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#938578 by Shirley Heights
21 Sep 2017, 21:46
Good evening All,

There are many requests for load checks and I am wondering why.

Apologies if I am being ignorant and missing the point, but apart from possibly trying to purchase an upgrade at the airport, or in hope of a free upgrade, I am still curious.

I suppose it is good to know how busy/full a flight is beforehand, but I have found sometimes this can be misleading, especially if there are ops-up on the day of travel. So if flight stats show very full or very empty, do posters change their travel arrangements a few days before departure??!!

Again I don't mean to appear obtuse, it is a genuine question that has always puzzled me.
#938579 by Kraken
21 Sep 2017, 22:31
The load-check data from sites such as Expert Flyer give a reasonable indication as to how full a flight is in each cabin. The seat-map is pretty much useless since VS started charging for advance seat selection in Y. Also not all PE / UC pax bother to choose a seat in advance either, even though it's free.

The data is probably most of use to those hoping to upgrade a cabin or two - either using cash / miles / or holding out for a free operational upgrade on the day. At the airport on the day of the flight, the fare rules you are ticketed on can (but not always do) go out of the window if you get the right agent - so deals can be done. On the flip-side, many on here have reported fixed price upgrades - a friend of mine was offered £800 one-way PE to UC from MCO to MAN. The agent at Disney Springs even went out of his way to clarify the price was GBP, not USD.

If you don't have a Flying Club Gold card, then the odds of an operational upgrade are pretty slim unless Virgin are desperate. A Silver card is better than nothing, but don't hold out much hope.

To be honest, the load-check data is probably of most use to passengers on non-revenue unconfirmed tickets - i.e. Staff Travel. VS staff do have their own internal load-checking system, but too much info can't be a bad thing when you're trying to work out your chances of getting on a flight.
#938587 by mitchja
22 Sep 2017, 13:23
Load checks don't give you the full picture anyway as they only show GDS (Global Distribution System) fares and often not directly bookable airline fares so they shouldn't really be relied on too much.

All airlines sell fares using 2 different systems, there's the GDS system which is the system online and high-street travel agents use to book airline fares and then the system the airlines sell directly to customers using (fares booked over the phone or online direct with the airline).

This is why you cannot see several airlines reward fare inventory (including VS; I believe) and those fares are only loaded into the direct sales system and not into the GDS system.

Also it's worth nothing that technically, as the general public, you are also not supposed to be able to see or access the GDS fare system unless you work in the travel industry either. This is why some airlines removed access to their GDS systems from ExpertFlyer.
#938590 by Shirley Heights
22 Sep 2017, 17:11
mitchja wrote:Load checks don't give you the full picture anyway as they only show GDS (Global Distribution System) fares and often not directly bookable airline fares so they shouldn't really be relied on too much.

All airlines sell fares using 2 different systems, there's the GDS system which is the system online and high-street travel agents use to book airline fares and then the system the airlines sell directly to customers using (fares booked over the phone or online direct with the airline).

This is why you cannot see several airlines reward fare inventory (including VS; I believe) and those fares are only loaded into the direct sales system and not into the GDS system.

Also it's worth nothing that technically, as the general public, you are also not supposed to be able to see or access the GDS fare system unless you work in the travel industry either. This is why some airlines removed access to their GDS systems from ExpertFlyer.


Mitchja, thanks also for taking the time to explain fully :)

Your first paragraph is what I thought, so wondered why so many posters still ask for load checks when nothing can be determined correctly until being at the airport on the day of departure.

SH
#938601 by Edinburgh Castle
23 Sep 2017, 08:18
I have a follow on question - seat maps - the virgin app is quick at showing how many seats are taken at any one point in time. But how accurate is this given the comments above about the two booking systems? I appreciate that all flyers do not reserve their seats.
#938604 by mitchja
23 Sep 2017, 10:48
The seat map on the VS app and website should be reasonably accurate.

Also with the new VS system, that now lets you see seats right up until approx. 1 hour before the flight departs even after you have checked-in.

(with the old system you stopped seeing the seat map once online check-in opened or you have done OLCI)
#938607 by CommanderB
23 Sep 2017, 14:10
mitchja wrote:Load checks don't give you the full picture anyway as they only show GDS (Global Distribution System) fares and often not directly bookable airline fares so they shouldn't really be relied on too much.

All airlines sell fares using 2 different systems, there's the GDS system which is the system online and high-street travel agents use to book airline fares and then the system the airlines sell directly to customers using (fares booked over the phone or online direct with the airline).

This is why you cannot see several airlines reward fare inventory (including VS; I believe) and those fares are only loaded into the direct sales system and not into the GDS system.

Also it's worth nothing that technically, as the general public, you are also not supposed to be able to see or access the GDS fare system unless you work in the travel industry either. This is why some airlines removed access to their GDS systems from ExpertFlyer.


Interesting information there Mitchja!

Expert Flyer can see VS reward inventory, so I guess its polling the VS website, rather than the GDS?
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