Bothered about Business Class

[onesickpuppy]

Deva Link]rossflow Kid said:

It was one up from budget and one down from the top, so I make that Club/Business/Premium depending what colour the tail fin is.[/quote

It's two down - Virgin has Upper as it's top level.

I flew PE last year for an extra £150 and felt I'd been ripped off.

I think Crossflow Kid is right on this one:

http://www.virgin-atlantic.com/en/bb/allaboutus/pr...

[whoami]

Deva Link said:

Crossflow Kid said:

It was one up from budget and one down from the top, so I make that Club/Business/Premium depending what colour the tail fin is.

It's two down - Virgin has Upper as it's top level.

I flew PE last year for an extra £150 and felt I'd been ripped off.

So, one down on VA then.

[anonymous-user]

Deva Link said:

Crossflow Kid said:

It was one up from budget and one down from the top, so I make that Club/Business/Premium depending what colour the tail fin is.

It's two down - Virgin has Upper as it's top level.

I flew PE last year for an extra £150 and felt I'd been ripped off.

Edited by Deva Link on Friday 8th February 21:45

There were only three classes on the 747 I got on.
Economy, Premium Eco, and Upper.
Which to me is economy, business/club and first in plain English.
'course it's nothing to do with labelling things diffently to make it sound better than the opposition is it?
Anyway, whatever it's called, paying an extra 200 notes not to have someone else's elbow in my dinner, not having to play "bagsy the armrest" and jumping the queue of hen and stag nights waiting to board was money well spent for me.

Edited by anonymous-user on Friday 8th February 22:00

[Deva Link]

onesickpuppy said:

Deva Link said:

Crossflow Kid said:

It was one up from budget and one down from the top, so I make that Club/Business/Premium depending what colour the tail fin is.

It's two down - Virgin has Upper as it's top level.

I flew PE last year for an extra £150 and felt I'd been ripped off.

I think Crossflow Kid is right on this one:

http://www.virgin-atlantic.com/en/bb/allaboutus/pr...

Sorry, I think I was thinking that it's two down by any objective standard.

Edited by Deva Link on Saturday 9th February 11:47

[jamiebae]

Deva Link said:

It's two down - Virgin has Upper as it's top level.

I flew PE last year for an extra £150 and felt I'd been ripped off.

Edited by Deva Link on Friday 8th February 21:45

I'd rather be in cattle with an empty seat next to me than in PE and sat next to someone. Having said that even with an empty seat being stuck in the back of a United 767 for 10 hours on the way to Houston was pretty sodding miserable. No free alcohol either, and ugly stewardesses...

[Deva Link]

jamiebae said:

I'd rather be in cattle with an empty seat next to me than in PE and sat next to someone. Having said that even with an empty seat being stuck in the back of a United 767 for 10 hours on the way to Houston was pretty sodding miserable. No free alcohol either, and ugly stewardesses...

United charge $100 for their version of PE and it's well worth it.

[WhereamI]

It's about what you get not whether it's the best or second best they offer.

PE on Virgin equates to World Traveller plus and other enhanced economy offerings, essentially economy with slightly better seats, slightly better food (perhaps) and so on.

Business on long haul gives you chauffer driven car to the airport (with some airlines), priority checkin, fast lane through security, lounge access, lie flat seat/bed, priority luggage, increased luggage allowance (I recently travelled with 70kg of luggage all in my allowance on Etihad) priority boarding and even better food. None of which you get on Virgin in PE.

Upper Class on Virgin equates to business on a lot of airlines giving all of the above but it's not as good as First, which Virgin don't offer, which generally is the same as business but with better lounge, bigger seats or cabin and better food and service.

Business on short haul may have marginally better seats, although not always, it is just lounge access, greater flexibility and priority luggage, if you have any with you.

[jamiebae]

Deva Link said:

United charge $100 for their version of PE and it's well worth it.

Indeed, did it on the way home but actually you only get more legroom for the money, everything else is the same (still have to pay if you want a beer)

[anonymous-user]

WhereamI said:

Business on long haul gives you chauffer driven car to the airport (with some airlines), priority checkin, fast lane through security, lounge access, lie flat seat/bed, priority luggage, increased luggage allowance (I recently travelled with 70kg of luggage all in my allowance on Etihad) priority boarding and even better food. None of which you get on Virgin in PE.

I must've flown with a different Virgin Atlantic then, because we got all of that bar the lie-flat beds and limo with PE.

[whoami]

Crossflow Kid said:

WhereamI said:

Business on long haul gives you chauffer driven car to the airport (with some airlines), priority checkin, fast lane through security, lounge access, lie flat seat/bed, priority luggage, increased luggage allowance (I recently travelled with 70kg of luggage all in my allowance on Etihad) priority boarding and even better food. None of which you get on Virgin in PE.

I must've flown with a different Virgin Atlantic then, because we got all of that bar the lie-flat beds and limo with PE.

No, you did not.

[ViperDave]

Virgin PE is by no means a business class product on a top tier airline or equivalent to club world. Virgin fly three classes, business class (upper), premium economy and economy. BA fly 4, their first class is better than virgin upper, as virgin don’t fly first they offer a slightly better business class than BA but its subjective (i.e. you get pjs and some additional services in upper compared to club on ba). They both fly PE (wtp on ba) and again there is an argument that with less divisions in class on virgin their PE may be slightly better than BA's, but it is still an equivalent product (and price) ,then there is down the back.



does not equal (notice there is another seat where your feet should be)

Edited by ViperDave on Friday 8th February 23:21

[anonymous-user]

whoami said:

Crossflow Kid said:

WhereamI said:

Business on long haul gives you chauffer driven car to the airport (with some airlines), priority checkin, fast lane through security, lounge access, lie flat seat/bed, priority luggage, increased luggage allowance (I recently travelled with 70kg of luggage all in my allowance on Etihad) priority boarding and even better food. None of which you get on Virgin in PE.

I must've flown with a different Virgin Atlantic then, because we got all of that bar the lie-flat beds and limo with PE.

No, you did not.

Yes, I did.

[whoami]

Crossflow Kid said:

whoami said:

Crossflow Kid said:

WhereamI said:

Business on long haul gives you chauffer driven car to the airport (with some airlines), priority checkin, fast lane through security, lounge access, lie flat seat/bed, priority luggage, increased luggage allowance (I recently travelled with 70kg of luggage all in my allowance on Etihad) priority boarding and even better food. None of which you get on Virgin in PE.

I must've flown with a different Virgin Atlantic then, because we got all of that bar the lie-flat beds and limo with PE.

No, you did not.

Yes, I did.

[Vixpy1]

TTwiggy said:

When I was a kid I had a close relative who held senior positions at various trans-Atlantic airlines. As a result, we always got upgraded, to at least business and sometimes 'proper' first class.

This was 1980s first class of course, so no sleeper beds or archive of every film known to man available to watch, but it was still very special – particularly the bar in the 'bump' of a 747 (and being allowed to sit at it aged 14).

Security was also a little more 'relaxed' back then, which is how an 11-year-old me was able to watch the approach to JFK from the jump seat of a DC-10.

Same here, Dad worked for Bcal, first class to New York, helicopter transfer etc, was fantastic as a child.

The BA took it over, he quit and it was back to economy

[WhereamI]

Crossflow Kid said:

whoami said:

Crossflow Kid said:

WhereamI said:

Business on long haul gives you chauffer driven car to the airport (with some airlines), priority checkin, fast lane through security, lounge access, lie flat seat/bed, priority luggage, increased luggage allowance (I recently travelled with 70kg of luggage all in my allowance on Etihad) priority boarding and even better food. None of which you get on Virgin in PE.

I must've flown with a different Virgin Atlantic then, because we got all of that bar the lie-flat beds and limo with PE.

No, you did not.

Yes, I did.

Right, so you were in the Virgin Clubhouse were you? Because PE doesn't give you that access. You checked more than 23kg of baggage did you? With no charge? You went through the priority security channel did you? The one reserved for Upper Class, and had the same quality of food as Upper Class? And of course you didn't get the stand-out features of business, the lie flat bed or the car.

Really, seriously, some of us do this flying stuff a lot. I'm gold status with Etihad, Flying Club Gold with Virgin & Diamond with Cathay not because I'm Billy Big bks but because I have to fly a lot, as do others on here. PE is not business, really it isn't.

[ViperDave]

WhereamI said:

Crossflow Kid said:

whoami said:

Crossflow Kid said:

WhereamI said:

Business on long haul gives you chauffer driven car to the airport (with some airlines), priority checkin, fast lane through security, lounge access, lie flat seat/bed, priority luggage, increased luggage allowance (I recently travelled with 70kg of luggage all in my allowance on Etihad) priority boarding and even better food. None of which you get on Virgin in PE.

I must've flown with a different Virgin Atlantic then, because we got all of that bar the lie-flat beds and limo with PE.

No, you did not.

Yes, I did.

Right, so you were in the Virgin Clubhouse were you? Because PE doesn't give you that access. You checked more than 23kg of baggage did you? With no charge? You went through the priority security channel did you? The one reserved for Upper Class, and had the same quality of food as Upper Class? And of course you didn't get the stand-out features of business, the lie flat bed or the car.

Really, seriously, some of us do this flying stuff a lot. I'm gold status with Etihad, Flying Club Gold with Virgin & Diamond with Cathay not because I'm Billy Big bks but because I have to fly a lot, as do others on here. PE is not business, really it isn't.

Totally agree with you but to be fair PE does get two 23kg whereas economy only gets one, Proper business though should get you 3x 32kg mind

[anonymous-user]

WhereamI said:

Crossflow Kid said:

whoami said:

Crossflow Kid said:

WhereamI said:

Business on long haul gives you chauffer driven car to the airport (with some airlines), priority checkin, fast lane through security, lounge access, lie flat seat/bed, priority luggage, increased luggage allowance (I recently travelled with 70kg of luggage all in my allowance on Etihad) priority boarding and even better food. None of which you get on Virgin in PE.

I must've flown with a different Virgin Atlantic then, because we got all of that bar the lie-flat beds and limo with PE.

No, you did not.

Yes, I did.

Right, so you were in the Virgin Clubhouse were you? Because PE doesn't give you that access. You checked more than 23kg of baggage did you? With no charge? You went through the priority security channel did you? The one reserved for Upper Class, and had the same quality of food as Upper Class? And of course you didn't get the stand-out features of business, the lie flat bed or the car.

Really, seriously, some of us do this flying stuff a lot. I'm gold status with Etihad, Flying Club Gold with Virgin & Diamond with Cathay not because I'm Billy Big bks but because I have to fly a lot, as do others on here. PE is not business, really it isn't.

I thought this business class flying thing was supposed to make you less tetchy?
"Clubhouse" no, but you said lounge, so yes.
28kgs of baggage. At no extra charge.
Priority s'curity. Yes.
Priority boarding, yup.
Dunno if the food was the same as Upper, never said it was, just that it was on real plates'n'stuff.

Really sorry I got almost the same as you Super Gold Upper Preferred Platinum Plus chaps whilst only flying in tatty little PE, but really, I did, I really really did. No, really. I did.
Perhaps they just liked the look of me?

Edited by anonymous-user on Saturday 9th February 00:58

[WhereamI]

Crossflow Kid said:

I thought this business class flying thing was supposed to make you less tetchy?
"Clubhouse" no, but you said lounge, so yes.
28kgs of baggage. At no extra charge.
Priority s'curity. Yes.
Priority boarding, yup.
Dunno if the food was the same as Upper, never said it was, just that it was on real plates'n'stuff.

Really sorry I got almost the same as you Super Gold Upper Preferred Platinum Plus chaps whilst only flying in tatty little PE, but really, I did, I really really did. No, really. I did.
Perhaps they just liked the look of me?

Well if you want to believe, then good luck to you. I have to say I admire their marketing, they get people to pay premium prices for a decent, but unspectacular service. I've flown PE, I know what it's like and it is good, for a premium economy product. Expensive though, in idle curiosity I've just priced a forthcoming trip to Australia, £2,500 in Virgin PE, £4,500 in Upper Class and £2,880 in Etihad business. Etihad business is about as good as Virgin Upper and more times than not I get an upgrade to First so there's no doubt which I'll be choosing.

But if you want to believe that you are getting business at a discount with PE, keep doing it, I'm sure they'll be happy to keep taking your money.

[anonymous-user]

WhereamI said:

Crossflow Kid said:

I thought this business class flying thing was supposed to make you less tetchy?
"Clubhouse" no, but you said lounge, so yes.
28kgs of baggage. At no extra charge.
Priority s'curity. Yes.
Priority boarding, yup.
Dunno if the food was the same as Upper, never said it was, just that it was on real plates'n'stuff.

Really sorry I got almost the same as you Super Gold Upper Preferred Platinum Plus chaps whilst only flying in tatty little PE, but really, I did, I really really did. No, really. I did.
Perhaps they just liked the look of me?

Well if you want to believe, then good luck to you. I have to say I admire their marketing, they get people to pay premium prices for a decent, but unspectacular service. I've flown PE, I know what it's like and it is good, for a premium economy product. Expensive though, in idle curiosity I've just priced a forthcoming trip to Australia, £2,500 in Virgin PE, £4,500 in Upper Class and £2,880 in Etihad business. Etihad business is about as good as Virgin Upper and more times than not I get an upgrade to First so there's no doubt which I'll be choosing.

But if you want to believe that you are getting business at a discount with PE, keep doing it, I'm sure they'll be happy to keep taking your money.

It's not so much them taking my money that keeps me happy, it's the people who keep biting
I did get to keep the little slipper thingies. Does that count?
And where d'you get the idea that an additional £200 is a "premium price"? Tight arse.

Edited to add: Just remembered, I robbed the headphones too, but granted, they're rubbish.

Edited by anonymous-user on Saturday 9th February 01:46

Edited by anonymous-user on Saturday 9th February 01:48

[creampuff]

rich1231 said:

Crossflow Kid said:

So where BA call it Club others call it business but Virgin call it Premijm Economy, whilst what Virgin call Business others call first but Virgin call their first Upper which is like Business but then some, bearing in mind Business isn't club and neither of them are Premium Economy?
Thanks for clearing that up.
It was one up from budget and one down from the top, so I make that Club/Business/Premium depending what colour the tail fin is.

And you would still be wrong.

Unless he was comparing it to a regional business class, say Hong Kong- HCMC on Cathay which is about the same standard as Virgin premium econo. Or if he was comparing it to intra-Euro biz, say LHR-Frankfurt, wn which case Virgin long haul prem econo is better.............