VS021 - A343 or A346?

No, not the usual 'What plane will I be on' question

We're flying on VS21 on the 2nd June. I've noticed that currently they seem to be using A343's on that route, yet the seat map for our flight still shows a A346 [:?] So, I did a bit of checking on the Virgin website by 'booking' flights, and it appears that up until sometime at the end of March it is sheduled to be an A343, and after that it'll be an A346 again. Does anyone have any info on whether it is likely that the VS21 route will return to using A346's by the time we go, or is likely to be a A343 [:(] I'd really prefer a 346, purely on the basis that it looks like there is are two toilets in the PE cabin (or are they for economy pax as well?).

Any help/advice appreciated

[HighFlyer]

If you seat map shows an A346 - that is likely to be what you'll get. If they are swapping aircraft the usual state of affairs is to start with an A343 and switch to an A346 if the loads increase. A343s are quite often assigned to IAD for the Winter too. Check Expedia or ExpertFlyer, if its an A346 its pretty likely to be what you'll get - unless there is an operational change last minute.

Thanks,
Sarah

To back up what Sarah has said if the seat plan says its an A346 then its highly likely that it will be an A346. It will only change to an A343 if there aren't sufficient loads to justify an A346 and it also depends if there is an A346 available to do the job.

But I know what you mean, I'd rather be on an A346 myself than an A343, but then again I'd rather be on a 744 [}:)]

Thanks for the reassurance folks, fingers crossed it'll be 346 as planned then

Originally posted by VS075But I know what you mean, I'd rather be on an A346 myself than an A343, but then again I'd rather be on a 744 [}:)]

We prefer the 744's as well, PE upstairs on a 744 is worth every penny imho. Unfortunately our outbound journey has to be to IAD though, so an Airbus is our only option. At least the return leg from JFK on VS046 is pretty certain to be a 744 (nothing else has been used in the last three months according to the 'Which aircraft ...' tool on this site, and that is whats scheduled).

[HighFlyer]

Flying A346 in PE you will at least be in with a very good chance of having the new seats ...

Thanks,
Sarah

Originally posted by alanjones
I'd really prefer a 346, purely on the basis that it looks like there is are two toilets in the PE cabin (or are they for economy pax as well?).

There are indeed toilets in the PE cabin for PE passengers. However I have seen Y passengers sneaking through the curtains to use said toilets.

Originally posted by sky0000547

Originally posted by alanjones
I'd really prefer a 346, purely on the basis that it looks like there is are two toilets in the PE cabin (or are they for economy pax as well?).

There are indeed toilets in the PE cabin for PE passengers. However I have seen Y passengers sneaking through the curtains to use said toilets.

Thats good to know. Believe it or not, thats the one thing my wife values most about PE! [:0] Hence why we don't really want to be on a 343. We came back on a 343 from LAX in PE, and the toilet just behind the PE cabin in economy broke, so we had to trek all the way to the back of plane to use the loo [:(] She wasn't a happy bunny that day!

A low load wouldn't necessarily mean that the scheduled a/c is switched to a different route.

VS.

[mcmbenjamin]

Washington....is a mixed bag.

In the summer normally it changes to an A346 even though the current schedule may show an A343. Now with two flights a day soon; it is anyones guess.

Also on an interesting note, the Washington Clubhouse will be setting a new record in the flights per day it serves with the addition of the second VS flight. Korean, South African, Virgin Atlantic and 'One more that I forget.'