V-Flyer

Flying out of Heathrow on 24th March (a Saturday) Premium Economy and was told my Virgin I could ask when checking in about access to the Clubhouse. Providing there is availability they said it should be possible for a small fee.

What I wanted to know is what degree of success have people had with availability on the day when flying non-Upper Class? I should add I am only a red member (previously silver).

Also what are peoples opinions of the No 1 Traveller Lounge? I flew Upper Class back in October and the only thing I miss about Upper Class is the Clubhouse!

Thanks in advance for your help!

The access fee is GBP60

Its only available to Virgin Holiday bookers though I thought, so I assume you booked via VH.

Smid wrote:Its only available to Virgin Holiday bookers though I thought, so I assume you booked via VH.

That is booking in advance.
Any pax can enquire on the day, and sometimes, depending on capacity they do sell access for £60pp, but it is very limited and not advertised.

Neil wrote:...... but it is very limited and not advertised.

Greg mentioned it on the facebook page yesterday for a passenger out of LGW, where the fee is £45, so they may be starting to make it known - he did add the caveat about limited availability.

There have been a few good reports about the No 1 lounge. My better half used it a few months back and said that, although it isn't a Clubhouse, it is more than adequate.

Nick

Thanks Nick & co!

I will try my luck (and report back of course). If not I'll pay the extra on the day for access to the number 1 lounge.

although the LGW lounge is very nice, through Priority pass I can get the no 1 for £15. for the time I spend there its not worth the extra 30 quid

Nottingham Nick wrote:

Neil wrote:...... but it is very limited and not advertised.

Greg mentioned it on the facebook page yesterday for a passenger out of LGW, where the fee is £45, so they may be starting to make it known - he did add the caveat about limited availability.

There have been a few good reports about the No 1 lounge. My better half used it a few months back and said that, although it isn't a Clubhouse, it is more than adequate.

Nick

Interesting change of tack if they are making it more widely known that CH access 'may' be a possibility for the general VS travelling population - given that airlines as a rule jealously guard access to their own lounges to preserve the sense of exclusivity and the fact that it's part of a premium product.

I think this may be the last straw! I only look for UC out of LHR for The Clubhouse, why else pay big money when others offer more for less, sometimes a lot less! As others have mentioned, why fly VS when the "perks" in UC are gone mostly and the fares are higher? May as well save lots on the fare and buy the "perk"! Am I alone in flying VS 8 times in an eight month window? Prob not, but its starting to feel as if actual pax are not in the majortiy in posting here. BA and others frequently cheaper now and even with the new LHR UC product on board, why bother when BA, Emirates A380's and even ANZ and QTS can match it??????????????? Think I'll hand back my AU card.

They tried this a few years ago with a limited availability offering to PE passengers. Certainly lured me in.

SGJ wrote:I think this may be the last straw! I only look for UC out of LHR for The Clubhouse,... Am I alone in flying VS 8 times in an eight month window? ...Think I'll hand back my AU card.

surely if you have an Au card then you do not need to buy the UC ticket if lounge access is all you need ?
I think you will find there are several members here who fly VS most weeks but I dothink you have a good point that it is the in-frequent flyers that make the most hoo-har about small things.
Most regular flyers just get on with it.

I am trying to work out if I would ever buy access for £60.

It simultaneously seems a bit much but also (in the context of an UC ticket) not very much...

at240 wrote:I am trying to work out if I would ever buy access for £60.

It simultaneously seems a bit much but also (in the context of an UC ticket) not very much...

£ 60 is a lot and so is a 'considered' purchase as they say and so will put a lot of people off - it soon mounts up for a family who no doubt could spend it on all sorts of other things on their holidays.

tontybear wrote:it soon mounts up for a family who no doubt could spend it on all sorts of other things on their holidays.

Quite agree --- I was thinking that I'd probably only do it if I was travelling with someone. £120 is a lot for what you would get!

SGJ wrote:I think this may be the last straw! I only look for UC out of LHR for The Clubhouse, why else pay big money when others offer more for less, sometimes a lot less! As others have mentioned, why fly VS when the "perks" in UC are gone mostly and the fares are higher? May as well save lots on the fare and buy the "perk"!

I'm not sure how allow a small number of non UC pax to buy access alters the 'perks of UC'. Many non UC pax get to use the CH every day anyway as a guest of an UC ticket holder or AU member. Also VH have been selling CH access to their pax for years now, but like the option to purchase on the day it is strictly capacity limited.

Am I alone in flying VS 8 times in an eight month window? Prob not, but its starting to feel as if actual pax are not in the majortiy in posting here.

I'm not quite sure how you got that impression, but many of our most regular users are probably flying VS 8 times in a 1 month period, let alone an 8 month period and with over a quarter of our members being AU members.

Ahh the clubhouse

Last time in the clubhouse was a couple of years ago and was the best £120 I ever spent as part of a VH trip to NYC for my Wife and myself.

Arrived at the Clubhouse at just before 10.00 for the VS045 flight which supposedly gave us 3+ fantastic hours before boarding. This turned into a 10 hour stay due to a long flight delay. Finally boarded at around 20:00 :0

Have to 'fess' up to having had a light breakfast, lunch, afternoon tea, evening snack and of course many nice cocktails, few glasses of champagne and more coffee than anyone should drink in one day - Trip report is in the section for VS045 and the date was 26th Aug 2010 for anyone wishing to read about just how many things can go wrong in one day

All I can say is based on that one experience, value for money wise it can't be beaten

JB