Virgin Blue... a short rant...

[Charliewool]

Originally Posted by ZapXR6T

I fly atleast twice a month, and use Virgin Blue. While I can understand "some" people not liking happy cabin crew, myself I find it refreshing as I have woken up at the crack of dawn and been greeted by a pretty and happy chick as I board the aircraft. I am 6'5" and 130kg, so legroom is always great in the normal seats. I can choose a exit row if I wish, but the seats are too narrow for my big ***. I have also flowen Qantass several times in both cattle and biz class and found the cabin crew rude and uncomprimising.
So far on Virgin flights, I have witnessed 1 marrige proposal, several bouts of aerobics by the cabin crew and many jokes. It makes a dull flight interesting.
Oh and for the uninformed, Richard Branson has nothing to do with Virgin Blue anymore, its owned by Patricks and public.
I like the way they keep the bastards honest.

Word has it that if the Toll buyout of Patricks goes ahead, Branson will fully buy back Virgin as Toll are only interested in Patrick's Seafreight & Ports

[GasoLane]

Originally Posted by ZapXR6T

Oh and for the uninformed, Richard Branson has nothing to do with Virgin Blue anymore, its owned by Patricks and public.

When did this happen. I thought Branson still had majority holding!

[gtfpv]

Originally Posted by charliewool

Word has it that if the Toll buyout of Patricks goes ahead, Branson will fully buy back Virgin as Toll are only interested in Patrick's Seafreight & Ports

this is a fact i have a pretty good source. bransen hates chris corrigan , anyone who deals with chris corrigan gets done over by him . he has no friends . its all business and profit. anyhow my source tells me that bransen is behind the toll takover . when patricks cunningly brought the majoruty of shares giving him the rights to virgin.branson went and brought major share holdings in toll for payback . if toll buys out patricks ,branson will do exactly what was done to him and take over patrick. steverdoring its all done in spite.

[Charliewool]

This is from "Travel-Biz" (hope I'm not going too far off topic here)

Virgin Blue ceo Brett Godfrey claims he does not care who controls the airline because it is his management team that is really in charge.


Godfrey’s comment yesterday followed Virgin Group boss Richard Branson's reiteration that he had plans to implement changes if he regained control of the airline in the fallout of a successful takeover of Patrick Corp by Toll Holdings.

But Godfrey said what happened at the shareholder level would not affect the running of the carrier.

He said management ran the airline and put forward strategy to the board to be accepted or rejected.

Patrick holds a controlling stake in Virgin Blue but that is set to be partially sold off to entities controlled by Branson if Toll's $4.6 billion takeover succeeds.

Godfrey said management did not look to the board for day-to-day ideas on how to improve the airline, but rather for overall guidance.

He said he did not know when the Patrick-Toll battle would be resolved and claimed he did not care.

People were far too generous in terms of the praise for how shareholders influenced a company, Godfrey said.


14 December 2005

[chief]

Branson soled Virgin and now has the oppitunity to take it back and he will try. Weather he does or not thats up to the shareholders and price.

Have only flown twice domestically, once to go to my grand moters funeral. Short notice and Qantas was the only airline that could get us on "the next flight". No extra charge. Also if you fly domestically on Qantas between 1pm and 4pm. You get 1 free beer. Have flown international about a dozen times.

[svo347]

After working fly in/out on a remote minesite for the last 4 1/2 years, on a Buzzbox Braslilia EMB120, with an average of 3 - 3 1/2 hrs eitherway, Virgin and Quantas are just heavenly...

[Bevan Boy]

Well my gf works as a hosty for Virgin and i can assure u there not pill poppers! After meeting her and a number of her friends its just the personality that virgin hires. All of her friends are very friendly and up beat both in and out of work! and to be honest after hearing the ИИИИИ she has to put up with day in day out ur lucky to be getting a smile!

Personally i couldnt handle being chirpy after having people jump on the plane drunk and 10 mins late, abuse u cause of problems they have caused, having people whinge at u all day cause they are 5foot 5 and with a broken arm they demand the exit row (even though u can only have it if u r able bodied), having ambulence officers drop people off at the plane in a comatosed state, or drugged out of their brain to make the flight somewhere that u then have to look after and wipe drool from their face, change their bandages as there hemoriging while having some mother whinge that her son needs a colouring book and doesnt want to pay for it! U should be happy u get a smile rather then having someone grump at u and treat u like ur a pain in the *** like most other passengers.

At the end of the day Virgin are a budget airline and are a business. Of course Ansett wont wake u up for ur meal, because they will just keep it for the next flight therefore saving them $$$, on the other hand Virgin need those extra $$ so they will ask, and i can guarantee from personal experience through my gf, that 9/10 if they dont wake someone up and ask them what they want that person then turns around when they wake up and whinge that they got no food or drink offered to them!!

Oh an in regards to makeup they have strict guidelines stating what they must wear and what they cannot wear, although some girls hate it they are required to wear the make up, all part of the uniform. And judging by most of work colleagues there definitelty aint to many running around with something to hide! HOT HOT HOT! :P

[X ORSMXR]

Dude my wife works for Virgin and thats how everyone is at Virgin as they are all happy workers as they get treated very well

[Lagom]

Originally Posted by zetec

Quite often Qantas use larger aircraft on their way from Melb to Syd and then onto an international destination, quite often with frequent flyer bookings. It effetively helps them fill seats on the international bound flight. This is the only reason they depart from the international terminal.

You'll find the airport taxes are slightly lower too on SYD-MEL on the international flights. Basically all the flight numbers below QF400 depart from international terminals.

The service is basically the same though, although on the 747-400s you'll get the personal TVs, which you don't get on domestic aircraft.

If you're dying to fly First Class on a 1.5hr hop between MEL & SYD v.v., the international flights offer that advantage too. The funny thing is, a friend burnt 40,000 points once to do that and they just served meat pies on an afternoon flight up the front! Okay, there was nice bubbly, etc, there too

[Gammaboy]

Well, having just returned from a extremely short notice trip to Adelaide for a Funeral, and having spent a fair bit of time in various airlines aircraft, I have to say, I think I prefer Virgin for domestic trips...
The last Quantas flight I was on was a nightmare. Flight back from Singapore, Boeing 777. Economy (work changed their travel policies:( ). 4 large guys squeezed into a middle row, with a guy 3 rows further back having all 4 seats to himself... followed by my boss being Woken up 1/2 hour into the flight (Flight left at midnight) by a hostie to apologise for something or other because he's a platinum frequent flier....
Asked a hostie (she looked like a 65 year old napalm victim) for a drink... it never came... needed booze to try to get to sleep stuck between 2 chainsaws.
I finally get to sleep, 4:30 am and I'm woken up by a schreeching banshee of a hostess asking if i want some breakfast, or coffee. I'm 6'2", and was wedged into my seat. I've had more room on every Domestic Virgin flight i've been on!

The trip to and from adelaide on the other hand, was a redeye with Virgin. Atractive cheery hosties (as opposed to the permanantly cranky Qantas hosties I seem to encounter), didn't get woken to be asked if I wanted anything from the menu (I had 3 seats to myself, streched out and left a big puddle of drool in one from sleeping). Slept the whole way. Hostie joked about "Your baggage will be available from the carousel sometime next week"
The flight back was equally pleasant... more attractive smiling hosties, jokes about "Your lifejacket has a whistle for Attracting *sailors*"
"Welcome to Darwin" (Flight to brissie)
"Your Baggage can be collected downstairs at 9:00am tomorrow morning"

I don't mind not having food if the flights cheaper and the hosties are happier and prettier; coffee? heck, if you're going to whinge about airplane coffee (god knows, its *always* crap so i dunno why people do!), don't bloody drink it.

As for the pricing, I got to Adelaide and back for $50 less than Qantas wanted, and after the way I got reamed by Qantas on a one way flight home ($700 for a one way ticket? had a weeks notice too) when I got stuck in WA back when Anset went belly up, I think i'll stick to Virgin when its my money being spent on domestic trips.

But, after all that, the funeral was for a Qantas maintenance engineer. His son (my best mate) was holidaying in Europe, and Qantas went out of their way to try to get him back to see his dad before he passed (unfortunately he was too late), so Big points to Qantas on that.
RIP Ben, A Father to 3, Mustang and GT owner, and just a great Guy. Speedtape is your friend.

[Choca]

nothing wrong with virgin! there chicks are hot!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Charliewool]

Originally Posted by Choca

nothing wrong with virgin! there chicks are hot!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

As compared to Air New Zealand, who's "chicks' mighta been hot when DC3's were the mode of air travel!... Honestly, have they got a "can't pension em off" rule or what? It's a case of the passenger helping the hostie down the stairs over there!

[Lagom]

Originally Posted by charliewool

As compared to Air New Zealand, who's "chicks' mighta been hot when DC3's were the mode of air travel!... Honestly, have they got a "can't pension em off" rule or what? It's a case of the passenger helping the hostie down the stairs over there!

Air New Zealand's not that bad.

United's got a good handful of 'prison matrons' doing the Pacific runs - they've still got someone who's arguably the world's oldest flight attendant; last time I heard, she was in her late 70s - she still passes her medical tests!

[old_mate]

Originally Posted by gtfpv

for budget airlines i fly virgin . newer planes . but for fares they both worry me . id rather pay more for safety. but wont fly quantas because they are tight and prefer profit therefore offer nothing over budget airlines . i am not in the game but have some friends who know people . i hear lots of high ranked people resign from quantas in diisgust over lack of maintenance and want nothing of it. the others same deal i'm told you wouldnt believe the risk our airlines are taking with flights. a while back i was told the allowable limit for faults on a plane flying was 6. things like blown globes etc . now it has been expanded to 27 faults allowed whilst flying . i ask where are the discounts coming from ? and if our maintenance goes overseas what then.? sorry to venture off topic . my choice is still virgin because they have virtually new planes.

mate this puts a smile to my face. Do you know any names, or positions of people that have resigned? I'm yet to see or hear about any reports of 'lack of maintenance'

there is no real limit on faults allowable. As long as the pilot is happy to fly it and the Dispatch Deviation Guide says u can fly, a plane will fly. And it will fly safely.

Qantas' domestic fleet is pretty new in itself (minus the 767-336 and 338 fleet). Even the remaining 737-400 will be retired shortly, leaving only 737-NG and airbus A330-200 (which will soon become Jetstar International's interim fleet type)

[gtfpv]

Originally Posted by old_mate

mate this puts a smile to my face. Do you know any names, or positions of people that have resigned? I'm yet to see or hear about any reports of 'lack of maintenance'

there is no real limit on faults allowable. As long as the pilot is happy to fly it and the Dispatch Deviation Guide says u can fly, a plane will fly. And it will fly safely.

Qantas' domestic fleet is pretty new in itself (minus the 767-336 and 338 fleet). Even the remaining 737-400 will be retired shortly, leaving only 737-NG and airbus A330-200 (which will soon become Jetstar International's interim fleet type)

fair enough no i dont know names and dont know if any of it is true .but when you hear people saying stuff like you'd be amased how some of these planes fly and what the airlines get away with that the passengers dont know it sparks curiosity . not to say it is true. and a friend(work colleague did tell me about the 27 fault lists i can get the name of his friend who works for virgin if you like and pm you. but only if you are not his BOSS hahaha.

[old_mate]

mate i'll totally agree, its amazing to see what planes can and cant fly without. Rarely would a plane be flying without some sort of defects in hold, whether it be busted globes, someones TV screen is fuzzy, sound coming out mono from a headset, one channel of autopilot is inop, etc etc

as a first and second year apprentice you still yourself wonder how the hell they fly, but once you get into the swing of it and develop a knowledge and appreciation of how all the systems work with their redundancies built it, it eases the mind somewhat

*oh and no names necessary. I'm not involved with virgin at all

[NZ]

qantas I beleive.

[SB076]

I have found my favourite airline, its the one on the lynx commercial, and i dont care how much it costs, gotta to love those yellow hostess uniforms. I am going to spend the rest of my life flying