Premium Economy on Virgin Australia or Air New Zealand from LAX?

I flew The route out of BNA in Feb 2015.

The seat spacing in Q PE is very generous. Far better than any 1st Class US domestics. If the tv screen was in the back of the seat forward it would have to be a lot larger screen than practical.

Virgin Australia's PE seat spacing is 41 inches and has the screen in the back of seats. I believe that Air New Zealand is the same. If it's too far away, I'll wear my distance glasses. :D

https://www.ausbt.com.au/virgin-australia-boeing-777-300er-premium-economy-review-photos

Anyhow, DH and I have searched again and we still narrowed down our decision to VA or ANZ.

I have another question and I am confused.

If booking the VA flight on the Delta website, the wording is:

DL 6798 isoperated by Virgin Australia.

Does this mean that the equipment is a Virgin Australia plane? The seat map does not look like the VA equipment.:confused:

However...

If booking on the VA website, There are 3 different flights with the same exact times as the Delta website flight. They say:

Operator: Virgin Australia

Virgin Australia International for Virgin South-East Asia Virgin Aust Intl.

or

Operator:Virgin Australia International for Virgin South-East Asia Virgin Aust Intl for VA SE Asia

or

Operator:Virgin Australia International for Virgin South-East Asia Delta Airlines (OK, this flight actually arrives back to LAX 2 minutes later.)

Flight numbers for the VA SE Asia are:

VA2 - LAX to SYD

VA143 - AKL to SYD

VA1 - SYD to LAX

We want to fly on the Virgin Australia plane. Which do we choose?

Also, if we book on the Virgin Australia website, can we still get credit for our Delta points?

It's almost 11:00PM here, so I am going to bed. Hope to have a clearer head in the morning.

We flew ANZ Premium Economy between Auckland and LAX in Premium Economy on one of their 777s. . The seats on that specific aircraft were amazing and more like business class than premium economy. They were angled which gave lots of recline and leg room. The two center seats were designed for couples with a nifty center console/table and the outer seats (2 on each side) were better for singles. Amazing flight.

Hank

DL 6798 is operated by Virgin Australia.

Does this mean that the equipment is a Virgin Australia plane? The seat map does not look like the VA equipment.:confused:

Let's try this once:

DL 6798 is operated by Virgin Australia.

And again:

DL 6798 is operated by Virgin Australia.

And again:

DL 6798 is operated by Virgin Australia.

Let's try to guess...who is operating the airplane?

If booking on the VA website, There are 3 different flights with the same exact times as the Delta website flight. They say:

 

Operator: Virgin Australia Virgin Australia International for Virgin South-East Asia Virgin Aust Intl.

or

Operator:Virgin Australia International for Virgin South-East Asia Virgin Aust Intl for VA SE Asia

or

Operator:Virgin Australia International for Virgin South-East Asia Delta Airlines

We want to fly on the Virgin Australia plane. Which do we choose?

You already have your answers.

I have another question and I am confused.

 

If booking the VA flight on the Delta website, the wording is:

DL 6798 isoperated by Virgin Australia.

Does this mean that the equipment is a Virgin Australia plane? The seat map does not look like the VA equipment.

If booking on the VA website, There are 3 different flights with the same exact times as the Delta website flight.

Is it then much of a surprise to find that VA is also selling the exact same flights, but under its own flight number (and also telling you in the clearest possible terms that these are VA-operated flights)?

 

If booking the VA flight on the Delta website, the wording is:

DL 6798 isoperated by Virgin Australia.

Does this mean that the equipment is a Virgin Australia plane? The seat map does not look like the VA equipment.:confused:

 

Yes. "Operated by Virgin Australia" means the equipment is a Virgin Australia plane. Virgin Australia crew, Virgin Australia baggage policies, and I forget what you're routing is but you almost certainly check in at the Virgin Australia check in desk. Delta has simply been given an allocation of seats to sell on this flight, and have been assigned their own codeshare flight # for those seats.

Thank you, Meg. You have been very nice in your answer. :)

Globaliser - Also nice, but that is not the seat plan that shows on the Delta website and why I am confused.

Yes, FlyerTalker, :rolleyes: I can see what is written, and thought that's what they meant until I saw the seat maps were different. And then there is VA selling a Delta Flight.:confused: I simply want to make sure that we are on the VA equipment that is shown on the seatmap that waterbug123 supplied. No need to be snarky when someone has come on this forum to get help. :(

We flew ANZ Premium Economy between Auckland and LAX in Premium Economy on one of their 777s. . The seats on that specific aircraft were amazing and more like business class than premium economy. They were angled which gave lots of recline and leg room. The two center seats were designed for couples with a nifty center console/table and the outer seats (2 on each side) were better for singles. Amazing flight.

Hank

Hank, those are the spaceseats that you flew in. The seats (capsule type) are being replaced with a more standard Premium Economy seating. The newest seats are still very nice. Those seats are what started my inquiry. Thank you!

Here is the seat map that I am seeing on Delta. But I think we will just book directly with VA if we can get our Skymiles credit. VA is selling the seats for a few hundred less.

Globaliser - Also nice, but that is not the seat plan that shows on the Delta website and why I am confused.

 

...

 

Here is the seat map that I am seeing on Delta. But I think we will just book directly with VA if we can get our Skymiles credit. VA is selling the seats for a few hundred less.

 

Don't forget to check whether you earn exactly the same SkyMiles credit if you book the VA flight number as if you book the DL flight number. Sometimes that can make a big difference to your frequent flyer earning. Nevertheless, as there's a price difference you'd then have to work out whether the extra SkyMiles credit you'd earn by booking one flight number rather than the other is worth the extra price you pay.

It did not look the same to me because of the bathrooms and galley stuck between the rows. Two things that we do not want to be that near to! While your screenshot is exact, as shown on the VA website, and also looks like the cabin photos we have seen. ;)

Thank you for the reassurance and for the tip on points. I am in the process of finding out (more research) but was hoping that someone on here had firsthand experience.

Over the years I have learned that seat maps are simply representations and can differ even for the same flight. If unsure I call the airline for clarification. Airlines also have the right to change seating and type of plane --read the phrasing carefully when you select seats.

On ANZ we received United points even though we booked through ANZ. I think we also booked using our United credit card.

Yes, FlyerTalker, :rolleyes: I can see what is written, and thought that's what they meant until I saw the seat maps were different. And then there is VA selling a Delta Flight.:confused: I simply want to make sure that we are on the VA equipment that is shown on the seatmap that waterbug123 supplied. No need to be snarky when someone has come on this forum to get help. :(

Well, the fact that DL does not have PE seating on its own equipment is prima facie evidence of what equipment you are on, especially when combined with the direct wording that you yourself were quoting. You had no problem with DL selling a VA flight, but VA selling a DL flight threw you. Throughout this process, an argumentative tone came from you - rejecting any alternatives, rejecting QF and relying on a website known for its dubious ratings. Genuine assistance was brushed aside.

So....if all you want is which seat is better -- buy the NZ ticket. It costs more so it has to be worth it.

IMO the only PE seats I would book on a VA 777 are row 16--bulkheads and bathrooms by the other rows.

I had seat 27K on ANZ 777 and slept like a log, service was wonderful, food was good for an airline.

When I look at ratings and reviews I look for a preponderance of evidence not the outliers. You have set the bar very high for a PE experience. As you have discovered no-one who has responded has the experience on VA that you are looking for.

Well, the fact that DL does not have PE seating on its own equipment is prima facie evidence of what equipment you are on, especially when combined with the direct wording that you yourself were quoting. You had no problem with DL selling a VA flight, but VA selling a DL flight threw you. Throughout this process, an argumentative tone came from you - rejecting any alternatives, rejecting QF and relying on a website known for its dubious ratings. Genuine assistance was brushed aside.

Once again, it was not that VA was also selling Delta. I didn't understand all the flight jargon...VA, Delta, Asian, etc. The seat map was what was throwing me off. And when booking through the Delta website, there is not an option for PE. You have to pick Comfort Plus (which is basically the same.)

As you can see in the quoted area below, I did not come onto this forum to ask about the other airlines, and clearly asked for an opinion on the VA and ANZ.

So I found the following subject on FlyerTalk, but the discussion has not been updated recently. I was wondering if anyone else had an opinion for these two airlines? We have narrowed them down from many others that we have researched.

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/information-desk/1792030-premium-economy-us-syd-virgin-australia-air-new-zealand.html

 

So....if all you want is which seat is better -- buy the NZ ticket. It costs more so it has to be worth it.

IMO the only PE seats I would book on a VA 777 are row 16--bulkheads and bathrooms by the other rows.

I had seat 27K on ANZ 777 and slept like a log, service was wonderful, food was good for an airline.

When I look at ratings and reviews I look for a preponderance of evidence not the outliers. You have set the bar very high for a PE experience. As you have discovered no-one who has responded has the experience on VA that you are looking for.

And it just so happens that this morning I received an email from a friend that took this same cruise in February. They flew VA over to AKL and loved it! Their Qantas experience coming back home was not as stellar, though they said that the seats were comfortable enough. Food was bleah!

I want to thank everyone for your help. :) You will be happy to know that this thread can die. We have made our decision and will be booking flights tonight. It's on to planning air for a River cruise. Europe I can handle on my own. ;)

And when booking through the Delta website, there is not an option for PE. You have to pick Comfort Plus (which is basically the same.)

Comfort+ is not the same as premium economy. There is no option for PE on DL because they don't have this yet.

Comfort+ is not the same as premium economy. There is no option for PE on DL because they don't have this yet.

Correct. When I looked up LAX-SYD on DL website, they offered Premium Economy on one flight (Virgin Australia) and Comfort Plus (Delta) on the other one. OP, this is yet another confirmation that you're looking at flying Virgin as long as the service is being sold as Premium Economy. As 6rugrats stated, Delta does not have Premium Economy. The two products are not apples to apples comparisons.

Let us know what you wind up booking. Nothing worse than a story without an ending! :-)

Thank you, Meg. You have been very nice in your answer. :)

 

Globaliser - Also nice, but that is not the seat plan that shows on the Delta website and why I am confused.

 

 

Yes, FlyerTalker, :rolleyes: I can see what is written, and thought that's what they meant until I saw the seat maps were different. And then there is VA selling a Delta Flight.:confused: I simply want to make sure that we are on the VA equipment that is shown on the seatmap that waterbug123 supplied. No need to be snarky when someone has come on this forum to get help. :(

 

 

 

Hank, those are the spaceseats that you flew in. The seats (capsule type) are being replaced with a more standard Premium Economy seating. The newest seats are still very nice. Those seats are what started my inquiry. Thank you!

 

Here is the seat map that I am seeing on Delta. But I think we will just book directly with VA if we can get our Skymiles credit. VA is selling the seats for a few hundred less.

 

You are correct and we are sorry to see those seats go! As we understand (from some authoritative web sites) those "spaceseats" were simply too inefficient for the airline. By switching to their more standard Premium Economy seats they can cram in a few extra rows (which means more revenue). Here is a link to a terrific web site which explains the changes (with good pictures):

http://onemileatatime.boardingarea.com/2016/08/22/air-new-zealand-premium-economy-changes/

Air NZ remains our favorite airline to NZ (or down under) with Qantas a close 2nd. Our norm is to try and avoid any of the major US Airlines which we think all suck when compared to many foreign airlines.

Hank

 

Air NZ remains our favorite airline to NZ (or down under) with Qantas a close 2nd. Our norm is to try and avoid any of the major US Airlines which we think all suck when compared to many foreign airlines.

 

Hank

Totally agree. Which is just one more reason why Delta Comfort cannot be compared with Virgin Australia and/or ANZ's Premium Economy products.

You are correct and we are sorry to see those seats go! As we understand (from some authoritative web sites) those "spaceseats" were simply too inefficient for the airline. By switching to their more standard Premium Economy seats they can cram in a few extra rows (which means more revenue). Here is a link to a terrific web site which explains the changes (with good pictures):

http://onemileatatime.boardingarea.com/2016/08/22/air-new-zealand-premium-economy-changes/

• http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1846672
  
• http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2395902
  

ANZ space seats....we flew them last year going from SFO to AKL to MEL and then AKL back to LAX and we loved them. We had our own space, biz class meals and entertainment system and hands down the best cabin service ever on any flight. I was sorry to hear they were taking them out and I wonder why some people don't like them. From SFO to AKL and ALK back to LAX we both managed to get 8+ hours of sleep. I made sure to have space seats on the connection from AKL to MEL as well. More great service, more hours to sleep so when we finally arrived we were ready to.

... I wonder why some people don't like them.