Virgin Atlantic strike CALLED OFF!

Now LAS, that is a trip some people don't like!!!!!!!

Originally posted by Darren Wheeler

Originally posted by Denzil
As for MCO, for every whinger there are no doubt 100 that don't mind (or even enjoy!!) the trip.

Trouble is all you ever see is crew trying to get out of MCO, not offering to do it.

I can appreciate that along with LAS, it's probably the hardest route to work due to the pax make up but see that amount of post where crew don't want to do it, anyone would think you have a plane full of ebola carriers.

It would explain why on Fl forums many many people say that the face to face service onboard a TCD or First Choice is far friendlier, clearly people who only work holiday routes don't think they are superior. More and more on trip reports on Disney forums I read how pax have been flabbergasted by the way VA crew have looked down on them or answered questions or requests with visible disdain ( in coach ), they are more shocked because they paid extra because VA is still considered a special treat for people who in the past have flown charter. A plane full to bursting is still full of revenue/wages even if some of them are just going on holiday. Its not as if a lot of the people turning their noses up would ever get as far as MCO or Vegas if they had jobs anywhere else.

Great news that the strike is off.

With regard to the comments about VS & the MCO/LAS routes - I think VS have a bit to answer for here. VS are quite happy to ride on the reputation they once had of providing a more superior product & service than their competitors 'down the back' - after all, they were the first [I think] with individual IFE screens in Y etc.

Now look at how the VS LGW/MAN fleet compares to the charters - it is left in the shade. Many of the charters offer 32/33' seat pitch in Y with AVOD IFE systems & this is just in Y. On a VS LGW/MAN aircraft, you get the same crappy IFE in all 3 cabins.

VS certainly have a great product with the UCS. They really need to focus on their delivery of the PE & Y products on the leisure routes to regain the lead they once had. Far too many people travel on LGW/MAN aircraft expecting the Virgin 'flair' that was once there, but is not now.

NB: All the above comments relate to the VS product, not Cabin Crew. Sure, there are some bad apples in the VS crew (& that of any airline). The thing VS need to address is how they have let the standards on the leisure [dare I say it Bucket & Spade] routes fall far behind the LHR routes & much of the competition.

James

Originally posted by Darren Wheeler
Trouble is all you ever see is crew trying to get out of MCO, not offering to do it.

Darren- all we ever hear is people trying to get off MCO. I wonder how much of it is just hype. The problem is we don't have the exact figures on how many people swap off the MCO and also swap on to the MCO. So we cant really say if there are not people offering to do it. I would be interested in seeing how many swap on/off LAS and other routes such as LOS or DEL for example. Of course we wont ever be able to find that kind of info out.

Originally posted by RichardMannion
I'm in awe of this VSwap thing. I could imagine the response I would get if I wanted to swap workloads with my colleagues because:

- It interfered with my personal life
- I didn't like doing that particular job

I agree 100%.

Can you imagine the uproar if Sainsbury's staff were heard to be complaing about having to serve people Basics food and not Taste the Difference?!!?

It is great news that the strike is off but the sad thing about it all is that I have been left gobsmacked by the attitude of some CC. Sure a bit of banter about getting an MCO route between staff is not wrong- but publicly doing it on a forum crosses the mark IMHO. I would like to think that those posting on cc.com would never say those sort of things in public face to face with pax or other staff but I have a sneaky feeling they might.

HAs the VS Image been tarnished without the strike is the question?

With reference to the LAS/MCO discussion, just spoken to Mrs D & apparently a lot of it is down to (you guessed it) money. As mentioned these flights can be hard work (stag/hen parties to LAS!!) & the allowances when you get there aren't that great, more money can be had doing an LAX or SFO. From the type passenger of passenger perspective she says that these flights can be great as the holiday mood is often very evident & other flights can be much, much worse.

Oh, in answer to Richards comments about standbys. It's more of an issue for those CC with children & the part time crew. Extra costs for child care & then not being called out can put people out of pocket. Until the new standby system started part time crew didn't do standby as it was proved not to work. I guess this will be something discussed in the future.

Strike or no strike the cupboard is open and a lot of people both in VS and the general public including us have realised that there are one or two skeletons in it.

What needs to happen now is for all crew to realise they have a job to do and do it well and for management to take some positive steps to address the issues that have been highlighted.

You are a team, work as one and put a smile on our faces because that way everyone wins.

Miopyk [8D]

How many of those will think about VS for their next flight?

As many have said, this could and probably should have been avoided.

A good few, I'd think. I know that this has long been an off-putting factor for me when considering BA. Never had a problem with the product itself, but oh those regular will-they won't-they strike scenarios are a real turn-off.....

Originally posted by willd
It is great news that the strike is off but the sad thing about it all is that I have been left gobsmacked by the attitude of some CC. Sure a bit of banter about getting an MCO route between staff is not wrong- but publicly doing it on a forum crosses the mark IMHO. I would like to think that those posting on cc.com would never say those sort of things in public face to face with pax or other staff but I have a sneaky feeling they might.

HAs the VS Image been tarnished without the strike is the question?

From my perspective I used to live in blissful ignorance before I discovered the delights of the cabin crew forums. This 'strike' has opened my eyes to the goings on with a certain number of crew and I'd rather fly with another airline on the MCO route where cabin crew don't make their feelings known in such a public manner.

I've flown Virgin for many years in all classes, only having recently discovered the delights of UC. However, no matter how good a product is, with the all the negative comments being flung around the internet and therefore in public view, it really has put a dampner on things for me.

[Scrooge]

Originally posted by Denzil
Now LAS, that is a trip some people don't like!!!!!!!

Really..now I have heard the opposite...

Oh well, fingers crossed life can return to normal, with a bit of luck the CC can return to their jobs and carry on doing some great work, their spouses/partners can return to their normal lives and stop pretending to be crew members on forums and we can all move on.

In fact IMHO moving on is the best thing everyone could do right now, though very much in the minority, the very vocal band of CC that were roaming around the web have only served to damage the image of the CC [:#]

[Darren Wheeler]

Originally posted by Scrooge

Originally posted by Denzil
Now LAS, that is a trip some people don't like!!!!!!!

In fact IMHO moving on is the best thing everyone could do right now, though very much in the minority, the very vocal band of CC that were roaming around the web have only served to damage the image of the CC [:#]

Indeed. Reading some of the posts, if it weren't for the anonymity the web is perceved as having, a few would be looking for new jobs now. Accusing SRB of dodgy accounting etc. Not career enhancing. [:(]

[preiffer]

What's really funny Darren is that people *believe* they remain anonymous online. In reality, EVERYONE leaves footprints with everything they do - and it wouldn't take a lot of digging for VS to find out exactly who said what [:0]

[Darren Wheeler]

I know.

Every site you visit leaves you IP address behind and your ISP knows every IP address you have ever been allocated.

I'm sure VS, like all big companies have a policy on what you can and cannot say in public domians.

Originally posted by miopyk
Strike or no strike the cupboard is open and a lot of people both in VS and the general public including us have realised that there are one or two skeletons in it.

What needs to happen now is for all crew to realise they have a job to do and do it well and for management to take some positive steps to address the issues that have been highlighted.

You are a team, work as one and put a smile on our faces because that way everyone wins.

Miopyk [8D]

Very true, and the crew need to remember they work 'for' an airline and are not paid to run an airline or make snooty baseless assumptions about the airlines passengers.

I know I keep banging on, but I really think this alloof attitude towards certain passengers and routes needs stomping on.

I hope management has read the Pprune and Cabin Crew forums from start to finish and at least taken note of the rubbish thats been spouted on it. Give the crew their wish and take notice of what they are saying.



these same people are now claiming some sort of Victory against their capitalist oppressors ( yawn ) and now telling people to prepare for the NEXT round of pay negotiations for the NEXT deal March 09

[Scrooge]

Whats really funny is when you have crew members using Virgin media internet connections..... and they think they are smart [:p]

[RichardMannion]

Originally posted by Scrooge
Whats really funny is when you have crew members using Virgin media internet connections..... and they think they are smart [:p]

No its more the sheer level of detail they provide when bitching that makes it oh so easy for management to identify. The 'I've got a flight on Thurs to JNB and it's full of tossers', and have a username of Jane - mmm that shouldn't be too hard to lookup a roster....

[Darren Wheeler]

Originally posted by RichardMannion

Originally posted by Scrooge
Whats really funny is when you have crew members using Virgin media internet connections..... and they think they are smart [:p]

No its more the sheer level of detail they provide when bitching that makes it oh so easy for management to identify. The 'I've got a flight on Thurs to JNB and it's full of tossers', and have a username of Jane - mmm that shouldn't be too hard to lookup a roster....

Foot. Let me introduce you to bullet!![xx(]

[RichardMannion]

Originally posted by easygoingeezer

Very true, and the crew need to remember they work 'for' an airline and are not paid to run an airline or make snooty baseless assumptions about the airlines passengers.

I know I keep banging on, but I really think this alloof attitude towards certain passengers and routes needs stomping on.

You mean you want this?

Responsibilities
It is a responsible job, involving everything from the anticipation and understanding of each of our customer's needs, providing the highest standard of comfort and customer care, to the safety of our customers and aircraft.

The work is physically demanding and you will often work through the night, so you must be in excellent health. You must be prepared to work weekends, Bank Holidays and Christmas. Please bear in mind that these unsociable hours can often disrupt your social life. You must always remember that you are the face of the airline. Even after a long and tiring flight, you need to be friendly, helpful and immaculately groomed.
Source: Link

Originally posted by RichardMannion

Originally posted by easygoingeezer

Very true, and the crew need to remember they work 'for' an airline and are not paid to run an airline or make snooty baseless assumptions about the airlines passengers.

I know I keep banging on, but I really think this alloof attitude towards certain passengers and routes needs stomping on.

You mean you want this?

Responsibilities
It is a responsible job, involving everything from the anticipation and understanding of each of our customer's needs, providing the highest standard of comfort and customer care, to the safety of our customers and aircraft.

The work is physically demanding and you will often work through the night, so you must be in excellent health. You must be prepared to work weekends, Bank Holidays and Christmas. Please bear in mind that these unsociable hours can often disrupt your social life. You must always remember that you are the face of the airline. Even after a long and tiring flight, you need to be friendly, helpful and immaculately groomed.
Source: Link

Ah yes Richard but you have to ask yourself how many of them read the small print before signing the contract[}:)]

Miopyk[8D]

Message from Richard

Dear Cabin Crew,

I'm writing with good news. I'm pleased to say that the strike action has been called off after talks between the union and our management team over the last couple of days.

When I wrote to you recently, I had many responses with plenty of constructive suggestions. The vast majority of you said you felt the last offer to be a fair one and if we could put it back on the table, then we could move forward and put this matter behind us. The union agreed with this and we now have an agreement.

You also sent me many constructive comments on other issues too, and I've asked for a senior management team to review them all. If we can address some without putting up the overall cost base (too much), we will do so.

This is good news given the operating climate we find ourselves in. The threat of strikes has still dented our sales, oil is at $100 a barrel, the onset of Open Skies will give us even tougher competition, and T5 is just around the corner. We still face tough challenges this year.

Finally, I'd just like to say we've never been in such a critical situation in Virgin Atlantic's 24-year history and I am pleased that our customers and staff won't have to go through a strike - which would have been highly damaging to our reputation and to the future of our company.

I hope that neither our management team or the union ever allow us to get into a position which nobody can win ever again.

Thankyou all for being so professional onboard throughout this dispute and for making sure that you continued to be the best crew in the air.

I personally had one of my best flights ever on my way to Johannesburg last Saturday.

See you soon,

Kind regards,
Richard (Branson)

[Darren Wheeler]

Originally posted by vscss
Message from Richard

Dear Cabin Crew,

.....

I personally had one of my best flights ever on my way to Johannesburg last Saturday.

See you soon,

Kind regards,
Richard (Branson)

Funny that! I'll be surprised if there was any of the attitudes or behaviour so often reported on here.

If it can be done when SRB is on board, why not for the every other flight?

Originally posted by Darren Wheeler

Originally posted by vscss
Message from Richard

Dear Cabin Crew,

.....

I personally had one of my best flights ever on my way to Johannesburg last Saturday.

See you soon,

Kind regards,
Richard (Branson)

Funny that! I'll be surprised if there was any of the attitudes or behaviour so often reported on here.

If it can be done when SRB is on board, why not for the every other flight?

I couldn't imagine him ever having a bad flight in the position he is in can you. That would really be a problem if the boss was treated badly. Perhaps he was talking about turbulence[}:)]

Miiopyk[8D]

[RichardMannion]

Originally posted by miopyk

Ah yes Richard but you have to ask yourself how many of them read the small print before signing the contract[}:)]

Miopyk[8D]

Well maybe they could break each sentence down, and have the crew initial/sign against each one to confirm they understand and accept the requirement. [:w]

[Pete]

Do you think we could ask Dicky to write a trip report?

[Darren Wheeler]

Provided he pays is annual subs of course. I'll post it on his behalf for a lifetime UC J ticket.

[Pete]

Just in from Flying Club

Dear Traveller,

I am pleased to announce that Virgin Atlantic and the cabin crew union Unite, have agreed a resolution to the recent dispute over pay. Unite has now called off the industrial action planned for 9, 10, 16 and 17 January 2008.

All Virgin Atlantic flights will operate as scheduled on all of these dates with the exception of those that were originally cancelled. For more information please visit our website.

We are pleased that both sides have managed to avert strike action that was planned for this week and next. The outcome is a triumph of common sense and means that our passengers need not worry about getting to their destinations.

Our cabin crew are the best flying and continue to provide the highest standards of customer service. This agreement will enable us to focus on continuing to offer the best service to our customers.

I would like to apologise for any inconvenience that may have been caused and thank our customers for their understanding and continuing support.

Steve Ridgway
Chief Executive
Virgin Atlantic Airways