good, and most of the customers on that route seem to be basing their buying decision nowadays on price. Why spend £m's (and it is that magnitude) if its going to take you a long time to get it back, and your competitors don't offer it, and your loads are high as it?

If a customer wants to fly on one of those other carriers to SFB, then that's their choice. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion and can spend their money where they want. Which airlines offer full AVOD IFE to MCO?

I hate LGW at the best of times, but if I want to fly with VS to MCO, it's that, or MAN-MCO(which is about equal distance) or going via MIA. MIA Z's are typically a damn sight higher than a MCO Z, and I'm not really missing out on too much (no more IFBT), I still get a CH, but no Revivals. Now for the folk up North, you can choose from MAN or LGW - pointless bitching about one route being better than another.

[Neil]

wrong again. the 'average Joe Bloggs' (what a comment on your fellow passengers!) DOES know how good VOD is and how bad Nova is compared to same flights. Of course some airlines still have rubbish IFE and they are quite rightly pillioried for that and are not the normal flying choice of 'Joe Bloggs'

I disagree, Neil in his recent TR commented on how happy his Sister's family were with NOVA as they had never been on a plane with seat back TVs. I think you are forgetting that those who frequent boards such as this and the Dibb are not average passengers. I still hear people getting excited by having their own TV. I think you will find that there are some major carriers still flying with out seat back TVs. Of course what you mean to say is that amongst the charters there are few without seat back TVs.

Actually Alan you are wrong. I 100% agree with Will. It was actually Luke's sister and her family and they loved everything about the VS flight, especially the Nova IFE. They didn't have a clue about the IFE before I told them and your average once a year long haul B&S pax does not know either the comparisons between 3 or 4 different airlines IFE systems. Even Luke and I was surprised at how good Nova was compared to V-Port, we expected it to be a lot worse.

The way people find out about IFE/flight experience are through word of mouth and before our flight Luke's sister had heard horror stories of TCD and FCA (delays/expensive drinks on board/poor luggage allowance) yet only good about VS. They are now in turn spreading their stories of an excellent VS experience.

Just because you perceive something to be rubbish/inferior doesn't mean it is true and everyone shares the same opinion. We have just booked again to go back to MCO, and we could easily have flown in/out of MIA and driven up but the fare was more expensive, it would have meant a 4hr drive both ways all for 3hrs in the CH. We both we unanimous that we wanted to fly MAN-MCO and even moved our dates so we could do this.