Shai Weiss interview

Interview today in the Sunday Times business section

New A350 upper class will have:
forward facing suites
bar replaced by 8 seat lounge which is also a lobby style entrance for all passengers
Bigger seats and large screens
Economy 36 of 335 seats have 34 inch legroom

Apparently the new cabin will be eventually installed across the fleet but no hint on timing

Investing £100m in Flybe to get “to the next level”

VS still loss making in 2018 (but better than 2017) and looking to break even next year

Expect Flybe to be profitable and refers to the slots in LHR and MAN. It will be called Virgin “Something”

Interview today in the Sunday Times business section

New A350 upper class will have:

bar replaced by 8 seat lounge which is also a lobby style entrance for all passengers

Calling all v-flyers heading to see the new seat tomorrow, this could be your last chance to save the "bar"

David

I think the lounge bar would be better and more impressive.
Should be more details tomorrow though

RIP the VS bar then. Although it really began to die a slow, lingering death when they cut CC numbers two or three years back.

Someone bet me to it!
Don’t know how to insert photos but on the article there’s a photo of him sitting in what appears to be the lounge:
https://www.thetimes.co.uk/edition/busi ... -j9pqkcnlr

Also in the article it said returns to Mumbai and Tokyo are under discussion as is a potential new rout to Beijing.

Would think with Jet Airways struggling returning to Mumbai could take advantage of their situation. Beijing would be an interesting addition. VS currently code share with air china on their flights from heathrow (recently increased to 3x daily) with the Chinese market notoriously difficult to attract local Chinese customers away from their well known airlines. Would be good to see some growth out east beyond TLV essentially replacing DXB.

Someone bet me to it!
Don’t know how to insert photos but on the article there’s a photo of him sitting in what appears to be the lounge:
https://www.thetimes.co.uk/edition/busi ... -j9pqkcnlr

That looks like a fabric backed seat in the lounge.... should be fun for the cleaning crews to maintain

The pattern of the curtains looks also very different to current. May be a minor detail, but it could be indicative of a colour theme modification throughout the plane. Is that an 'opaque' window I see behind his head... I wondered what they did with those.

I can't wait to see the training rig tomorrow eve

Maybe a red and rose gold theme..

yeas, by the looks of it they're slightly changing the colour scheme and I'm not sure I'm a fan. quite evident by the red fabric seats in the lounge compared to black leather bar stools on a330/787.

I assume this is related to tomorrow’s reveal, and in that basis the key points may emerge - by is anyone able to summarise the key points from the interview on here?

yeas, by the looks of it they're slightly changing the colour scheme and I'm not sure I'm a fan. quite evident by the red fabric seats in the lounge compared to black leather bar stools on a330/787.

I have to say that I do agree with you so far Jake, however the reveal is later on today now and I will report back more thoroughly then.

The stools' black leather is of course a nice touch, but I think that the key thing that VS are missing here is the bar itself as a focal point for the UC cabin 'social area'.

They run the risk of providing a lounge with just another seat (that is inferior to the paid for seat in the cabin) If, from what the photo shows and the online speculation is true, is the reality I will happily join those frequent flyers who wish to lock CEO Shai Weiss in an overhead luggage bin so he can do no more harm in the name of 'returning the airline to profitability'.

I am open to see what VS have in store for the future, and look forward to the new UC seat and the A350 cabin reveal across classes later on today.

What time today are they revealing the new cabins?

What time today are they revealing the new cabins?

1900 GMT

the key thing that VS are missing here is the bar itself as a focal point for the UC cabin 'social area'.

There’s no point having a bar if they can’t staff it properly, and they can’t.

And somehow I very much doubt that Mr Weiss sees adding another member of CC on every flight just to be able to staff a bar that no more than half a dozen people will use as a viable way of returning VS to profitability.

The bar was a nice gimmick while it lasted. But there’s no room for gimmicks in aviation any more, unless your airline happens to be funded by a state for which money is no object.