OK but not as cheap as they say. (Virgin Express)

Member Name: pwillemse

Product:	Virgin Express
Date:	01/08/02 (92 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: punctuality

Disadvantages: fare vs. service level, staff

I have mixed feelings about Virgin Express. I have been on a Virgin Express flight only once, from Brussels to Barcelona and back. Here are some of my thought on this experience:

the good things
-the flights left exactly on time, there were no delays at all, which I think is exceptional in air travel. If you can believe what Virgin Express claim on their website, nearly 90 % of their flights depart in time, so that is quite a feat.

-although the meal service was very basic and limited, we did get a tasty sandwich and a drink, which is perfectly acceptable on a 1 1/2 hour flight.

the bad things
-the price!!! Virgin Express CLAIMS to be a 'low cost' airline, but in my opinion that refers to the profit the company makes by saving on all kinds of things without lowering the one thing that could be an advantage for the customer: the fare. In fact, I found out I paid a bit more for this flight than the cheapest fare on a direct flight with Iberia (which does offer full meal service and more room on the plane). Virgin has a nice little text on their website explaining that they are a 'no fringe' airline and that they save on costs by giving only a very basic and limited service and I would be perfectly willing to accept this IF in return I got a (really) cheap fare. However, in my experience they are only cheap on certain routes (I believe flying Virgin from Brussels to Heathrow can be cheaper than taking the Eurostar train, for instance).

-the seats on the plane. THANK GOD this was only a relatively short flight, otherwise I would have gone mad because the seat was incredibly narrow and there was no leg room at all. At one point I had to use the bathroom, it took quite a lot of time and effort just to get out of the row into the aisle, I can assure you. I can understand they want to fit as many people as possible onto the plane, but they have really exaggerated...

- the staff: they were, to say the lea
st, not overly friendly on this occasion. It started at the check-in, where the check-in agent made a big fuss about the fact that we had not waited in the queue, even though when we arrived there was one person standing at each of the two check-in desks and no-one waiting in line! The crew on the plane did their job but a friendly smile was apparently too much to ask. They all had an arrogant and some of them a downright unfriendly look on their faces. Maybe Virgin saves on their wages as well?!

-Not that this bothered me directly because I had booked a ticket with Virgin express, but due to some strange arrangement some Sabena flights (now SN Brussels Airlines flights) were/are operated by Virgin, among others the flights to BCN. I wonder how the service offered by Virgin is reconciled with the normal company profile of this airline, especially in business class (there was a curtain between economy and "business" but the seats and the meals were the same everywhere!)?

Conclusion: I would fly this airline again if they offer me a REALLY cheap fare which makes up for the lack of service... Next time I fly to BCN it'll be on Iberia though!

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