I flew in F on a purchased ticket SFO-LAS on this very plane back in November when it was first put into service.
Yes, the entertainment system wasn't available, but the crew was super nice and they did recline all the F seats for the people who asked (what? you didn't know that they can be reclined manually? maybe they didn't tell you because you were nasty to them).
We also got a nice snack and all the drinks we wanted. And it's a pretty short flight. Yes, I was glad to have "Red" on the flight back (especially since there were delays long enough to watch 90% of a movie) but in the end the seat you got (that you paid extra $ for) was huge by comparison to Y and you also got to sit up front, you got your own lav, you got to board first, and frankly your attitude sounds like you think you won't be made whole unless they bow to you and beg you to accept a full refund.
If you can't get over it - don't give them any more of your money, it seems pretty simple to me.
Well said
-- I agree with you, and IMHO it would have been easier for VX to give into his complaints and then he would (hopefully) be raving about how well they handled the situation. I wonder if they even know how much of a fuss the "dark" A319 causes among some F pax? I hope they read these forums, so they know. I bet they don't get these kind of complaints directly.
What I don't understand is: this plane has been in service since November...what excuse do they have for it still being "dark?" One begins to wonder if VX is just waiting until the plane is due for a heavy maintenance check to bother with installing the doo-dads.
Yes, the entertainment system wasn't available, but the crew was super nice and they did recline all the F seats for the people who asked (what? you didn't know that they can be reclined manually? maybe they didn't tell you because you were nasty to them).
If you can't get over it - don't give them any more of your money, it seems pretty simple to me.
I wasn't nasty to them, and I do not behave in the DYKWIA fashion. I was firm with the supervisor who came on the plane, but I was absolutely cordial with the FAs. It's not their fault, and there's no need to take it out on them.
As far as getting over it, my strategy is as follows. I am not giving them any more of my money, AND I am telling as many folks as possible about their poor service. And, thanks to folks like you, not only does this thread stay alive, but it stays at or near the top of the page. So, thanks, I appreciate your continued help and support!
-- I agree with you, and IMHO it would have been easier for VX to give into his complaints and then he would (hopefully) be raving about how well they handled the situation. I wonder if they even know how much of a fuss the "dark" A319 causes among some F pax? I hope they read these forums, so they know. I bet they don't get these kind of complaints directly.
Indeed, had they made me whole, I would have reported that as well. I HAVE complained to them directly, and they seem to care very little.
60+% system loads stink. 50+% loads on SFO-LAX, w loads of $44 sale fares on that route, probably means a huge spread between RASM and CASM...in the wrong direction. I hope, for their sake, they have decent cash reserves....
60+% system loads stink. 50+% loads on SFO-LAX, w loads of $44 sale fares on that route, probably means a huge spread between RASM and CASM...in the wrong direction. I hope, for their sake, they have decent cash reserves....
Agree, the last start-up to gain 60+% LF's was DH. VX seems very similar to DH but is also very different. DH put many CR2's at lower fares than VX and then added A319's. VX has the A319's and A320's but is fighting on routes more competitive than IAD-HPN or IAD-JAX. UA also has a track record that kills start-up airlines like DH with the exception of F9 which has survived in DEN. I just hope that VX will be around until 3/18/08 so I can fly them.
OT but does not warrant another thread, I think VX will be in the B gates in SEA because in the parking garage last night the sign was up next to CO and WN. Imagine, VX sharing space with CO who boycotted their existence and WN who VX is fighting on all shorthaul's (except SEA-SFO/LAX).
__________________
Routes I want VX to fly: SEA-JFK/IAD, SFO/LAX-SWF
Barack Obama for President 2008
They do, but WN turned a profit in 2003 with a 66.8% LF.
WN and B6 have been profitable recently with loads in the low-to-mid 70s.
LCCs generally have lower break-even LFs, because of their fleet utilization and labor costs.
VX has a lot of work to do with route planning, but there's plenty of time for them to turn things around if they focus on this aspect of their ops., and not the Charger girls or Vegas parties.
They do, but WN turned a profit in 2003 with a 66.8% LF.
WN and B6 have been profitable recently with loads in the low-to-mid 70s.
LCCs generally have lower break-even LFs, because of their fleet utilization and labor costs.
VX has a lot of work to do with route planning, but there's plenty of time for them to turn things around if they focus on this aspect of their ops., and not the Charger girls or Vegas parties.
They should be (and are) focused on both PR/Marketing and route planning.
They do, but WN turned a profit in 2003 with a 66.8% LF.
WN and B6 have been profitable recently with loads in the low-to-mid 70s.
LCCs generally have lower break-even LFs, because of their fleet utilization and labor costs.
VX has a lot of work to do with route planning, but there's plenty of time for them to turn things around if they focus on this aspect of their ops., and not the Charger girls or Vegas parties.
WN turned a profit in 03 because they hedged all their fuel at ~$15 a barrel as oil and crack spreads were heading higher. They were then able to price as if fuel was cheap and force the competition to either match price and lose money or price higher and loose share. 2003-2005 was a fairly unique time for WN, as none of the competition had the balance sheet to hedge fuel (in fact, United sold all their fuel hedges back in 2001-2002. That's some poor timing.)
Strip out WN's fuel hedges, and their profitability in 2003 disappears as well.
WN turned a profit in 03 because they hedged all their fuel at ~$15 a barrel as oil and crack spreads were heading higher. They were then able to price as if fuel was cheap and force the competition to either match price and lose money or price higher and loose share. 2003-2005 was a fairly unique time for WN, as none of the competition had the balance sheet to hedge fuel (in fact, United sold all their fuel hedges back in 2001-2002. That's some poor timing.)
Strip out WN's fuel hedges, and their profitability in 2003 disappears as well.
Agree on first paragraph but you are wrong on your second. WN would have changed their biz plan to accomodate higher fuel prices. Like what they are doing now but sooner.
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Routes I want VX to fly: SEA-JFK/IAD, SFO/LAX-SWF
Barack Obama for President 2008
Agree on first paragraph but you are wrong on your second. WN would have changed their biz plan to accomodate higher fuel prices. Like what they are doing now but sooner.
Hard to say what they would have done, unless your real name is James Parker (who was CEO in 2003.) What I said was factually correct. It's simple accounting. Go to the Southwest 2003 10-K, and strip out the gains from the fuel hedges. I'm not decrying their skills, just stating a fact.
Fact of the matter is, in 2008, they had many years to prepare for the day when their hedges have run out. In 2003, had they not been hedged, they would not have been nearly as prepared.
I'm a UA 1k who generally flies 40-48 segments between IAD-SFO a year -- in addition to transpacific flights. Anyway, I'm a recent convert to VX's transcon F product, and am moving my IAD-SFO business there.
The beauty of free markets means we vote with our feet. OP is entitled to feel upset and angry. That said, I have flown 10 transcon roundtrips in F with VX since November (this is a good deal of money) -- and have had nothing but excellent service and communication. That said, if I felt disrespected/jilted, I too would be fired-up.
Sounds to me like there's a lot of venom on this thread from both sides. Just remember that we can vote with our feet. Those who like VX can keep flying. Those who have had an adverse experience will choose otherwise.
In the meantime, as a start-up VX needs to start reading these threads and be more proactive.
I'm a UA 1k who generally flies 40-48 segments between IAD-SFO a year -- in addition to transpacific flights. Anyway, I'm a recent convert to VX's transcon F product, and am moving my IAD-SFO business there.
The beauty of free markets means we vote with our feet. OP is entitled to feel upset and angry. That said, I have flown 10 transcon roundtrips in F with VX since November (this is a good deal of money) -- and have had nothing but excellent service and communication. That said, if I felt disrespected/jilted, I too would be fired-up.
Sounds to me like there's a lot of venom on this thread from both sides. Just remember that we can vote with our feet. Those who like VX can keep flying. Those who have had an adverse experience will choose otherwise.
In the meantime, as a start-up VX needs to start reading these threads and be more proactive.
Back to watching the Academy Awards!
I couldn't agree more myself with what you said. I live in Philly, and I would love for a new airline (JetBlue) to come to town and provide a half decent service from PHL. US makes UA look like Singapore Air. If I lived in a UA hub, I too would be rooting for VXs survival.
I hope folks from VX decide to read these threads, and, even better, take the time to figure out who I am and make me FEEL whole. If even 1% of the folks who have read this thread decide to forgo VX, then the revenue loss will have been way more than the cost to make me whole.
If even 1% of the folks who have read this thread decide to forgo VX, then the revenue loss will have been way more than the cost to make me whole.
I agree that they mishandled the situation, and having flown them quite a bit, I've found that Red is remarkably unreliable, and if I can change a channel without the screen going dark I'm happy. I don't know why they don't just do what B6 did when LiveTV wouldn't work over the Caribbean, and disclose it might not function properly.
But, overall their service is good, largely because their FAs are so much more pleasant to deal with than many of the disgruntled FAs on legacies. And they have more than enough cash to overcome the low loads to date.
Also don't think many people will change their mind about trying VX based on comments on this board, especially when the carrier's ratings on the opinion sites are so high. If you want to upset PR and the image machine, board the plane with a video camera and make a YouTube of the broken seats and missing IFE.
