VX F transcon update
 

Can anyone update me on VX premium transcon product? Are there amenity kits in first? what's in 'em? How does it compare to B6 Mint? AA First? thanks.

Excellent three course meal service.

Amenity kits have eyeshades, ear plugs, and a pen. at JFK you can pay to access the astonishingly awesome Virgin Atlantic clubhouse.


Excellent Recaro leather seats with equivilAnt of 150ish degree recline, automated controls for foot rest. Includes a back massager but tbh it doesn't work well. It's not lie flat but I have no trouble sleeping on them nor is it really an issue for day time flights.

Large comfortable grey duvets and large grey pillows.

Mint knocks it out of the park, but you can find some jfk-lax/SFO f fares for ~550.

I'd rank Mint > VX F > AA 321T Biz.

The cabin crew in F are usually stellar. Nice feeling of an exclusive 8 person cabin.

Well IMHO for me its D1 on a Delta 757 - then a tie between AA 321T biz & B6 Mint - last is VX F

AA I thought had a better seat then B6 Mint but B6 Mint food was superior to AA.

Ive never flown UAL P.S. transcon though.

Can you fly D1 on a 757 domestic? News to me, but I dont fly DL often and I don't particularly like 757s, so its not like I'd know either!

UA ps is not even worth comparing.

Yes, particularly flights to/from JFK from the west coast. I've flown it twice between SFO and JFK. The "true" window seats are pretty private, since you're separated from the aisle by a side table; but not as private as one of the B6 suites (e.g., row 2), and the finishes on the product are a little cheap looking (ugly blue upholstery). Nonetheless, I've been impressed by the seat and the soft product; until a year ago, I hadn't flown Delta for at least 6-7 years, since it's not big in SF. It's pretty nice when you can get it for ~$550 each way, since that's roughly what I'd end up paying to buy MC and a T-24 upgrade on VX. But I think B6 Mint Suite is a clear step up.

Isn't AA 321T the one vessel on which AA offers 3-class service; and wasn't the OP's question about First, not Biz, on the 321T?

Interesting, didn't know that about DL1. Is it marketed in advance as such?

Yes, the AA321T is the one that offers true three-class service. I suppose that warrants a revision:

Mint > AA 321T First > VX F > AA 321T Biz

Although good luck getting upgraded to 321T F. Virtually impossible (by any means), where VX and Jetblue often can often be upgraded day of departure.

I'd also put AA 321 Biz way above VX F. The soft product is comparable, but the seat is far superior to the old Recaros on VX.

Generally speaking, this is my take:
Best transcon product is hands-down AA on the A321T, in either biz or first. Smaller planes mean quick boarding, and lounge access on either end plus if you are traveling in F you get Flagship check-in. On-board service, in my experience, has been excellent on these flights.

Second best is Delta, Delta One. Excellent check-in experience in LAX with a private entrance and a small land-side lounge, private escalators to security. On-board product excellent with Westin bedding and good menus.

Third place is JetBlue. Service and food is hit-or-miss, no lounge access and marginal ground handling. But on-board is good.

Then VX. I find the VX ground handling disappointing, almost always. LAX is a mess of a terminal, and JFK can be quite jammed at peak hours in the afternoon due to the international departure bank. On-board can be nice but the product is very dated. I've had three transcons on VX this year and on every single one something was broken. My last JFK-LAX had a broken seat, inop IFE and no amenity kits (overlooked or not boarded, but didn't need one so didn't ask). Other flights had inop IFE. I'd say the biggest downsides with VX are frequency of flights and consistency. AA is hourly service, DL is pretty close.

Last place, no surprise, is UA. Almost like they're not evening trying to compete, but EWR can be more convenient for some parts of NY.

Obviously the frequency/consistency cuts exactly the opposite way on VX/AA if your home airport is SFO rather than LAX.

Have flown both VX, AA on multiple transcons over the last six months. In my opinion, AA A321t F is hands down the best transcon premium product. The flagship checkin and lounges at JFK and LAX are a huge benefit (although as it doesn't exist at SFO it won't sway travelers there). The F seat offers a lot of privacy and I've always had consistently stellar service. While I appreciate the small cabin in VX, I simply cannot get over the lack of pre boarding amenities and lay flats. My rankings are AA F > B6 (rows 2/4) > DL / AA J > B6 (others) > VX F.

I tried VX F.

And then tried it again, just in case my initial experience was a mistake.

Here what I know about VX First.

1) VX First must have been ameeeezing in the 90s (even though I know it launched later bringing that decade with it)

2) I bet based on conversations on FT, that VX employees once cared a lot about the VX product and customer experience. Not anymore. (as a whole)

3) Today, LAXJFK VX404. No boarded pillows and blankets. No amenity kit. Snacks were not passed until someone asked for them. There was no spirit of engagement or friendliness from the FA... sorta like an avg United flight.

4) Seat was comfortable and worked. Internet almost worked the whole flight.

5) I think the employees may have decided to stop dancing to the ridiculous rap-themed safety video since it was like pulling teeth for people in the cabin to get service.

6) The user interface to Red IFE is still great. If you are in coach, the system is spot-on responsive. You click on what you want and suddenly a FA is bringing to your seat. If only they activated that in F cabin where the feature is grey and inactive. Our FA spent a lot of time answering the coach service calls making me wish I were in econ and spent a lot less.

7) The guy next to me paid full F and said, "pretty crappy first class" I said, "what your impression on VX F?" He said, "second class".

8) PS - please repair the broken coffee maker in the VX LAX Loft.. it has been inop for 2 days so far. Wish I had a good cup of coffee this morning since there is nothing left in the Loft lounge worth making a trip to experience.

I have to wonder if the VX flight attendants have given up their enthusiasm in light of the pending merger with Alaska?

They see the handwriting on the wall, and know that the big guy will impose its system on the little guy (not the other way around), so they have mostly given up trying to maintain the VX experience. It's a shame, but that can be the reality.

@shza: How does pricing compare?

Anyhow...for me, VX might fall short on the "big two" (JFK-LAX/SFO) markets, but it shines in secondary Transcon markets (MCO-LAX, DCA-SFO) and other mid-haul markets (ORD-SFO/LAX) as well as being available for a discount if you're willing to deal with DAL (DCA-DAL-LAX/SFO being my preferred transcon routing). It might be mediocre for the main two markets, but everywhere else it blows the opposition away at the moment.

(Actually, I'm willing to admit...VX F has made a complete hash of what I expect on a not-a-premium-market route. As I explained in conjunction with the B6 trip, most of the other airlines basically collapse next to VX outside their best markets and as someone who has primarily flown VX east-west, I can say that I recognize that I feel a bit spoiled in terms of what I got where I got it. VX set a bar high enough, malfunctions and all, that most other airlines just casually stroll under it.)