Xiaotung

Just travelled on VA domestic for the first time since they transferred to Sabre system. Now their boading pass is showing my Gold Elite status as Partner Platinum. I hope that means we get all the perks as Velocity Plat?

Xiaotung

http://www.ausbt.com.au/virgin-austr...n=home-flipper

From Mar 2015, VA will install business class on all their New Zealand based 737 fleet. Now what will NZ do?

sbiddle

Put the price up for Works Deluxe seats up to business class prices and offer it as business class?

DomesticGoddess

Not holding out any hope that NZ will introduce J on the A320s (or for that matter, allow us to use shorthaul RUs on these VA J seats), but it'll be interesting to see if they sell TT J seats as part of the codeshare. Am I correct in thinking you can currently only buy the equivalent of Works Y on VA through NZ, but not Premium Economy? It'd be great to be able to book J seats on VA with an NZ code, thus earning NZ status points on a decent TT product out of places other than Auckland.

Xiaotung

That's correct. You can only book Seat, Seat+Bag, Works and Business on VA metals. NZ and VA were meant to announce some changes on the alliance later in the year. Does Luxon have the guts to drop Works Deluxe and add Business back to A320s? I think its possible. VA just keep making NZ look stupid.

sbiddle

Can anybody remember what was the Air NZ seat config was when they had business class on the A320s?

uanthony

VA has and excellent domestic J service on their 737's, I have not had a bad flight yet. This is great news for Tasman services. Looking forward to J to Ch-Ch. Works Deluxe just never impressed me. I hope they keep the evening flights.

waterwingsNZ

My thinking around this is that this relates to changes I have heard around the structure of the VA New Zealand operation. Supposedly all aircraft will be returned to the Australian register and the New Zealand AOC no longer used (but VA NZ will still exist). Adding in the business class gives them product consistency and the ability to easily rotate aircraft. This is exactly what JQ do where an aircraft may spend time in NZ, flying the Tasman or in Aussie.

That's my speculation at least. Could be off but we shall see.

cavemanzk

I think it was 8x J and 145 Y, don't think they will bring it back to all the A320. More likely just the A321 as a sub fleet ex AKL

libertyuk

I would doubt NZ would reintroduce Business Class to the short-haul A320s as well, given that beyond some peak services in Auckland, most traffic is leisure oriented and the flexibility given by having a one-class layout is considerable.

Last 3x I flew A320s TT there were no Works Deluxe passengers. VA may find business class TT enables it to have flexibility with its domestic fleet, and it is a useful experiment in upscaling yields. If loadings are typically not consistently very high, it may be useful and it can offer upgrades to its FFs.

I can see NZ reintroducing Business Class on A321s, with a product similar to the 767s, but beyond that the demand for Business Class from WLG and CHC is minimal, unless NZ's partnership with SQ includes substantial feeds of SQ through SYD/MEL/BNE as well as the direct flights (which is plausible for WLG and CHC particularly).

A middle option would be to rebrand Works Deluxe into a Euro Business Class (which is essentially is) with a curtain creating a variable sized mini-cabin, although the catering would have to be uplifted to a premium standard, and the middle seat blocked out as the premium seating element. However, that wouldn't match the VA offering, nor QF, so would be seen as making NZ business class look inferior.

I suspect NZ will watch the reaction to the VA business class, perhaps it will sell seats in it, and decide if it is worth reinstalling a small business class on the short haul A320s, perhaps with the 787 PE seats with greater recline.

uanthony

[QUOTE=libertyuk;23460136].I can see NZ reintroducing Business Class on A321s, with a product similar to the 767s, but beyond that the demand for Business Class from WLG and CHC is minimal, unless NZ's partnership with SQ includes substantial feeds of SQ through SYD/MEL/BNE as well as the direct flights (which is plausible for WLG and CHC particularly).

I spoke to an NZ cabin supervisor who said that the A321's will have business class to take on QF, but that is when they get delivery which I understand is some time away.

I have been flying on average every week to WLG & CHC and have noticed all Business Class in QF has been full and surprisingly the late three flights out of CHC on EK have all been nearly all full in business class.

LyingFlat

Don't forget that a lot of the J traffic TT is not point-to-point but through traffic to other destinations.

For example:

EK would be CHC-SYD-DXB-LHR and QF would be WLG-SYD-LAX

Kiwi Flyer

Not as much as you might think. A lot of pax are purely trans-Tasman.

BTW EK's CHC flight operates CHC-SYD-BKK-DXB.

LyingFlat

It would be interesting to see the data. Although, the airlines would probably consider it "commercially sensitive." Whenever I've travelled J TT (whether it be NZ/QF/EK) nearly everybody have been on through-fares (although I admit that just me travelling is a very small sample size). I suppose a lot of NZ's J traffic is through traffic from the US due to the flight times.

Yes, if travelling solely on EK419. Obviously more direct if going EK419 CHC-SYD connecting to EK413 SYD-DXB.

Blackcloud

SYD may not always be the final destination but I would say in my case with QF I notice that over 50% are exiting customs with their bags, so not really international connections. From talking to the crew WLG has really benefitted from the EK alliance.