Virgin Atlantic
Join Date: May 1999
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December is 14 weeks away.
Great that the DKCM deal has been approved for VS, unfortunately unless revenue picks up for all, a lot more of us will be squawking UB40 by then.
Not one legacy carrier is safe in the current environment.
Great that the DKCM deal has been approved for VS, unfortunately unless revenue picks up for all, a lot more of us will be squawking UB40 by then.
Not one legacy carrier is safe in the current environment.
Join Date: Apr 2013
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Direct compo with BA as they've just announce LHR-Lahore. Whoever provides the better product will win the hearts and minds of the Pakistani community. I know most Pakistanis are fed up of PIA so it could work. 
Join Date: Apr 2020
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PIA banned from European Airspace pending clearing up their licensing issues for crews.
A Turkish Carrier already has the contract with PIA to carry their passengers in and out of Pakistan and Europe through Turkey.
It’ll only be a temporary arrangement until things get smoothed out.
A Turkish Carrier already has the contract with PIA to carry their passengers in and out of Pakistan and Europe through Turkey.
It’ll only be a temporary arrangement until things get smoothed out.
Join Date: Dec 2008
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BBK
With a heavy heart I suppose I have to agree since I'm on the dole queue. But even if I saw this as means of staving off the UB40, I would still not be thrilled to be rostered to a destination where security is so very questionable. It is a sign of management desperation that they now find the unacceptable to be acceptable. Truly hope that it works out OK for V staff.
With a heavy heart I suppose I have to agree since I'm on the dole queue. But even if I saw this as means of staving off the UB40, I would still not be thrilled to be rostered to a destination where security is so very questionable. It is a sign of management desperation that they now find the unacceptable to be acceptable. Truly hope that it works out OK for V staff.
Join Date: Jan 2018
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macdo sorry to hear about your situation. There are pretty secure areas/Hotels in Lahore with robust security arrangements. Once in the Hotel crews will stay inside either for security, or these days CV19 reasons. Nothing different from say Lagos. As for Pakistan go on you tube and look for a guy called Peter Santenello.
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What evidence do you have that previously Virgin management considered this route unacceptable due security concerns but are now so ‘desperate’ that they’re willing to compromise - as per your insinuation?
Join Date: Dec 2008
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Perfectly reasonable question.
Virgin has been talking about running Pakistan flights since 2007, but hasn't done so, in spite of a growing year round demand for such flights from the UK. So, ignoring a growth market.
BA only resumed flights to Pakistan at the end of 2018 having earlier binned them for security concerns. Still Virgin didn't enter the market.
Virgin are naturally desperate to operate and start rebuilding from the effects of covid19. So they choose now to start a route to a country where the UK government still advises against non essential travel.
PIA is currently on a ban and using HiFly to fill in. Well, that is a reasonable opportunistic reason to start.
Whilst I am sure a risk assessment has been done, having crew on the ground in Pakistan carries more risk than it does for, say New York, even allowing for 'secure zone' hotac. Why would you send your aircraft and crew to a destination that needed secure accommodation unless you had to? Or have had to take a different view of the assessment for commercial reasons?
I am not on the BoD of Virgin, but I can join dots.
Do you have evidence to the contrary?
Virgin has been talking about running Pakistan flights since 2007, but hasn't done so, in spite of a growing year round demand for such flights from the UK. So, ignoring a growth market.
BA only resumed flights to Pakistan at the end of 2018 having earlier binned them for security concerns. Still Virgin didn't enter the market.
Virgin are naturally desperate to operate and start rebuilding from the effects of covid19. So they choose now to start a route to a country where the UK government still advises against non essential travel.
PIA is currently on a ban and using HiFly to fill in. Well, that is a reasonable opportunistic reason to start.
Whilst I am sure a risk assessment has been done, having crew on the ground in Pakistan carries more risk than it does for, say New York, even allowing for 'secure zone' hotac. Why would you send your aircraft and crew to a destination that needed secure accommodation unless you had to? Or have had to take a different view of the assessment for commercial reasons?
I am not on the BoD of Virgin, but I can join dots.
Do you have evidence to the contrary?
Today's D Telegraph
Virgin Atlantic Airways is expected to slash another 1,000 jobs today as part of its £1.2bn rescue deal, as the airline sector continues to reel from the coronavirus pandemic.
.....................
The airline already axed 3,150 roles less than four months ago, as well as the closure of its Gatwick Airport base. The fresh cuts would mean that Virgin Atlantic’s pre-pandemic workforce level of around 10,000 staff has now halved.
.....................
The airline already axed 3,150 roles less than four months ago, as well as the closure of its Gatwick Airport base. The fresh cuts would mean that Virgin Atlantic’s pre-pandemic workforce level of around 10,000 staff has now halved.
Join Date: Nov 1999
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Virgin have sold their training base near Gatwick, and will stay there until 2021, does anyone know what then? It’s quite a big operation to be moved if it includes SEP hall etc.
https://www.crawleyobserver.co.uk/bu...rawley-2961930
https://www.crawleyobserver.co.uk/bu...rawley-2961930
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G-VDOT Airbus A350-1041 (Ruby Tuesday) was delivered to Manchester today.
New, but actually four years old!
New, but actually four years old!
Last edited by nohold; 9th Sep 2020 at 15:01.
Join Date: Nov 1999
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Virgin seems to always look for canny buys - The first 3 Virgin A340-300's in 1993 came from a large order cancelled by Northwest who never took the type in the end.
The next couple were recycled prototypes ships c/n 2 and 3 - bought from Airbus 5 years after being built in 1992.
Virgin also was reported to have had a sniff at the 4 ex Olympic Airways A340's grounded at ATH from 2009 which could have been had for a song but they did NTU.
I gather the 5 new 747-443 got snapped up cheap by Virgin through GECAS from Boeing (Thank you very much) in 2001, being built for Alitalia but NTU.
The 747-443s were delivered to VS with AZ seating and all painted in the latest Virgin Silver Dream Machine Livery
The fleet of 5 would be dedicated to the Virgin LGW and MAN high density Leisure/Beach routes.
The airline (VS) was on the lookout for more -400’s to replace the -200's. Talks were at an advanced stage with British Airways to acquire a small number of aircraft from them. Although due to their Rolls Royce engines, they wouldn’t provide commonality with the GE engines fitted to the existing Virgin Boeing 747-400 fleet already in service.
However, an opportunity presented itself at the end of 2000. Alitalia had made an 11th hour decision to not take up 5 747-443’s it had an order for, and instead opted for the smaller 777-200ER.
It was so late in the day when Alitalia cancelled these particular aircraft that they were virtually complete.
The cabin and IFE wasn’t in line with what Virgin had fitted to the rest of the fleet either. As such, Boeing were pretty desperate to move these 5 aircraft on, and Virgin grabbed themselves a deal.
Virgin Seating at first was -
Zone A 14J Upper Class (Large Purple fabric soft Recliner seats with amazing leg room) small bar area and beauty therapists space.
Premium Economy All Upper Deck and 2 rows in Zone B 58W Large soft Recliner seats in Red and Blue fabrics, or all Red - tiny seatback IFE screens
Economy All Lower deck 379Y seats in a mix of Red, Orange & Blue fabrics - tiny seatback IFE screens
I do recall them even having dual Italian/English signage on board.
Cabin refurbs were done by Virgin around 2012 with service life expected to around 2019.
Virgin 747-443 original names were -
English Rose G-VROS
Hot Lips G-VLIP
Barbarella G-VROM
Pretty Woman G-VROY
Jersey Girl G-VGAL
To be seen often or on and off over the years at -
MCO MIA LAS BGI UVF ANU NAS TAB GND HAV VRA CUN MBJ KIN
Some flights were inaugurated for just a few months such as NAS and VRA and surprisingly these flights were all operated with a 747-400.
The AZ 744's were ordered during the alliance with KLM who had 20 747-406, thus standardizing the two fleets was therefore a logical choice.
In Ireland EI-CVG, CVH, CVI, CVJ and CVK registrations had already been reserved for the Alitalia 747-443s, but after the break-up with KLM, AZ switched their 744 order to 6 772ERs.
Virgin Atlantic took over the order of the five aircraft, very pleased to obtain top-of-the-line aircraft already in an advanced stage of construction.
The aircraft supplied to Virgin made the transfer flight from the Boeing Factory in Seattle to Auckland where they would be reconfigured and repainted, with the winglets still painted with the AZ logo.
NOVA IFE on 747-443
During the summer of 2001 Virgin took delivery of five 747-400 aircraft (the cancelled Alitalia order), these were fitted with an Inflight Entertainment system new to Virgin Atlantic supplied by Thales.
The new product, called 'Nova' has only 8 channels of seat back entertainment consisting of:
5 Movie channels
2 kids channels (featuring a combination of movies and tv programming)
1 TV channel which works on a cycle basis showing a selection of current TV programming
14 audio channels ranging from soul to Classical music
Moving Skymap display which plots the aircraft's flight path
NOVA was not a patch on Virgin's ODYSSEY state-of-the-art Matsushita Avionic Systems IFE on the LHR 747's.
The Odyssey system offers 20 channels of entertainment, 10 movie channels plus much more.
The next couple were recycled prototypes ships c/n 2 and 3 - bought from Airbus 5 years after being built in 1992.
Virgin also was reported to have had a sniff at the 4 ex Olympic Airways A340's grounded at ATH from 2009 which could have been had for a song but they did NTU.
I gather the 5 new 747-443 got snapped up cheap by Virgin through GECAS from Boeing (Thank you very much) in 2001, being built for Alitalia but NTU.
The 747-443s were delivered to VS with AZ seating and all painted in the latest Virgin Silver Dream Machine Livery
The fleet of 5 would be dedicated to the Virgin LGW and MAN high density Leisure/Beach routes.
The airline (VS) was on the lookout for more -400’s to replace the -200's. Talks were at an advanced stage with British Airways to acquire a small number of aircraft from them. Although due to their Rolls Royce engines, they wouldn’t provide commonality with the GE engines fitted to the existing Virgin Boeing 747-400 fleet already in service.
However, an opportunity presented itself at the end of 2000. Alitalia had made an 11th hour decision to not take up 5 747-443’s it had an order for, and instead opted for the smaller 777-200ER.
It was so late in the day when Alitalia cancelled these particular aircraft that they were virtually complete.
The cabin and IFE wasn’t in line with what Virgin had fitted to the rest of the fleet either. As such, Boeing were pretty desperate to move these 5 aircraft on, and Virgin grabbed themselves a deal.
Virgin Seating at first was -
Zone A 14J Upper Class (Large Purple fabric soft Recliner seats with amazing leg room) small bar area and beauty therapists space.
Premium Economy All Upper Deck and 2 rows in Zone B 58W Large soft Recliner seats in Red and Blue fabrics, or all Red - tiny seatback IFE screens
Economy All Lower deck 379Y seats in a mix of Red, Orange & Blue fabrics - tiny seatback IFE screens
I do recall them even having dual Italian/English signage on board.
Cabin refurbs were done by Virgin around 2012 with service life expected to around 2019.
Virgin 747-443 original names were -
English Rose G-VROS
Hot Lips G-VLIP
Barbarella G-VROM
Pretty Woman G-VROY
Jersey Girl G-VGAL
To be seen often or on and off over the years at -
MCO MIA LAS BGI UVF ANU NAS TAB GND HAV VRA CUN MBJ KIN
Some flights were inaugurated for just a few months such as NAS and VRA and surprisingly these flights were all operated with a 747-400.
The AZ 744's were ordered during the alliance with KLM who had 20 747-406, thus standardizing the two fleets was therefore a logical choice.
In Ireland EI-CVG, CVH, CVI, CVJ and CVK registrations had already been reserved for the Alitalia 747-443s, but after the break-up with KLM, AZ switched their 744 order to 6 772ERs.
Virgin Atlantic took over the order of the five aircraft, very pleased to obtain top-of-the-line aircraft already in an advanced stage of construction.
The aircraft supplied to Virgin made the transfer flight from the Boeing Factory in Seattle to Auckland where they would be reconfigured and repainted, with the winglets still painted with the AZ logo.
NOVA IFE on 747-443
During the summer of 2001 Virgin took delivery of five 747-400 aircraft (the cancelled Alitalia order), these were fitted with an Inflight Entertainment system new to Virgin Atlantic supplied by Thales.
The new product, called 'Nova' has only 8 channels of seat back entertainment consisting of:
5 Movie channels
2 kids channels (featuring a combination of movies and tv programming)
1 TV channel which works on a cycle basis showing a selection of current TV programming
14 audio channels ranging from soul to Classical music
Moving Skymap display which plots the aircraft's flight path
NOVA was not a patch on Virgin's ODYSSEY state-of-the-art Matsushita Avionic Systems IFE on the LHR 747's.
The Odyssey system offers 20 channels of entertainment, 10 movie channels plus much more.
Last edited by rog747; 27th Oct 2020 at 11:42.
