V-Flyer

Morning all,

So the RC family (4 of us) are off to CUN next month (out 7th April in UC, back 14th April in PE). I'm starting to worry for a few reasons:

1) They are reward seats
2) VS93 on the 7th April shows UC as totally full, and ditto PE on the 14th April VS94 (as in no seats available to book on website, I don't have load check access...). Whereas PE/Y on the outbound look to be fairly open, as is Y on the inbound.
3) I've not earned a single TP on VS for over a year, and my silver membership will lapse at the end of this month.
4) Some of you may recall that on my last revenue flight with the family (back from ANU in 2014), VS tried to downgrade us all from PE to Y, until I had a fairly polite strop at them for trying it on, especially as they were not volunteering our rights under EU261. And I was AU back then!

So starting to feel worried that a downgrade isn't beyond the realms of possibility here, if there's been overbooking on either leg. Frankly I was amazed to get 4 Gs on the outbound, but now I have them, I'm not giving them up without a fight! Compensation is all very well, but won't amount to much when it's not a cash flight to start with...

If I'm just being paranoid, do please tell me

VS 93 0 LGW
07/04/16 12:20 PM CUN
07/04/16 4:30 PM 744
T,Th,Sa
67% / 34m J0 C0 D0 I0 Z0 W9 S9 H9 K9 Y9 B9 R9 L9 U9 M9 E9 Q9 X9 V9 N9 O9

VS 94 0 CUN
14/04/16 6:55 PM LGW
15/04/16 10:30 AM 744
T,Th,Sa
56% / 23m J1 C1 D1 I1 Z1 W0 S0 H0 K0 Y9 B9 R9 L9 U9 M9 E9 Q9 X9 V9 N4 O4

there you go

Thanks, exactly as I'd pieced together from dummy bookings. Plenty of room in both directions to downgrade if there was some non status passenger on a reward flight that they had to pick on...

Just to give you a little relief, putting in LGW to CUN with VS also gives you connections.

one of these is showing the following :-

VS 115 0 LHR
07/04/16 11:35 AM ATL
07/04/16 4:05 PM 333
Daily
NA / NA J9 C9 D9 I9 Z9 W9 S9 H9 K9 Y9 B9 R9 L9 U9 M9 E9 Q9 X9 V9 N9 O9

VS (DL) 4953 0 ATL
07/04/16 6:10 PM CUN
07/04/16 7:43 PM 320
Daily
75% / 15m J4 C4 D4 I4 Z4 Y9 B9 R9 L9 U9 M9 E9 Q9 X9 V9 N9 O9

and another is showing

VS 103 0 LHR
07/04/16 9:25 AM ATL
07/04/16 1:55 PM 346
Daily
95% / 14m J9 C9 D9 I9 Z9 W9 S9 H9 K9 Y9 B9 R9 L9 U9 M9 E9 Q9 X9 V9 N9 O9

VS (DL) 4953 0 ATL
07/04/16 6:10 PM CUN
07/04/16 7:43 PM 320
Daily
75% / 15m J9 C9 D9 I9 Z8 Y9 B9 R9 L9 U9 M9 E9 Q9 X9 V9 N9 O9

so there are alternatives (for anyone)

David

Agreed, I've seen the LGW reroute options on DL via ATL, not great as it adds a connection and about 4 hours to the overall time, but a possibility. Not intending to schlep over to LHR though as we'll be staying over at the Hilton the night before and have parking all paid for. And of course, at least that gives me plenty of time to identify if there is going to be an issue.

I can understand your anxiety RC - especially as you have a previous experience.

I think you need to retain in your mind what was the actual outcome last time and that with only 14 seats available, the UC cabin is more likely to sell out these days - especially with folks using the ex EU ruse.

Try not to think the worst might happen as this will undoubtedly have a wider impact on the holiday

buns

Thanks Buns, and yes, I will be practicing my breathing exercises and yoga quite a bit over the next month. Totally get what you mean about focusing on the outcome last time, it's just that back then it was revenue/gold versus now when it will be reward/red - I can't help thinking that influences the pecking order just a bit!

When they tried to downgrade you before, when did you check in?

I've always assumed - perhaps wrongly - that if you do OLCI at T-24 and, crucially, issue your boarding passes, you've a much slimmer chance of being bumped or downgraded than if you rock up at the airport with 2 hours to go when everyone else has already checked in.

Quite possibly - I was getting errors when I tried checking in online last time at T-24, so I already had a concern that something was 'up'. I'm a stickler for always checking in the moment that OLCI opens!

Does it happen often where they try to talk you down to a lower class?

That's got me worried now. Can I check in online if I have an infant on my ticket?

All airlines overbook. They have very sophisticated algorithms that predict how many no-shows there'll be on any one flight but of course they're not always accurate and if everyone who's booked shows up they have a problem.

They'll always ask for volunteers to be bumped first - with a sweetener obviously - but if the worst comes to the worst they'll forcibly bump and/or downgrade people (luckily with decent compensation thanks to EC261/2004, no such laws in the US).

You'd be unlucky if it happens but checking in as early as possible certainly reduces the risk. If you find you can't check in online and the flight looks full, get to the airport early.

Well what a bloody surprise. I'm not able to check in online...

Believe me, there will be hell to pay if they think they are going to mess up my birthday treat... Still, heading to the airport in a couple of hours, so at least I don't have long to stew here...

Grrrrrrrrrrrr!!!!

ratechaser wrote:Well what a bloody surprise. I'm not able to check in online...

Believe me, there will be hell to pay if they think they are going to mess up my birthday treat... Still, heading to the airport in a couple of hours, so at least I don't have long to stew here...

Grrrrrrrrrrrr!!!!

Best of luck. Fingers crossed for you.
Dick D

...and breathe...

Turned out I was checked in after all, just an error message that suggested otherwise.

So my pent up fury is now replaced with a mild irritation at VS IT, and 4 BPs in hand. Not even close to a seq.1 though!

That's better

Have a great trip and no more worries of any kind !

Pheeeeeeew! Enjoy.

Happy Birthday --- relax and enjoy, hope the family are spoiling you........................

I'm going to let Virgin spoil me tomorrow, my family can have a day off!

That said, twilight check in was a bit of a zoo tonight, only 4 desks open and waited at least 25 mins. Lots of huffing and puffing from others around me, but I was a picture of calmness

I'll complain when I get back of course

Hope you have a super trip RC, and of course, a very happy birthday. All the best

Four desks? That's a luxury, I've been there when it's been two. With no queues. You obviously hit it at a busy time.

Happy Birthday, ratechaser! Have a wonderful trip

Happy Birthday! Really glad that all is well and that you didn't need to worry after all. Have a great flight and a lovely trip with your family.

Last time we did the twilight checkin at LGW in UC, they had one desk displaying "UC only" - not even "+Gold", and the rest were for "everyone else" so we were able to bypass the queue quite effectively. But my wife felt she had missed out on part of the "UC" experience, so after that we decided to just use the UC checkin in the morning, which was a very pleasant and fast experience...

Agreed.

Twilight check-in used to be a very useful service, in the days when you'd face huge queues at check-in on the morning.

But in recent years the introduction of OLCI and self service kiosks has reduced the queues significantly and it's much rarer to encounter long queues, rendering Twilight check-in much less useful.

gumshoe wrote:But in recent years the introduction of OLCI and self service kiosks has reduced the queues significantly and it's much rarer to encounter long queues, rendering Twilight check-in much less useful.

Except for those of us who, the morning of the actual flight, like to fantasise that we've just decided to take a flight on the spur of the moment and have arrived at the airport with just what we can carry and bought a ticket there and then.

Memo to self: get out more.