VIRGIN TO BRING BACK A CLASSIC!

[bintoo]

Virgin are to bring back a classic from the desert and operate it while the newest -400s in the fleet go back to boeing for oxygen system mods.Apparently 6 of the latest Virgin aircraft have to have their oxygen system fully replaced due to a boeing co;kup,no doubt this probably affects other 747-400 operators.

[BOEINGBOY1]

and after, why not operate it on the high capacity man-mco route instead of contracting it out to european (if the rumour is to be beleived)

[joebanana]

MAN-MCO will be operated by Air Atlanta. The intention is to use VS tech crew. However in typical Virgin fashion they are refusing to offer relocation or temporary basings to pilots who must foot all travel and accommodation costs out of their own pockets!

[Robmillo]

So what has happened to the old Kathay Pacific classic they had on the MAN-MCO route?

Robmillo

[jocko0102]

So there you are you turn up at Manch having read all the blurb about Virgin in flight service and then hello no Virgin a/c,so unless someone can correct me just some bog standard 747 with no seat back tellys etc not very good or is it just because its only those "up north" so who gives!. .Somebody please prove me wrong on this one.

[Denzil]

Jocko, you are wrong <img src="tongue.gif" border="0">

It would be an ex VS aircraft complete with all the VS cabin and seat back IFE <img src="rolleyes.gif" border="0">

[jocko0102]

Didnt know that it was going to be an ex VS , if thats the case why dont they they use one of their own?.

[Denzil]

Far too political to answer <img src="wink.gif" border="0">

[Standing Hampton]

Virgin used TF-ABA (Air Atlanta) for most of last year to the caribbean from Gatwick. Full Virgin Atlantic livery and TV in the seat backs.

[BOEINGBOY1]

so vs have got plenty of a/c, classic rated crew (enough for at least 1 a/c anyway), so why do they still have other airlines (air atlanta/european or whoever) operate the man-mco and lgw-carribean routes? im sure there is a logical reason, but can someone working for vs explain.

[lightning6901]

Virgin have been doing a lot of work at Manston in Kent over the past months with Air Atlanta as well so maybe that is all tied in.

Lots of strange things going on down that way including an Apron launch on 06th March!

[scroggs]

For reasons not unconnected with Sep 11th, VS decided on a 25% capacity cut in October last year. This was to be achieved by retiring the remaining 8 (at the time, I think) 747-200s. 2, G-VPUF and G-VZZZ, remain and are due to retire on 28th March 02. As 747 says, ZZ was retrieved from the desert because of the mod programme needed for the 744s.. .Virgin Holidays had sold lots of MAN-MCO hols for the 2002 season and had obviously assumed that VS would fly them - someone, somewhere presumably hadn't noticed this when the big scale down was announced! VS no longer has the capacity to run this route in-house, and so has contracted with Air Atlanta (a 742 operator) to hold an ex-VS B742 on its AOC for this route. All the flight crew (tech and cabin) will be Virgin staff, operating on Air Atlanta's AOC.. .This presumably allows VS to remove the 742 from its AOC, with all the associated engineering and operational back-up and costs, while presenting an outwardly VS operation to the MAN-MCO punters.. .Please note, peeps, this is not a political comment or a cue for an argument, just a brief statement of the facts to answer one or two of the above questions.