Cancelations at VAA

[greenslopes]

What’s going on at VAA with all the cancelations?

[Likeasomebody]

Recently or tonight?

[Zinfandel]

Lots of cancellations last week.

[Capt Fathom]

Travelled with Virgin last week and on the weekend and didn’t note any issues at the time.

[Red69]

40+ cancellations for the last 3 days running. Mainly due to crew (or lack of). But don’t worry, everything is wonderful.

[Jack D. Ripper]

Wow!

Are you are proud of that?

[UnderneathTheRadar]

40+ cancellations for the last 3 days running. Mainly due to crew (or lack of). But don’t worry, everything is wonderful.
Is that 40+ per day or 40+ over three days?

[ad-astra]

"Wow!
Are you are (sic) proud of that?"

JACK,

That was tongue in cheek, quite appropriate and funny given the circumstances.
Management is running 'Happy Clapper' sessions for every staff member to invigorate and energize the poor suffering staff.
The program is all part of our new "Bring on Wonderful (https://www.adnews.com.au/campaigns/virgin-australia-s-bring-on-wonderful-via-special)" campaign.

They are indoctrinating all the Cabin Crew and Ground Crew by December before they take on the slightly more challenging and cynical group of pilots sometime next year.
Fortunately, they will be 'tailoring' the sessions for Flight Crew to their specific 'needs'. (Bains biggest challenge to date)

If there is a God, the 'tailoring' will involve extending the unlimited booze and Hors D' oeuvres from the late afternoon into a whole day bender that I for one want to watch!

[Jack D. Ripper]

Thanks for the clarification.

Still don’t get why the cynicism towards company attempts to ‘invigorate and energise’? Would you prefer ignore and demotivate?

VA amazes me, people who, by all accounts would have been unemployed if not for Bain are now bitter and twisted.

Maybe you need to talk to the ex Ansett people who didn’t have a saviour and ended up unemployed or starting again at the bottom of someone’s seniority list.

[ad-astra]

JACK,

Plenty of us have started again at the bottom and are well aware of what Virgin has offered.
Plenty of us have been here 20 years and are very proud of our Airline
Plenty of us want it to prosper not just for our own sake but because of all the staff that have worked and will work for a Great Airline.

BUT......

Perhaps ‘invigorate and energize’ is not the most appropriate phrase when describing a one-day group session at a flash pub in Fortitude Valley beating bongo drums and being preached 'the line' by a third-party contractor how 'WONDERFUL' things are.

When staff levels are so understaffed that gate staff are literally running between gates to meet aircraft, when aircraft cannot be disembarked front and rear because there are no marshallers, when aerobridges are not maneuvered to the aircraft until multiple calls to AMCO and disembarkation eventually happens about 15 minutes after arrival, when Maintenace defects delay flights because engineering staff are so limited, when 30 flights were cancelled recently because there was not enough cabin crew, when aircraft arrive at a gate and there is no staff to unload the baggage, when flights are cancelled because pilots are not willing to forgo their day off, when "CREWING" consists of ONE person, when Operations have to make continual decisions on which flight to cancel so they can steal precious cabin crew for another flight, then maybe you might understand the cynicism towards the 1 day of the year beating Bongo Drums when the other 364 days staff ARE being 'ignored and demotivated' (your words).

Do you notice a trend? .............Frontline Staff.

Bain has a race on its hands, and if rumors are true and an IPO is being considered for 2023 then no amount of drum beating will stop the flight cancellations, staff resignations, flight delays, and passenger frustrations from scuttling their pay day.

Staff DO WANT to come to work, but not to be massively overworked, underpaid and ignored to facilitate the impending IPO bonanza.

NOT bitter and twisted - But enthusiastic, optimistic, proud and defensive of OUR Airline which we want to prosper even after the IPO.

[Chocks Away]

:D:D:D:D:D
Encore! Encore!

[Wombat]

ad-astra,

That is probably the best post of the year. Sums it up perfectly

[Jack D. Ripper]

JACK,

Plenty of us have started again at the bottom and are well aware of what Virgin has offered.
Plenty of us have been here 20 years and are very proud of our Airline
Plenty of us want it to prosper not just for our own sake but because of all the staff that have worked and will work for a Great Airline.

BUT......

Perhaps ‘invigorate and energize’ is not the most appropriate phrase when describing a one-day group session at a flash pub in Fortitude Valley beating bongo drums and being preached 'the line' by a third-party contractor how 'WONDERFUL' things are.

When staff levels are so understaffed that gate staff are literally running between gates to meet aircraft, when aircraft cannot be disembarked front and rear because there are no marshallers, when aerobridges are not maneuvered to the aircraft until multiple calls to AMCO and disembarkation eventually happens about 15 minutes after arrival, when Maintenace defects delay flights because engineering staff are so limited, when 30 flights were cancelled recently because there was not enough cabin crew, when aircraft arrive at a gate and there is no staff to unload the baggage, when flights are cancelled because pilots are not willing to forgo their day off, when "CREWING" consists of ONE person, when Operations have to make continual decisions on which flight to cancel so they can steal precious cabin crew for another flight, then maybe you might understand the cynicism towards the 1 day of the year beating Bongo Drums when the other 364 days staff ARE being 'ignored and demotivated' (your words).

Do you notice a trend? .............Frontline Staff.

Bain has a race on its hands, and if rumors are true and an IPO is being considered for 2023 then no amount of drum beating will stop the flight cancellations, staff resignations, flight delays, and passenger frustrations from scuttling their pay day.

Staff DO WANT to come to work, but not to be massively overworked, underpaid and ignored to facilitate the impending IPO bonanza.

NOT bitter and twisted - But enthusiastic, optimistic, proud and defensive of OUR Airline which we want to prosper even after the IPO.


Thanks for the comprehensive reply.

Have to agree, Bongo’s might be a bit of a stretch (is that really happening?)

I can’t believe VA would refuse to employ more frontline staff to pump up an IPO….surely this is short sighted.

I had kinda hoped VA would pull out of administration and take it to QF…. Sounds like this won’t be happening.

[slice]

Sadly it seems the utter dysfunction of Virgin in general and Flight Ops in particular has not only survived administration but subsequently flourished.

[Gear in transit]

JACK,

Plenty of us have started again at the bottom and are well aware of what Virgin has offered.
Plenty of us have been here 20 years and are very proud of our Airline
Plenty of us want it to prosper not just for our own sake but because of all the staff that have worked and will work for a Great Airline.

BUT......

Perhaps ‘invigorate and energize’ is not the most appropriate phrase when describing a one-day group session at a flash pub in Fortitude Valley beating bongo drums and being preached 'the line' by a third-party contractor how 'WONDERFUL' things are.

When staff levels are so understaffed that gate staff are literally running between gates to meet aircraft, when aircraft cannot be disembarked front and rear because there are no marshallers, when aerobridges are not maneuvered to the aircraft until multiple calls to AMCO and disembarkation eventually happens about 15 minutes after arrival, when Maintenace defects delay flights because engineering staff are so limited, when 30 flights were cancelled recently because there was not enough cabin crew, when aircraft arrive at a gate and there is no staff to unload the baggage, when flights are cancelled because pilots are not willing to forgo their day off, when "CREWING" consists of ONE person, when Operations have to make continual decisions on which flight to cancel so they can steal precious cabin crew for another flight, then maybe you might understand the cynicism towards the 1 day of the year beating Bongo Drums when the other 364 days staff ARE being 'ignored and demotivated' (your words).

Do you notice a trend? .............Frontline Staff.

Bain has a race on its hands, and if rumors are true and an IPO is being considered for 2023 then no amount of drum beating will stop the flight cancellations, staff resignations, flight delays, and passenger frustrations from scuttling their pay day.

Staff DO WANT to come to work, but not to be massively overworked, underpaid and ignored to facilitate the impending IPO bonanza.

NOT bitter and twisted - But enthusiastic, optimistic, proud and defensive of OUR Airline which we want to prosper even after the IPO.

Ahhhh so Jayne is firmly embedded now and engaging the staff. Sounds just like how she left the last place.

[ad-astra]

JACK,
Have to agree, Bongo’s might be a bit of a stretch (is that really happening?)

Alas, YES!

Stay in this industry long enough and you see it all.

[Mr_App]

Virgin getting a belting on ACA tonight. Well deserved. Story after that is Bonza and its new cabins. Ouch. Even more awkward Virgin running its "wonderful" commercial soon after its Grimshaw belting.

[1A_Please]

Virgin getting a belting on ACA tonight. Well deserved. Story after that is Bonza and its new cabins. Ouch. Even more awkward Virgin running its "wonderful" commercial soon after its Grimshaw belting.
You do know that a positive puff-piece like Bonza received is paid infomercial. ACA does it all the time. It's a very profitable show for 9.

[Tubman601]

Apparently it’s not about the money. Cabin Crew were advised to forget the past, ie, what you used to get paid.

[tossbag]

Virgin getting a belting on ACA tonight.

Man, that lady took quite the trip, around the world in 90 days.

[Colonel_Klink]

Apparently it’s not about the money. Cabin Crew were advised to forget the past, ie, what you used to get paid.

Not just the cabin crew - the pilots as well. And apparently the consensus amongst the ‘higher ups’ is that money won’t fix the problem with pilot engagement.

Funny how money doesn’t fix issues with the workers - yet is pretty important for the Execs and senior managers.

Instead we get told about how we are putting the past behind us and looking to the future.

In my entire aviation career I have never seen a more out of touch management - and that includes the flight ops management right up to the Executive