New LHR 744 config

Yes you are right they have taken the W toilet away at top of stairs to make way for another UCS.

As for the new layout downstairs, Premium will now have to share the economy toilets at doors 3.

There will be 2 Premium crew looking after the 62 pax and 6 crew in ecomony now. Upper class will have an additional 2 crew one for the upper deck (making 3 crew up there) and the other helping out where needed.

So PE is 2-4-2 and sharing the toilets with economy! That really is a huge change in product from the fantastic experience of the B744 upper deck today.

Very sad news indeed.

Originally posted by manymiles
Very sad news indeed.

I agree, sad news indeed. The appeal to me is the feel of exclusivity, for want of a better word, offered by the current configuration.

If they eventually change the config on the LGW flights I would be tempted to seriously consider going back to BA. A quick look at flights to Barbados over the next 6 months seems to have them about £180 cheaper - in effect the tax.

[Neil]

I notice the VS website has now been changed on the PE page so it doesn't say "dedicated PE toilet" like it used to.

The new config really doesn't look that good to me, the UCS right at the top of the stairs will surely be a "must avoid", can you imagine the amount of foot journey's past it during the flight.

Originally posted by manymiles
So PE is 2-4-2 and sharing the toilets with economy!

In other words, WT+! This is a complete dumbing down of the PE product and it makes me mad[V] I will now be avoiding PE travel in any of the 744s on the JFK-LHR-JFK route.

I would think that PE will have the 4 dedicated toilets at the 3 doors and Y will have 6 at the rear of the ac which is more than the 346 config. There should be 3 W crew now 2 aisle & 1 galley which will make the service flow much better.

Overall crew compliment on the -400 will be reduced by 1 crew member from 18 currently, to 17 with the new config.

Overall crew compliment on the -400 will be reduced by 1 crew member from 18 currently, to 17 with the new config.

Will that result in lay-offs?

45.

Originally posted by VS045

Overall crew compliment on the -400 will be reduced by 1 crew member from 18 currently, to 17 with the new config.

Will that result in lay-offs?

ISTR reading that VS are already slightly short of crew members, so this actually eases the situation?

I'm guessing there's two less CC and one extra SCC to cater for the larger J cabin?

It looks like a win-win. More higher yielding seats. Less crew.

Mike

Is the new config the reason I can't access the seatmap for my forthcoming SFO trip? At time of booking we reserved seats in the hum but if our allotted aircarft has been reconfigured I'm concerned that we may get split, three of us travelling, Myself, Mrs G and our 10yr old daughter ?

[Neil]

Originally posted by griffog
Is the new config the reason I can't access the seatmap for my forthcoming SFO trip?

Yes it is - a few other members are having the same problem. The first of the LHR 744's is being re-fitted at the mo so it will be a little difficult for ops to know which a/c / config they will be putting on each flight at the mo.

You could give FC a call, but as you are a family then you shouldn't be split up, VS have a obligation to seat families together.

Neil

Most of the flights that are normally on the B747-400 will be changed to the A340-600, while the re-config takes place.

If anyone needs to know specific flights drop me a message and I will find out the A/C type.

1. Where are they being refitted?
2. How long does it take te re-fit?
3. As you said that most of the 744 flights are swapped with A346 how many 744s are being done at once?

Originally posted by virgin crazy
1. Where are they being refitted?
2. How long does it take te re-fit?
3. As you said that most of the 744 flights are swapped with A346 how many 744s are being done at once?

G-VWOW ("Cosmic Girl") is the first LHR 744 to go through the latest refit.

She came off the BGI circuit at the end of August, having flown out of Gatwick for most of the summer, and positioned from there to Dublin, which indicates the refit is being done at DUB by SR Technics, who seem to do most major internal reconfig work on the VS fleet.

My VS20 booking on the 29th September isn't showing any seat map for PE, and only partial seatmaps for Upper and Economy (i.e. only the seats which are common to the old and new configs).

This leads me to believe that G-VWOW will be back from refit before the end of the month, which means a 3 week-ish refit window, though I guess there might be some slack for snagging with this being the first 744 to go through that refit.

It's likely only one aircraft can go at a time, due to either or both of VS aircraft requirements or available hangar space at DUB.

It also seems that G-VHOT has been in Amsterdam for a few days, positioning out there on the 13th September after working in the VS12 from BOS.

That's likely to be for a heavy maintenance check at KLM Engineering, who take care of heavy airframe and engine maintenance on the VS 744 fleet (and painting for most of the fleet). It's usually this time of year, after the summer season, that the VS 744 fleet go for their annual heavy maintenance (e.g. C or D checks depending on hours flown). Of course, it could have gone for paint instead of, or as well as a check. As I recall, a 744 C check takes about a week to 10 days, and full repaint takes up to two weeks for the 744.

Don't know if HOT will get an interior reconfig done in AMS during the same maintenance downtime, as interiors don't seem to be one of the usual duties KLM E&M performs for VS.

ROC, BIG and FAB seem to be taking care of the LHR 744 flying programme for now, which has been reduced to VS19/20, VS45/46, and selected VS9/10 rotations.

(EWR switched from 744 to 346 at the end of the summer flying programme, and a 744 then worked BOS for about 10 days, until HOT went for maintenance.)

Mike

[mitchja]

Mike

I've read somewhere that WOW is also getting a new paint job at the same time as the re-config, can't remember where I read it or if there's any truth in it though.

Do SR Technics do paint jobs as well or will WOW have to then position to AMS for that [:?]

Regards

Will they have the new Y seats?

Currently got 10K (New Configuration) for my trip to SFO. Been trying to work out if it has a window, anyone got any idea?
Having doubts based on:
1) It would have originally been where the toilet was.
2) It is opposite the stairs and there are no windows on that side of the aircraft (top of stairs)
3) Looking at pictures of 747's I can only count 8 windows in the rear section of the upper deck.

Think I might have to move downstairs but there is limited availability so I'll have to move quick.

-Steve

Originally posted by Stevieboy
3) Looking at pictures of 747's I can only count 8 windows in the rear section of the upper deck.

The window apertures at the back, where the PE lav used to be, were always there, they were just blanked out by filler plates.

The filler plates will be removed and replaced with regular windows: same as the front two windows on the 744 main deck - there used to be a wardrobe at the front of the cabin on the J2K config, and the front two window apertures were blanked out. These were replaced with window units during the reconfiguration.

As for the toilet having been there, I'd assume that there will be no sign left of the loo being there by the time the refit is completed. Aircraft are reconfigured all the time, and the lav modules are self-contained, all they take is water, waste and electrical hookups from the "plumbing" which runs throughout the aircraft.

You've probably sat on the former site of a "throne" before!

Mike

Hi All,

Anyone flown on the new 744 config yet for LHR-SFO?

Reason i asked is that i have called up VA (Sydney) to check if they have the new seat map on their system yet and they still see Premium upstairs which is the old config. But when i logon to the VA website using my booking ref it shows the new config! Who do i believe ?:)

I have 16A as i am assuming its going to be on the new config. I had 9A before but if its on the new config 9A willbe a very bad seat upstairs near the galley.

p.s. i'm flying LHR-SFO in early Jan.

Cheers,
K.

I do believe that the first a/c will be back in service before january but i think that it will be a lottery as to whether you will get the new config.

Thanks for the info. So now im trying to figure out which seat i can book which is good on both new config and old config.....
As 16A is really bad on the old but great on the new!

Hmm confused now

Originally posted by virgin crazy
I do believe that the first a/c will be back in service before january but i think that it will be a lottery as to whether you will get the new config.

Well, I guess G-VWOW, the first reconfig isn't back yet, or if it is, it's not been allocated to Saturday's VS20. That's just recieved a "regular" LHR 744 config seatmap in the last 6 hours or so - which figures as I recall reading that the planned aircraft allocations are done 48 hours beforehand (though of course, they remain subject to short notice change, blah, blah...).

Mike

Hi Mike,

Do you think the reason why my flight VS19 scheduled for early Jan is on a config 4 744 on the VS website is because VS expects it to be a config 4 by that time?

Cheers,
K.

Originally posted by mike-smashing
Well, I guess G-VWOW, the first reconfig isn't back yet, or if it is, it's not been allocated to Saturday's VS20. That's just recieved a "regular" LHR 744 config seatmap in the last 6 hours or so - which figures as I recall reading that the planned aircraft allocations are done 48 hours beforehand (though of course, they remain subject to short notice change, blah, blah...).

Mike

what is going to happen to the extra seats that come out of the 744s.

My guess is that they will be put into the A343 which will get v:port next year.
that is what i would do it would save them alot of money

Looks like WOW is back and debut'd on the VS19 yesterday (28th)

From LHR Flight Movements

VS0019 To San Francisco, USA G-VWOW 744 28/09/2007 12:34

FM