iPhone App OLCI

Hi everyone,

Can anyone confirm whether it is possible to select seats using the mobile OLCI or is it simply only for checking in?

Thanks for your help.

[Neil]

Yes, you can.

Neil

As far as I am aware you can only check in, that was certainly the case on my last VS flight in 2010.

I managed to complete OLCI last year, change my seats and get my boarding pass emailed to me as a PDF whilst laying by the pool in Florida last year - it's great!!

[Neil]

If you look on the V-Flyer home page, you will see some info on the rolling screen for the Virgin iPhone app, and one of the screen caps shows the seat selection page.

Neil

Thanks for the info everyone.

I'm flying to MCO on Saturday, so I'll give it a go on Friday. I can't do it before then because the flight appears to be >60% full and I'm waiting for more seats to become available at T-24hrs.

I'll let you all know exactly what happens when I try to select my seats through the app.

Thanks again.

I did the online check-in through my iPhone for my flight to Dubai, more out of curiosity than anything. I was able to select my seats on there. I was very impressed.

Does anyone know if its possible to check/change seats on the mobile version of the web site?

A quick update for you all:

I've just checked in using the Virgin app and, unless I missed something glaringly obvious, it did not give me the option to alter my seat.

I did get myself checked in, though. I'm sat in the bubble - seat 74C - which, apart from it not being a window seat, is pretty much what I would have opted for anyway. So, all in all, it's worked out alright.

G

[Neil]

The option to change your seat is usually right at the end, on the confirmation of check in screen. If the flight is full and a lot of people haven't been able to pre-allocate seats, then the system will not give you the option to change your seat as it saves the remaining 40% so as many groups get sat together as possible.

Neil

I agree. I think it was just because the flight is so busy. Full of kids on their half-term hold, no doubt.

To give credit where it's due; the app OLCI works brilliantly. Well done VS - a very useful tool!

Hi Folks

I confrm the iPhone app provides full OLCI and seat selection as per the same rules on the website (this feature is a repurposed version of the website OLCI module). That means on occasions the seat selection option will not be shown which also happens on the website if the plane is getting full. In this case seats are allocated when you get to the airport. Best to use PC OLCI or mOLCI as soon as possible at T-24 hours when check-in opens to improve your chances of grabbing a preferred seat.

Note you can still do mobile OLCI/seat selection even if you don't have an iPhone. Just go to:

http://mobile.virginatlantic.com

on your smartphone. Works fine on most decent Internet-capable smartphones (Android, Nokia, Microsoft etc). This is our mobile website which covers flight status, schedules and OLCI/seat selection and new features will be added to it soon. The same features will be retro-fitted into the app.

For more info see the link below on our full website:

http://www.virgin-atlantic.com/en/gb/bo ... lesite.jsp

Hope this helps

Fergus - VAA eBusiness

[Neil]

Thanks for clarifying that Fergus.

Hi

One extra question for you all on a related topic. What are your views on VAA offering a mobile barcoded boarding pass option (mBCBP)? I.e. an extra service via web OLCI and also mOLCI where your boarding pass is delivered directly to your phone rather than needing to print it off? As you will know, several other airlines offer this, though most trialed it first on shorthaul which we don't offer.

Given longhaul still involves having to bring some bits of paper like a passport do you see value in a mobile boarding pass service? E.g. for return legs where you may not have a printer handy.

Also for those of you who have used other airlines' mBCBP services, how have your experieces been ref reliability, airport process, airport staff reaction etc?

thanks
Fergus - VAA

I have found the option of having a mobile/SMS boarding pass very useful when travelling on BD. I would give a big thumbs up to that development

Fergus - I see definite value in a mobile boarding pass!

One less piece of paper is one less piece of paper!

Luke

I wouldn't use it - but then, I never print my own anyway.

The way I figure is if I have to visit the checkin desk to drop luggage anyway, then I might as well get my boarding pass from there. And I wouldn't trust the technology not to lose my BP, etc.

On a flight where I wasn't checking any luggage, then I usually do print my own - but would still not trust a paperless solution!

Fergus, frankly no, when having to take a passport, in the US a customs form and to many other countries other forms, a mobile BP is not necessary. Besides, I don't yet know how in my company when I submit my expenses I submit an electronic BP as proof of boarding. And, as I get older, I value the interaction of people more, just clicking on my laptop, pressing buttons on a machine in the terminal, more buttons on a smartphone, give me a smiley check in human otherwise it's not a nice way to live anymore!

Now, if you're suggesting that VS wants to save money by going electronic wherever possible let's be open about that ...

I agree with Mr T- if you have to go to bag drop anyway then the mobile boarding pass is of little use. I never print out my boarding pass when I checkin online- as I know I have to go to checkin anyway so would prefer to get a 'real' boarding pass.

I think it would be useful for people travelling hand luggage only but this is, I'd imagine, a very small percentage of pax for VS compared to BD, BA and other carriers that offer short-haul routes.

Slinky's right about the people factor- I hate the little machines replacing people whether at airports, supermarkets or paying in at banks.

Oh, and if you do decide to go for it, make sure the barcodes work with the little machine at the entrance from the main terminal to the upper class wing at Heathrow!!

I used the online check in app on my iPhone on Saturday Night for VS16 five minutes after check in opened at 7.55pm whilst in a restaurant in Kissimmee, checked in two adults and three kids in to our PE seats that had been reserved.

App worked fine, although the change seat button appeared if you clicked it, it went nowhere I can only assume that there were no spare seats available as indeed the flight was full.

I should have noted my seat numbers because there were a panic when using the app were these the seats I reserved?

Checked in ok then did the bag drop at MCO on Sunday night – Straight to the desk no queue.

As regards Tickets / barcodes on the phone I use the BA version all the time flying between London and Edinburgh, I don’t see how the US security would accept them, coming back each of our boarding cards were scrutinised and the guy initialled them in several places – tick in the box style.

The electronic boarding card would be good if accepted, especially if you could load the complete family onto it and flick each one up in turn.

Back to reality today and the cold

Mobile BP's are an interesting topic and a lot of airlines appear to be going down this route. I'm not tried it yet and would mean one less bit of paper, but flying upper class, give me the purple BP thank you very much.

I might give it a try at some point in the future, considering that I always have my Iphone with me, just to say that i've given it a go.