codyc1515

I've noticed a few odds things with this "alliance" since flying VA trans-tasman a few months back and found the service to be vastly inferior on the VA B737 compared to the NZ A320.

More recently, I have noticed a trend of VA selling tickets 10-30% below what NZ is charging when booking on the NZ website and considering any other time VA is often charging prices the same as NZ, you'd expect a similar service but no.

I personally found the seating rather cramped and uncomfortable, no IFE (BYOD) and meal options limited, very poor in-fact. Some boiled vegetables with a couple of spoonfuls of meat sludge. From what I can see online, this is not an isolated feeling.

In fact, I'd even go so far as to say that I would probably rather just save the money and fly Jetstar in the future when given the choice between JQ & VA. I had put faith in VA, having never flown them before, on the basis that I was suggested to purchase from them by NZ on their booking website. I will not make this mistake again.

Kiwi Flyer

So why don't you book on the VA website if it is 10-30% cheaper for the same flights?

cavemanzk

VA on the Tasman is an joke, the fact they sell J at the same price as an NZ 777/787 is crazy. Recently was in row 3 on an morning service, and getting to see the J service or more lack of it put me off ever flying VA J.

To be honest NZ PE on the Tasman is better than VA J, and its only half the price.

dadig

Best is NZ J on 773 or 772 ex AKL

codyc1515

I must have misworded what I wrote. Rather, I was meaning that VA tickets on the same route are generally 10-30% cheaper than NZ on the same route. Although, what you said is also true. VA tickets are usually quite a bit more expensive when sold on NZ/86 ticket stock.

cavemanzk

Had two VA flight in the weekend, 1 planned another not planned.

The dive between NZ/VA seems to just keep getting larger, noticeable after doing 1x NZ flight and 2x VA flights within 48hours.

Am really going to try even hard to avoid VA now, both the aircraft we're extremely dirty inside (Did VA fire the cleaners to save money?).

The VA lounge in SYD is beyond average, at 9.30am on Saturday morning the only food on offer was Toasted Sandwiches. Half the lounge was closed off, by with bollards, and it was dirty as. Was better of just going to a cafe in the terminal. Was an shock after having breakkie a couple of hours earlier in the AKL Lounge with NZ.

On the way home on VA last night, noticed that Juice is now free for Seat Only passengers.

Kamadan

It really is a rhetorical question...

After having flown enough TT flights since start of the year, and unfortunately with 2 segments on VA... want to know if anyone of you observed the same (in case they are... once or twice-off)

NZ TT Service:
- Better seating choice (Space+) on A320s
- Premium headphones and AU Fast-track card (where available) for Elite
- Even Newspaper along with the above for Elite
- VA Platinum are clearly marked as VIP on NZ manifest, and treated the same as Elite (Premium headphones, Fast-track cards etc.)

VA TT Service:
- No choice in seating, at best a "request" for Window or Aisle seat (bear in mind their 738s are already narrower), where available you could grab Row 3 or Exit Rows at check-in
- No seatback IFE, strictly BYOB and IF you got the app prior to flight
- NZ Elite are now marked as "Partner Gold" on boarding pass, instead of "Partner Platinum" when this alliance first started
- No offer of AU Fast-track card at all for Elite
- NZ Elite are NOT marked out on VA manifest (see above)


Surely, I'm not the only one that noticed this increasing disparity?

On my most recent AKL-OOL flight, while the ISM went around to give VA Platinums bottled water & fast-track card along with a smile and personal greeting, none of the NZ Elite on the flight got anything above & beyond, matching that "Partner Gold" printed on the boarding pass.

Does NZ even care/notices? Sure, NZ needs/wants VA as a partner for domestic AU feeds but this Trans Tasman "alliance" is pure joke nowadays.

I have been actively avoiding booking NZ coded VA flights for the past year... just that schedule/timing means so far, ended up twice on them... and boy did I regret every moment...

sbiddle

An Elite greeting is hit or miss now even on NZ metal so not getting one on VA is no big loss.

The differences have always been huge and not getting any better. With VA's new 'premium economy' seats on TT VA Platinum's can pick these for free. VA still won't answer as to whether Elite's will have access to these, but one can assume the answer is a big no.

At least out of AKL you have a choice. For those of us elsewhere there are routes that are 100% VA so there is no way to avoid them without flying via AKL. As much as I love flying, traveling via AKL and taking twice as long to get to Australia is just dumb.

Lpmnz

VA is the pits
recently took a J service akl - Bne and it was average.

the only thing they have going for them is timing. The 9pm departure akl- BNE is handy

Kamadan

I'm not going to miss sleep over that, just merely pointing the disparity out.
Then again I've actually been greeted in the past few months on TT Y NZ metal... interestingly enough...

Yeah... there in lies further "rub" of the disparity, esp. for top-tier elites of the respective sides.

The point I'm trying to make, is that why are we treating them MUCH better (VA HVCs on NZ metal) than the reverse, especially if it's not mutual?

Of course, we (NZ) should be the bigger person and shouldn't go down the "tit-for-tat" route... then again... as with other Trans Tasman arrangements, this seems to be the norm now...

dadig

I'm glad it is now consistent as for a long time Elite greetings have been hit or miss.

I would put my money that NZ is treating VA HVC "much better" simply because their systems are not able to differentiate between them at the present moment

NZbutterfly

Of course the one flight I had out of Wellington on VA to BNE had bad headwinds and that flight took close to 5hrs ie torture. If I lived in Wellington I'd be flying via AKL to avoid VA. I have flown a wee bit of VA this year TT but I was/am feeling a bit over QF. VA TT in various ways is far enough behind Air NZ IMO that I could never make them my main carrier. What I think of their 777's A330's and domestic ops differs.

J and PE I haven't seen any special greetings for some time - which doesn't bother me although Y I think I get the 'hello etc' majority of the time.

Beano

Flying on a TT airnz aircraft with a virgin flight number
1 Do you get the free baggage (virgin give 1 or 2 bags ) even on seat only.
2 do they give you 3 guests or 5 guests in the airnz lounges?

EatDuck

I enjoyed our recent flight with VA ALK - BNE $600 return for the two of us.

On both legs we got row 5 with no one sat in the middle seat, presume they were reserved for something as both flights the only free seats on the plane were 3B, 4B and 5B.

sbiddle

I too wonder why NZ HVC's get the bad end of the bargain. VA still need NZ more than NZ need VA.