Y refits/ relaunch

Just an update of Y developments. Aparently a new amenity kit[^] & blanket are coming soon. All LGW fleet should now be refitted with new seat colors and they have replaced the foam in the seat cusions, aparently they are more comfatable now!? This will start shortly on the LHR fleet. Sadly it looks like the new Y seats are only being fitted to new arrivals, but you never know... possibly when the W refits are finished![?] They are looking at innovations and changes to Y just now but with so many low fares im guessing theres not much cash to play with, im guessing more improvements will follow (hopefully).

[Neil]

Thanks for the info - shame that they are only planning to install the new Y seats into the new a/c, VS need to step up there Y product and new seats certainly would go some way to helping that. Also nice to see the LGW fleet getting things done to them before the LHR, it had to happen eventually:D

Thanks for the update. If they want to reinvent Y (again) they should take a few seats out to increase seat pitch even if it meant slightly higher fares and put V:PORT in LGW/MAN ASAP!

[mitchja]

I would also guess that no new Y seats = no new IFE either, as the IFE is part of the seat.

Regards

What new arrivals;)

I thought the new Y seats were also being retrofitted to the A346s at the moment[?]

45.

[Scrooge]

Originally posted by VS075
Thanks for the update. If they want to reinvent Y (again) they should take a few seats out to increase seat pitch even if it meant slightly higher fares and put V:PORT in LGW/MAN ASAP!

I hate to be the one to bring this up..again..but VS simply cannot afford to do this.

By afford I don't mean cost wise..I mean they cannot raise fares.

On most routes they are the most expensive airline to fly already, people are willing to pay a slight premium to fly VS, how ever push it to far and they will go with other airlines.The Y section of the plane is very price sensitive.



However....

There are ways more revenue could be made on each flight.

Add more UCS would be a good move on the LGW fleet, move PE back down stairs and return the upstairs to all UC.

The extra seats will generate revenue, I know everyone loves the upstairs PE cabin...but revenue management needs to look at the fact that UC on the LGW fleet sells out most of the time, surely more UC means more revenue.

Now W generates the most revenue per seat, so in moving PE back down stairs you should be able to put as many seats back in the front of the plane as has been removed from upstairs.

Better use of floor space

Originally posted by VS075
If they want to reinvent Y (again) they should take a few seats out to increase seat pitch

I thought this was already done with the new config. Having been on the new Y seat on G-VFIT, it is more comfortable than the old one and there is more legroom.

Please let me get one of the new Y seats tomorrow...

TTFN

Paul

Oh ment to say there was an article a few weeks ago talking about the NOVA IFE issues we are having...(as in always breaking and rubbish anyway!) there are only 9 a/c in the WORLD using that system and its at the end of its life span, VS are currently looking at a replacement, so hopefully Vport on its way soon. Also theres a LHR config a/c doing bgi in june not sure why but they selling to 44j & 32W so could be testing the water or maybe just covering engineering work but vport for bgi for a bit anyway. The reason more is not being done to Y is because it dosnt make that much profit, and as its a price sensitive market they dont think we can afford to raise prices in order to add more stuff, but they are reviewing the cabin just now with a view to adding more to it...time will tell. No AC have been refitted with Y seats its just new 346s which had them from delivery!

Thanks for the info Joey!

I did hear a rumour that VS were looking at replacing Nova with a Panasonic system- such as the touch screen system FCA/DL use.

I would imagine out of all the LGW routes BGI has the most demand for an increase in UCS seats- after all BA use to fly concorde to the island once a week, so there must be demand at the higher end.


More often than not VS are the most expensive in Y- this is especially true from LGW where they have to compete with the ones stops of US, DL, CO and NW.

It would be interesting to see how much a VH Y seat costs- I have always wondered if expensive VS Y fares from LGW are due to them subsidising the cheap VH Y fares.

Really VS do need to get the V:Port into the LGW fleet and increase the legroom- FCA (and soon TOM) are really setting the standard in Y products.

[Scrooge]

Originally posted by willd
Thanks for the info Joey!

I would imagine out of all the LGW routes BGI has the most demand for an increase in UCS seats- after all BA use to fly concorde to the island once a week, so there must be demand at the higher end.

I would argue LAS, but yes it is probably a coin flip for the two.

Originally posted by willd

It would be interesting to see how much a VH Y seat costs- I have always wondered if expensive VS Y fares from LGW are due to them subsidising the cheap VH Y fares.

Whilst the net result would be the same, I would have thought that the VS fares appear relatively expensive because VH use the allocation of the non flexible, lower price, tickets from LGW rather than direct cross company subsidy. However, that's just a guess.

Originally posted by willd

Really VS do need to get the V:Port into the LGW fleet and increase the legroom- FCA (and soon TOM) are really setting the standard in Y products.

Whilst wishing with all my heart for more room in Y, aren't the business models different ? FCA and TOM are charter airlines that support holiday companies and run to a weekly / fortnightly holiday schedule; VS is a scheduled airline that sells some of its capacity to VH.

Paul

I though VA were the major carrier on the MCO route?

[mitchja]

VS have about 50% of the total market share for MCO flights (about 48% from London and 96% from MAN).

Regards