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Checking for G - just checking

Posted:
06 Mar 2015, 10:13
by property1925
I've had a moment of doubt! I believe I have been checking for G reward seats, but....?
I go on to the website, put in my dates/route and check for "spend your miles" seats. This gives me the grid with dates and whether there is availability in any any class for a reward flight. I'm of course looking for upper.
Is this right? Sorry to ask what might be obvious!
Re: Checking for G - just checking

Posted:
06 Mar 2015, 10:16
by etk
Thats right, the UC seats that show up there are Gs
Re: Checking for G - just checking

Posted:
06 Mar 2015, 10:17
by pjh
At the risk of sounding like Mr Punch, that's the way to do it.
What's causing the doubt?
Re: Checking for G - just checking

Posted:
06 Mar 2015, 10:27
by property1925
Thanks both! Grateful
Doubting because I normally can get a G on my outward to HKG without too much trouble - in fact usually at the time I book an S. Zero for weeks. But it is likely to be just one of those things.
Thanks again
Re: Checking for G - just checking

Posted:
06 Mar 2015, 10:55
by Rabbit
I don't know what's happened to the HKG G's as I too have been looking daily for the past 3 weeks and there was full availability in November and December for all dates. When I checked back last week, all G's had gone. I wonder if it was a glitch or something and they sorted it out. Regretting not booking it now, don't fancy 12 hours in anything other than UC!!
Re: Checking for G - just checking

Posted:
06 Mar 2015, 10:59
by property1925
Ah! I've been looking daily for about 3 months! Got one easily for inward to LHR. Outward virtually nothing. At one point, the load check on my date to HKG showed no availability in any UC bucket. That seems to have changed now. Looks like S for me.
Re: Checking for G - just checking

Posted:
06 Mar 2015, 13:30
by whiterose
Have you tried phoning FC? Gs sometimes show up on their system that are not visible online.
Re: Checking for G - just checking

Posted:
06 Mar 2015, 13:59
by dickydotcom
It may be worth checking just one way.
I have found in the past asking for a return journey give different results.
Dick D
Re: Checking for G - just checking

Posted:
06 Mar 2015, 15:58
by spacedog
Ugh, we were looking at booking UC upgrades to HK in September and, last time I checked, there was availability on most days. Now, just a few days later, there's nothing at all. There must have been a glitch with the system.
Re: Checking for G - just checking

Posted:
06 Mar 2015, 16:04
by gumshoe
Oh dear, not good. Never forget the first rule of V-Flyer: if you see a G, grab it now!
Re: Checking for G - just checking

Posted:
06 Mar 2015, 16:14
by Martin
property1925 wrote:Ah! I've been looking daily for about 3 months! Got one easily for inward to LHR. Outward virtually nothing. At one point, the load check on my date to HKG showed no availability in any UC bucket. That seems to have changed now. Looks like S for me.
It always makes sense to book them separately. I assume you have booked your inbound, so just keep on looking for your outbound. I did exactly the same a little while ago for myself and my wife for August and September. The two inbound Gs were relatively easy, but I had to wait for a couple of months for the second G outbound to appear. When it did there were a mass released on the same day.
I posted this about it on 31st Dec because I was so pleasantly surprised.
Keep looking - every day. They appear release batches in the morning, so check around 9-10am if you can. As soon as you see the one you want call asap.
If you are FC Gold, you can book a lower class reward seat such as P in PE and then change it to a G at no cost (just the extra miles) when it becomes available. That way you have a fallback if a G never becomes available.
Goog luck
Martin
Re: Checking for G - just checking

Posted:
06 Mar 2015, 21:19
by property1925
Thanks! Really helpful (I never realised about the P to G tip).
Re: Checking for G - just checking

Posted:
06 Mar 2015, 23:36
by International Hitman
property1925 wrote:Thanks! Really helpful (I never realised about the P to G tip).
Nothing beats a good cuppa

Re: Checking for G - just checking

Posted:
11 Mar 2015, 20:04
by Rabbit
Im still checking daily for the G's from HKG-LHR....fingers crossed.
But something that I am baffled about are the taxes for this route.
EC is 726 HKD, yet PE and UC is less than half as much at 357 HKD. For all other destinations/routes I always see that PE and UC have higher fees and EC the lowest.
Can anyone explain? Or is it just one those things?
Re: Checking for G - just checking

Posted:
12 Mar 2015, 19:37
by abraxias
Hi - thanks to this thread I rang Virgin today as I was looking to go to HKG in November, and noticed that all the reward availability had vanished online.
Anyhow, to cut the whole story short I rang them, secured a G fare, and I'm off to Hong Kong. Moral of the story : use a telephone

I will say that there must be very limited availability, I called back after checking the fare to book it, and was told there was no upgrade on the flights I wanted. Additionally I had to push back my return trip by one day, but that's no biggie as my connection runs both days.
Even better was the new when I logged on to select my seat that the flight will be operated by a Dreamliner, and as much as I had been planning on experiencing the A340 because I've never been on one I am not going to complain!
Re: Checking for G - just checking

Posted:
14 Mar 2015, 09:03
by property1925
Thanks for all help - secured a G this morning . Website actually changed to show availability as I refreshed the page to check the "one way" option.