I have been trying to follow VX's on-time performance in its first 5 days of operations - especially for its SFO-JFK run. If one were only to use the VX web site's flight status function to see this....it would appear that they have not had even one flight that has left or arrived on time - not one.

I am hopeful that this is just a really bad flight status system....but just in the last two days this is what is reported on VX's web site:

VX #238 (JFK-SFO) on 8/12 left 52 mins late
VX #234 (JFK-SFO) on 8/12 left 68 mins late

VX #238 (JFK-SFO) on 8/13 left 24 mins late
VX #234 (JFK-SFO) on 8/13 left 105 mins late

VX #231 (SFO-JFK) on 8/12 left 36 mins late
VX #239 (SFO-JFK) on 8/12 left 43 mins late

VX #231 (SFO-JFK) on 8/13 left 84 mins late

For VX #238....FlightAware has departure delays for 8/11-8/13 between 54 and 126 minutes.

Except for the well-publicized delay on the first flight on 8/8..the press has been quiet on this. You would think somewhere in there would be at least one on-time flight. I was hoping somebody could give an in-person review of VX's on-time status. I have a first class tix booked on 9/10 for SFO-JFK and while I know the reports on the flight experience have been really good...having to build in a guaranteed delay would tend to weaken the positive reviews IMHO...

Anybody confirm or deny these stats? Curious....

Thanks,

--Scott

VX does seem to try their best to top jetBlue when ever they can. hahahaha:D

Scott,

Most of the flights have had delays. With so many groups of people involved in getting a flight out that have never worked with each other before, co-ordination has not been perfected yet. I believe that in a couple of weeks you will see the delays go down substantially.

Something else I just noticed...on at least some of the flights, the "actual time" posted on the website is the "off time," not the out of gate time. For example, 238 this morning departed the gate at 7:06am and was in the air at 7:47am. The website shows actual time as 7:47.

This is unfortunate. Sounds like VX may be more hype than delivery. I really hope they can get it together quickly - delays like this will ensure that they get no business travel, particularly when the competition (United) can run a relatively on time operation (although with terrible customer service).

My VX flights last week were both delayed...one by 20 mins, the other by almost 90 minutes; the later due to flow control, the former it isn't clear....

my review at: www.inflightout.com

even if the delays are out of their hands, still doesn't look so hot to the general public.

It's increasingly clear that VX must be having widespread start-up problems - not only with their 0% on-time performance but with their IT capabilities - at this point you can't trust their flight status system at all.....:confused:

Right now its 3 hours after the arrival of #231 at JFK and the status system doesn't show "arrived" (even though FlightAware does...). How do you trust this if you are picking somebody up or trying to plan your airport transportation?

Also...an airline with the marketing-savvy of VX would usually be promoting their launch like crazy on their web site with at least a press release if not pictures, etc. Until today their home page news link said "starting service tomorrow on 8/8" and even now only says "stay tuned" for coverage....

Considering their product is light years ahead of the legacy carriers they should get a bit of a hall pass.....but I am hopeful things get better for them before my flight to JFK in FC on 9/10......

--Scott

Their website stills talks about startup on 8/8-"stay tuned" for details. I'm booked on the IAD-SFO 9/26 Inaugural but I'm beginning to think something is very wrong with this company. Either they're seriously under staffed (real possibility) or they're in over their heads (also a real possibility). But so far, the lack of professionalism is obvious. I really hoped for more.

It's increasingly clear that VX must be having widespread start-up problems - not only with their 0% on-time performance but with their IT capabilities - at this point you can't trust their flight status system at all.....:confused:

Have you compared Virgin America's flight stats with UA or AA on the same route? I'd be curious if their flights are running late, too, and if the numbers look similar.

Well JFK is notorious for long taxi time and these days, if you travel at peak hours, please count on a one-hour wait minimum... especially with weather...

The best way to judge VX is their actually gate off time because VX has no control over when to take off once they push back. The beginning week will be tricky and we should give them some time to get used to working with Swissport at JFK and other agents at other stations... tonight the JFK-SFO flight indeed pushed back on time and took off around 7pm and arrived SFO early. So things should be getting better.

About LAX-SFO-LAX, AA also suffers same kind of reality... flow control and then rolling delays... I was on a 5pm SFO-LAX flight and was delayed for an hour due to various reasons. It seemed pretty normal these days especially at peak hours.

However, VX has to work on this ontime issue, which most people care about. Additional padding of schedules especially during peak hours may be the way to do it. I know LCC relies on high use of their planes, but VX flies into SFO and JFK, two highly delay prone airports and that is just a disadvantage they have to live with. Spare planes may not be a bad idea.

I think VX will get better once they operate the flights more often.

Carfield

I flew VX LAX-SFO-LAX 8/9 and 8/10. There was a 15 min delay on the outbound and a 30 min delay on the inbound. We seemed to make up time on the inbound and was at the gate less than 15 mins behind schedule. Not bad in my opinion (and way better than AS or AA)

BTW: the delay was the most calming one i've experienced in my life of flying, as the IFE was on and I had lots to keep me occupied. I like that the PA system is routed thru the IFE so they let you keep you headset on during taxi/takeoff.