overbooking

Hello,
Thanks for the new bucket info. If a Virgin plane is overbooked--what are the options for passengers? Who is likeliest to be sent to fill the available upper class seats? Does being bumped generally mean Virgin will still work to see that you leave the same day? Do they use codeshare short hauls to hook up with international Virgin aircraft with more room at other airports? If you volunteer and are sent to another plane do you lose ff points on Virgin? What are people's experience with offers for volunteers? Any suggestions? [?]

[Pete]

Can't answer all those - but I'm sure Mr Mannion will be able to help.

As for the order of people invited up the front, in it's simplist form it's the V50s (top flyers), Gold card, Silver card (and then a bit less clear after that).

For those bumped off the aircraft, I understand the options have been return tickets to anywhere on the VS network for free or 50,000 miles. Don't know the specifics of how they get you to your original destination as I've never been in that position.

Pix.

[RichardMannion]

Well theres an interesting question!

How shall I answer this, if you are on a cheap as chips economy ticket, with no status then the odds of you being shifted 2 classes to Upper are so remote, theres' probably a better chance of Sir Richard signing sole ownership of Necker over to me.

Virign will look after its regular passengers first and foremost, the eltie fliers will be automatically shifted up if they are not already in Upper, then they will look for Golds. Then it kind of ends. A senesible and strategic decison fromt he top has been that Operational Upgrades are kept to an absolute minimum as it devalues the premium products. It depends ont he day, the loads in all classes. For upgrades from Eco to Premium, again the same hieracrchy of status, along with Silver and then normally people on full fare Y class tickets. Red Flying Club gets you a shiny membership card and that is it really.

I've been booked on a NYC flight before in Upper, along with 2 friends in economy. They asked them if they wanted to take a later flight, they were not shifting people up to Upper.

Offers for volunteers are 'Select vouchers' - these are good for 50k Flying Club miles or a return journey in economy for any VS operated route. If you volunteer and are sent to another plane, yous till keep the Slect voucher as you have oviously been inconveneiced as you had a Confirmed Reservation.

If you are unfortuante to be bumped, they will work as hard as they can to get you to the intended destination as quickly as possible.

Not sure by your Do they use codeshare short hauls to hook up with international Virgin aircraft with more room at other airports?' commnet, unless you are speaking from a US perspective, i.e travelling to London.

Yes upgrades do happen, but not very frequnetly now unless you are of elite status. Its not a given, I'm a reglar Gold and I don't get expect to be upgraded every flight. If I want to travel in a premium class, then I will book it.

So the short answer is that it all depends on loads across all classes, downgrades do happen sometimes. Just don't expect anything if you have no status with Virgin.

Thanks,
Richard

What do you have to fly to be classed as an elite flyer?
cheers chris

quote:Originally posted by jaguarpig
What do you have to fly to be classed as an elite flyer?
cheers chris

Lots of planes... Seriously, Virgin will look for a pattern in your flying history e.g. flying transatlantic every week in J, that kind of level of activity. They do look at tier points, but I have a suspicion that earning a large number of them on VS metal is the main thing.

BC