GRALISTAIR

Well I have for a long time now taken DL64/65 ATL-MAN-ATL and was upset when I found out DL were giving the route to VS who operate it as VS110/109 but DL codeshare. In exchange DL resurrect JFK-MAN - but that is not easy as there are poor/non-existent DAY-JFK flights to connect. Anyway flew VS109 yesterday. Here is my summary of the comparison. (It can of course be argued this is not a fair comparison)

For(pros)
I was "upgraded to Premium Economy" (at the gate) and the seats were excellent in terms of width, legroom and recline - though not lie-flat of course. (Possibly because I am DM and the wife is GM). wife upgraded and sat by me - this was despite us being on separate itins/PNRs.
VS Premium Economy is better than Comfort Plus on DL -IMHO
Service was outstanding - almost as good as Delta One.
Food was really good - far better than DL economy.
Drinks were totally free flowing and you could get up and help yourself throughout the journey too.
(Really sexist comment which I apologize for - but FAs were much younger and cuter than DL FAs that operated the route.)
IFE was superior with sharper clarity and greater choice than DL.
Ambience of the cabin was excellent.
VS boarding pass scannable at the gate in ATL and in B23 Skyclub.

Against (cons)
No Sky Priority at MAN check in
No SkyPriority on luggage.
Not sure if Z fares will be available on VS.
Doubt I will be high priority for OpUps if they happen
Can not use a GUC - so to use my remaining GUCs (on TATLs) will need to go via DTW/MSP/ATL - AMS/CDG/LHR
Always got FastLane at MAN security - no chance on VS.
Skymiles/MQM/MQD take ???? to post

Overall I am torn - but quite a good experience. To be really fair I now need to fly Economy and Business on VS to compare.

dungeonlurker

I think I prefer flying VS, unless I'm in Delta One.

However, about the no SkyPriority at MAN check in - you're still allowed to use priority queues as a DM.

pbarnette

I would hope that a full PE product would be much better than regular Y or even Comfort+. And VS has a reputation for a quite good PE product at that. I'm in the camp that your comparison isn't terribly valid, but it is good to hear that it is a nice product. I will confess to not caring at all about how young or attractive FAs are.

My impression from what I've read is that VS Y is quite poor, with negative comments on the food and cramped cabins being the most common.

jackplum

I am flying to LHR this summer and undecided about VS vs DL

I'll be in BE so perhaps that makes a difference.

Some of the VS flights are 747s so that is a plus for me as I have never flown one. But then there is the question of upper vs lower and seating as there will be two of us.

mot29

I flew VS RT to London in PE last November and although I've not recently flown DL to London for a direct comparison -- the VS PE product is quite good, especially for the price, I think. (As is the VA PE product to Australia.)

As a Diamond I was able to use priority checkin at LHR and my bag was priority tagged. Also, on the JFK-LHR flight I asked for a FastTrack immigration card from the flight attendant, told him I was a Delta Diamond and he brought one to me. Not sure that I saw anyone else in the PE cabin get one.

jackplum
If you are flying BE, then on the VS 747 it is downstairs -- upstairs is split between PE and coach.

GRALISTAIR

Great information thank you.

rucksack

@GRALISTAIR

While you (and @pbarnette) are correct that VS W (Premium Economy) is not a fair comparison to DL Y (incl. EC/C+), I would argue that the very fact that VS offers such a good PE product at a reasonable price is cause enough to favor VS flights.

That being said, I am in a position to make a direct comparison since I have flown DL J and Y (standard and EC/C+) and VS J, W, and Y on the same route. Both the VS and DL Js were on A330s.

J
I found VS J and DL J to be quite similar. Overall, the VS service is a bit better, and the breakfast service is much better. VS's amenity kit is lackluster compared to DL's, but VS does offer pajamas (DL does not). The DL's A330 seat has an edge on VS's A330 seat because you can recline into the flatbed position without having to stand up (with VS, your seat needs to be folded over backwards to be made into a bed). Food and wine selection were comparable. Since it was a red-eye, VS's Upper Class bar did not lure me.

W
As mentioned before, there really is no comparison since DL does not offer a true PE product. VS W is akin to domestic first whereas DL C+ is a standard economy seat with slightly more legroom and recline. One significant benefit of VS W is that you can earn 150% MQMs on a fairly reasonably priced ticket. I bristle at giving Delta any "good ideas," but I'm sure it's just a matter of time before they segment their solitary "W" premium economy codeshare fare into multiple fares: one for full-fare codeshare premium economy and one for discounted codeshare premium economy (which will likely earn a reduced 125% MQMs).

Y
DL C+ seats are better than VS's "extended legroom" Y seats. Otherwise DL and VS are comparable in seat quality, though VS has better Y service. If C+ is available, I would prefer DL to VS.

Having compared the on-board product, here are a few other difference to note:

• VS is not a domestic airline and is therefore not eligible for PreCheck, even if your flight is ticketed through Delta. In fact, domestic segments on an international itinerary (connections and stopovers) are not eligible for PreCheck if the international segment is operated by VS.
• While you are only entitled to a Fast Track voucher if you are seated in J, I've successfully petitioned both VS and DL FAs for a voucher while seated in Y (on account of my PM status).
• VS does offer Z fares, and I've noticed that they seem to nearly always have a full J cabin. From what I've seen, VS is more willing to discount their J product than Delta.
• VS's mobile app is abysmal. Practically speaking, you must check into VS via their website, though can opt to receive a mobile (Passbook) boarding pass via email.
• Overall VS's in-flight entertainment system is better than DL's and has more selection. However, I've noticed that DL's newer IFE systems (the black-framed ones with built-in USB ports) are very good and have an enormous selection (more than VS's).
• If you're a PM/DM flying out of Heathrow, you want to be flying out of T3 so that you can take advantage of VS's astonishing Club House. If you're flying on a DL-operated flight, you risk flying out of T4.

SadKingBilly

Thanks for a very informative post!

I have an LHR-SEA trip planned, booked as VS in J, operated by DL, so out of T4. I understand that I'll miss out on Club House, but I assume that I'll still be able to visit the Skyteam lounge at T4, which does not look too bad (at least in photos ). Is that not the case?

GRALISTAIR

+1 agreed - great post ^

CarmenOM

I have twice flown VS in PE to LHR, ticketed through DL, originating in MSP on DL and connecting to VS in JFK on the first trip and MIA the second trip. Both times I got PreCheck for the domestic segments.

As others have experienced, on both trips I requested a FastTrack card as a PM, which the VS FAs gave me with no hesitation.

rucksack

Good to know. Now that I think about it, mine were all stopovers rather than connections -- perhaps that makes a difference.

kevfletcher

Thanks for the info. I've been flying MAN-ATL for the last 3 years and noticed when booking my flight for May that it would be VS. Had OP UP's about 50% of the time on DL MAN-ATL. That's one thing about the DL 64/65 I'll miss

SEA-Flyer

I was very disappointed when DL LHR-SEA moved to T4. It was out of T3 until about a week ago.

You'll have access to the Skyteam lounge in T4. The Skyteam lounge is good, much better than a Delta Skyclub. However, the Virgin Clubhouse is much better.

GRALISTAIR

Wow - as a DM I was running at about 20% - so 50% as a GM is nice.

TrojanTraveler

That's my experience as well. For Y I'll always take DL over VS.