VS To Replace Classics On MAN-MCO

airchabum · Mon Jul 12, 2004 4:44 am

From 1st May 2005 the VS75/76 MAN-MCO-MAN service will be operated by a 747-400 replacing the current Air Atlanta Classic. Schedule will be as at present with daily flights except Monday.

I imagine this will mean the end for the Classic at Virgin, unless someone has other plans for the aircraft.... Wink/being sarcastic

Cheers

MYT332 · Mon Jul 12, 2004 5:53 am

Do we get both B742's replaced or just one, bringing in a LHR B744 if the MAN one goes tech?

Dazed767 · Mon Jul 12, 2004 5:57 am

I had heard rumors that we would be seeing an A340 after Sept/Oct? I guess that's not the case anymore?

whitehatter · Mon Jul 12, 2004 5:59 am

The gossip a while back was that the A346 prototype visited Manchester on its test runs because that was what VS had in mind for the route

MANmatt · Mon Jul 12, 2004 6:30 am

VS are also going to operate an extra friday service from the end of september on this route with a 744, a LHR or LGW will position into MAN to operate the service. Bout time they got rid of the -200s.

Matt

scottysair · Mon Jul 12, 2004 6:38 am

This will need to make extra flights to MCO.

airchabum · Mon Jul 12, 2004 6:39 am

ScottysAir
Yes

MYT332
The 2nd 742 is just a standby aircraft/spares source so there will just be one 744 based in MAN.

Dazed767/WhiteHatter
No A340 plans for MAN-MCO AFAIK. The 747 has high loads all year round so certainly doesn't justify a smaller a/c.

Cheers

whitehatter · Mon Jul 12, 2004 6:49 am

No A340 plans for MAN-MCO AFAIK. The 747 has high loads all year round so certainly doesn't justify a smaller a/c.

A346

similar capacity to the 742

airchabum · Mon Jul 12, 2004 7:06 am

WhiteHatter
Er.....no it isn't! Big grin

In VS config: 742=422, 346=306

whitehatter · Mon Jul 12, 2004 7:16 am

That's the 346 in Heathrow-type config.

The 742s out of Manchester are configured for the Club Orlando product. An A346 in similar configuration would seat a lot more as there wouldn't be the premium cabins taking up as much space.

The talk at the time was an A346 configured for Manchester ops, similar to G-BNWH at BA. VS don't sell Upper Class on that route so a suite fitted A346 would be pointless.

[Edited 2004-07-12 00:24:50]

gkirk · Mon Jul 12, 2004 7:38 am

Keep the 742 at MAN, they dont deserve any better Big grin

SafetyDude · Mon Jul 12, 2004 8:49 am

With all of VS' new routes, are they going to start to super-maximize their planes? Any new order (777s) would not be delivered for a few years, and they only have a few 346s on order.

Smile

-Will

transswede · Mon Jul 12, 2004 9:00 am

Have VS ever flown the A346 to MCO yet?

Because I could have sworn I saw a 346 approaching MCO about two weeks ago - A long slender aircraft with four large engines. I suppose it could have been a re-engined DC-8 stretch, but it really looked like an A346...

JeffDCA · Mon Jul 12, 2004 9:14 am

The talk at the time was an A346 configured for Manchester ops, similar to G-BNWH at BA.

Sorry to go a bit off topic, but what exactly is different about G-BNWH's configuration compared with the rest of the BA 767 fleet? I'll be flying on the JFK-MAN run later this year, so i was just curious.

Cheers,

Jeff

airchabum · Mon Jul 12, 2004 9:21 am

Whitehatter

Yes the MAN 742s are in 'Club Orlando' config but they still have the old VS Upper Class seats installed...it's just not the full Upper Class product. I agree that a re-configured 346 would be able to seat more pax but it would still have premium cabins (for all the rich Northerners! Wink/being sarcastic

) so would be way short of what a 747 could seat. For info the planned config for the MAN based 744 is 14/58/379 which is the same as the LGW based a/c when they are fitted with the new Suites.

SafetyDude

I can assure you they are already being super-maximized!! If there is a gap anywhere on the programme then chances are someone is trying to fill it with an ad-hoc charter! Nuts

Cheers

SafetyDude · Mon Jul 12, 2004 10:50 am

Sorry to go a bit off topic, but what exactly is different about G-BNWH's configuration compared with the rest of the BA 767 fleet? I'll be flying on the JFK-MAN run later this year, so i was just curious.

Sorry, but I cannot help with that, but I did see her (G-BNWH) at JFK earlier tonight. I first thought I was going crazy after too much flying, as I was thinking that the JFK-MAN was supposed to be a 757 - but that was AA! Nuts

About aircraft utilization, if they are already super utilized, how can VS pull one or two 744s with all the new routes?

-Will

whitehatter · Mon Jul 12, 2004 11:08 am

G-BNWH (or G-TECH as it's called around Manchester) is configured with no first class or World Traveller Plus sections.

It's also tatty and unreliable. Avoid if at all possible.

Airchabum...the talk was of an A346 as it would be a closer fit with a 742. The VS service at the time wasn't doing that brilliantly to justify moving to a larger aircraft. Which is why the Airbus prototype visiting Manchester caused some chatter about it being to check whether it could be used for the VS75/76

airchabum · Mon Jul 12, 2004 11:15 am

TranSwede

To my knowledge no VS 346 has been to MCO yet, although they are used on LHR-MIA so one may have diverted.

SafetyDude

We are permanently 2 a/c short at the moment due to having the new Upper Class Suites installed across the fleet so things should become a bit more flexible when they are all finished. Of the new routes that have been announced I think HKG-SYD-HKG is the only one that will start this year, and even that is in doubt.

Cheers

scottysair · Mon Jul 12, 2004 1:01 pm

Is that still anything else about VS will get A346 to MCO or not. My guess would be good for high loads during into the this fall 2004.

jpetekyxmd80 · Mon Jul 12, 2004 1:03 pm

Scotty-

For the high loads in the fall, I think the only way the 346 would get to MCO is on an additional flight because the 744 still has more capacity.

Regards

SafetyDude · Mon Jul 12, 2004 10:13 pm

Is G-BNWH similar to G-BNWM and G-BNWN? For those two (WM and WN) I remember that there was not World Traveler Plus, but I am not sure if there was a First Class section.

I was in Club World which started right after the galley by the 2-doors and went back about four rows - so what is between the 1-doors and the 2-doors? I know I saw some people in there, but I have no clue if it was another Club section or if it was First Class.

Smile

-Will

airxliban · Tue Jul 13, 2004 1:20 am

they should put the 742 on the VS 23/24 LAX service and put whatever lousy 340 on the MAN-MCO...

jamotcx · Tue Jul 13, 2004 4:07 am

G-BNWH is only configured 2 class, club world with cradle seats and world traveller.

Its been that way ever since ever lol, its been the same aircraft flying the same route since before I can really remember. I flew on it both ways in 1999 and it was tatty and dirty back then.

I wish they would improve the interior, to at least try to match some of the other airlines on the same route. Although the bar is still free Smile

Jamo

col · Tue Jul 13, 2004 4:08 am

The VS 742 out of MAN seems to be very popular, so the 744 must be the only option.

It is also about time VS increased the quality out of MAN, as they are linking with SQ and offering it as a connection from SIN to MCO.

airchabum · Wed Jul 14, 2004 6:32 am

Further to the above, I've just found out that when the 744 operation starts it will become 7 days per week.

Cheers

Shamrock_747 · Wed Jul 14, 2004 6:37 am

Jamo - BA's 767s will be getting a refit very soon, once the LGW 777s are finished. It's rumored G-BNWH will be the first one to recieve new Club World, WT+ and WT with PTVs. Smile

JasperEMA · Wed Jul 14, 2004 8:12 pm

I thought that load factors from MAN-MCO were very good as booking tickets for 11 pax in Feb 2004 was almost impossible ended up flying from Gatwick but I only live 40mins from MAN.

ScottishLaddie · Wed Jul 14, 2004 8:50 pm

A friend of mine and his family tried to book on this service before Christmas, but still it was too full to accomodate them! and this was for travelling in July, in the end they flew Star Alliance, EDI-LHR-IAD-MCO returning MIA-IAD-LHR-EDI!!

HlywdCatft · Wed Jul 14, 2004 9:04 pm

Transwede, what time of day was this?

The only regularly scheduled DC-8-70 is the ATI one that comes in around 9am, but varies at times give or take an hour. It has a blue tail, although sometimes still in green and white Burlington colors.

I moved away from Orlando 2 months ago, so maybe UPS or DHL are flying them there that I am not aware of now.

On the Orlando Airport website under new service it claims that Virgin will be flying 8 times per week between MCO and MAN so that obviously means that at least one day a week you will see two flights from MAN.

transswede · Thu Jul 15, 2004 1:46 am

HlywdCatft,

Yes, it was around 9:30 am - so you are probably right about it being a DC-8-70. (I was driving at the time so I could not stop and get a good look at it)
Thanks!

mhodgson · Thu Jul 15, 2004 2:15 am

RE 8 flights a week, I beleive that later this year VS is to introduce an extra Friday flight using a 744 shuttled from LHR or LGW. Though why they don't just use the spare 742 based at MAN I don't know.

Richard28 · Thu Jul 15, 2004 2:56 am

when the route changes from a B742, does that mean it will be VS "mainline" operating the route, or will it still be through Air Atlanta?

If it's Air Atlanta, then perhaps VS will be getting IB's B744 - currently standing in for them before their next A346's are delivered.

anyone?

Crosswind · Thu Jul 15, 2004 4:23 am

Richard,
Sounds like it will be Virgin Atlantic's own aircraft. If you read Airchabum's post (Reply 17) the airline currently has to make allowances for 2 aircraft being in the hangar at any one time having the new Upper Class cabin installed.

Once that process is complete 2 aircraft will become available in theory, plus VS are continuing to take delivery of the A340-600.

Regards
CROSSWIND

airchabum · Thu Jul 15, 2004 5:11 am

Richard28/Crosswind

Yes AFAIK it will be a mainline VS a/c in the same config as the LGW based fleet. I presume different a/c will rotate through MAN to allow for maintenance or when there is disruption, as was the case when MAN-MCO and LGW-MCO were both operated by VS mainline 742s.

Mhodgson

There are currently 6 flts per week MAN-MCO with additional Fri/Sat services beginning in Sep/Oct until Nov. No I don't know why the spare Classic isn't used either! Lack of crews maybe? Confused

Cheers

HlywdCatft · Thu Jul 15, 2004 5:35 am

I have never seen it, but a former neighbor of mine worked for one of the catering companies at MCO (not LSG) and he says he has seen Virgin fly in an A340 into MCO on occassion.

Crosswind · Thu Jul 15, 2004 5:46 am

HlywdCatft,
The A340-300 was used to launch the MAN-MCO route in 1996, so back then they would have been daily visitiors...

Regards
CROSSWIND

HlywdCatft · Thu Jul 15, 2004 6:30 am

Actually it was more recently my neighbor was telling me so it must have been an occassional sub

Richard28 · Thu Jul 15, 2004 8:22 am

Thanks for clearing that up Airchabum/Crosswind.

Does anyone know what will happen to the classics after the change?

Will Air Atlanta re-paint/config them for other airlines, perhaps rested in Mohave (with the others), or used on other VS routes?

FutureFO · Thu Jul 15, 2004 12:07 pm

The 346 reconfigured into High Capacity config then it would seat more than the 742/744. Hopefully we will see one even if it is a sub or a mx flite.

Sean from MCO

airchabum · Thu Jul 15, 2004 12:23 pm

Richard

No idea what Air Atlanta have got in store for the Classics but i imagine VS will finally wave goodbye to them...they were a disaster when we used them on LHR-LOS forever causing night-stops Sad

They seem to be a lot more reliable in MAN though...better engineering support perhaps?

Cheers

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