First Class Expectations
 

Howdy VX forum,

Today was my 5th flight on Virgin America. So far so good but today was a little iffy.

I upgraded to first from Main Cabin. We were served breakfast and a round of drinks with breakfast about an hour into a flight from PHL to SFO. The FA took up the trays, sat and there were no additional drink orders taken or snacks offered.

At hour 3 of the flight she disappeared until the 4 1/2 hour mark. A guest next to me rang for the FA and got a diet coke, but she disappeared again.

I was under the impression we would get breakfast and then before we landed some sort of refreshment plate. Would you say anything to Virgin or chalk it up to someone having a bad day? It's hardly the end of the world but is kind of annoying.

I am surprised they didn't put together a snack basket with some of the "for purchase" snacks. You can always ask for them, but then, you really shouldn't have to. Also, the F screens don't permit ordering.

The FAs should do an occasional pass-through. If they don't, use your call button. That is what it is there for, and maybe it will send a message. I've been on aircraft (not VX specifically) when after waiting way too long, finally ring the call button, and then half the F cabin will also request something from the "magically reappearing" FA.

Thanks! I think I need to overcome my fear of the call button. I guess I associate it with "things more important than bringing me coffee". I shall work on it in the future. I really have enjoyed my few trips on VX and hope to have many more; today just got under my skin a bit.

Does the call button not have a small picture of a steward/ess with a tray and drink on it?

Yes please, get over your fear. Further, if you are in Y on VX and order from the screen, they get a notification and will get your stuff very quickly. But in F, you would have to ring the bell. So, oprima el timbre. Gracias.

Sorry to hear that the lead FA didn't meet your expectations. It sounds like you got a bad apple today. We are supposed to offer a snack basket towards the later part of the flight, with another round of refreshments. You shouldn't have to ring the call button, because the lead is supposed to be stationed in the forward part of the aircraft for most of the flight. Don't miss the chance to upgrade again, so you can get the full first class treatment from those of us who follow airline service delivery procedures. Thanks for your kind words about most of your travels with us :)

So? You'd be surprised how many US flight attendants tell passengers that the call button is for "emergencies only." :td:

it bears repeating that when flying VX's first class, using the call button is expected. if you want anything, you should not wait for the FA to come to you.

i personally feel that it detracts from the experience in F. having flown in F once, i probably never will again (unless my kids ask for another one of those airplane salt/pepper shakers). when i'm in MCS, i know what my options are and can easily order them on red. i don't like having to push the button, waiting for the FA, talking over the person in the aisle seat, and explaining what i want. admittedly though, MCS can be frustrating when the plane doesn't have much of a selection or runs out quickly.

Not on VX.

Thanks for freeing up the seat. I will take First on VX any day, any time.

No need to be tacky.

I think the bigger issue is that on VX I personally pay out of pocket to upgrade; and that sets the expectation bar higher than on AA or US where I get a complimentary upgrade. I realize it's completely psychological but a $299 upgrade does set a higher bar in my book than being EXP and getting an upgrade on AA without shelling out a penny.

You are very correct. Which is why I bust my neck to make sure our guests get a good F experience. I wish this comment could be used to reenforce this concept to any of our teammates who tend to get caught up in the day-to-day routine and forget this very fact. Thanks for being so concise. ^

Thanks for the good words and support! Hope to see you onboard soon!

same experience
 

I really like Virgin America - I've switched from UA (well at least as much as I can due to Virgin's limited routemap).

However, I also had a similar recent experience on Virgin First on a flight from LAX to JFK.

The flight attendant doled out meals and drinks - but did them as quickly as possible - without asking about drink refills. When asking him for refills I sensed a bit of attitude about it. Then once the meal was delivered, he was gone.

There was no snack or drink service prior to landing. I had to really try to catch his attention to get a water.

I also feel hesitant in ringing the call button - I know it's something I should get over, but I guess I'm just used to UA flight attendants attitude towards using these.

Again, I've had great VX first experiences before but was really taken aback from this flight attendant. Felt more UA than VX - and these are paid upgrades...

I've experienced the "dissappearing FA" from F as well. Several of my trips have me heading to PHL and DCA and each time after meal service "poof" they're gone!

On one recent trip, after the FA came to check on folks, he passed the snack basket around and announced that if we wanted more the basket was in the galley! And he left again!

It only took a few of those in Y to discover they could waltz into the F cabin and get stuff free! Forget about ordering from Red!

I have given up on the F experience on VX, due to the same issues brought up here. After the 4th paid upgrade with the fast, furious, and disappearing service, I found myself happier in MCS, where I see the FA's more often. I have given much of my UA business to VX, but I have seen an improvement on the UA side regarding attitude and service. I hope VX FA's can learn that "better than the competition" customer service, especially in F, wins customer loyalty.

Wow, I thought maybe I had an "off" FA, but it looks like this is epidemic. My last F experience with VX was PVR to SFO, same issue. FA made a guest appearance and then took off somewhere for most of the flight. I did use the call button and she was very sweet and accommodating, but it was not what I usually experienced in F on VX.

I have to agree as well. I have given up on them. We had a flight where the FA spent the entire time refilling his bag with stuff (snacks & min booze bottles) from the cart, he couldn't bother to attend to the four of us in first! Seems to me they get the throwbacks form the other US carriers! Sorry, VX, tried to be a fan, but after many flights I give up.

This used to be an issue over at the Eskimo for awhile (to the point of frequent complaints) - I don't know what the internal initiative was to shake things up, but it is rare for an F FA over there not to make cabin pass-thrus with an acceptable frequency. It sounds like the same thing needs to occur at VX, i.e., minimum standards of cabin pass-thrus on flights of x length, etc.

Hmmm. Sounds like some of my United international flights.

VX is reaching a point in its existance where there will be some employees that are becoming 'comfortably numb' (Pink Floyd reference). There are a number of ways to correct this; some better in the long term than others.

For those that don't remember, JetBlue had a Valentines Day 2007 meltdown that cost the CEO his job. That occurred about the same point in JetBlue's existance as where VX is at today. http://www.businessweek.com/stories/...ble-at-jetblue

Follow Up
 

I shared my experience with VX through the website. About two days later I was emailed the following:

Thank you for taking the time to contact us. Please accept our sincere apology for the unsatisfactory service you received on your recent flight.

We want you to know that our main goal is to be an airline you love. We fell short of our goals when you traveled with us, and we're truly sorry for the lack of quality guest service demonstrated by our team members. We can assure you that this is not how we normally fly. Your letter will be shared with our Inflight Management team for internal follow up with the flight crew.

It is through guest feedback that we are able to continually improve the quality of our service. As a token of of sincere apology, I have issued a $100.00 credit to your Travel Bank


I will give them another shot in F and appreciated the credit. Share your experiences with them - they seem receptive.

That turned out to be good in some way.

Question

I was thinking of flying VX from LAX-ORD,do you recommend F/Main Cabin/Express for my first travel with them?

Fired AA
 

I have fired AA for all of my West coast travel and "hired" VX. I am EXP but buy first class so am anxious to try it out next week. For what it's worth, the bar is low to beat AA. I wish VX had more flights DFW.

Main Cabin Select. The first time you get to order whatever you want through the touch screen is kind of fun.

If you have really fired AA, you are going to wish VX had a lot more flights to a lot more places...

My flight today SFO-SEA was excellent. Gold Match (from UA 1K), so free MCS, and I decided to spend the additional $39 for F.

Seat pitch (and seats in general) in VX F can't be beat - domestically anyway.

IFE is good, not the biggest screen in the world, but it is not too far from your eyes.

WiFi. Can get overwhelmed by users.

Some kind of vegetable / cold / garbanzo(?) / sauce thing wrapped in a green tortilla for a snack. Truly underwhelming.

Constant, attentive service.

For this flight though (<2 hours), the free upgrade to MCS is probably good enough.

Working to earn 5,000 points by 4/30 to maintain Gold.

Thanks,hopefully try them when I am heading back to Chicago.

I really hope Virgin America can also activate the touchscreen order system for first class too. If I am flying Asian airlines, I have no issues using the call button, but for most US carriers I refrain from using it for service-related issues. I really think VX needs to allow F passengers to order snacks and beverages using the PTV. Since it is already all set up for MCS, I don't think it is that difficult to set it up for F too. This will allow the F/A to hang out in the back, while being able to provide service in F if needed. I know the front galley especially A319 is smaller than the mainline airline and does not have space for F/A to really sit and rest.

Carfield