Virgin Blue…an invitation “ to tell it like it is”

Having flown Mackay to Hobart a week or so ago and from Hobart to Melbourne return on Virgin Blue last weekend, I received an email this week from the company inviting me to participate in a survey to “tell it like it is and WIN”.

Great! I thought. I could get a couple of things off my chest and maybe win a prize. I logged in with high anticipation. On the first screen were a number of tick boxes listing certain professions. I ticked Media and Journalism and clicked on the button to advance to the next screen Well, surprise, surprise! Virgin, it seems, were looking for respondents “with characteristics” other than those I had to offer.

I wouldn’t need to complete the survey.

That’s OK. I really only wanted to tell them that their departure lounges are looking very down-at-heel, with stained, frayed and torn upholstery; that having settled in departure lounge number 7 at Tullamarine, on these filthy seats, as directed at check-in, that the ensuing redirection to departure gate 12, involving hiking 500 metres to a distant part of the terminal and having to go through security procedures a second time was the last thing I wanted at 6.30 pm last evening.

At departure lounge 12, my family managed to avoided Virgin’s vile seating by using Rex Aviation’s flash, clean, adjoining lounge until our flight was called.

Oh yes…and excluding me from surveys where I might have been be able to provide some useful feedback because of my vocation is enough to provoke me into wanting to give my criticisms slightly wider currency. Thank you Virgin Blue. Hope you find this useful. Guess I’m probably not eligible for that draw though.