New Premium Economy

I flew on VS24 yesterday, 29th August, on G-VGOA which has the new premium economy seats.

They are very nice overall but still not as good in my view as the older PE seats.

Cabin is also nicer now with a couple more rows and feels much lighter.

I was however amazed that the last row has only the 3 centre seats and both sides have the toilets openign next to them. I cannot see how charging the same fare for these seats is reasonable, they are really horrible.

I have just checked the aircraft database and G-VGOA is still listed as having config 1, how many A346s have been converted?

Thanks

Around half (8 aircraft) of the A346 fleet have been converted to the new config.

[fozzyo]

Originally posted by manymiles
I was however amazed that the last row has only the 3 centre seats and both sides have the toilets openign next to them. I cannot see how charging the same fare for these seats is reasonable, they are really horrible.

That doesn't sound at all pleasant does it.

Mat

I was however amazed that the last row has only the 3 centre seats and both sides have the toilets openign next to them. I cannot see how charging the same fare for these seats is reasonable, they are really horrible.

Yes really icky - I was panicking having booked PE back from BOS next week - the seat map was coming up as new config and the only available seat was the middle of that three! Thankfully premier team have changed me - phew!

This must be downstairs - right?

[honey lamb]

Originally posted by catsilversword
This must be downstairs - right?

V-GOA is an A-346. The only downstairs is the hold and the crew rest area

[Neil]

[:?] don't like the sound of that at all, I always try and stay well clear of the row that backs onto the toilet as that is off putting enough for me (people queueing etc) but to actually have the door adjacent to your seat must be really bad[n], thanks for the info MM, will make a HUGE note never to pick these seats.

Neil:)

I was once in the back row of PE in the new config and wasn't actually that bad - although it certainly wasn't great.

VS.

[mitchja]

Originally posted by StarGuy
Around half (8 aircraft) of the A346 fleet have been converted to the new config.

Thanks for the info but does this mean that 8 have the new seats/cabins as well now [:?] As VS started converting config 1 A346's to config 2 ones but left the existing seats in place. I was on a config 2 A346 which still had the old(ish) type W and Y seats (Wash and Kash) back in June.

Regards

As far as I'm aware, currently only one aircraft has the entre new Wcl and Ycl cabins. (G V-YOU)
One airbus has the new Wcl seats but older Ycl and older carpets etc.
7 Have the new config but with the old seats.
All will be getting the new seats/ carpets/ curtains etc eventually.

Oh and after tonight Maiden Toulouse will no longer be in the fleet... so no more J2000 flights.

There is a thread about Modern Twoloos here to save a duplicate discussion opening up.

I'm not sure about how many aircraft have the new super seat in Premium, but only the four newest aircraft have the new style seat in economy; G-VWIN, G-VFIT, G-VFIZ and G-VYOU.

Originally posted by V-Ben
As far as I'm aware, currently only one aircraft has the entre new Wcl and Ycl cabins. (G V-YOU)
One airbus has the new Wcl seats but older Ycl and older carpets etc.
7 Have the new config but with the old seats.
All will be getting the new seats/ carpets/ curtains etc eventually.

Oh and after tonight Maiden Toulouse will no longer be in the fleet... so no more J2000 flights.

G-VFIZ (call me Bubbles) has the new Premium seat as well as the new seat and colours in economy[^]

I was however amazed that the last row has only the 3 centre seats and both sides have the toilets openign next to them. I cannot see how charging the same fare for these seats is reasonable, they are really horrible.

Are these toilets for the exclusive use of PE or will the passengers in row 23 be continually disturbed by people comin through from Y?

On my flight they were mainly used by Y and there was a que there at times. I am not sure if there is a sign at the front of Y but the crew did not appear to be actively sending the Y passenger back.

I am crew and not even I'm sure of the correct procedure as far as these toilets are concerned. The economy cabin is a VERY long cabin and the passengers at the front of it will see a toilet right in-front of them and will use it.

I for one wouldn't know how to ask an economy passenger to use the other toilets without embarrassing both them and myself. It does need clarification.

Are these toilets for the exclusive use of PE or will the passengers in row 23 be continually disturbed by people comin through from Y?

On my flight they were mainly used by Y and there was a que there at times.

If this is the case then it makes W seats in row 23 a very poor choice.
Surely VS could have configured the toilets so that one has the door opening on the W side and the other opening on the Y side of the division between W & Y giving one toilet for each section.

It's a shame, especially at a time that VS are improving the W product, that PE still do not have exclusive use of a toilet on an airbus.

[Neil]

As far as I knew (and ISTBC) the new config 2 a/c should have a toilet just for the W pax, ie the one by row 23 and that the Y pax shouldn't use it. However I imagine that this is very hard to enforce for the crew and that the majorty of Y pax sat towards the front will use this toilet.

Neil:)

[mitchja]

Originally posted by Attitude23
As far as I knew (and ISTBC) the new config 2 a/c should have a toilet just for the W pax, ie the one by row 23 and that the Y pax shouldn't use it. However I imagine that this is very hard to enforce for the crew and that the majorty of Y pax sat towards the front will use this toilet.

Neil:)

It also doens't help when there are only 4 washrooms in the Y cabin for 225 pax on the A346's [:0]

Regards

[Neil]

Originally posted by mitchja
It also doens't help when there are only 4 washrooms in the Y cabin for 225 pax on the A346's [:0]
Regards

I don't disagree James - all I would say is that if people are paying a premium for the PE service then they should have extra benefits (like no PE pax allowed to use the UC toilets, and quite rightly so). VS need to be clear if its a W&Y toilet or just a W, as it seems their CC don't even know.

Neil

[mitchja]

It would have been better if the A346 PE washrooms were at the front of the PE cabin and not at the back, that way only W and J pax would be able to access them.

Regards

[Neil]

Originally posted by mitchja
It would have been better if the A346 PE washrooms were at the front of the PE cabin and not at the back, that way only W and J pax would be able to access them.

Regards

Agreed - VS have mad a rod for their own back if they only want it to be a W w/c, I would use it if I was flying Y and was near it, especially as it is never clear, a stupid curtain does block anything/one, especially as it is open most of the flight due to the CC moving around to the front galley.

Neil:)

On my config 2 flight, the curtains were kept closed which I think did mean that many Y pax were unawares to the WCs in PE. However, some still used the WCs in the PE section - I have always assumed that these are meant as WCs exclusively for PE. VS needs to address both issues - the number of WCs in Y and making it clear to pax which WCs should be used by who.

VS.

I remember on an A343 i went on years ago that there was a sign on the door of the WC that said upper class only. Maybe VS should do the same on the 346's if its PE only? Surely a sticker cant cost too much!

Surely a sticker cant cost too much!

Try telling that to the beancounters!;)[}:)]

VS.