United Airline From Hong Kong, joined Jan 2001, 8792 posts, RR: 17 Posted (1 year 1 week 3 days 18 hours ago) and read 6985 times:
When will VS take delivery of the A380? I suppose they will put them on routes like LHR-JFK, LHR-NRT? What about LHR-HKG-SYD? I suppose this is also on the cards?
VS went double daily for LHR-HKG for sometime. Will they resume the second daily flight anytime soon?
richcandy From France, joined Aug 2001, 696 posts, RR: 0 Reply 1, posted (1 year 1 week 3 days 18 hours ago) and read 6937 times:
Hi
I would guess that LGW-MCO has to be near the top of the list. (Long haul leisure destination were a range of departure times is not such an issue and they currently operate a number of departures per day)
LHR-NRT & LHR-HKG-SYD flights are currently operated by 340's if capacity was an issue would VS not upgrade them to a 744?
United Airline From Hong Kong, joined Jan 2001, 8792 posts, RR: 17 Reply 2, posted (1 year 1 week 3 days 17 hours ago) and read 6613 times:
Quoting richcandy (Reply 1): LHR-NRT & LHR-HKG-SYD flights are currently operated by 340's if capacity was an issue would VS not upgrade them to a 744?
VS once put the B 747-400 on the HKG-LHR route back in 2001/2002. They really should upgrade it to a B 747-400 or even an A380
scouseflyer From United Kingdom, joined Apr 2006, 3255 posts, RR: 10 Reply 4, posted (1 year 1 week 3 days 16 hours ago) and read 6427 times:
I believe that VS are currently scheduled to receive their first one "some time in 2015" after deferring twice but IIRC there was a report that along with IT VS are the only airline who don't have well defined schedule for their A380s meaning that they may never get them but we'll see.
I would expect to see the A380s move round on their busiest holiday routes to MCO would be hgih on that list.
MAH4546 From Sweden, joined Jan 2001, 31119 posts, RR: 73 Reply 6, posted (1 year 1 week 3 days 16 hours ago) and read 6392 times:
Quoting richcandy (Reply 1): I would guess that LGW-MCO has to be near the top of the list. (Long haul leisure destination were a range of departure times is not such an issue and they currently operate a number of departures per day)
It's not. The plan is to have the A380s in a very premium layout and based at Heathrow.
sevenheavy From United Kingdom, joined Mar 2004, 1126 posts, RR: 10 Reply 7, posted (1 year 1 week 3 days 15 hours ago) and read 6243 times:
Quoting MAH4546 (Reply 6): It's not. The plan is to have the A380s in a very premium layout and based at Heathrow
Indeed. MCO MIGHT be a candidate further down the line, but initially look for NYC, LAX, SFO, possibly MIA and JNB.
Pretty much the existing LHR B744 routes.
MCO capacity is possibly better served by varying frequency due to the highly seasonal demand patterns. A couple of A380s would be perfect for about 12 weeks of the year, but VS currently vary their schedule, so that anything from 2 to 5 daily flights operate to MCO.
Pe@rson From United Kingdom, joined Jan 2001, 18847 posts, RR: 54 Reply 10, posted (1 year 1 week 3 days 14 hours ago) and read 6032 times:
Quoting United Airline (Reply 2): VS once put the B 747-400 on the HKG-LHR route back in 2001/2002. They really should upgrade it to a B 747-400 or even an A380
Why? Because you'd like to see one?!
If VS thought they should and could (e.g. from the ability to swap), I'm sure they would.
[Edited 2012-05-14 01:59:06]
"Everyone writing for the Telegraph knows that the way to grab eyeballs is with Ryanair and/or sex."
sevenheavy From United Kingdom, joined Mar 2004, 1126 posts, RR: 10 Reply 11, posted (1 year 1 week 3 days 14 hours ago) and read 5971 times:
Quoting United Airline (Reply 2): VS once put the B 747-400 on the HKG-LHR route back in 2001/2002. They really should upgrade it to a B 747-400 or even an A380
This was only for a while post 9/11 when Transatlantic traffic fell through the floor. It did ok at the time but it would be a nightmare with the SYD tag on, as you would either lose almost the entire LHR B744 fleet, or have two different types operating the service.
migair54 From Spain, joined Jun 2007, 1279 posts, RR: 0 Reply 13, posted (1 year 1 week 3 days 10 hours ago) and read 5402 times:
I think first destination will be JFK, because with one aircraft they can offer daily rotation, but not to LAX and JNB... and after I think they will go to JNB, because AF and LH already does, and I guess BA will do sooner than later, so they need to reach that level as well to avoid losing more premium customers.
HKG I think they will add a second daily, it´s much better for pax and also for cargo uplift, a very good business in HKG for almost any airline.
MCO, problem is that using such a expensive plane for holiday makers willing to pay the cheapers fares is not a good idea... unless you configure with lot of economy seat like Air Austral plans to do. So I don´t think that happening soon.
skipness1E From United Kingdom, joined Aug 2007, 2381 posts, RR: 0 Reply 15, posted (1 year 1 week 3 days 7 hours ago) and read 5069 times:
Surely they are intended for LHR-EDI when SRB tackles the big bad BA monopoly?
Seriously, they don't show much sign of taking delivery so speculation now would be pretty pointless as they're at least three years away, if they ever take them at all.
gingersnap From United Kingdom, joined Aug 2010, 854 posts, RR: 5 Reply 16, posted (1 year 1 week 3 days 6 hours ago) and read 4910 times:
Quoting MAH4546 (Reply 6): It's not. The plan is to have the A380s in a very premium layout and based at Heathrow.
Which says to me VS are only using the A380 as some kind of "bragging rights". Shame they're many years late for that party.
They could easily consolidate the two MCO flights out of LGW into a single A380, especially if loads begin to drop off on the low season. The issue is they don't want to be seen as using their most "prestigious" aircraft on the bucket & spade leisure routes. The LHR centric attitude doesn't always work and I fear it may be the same situation here.
But still I suspect the 380 will find it's way to LGW fairly soon.
airbazar From United States of America, joined Sep 2003, 6890 posts, RR: 7 Reply 19, posted (1 year 1 week 3 days 4 hours ago) and read 4518 times:
Quoting sevenheavy (Reply 17): Do you know any that are operating, or planning to operate on leisure routes?
Yes but it depends on what you call a "leisure route". NYC is the biggest tourist destination in the US. Are all routes to JFK leisure routes? Some routes are more leisure to some airlines than to others. I think it's fair to say that Air Austral and Skymark will operate their A380's on leisure routes although their business model may not necessarily be all leisure. Also other airlines have denser Y cabins in their A380's which in some way indicate that leisure customers are a big part of their business as well. AF and TG for example have nearly 450 Y seats compared to KE with only 300 Y seats. We may not think of JFK as a leisure route but I guarantee you that AF would not be flying an A380 with 450 Y seats into JFK if leisure customers wasn't a big part of that route for them.
sevenheavy From United Kingdom, joined Mar 2004, 1126 posts, RR: 10 Reply 22, posted (1 year 1 week 3 days 2 hours ago) and read 4301 times:
Quoting migair54 (Reply 18): Not now, but there wil be... as I said... Air Austral, Skymark... and EK will configure some of them with big economy configuration.
Quoting airbazar (Reply 19): Yes but it depends on what you call a "leisure route". NYC is the biggest tourist destination in the US. Are all routes to JFK leisure routes?
Granted, I've said all along that IF VS gets A380's, I wouldn't be surprised to see them on MCO routes eventually. I appreciate that alm ost all flights have some component of leisure flights - VS's NYC/SFO/LAX routes are full of leisure travellers.
The difference is that these routes also have enough business demand to warrant fairly low density, high premium configurations. VS do have these kind of routes, and they are where the A380s will be deployed to first. Apart from anythign else, the big corporate clients will not be happy if VS send an A380 to MCO every day whilst they are stuck on a 20 year old B744!
UK - MCO is at the extreme end of the leisure market. Business travel is a tiny fraction of the market. There is definately an increasing demand for Premium Economy in particular, and to a lessor extent, Upper class but its nothing like JFK, JNB or LAX.
Put in context, an A380 flying for VS to MCO would likely have around 600 economy seats! A possible config would be something like J18 W 84 Y588. Thats higher density by a considerable margin than anything we'we seen so far.
I have never said the A380 won't go to MCO, but it won't go there first....
I agree with you SlnGAPORE
I think they will make up some tale blaming the whole fiasco of not getting A380's because of some trumped up "dirty trick" which British Airways had played on them. Then they will go back to being the "poor little virgin that BA keeps kicking"
25 skipness1E: The Beach Fleet has 14 Upper Class seats in a B744. The remainder is Y and Y+. Extrapolate that level of J class to an A380 and fill the rest of the s
26 gingersnap: I understand that and I take it on board. However Orlando had around 633,000 pax out of LGW in 2011, whichever way you look at it is a lot of pax. Th
27 skipness1E: Count to ten and think about that for a moment. Still sure? I think a Virgin A388 has awesome potential, a true world beating potential to become the
28 JHCRJ700: Didn't they get the A330's for this route?
29 readytotaxi: Just a thought, if VS were to use the A380 to MCO how about a LGW start, additional pick-up at MAN and then on to MCO, sure the leisure market would n
30 United Airline: Wonder if VS will put first class on the A380
31 qf002: These will have the new UCS fitted soon. I wouldn't be at all surprised to see them transferred to LHR once the LGW 744 refurbishments are done. No w
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