V-Flyer

I know that opups in general are few and far between these days. However one thing I heard can make your chances next to nil is asking for a special meal

Do you think that includes pre-selecting your meal when you get the option from Virgin? I think the concept is great especially as I can be picky (also means if I don't like the choice I can pig out in the Clubhouse). But I noticed my boarding pass had "special meal" on my boarding pass

On this particular flight I doubt I wod have been upgraded anyway but wondering if I shouldn't pre-select in future if I want to keep the upgrade hope alive. Any views?

It could be a factor, but a minor one I think.

Your fare bucket, status, single traveler vs couple or group and BCN are almost certainly more important factors in my experience. The fact is, when people really need to be moved, they get moved.

Plus in an op-up scenario, your meal could follow you. It's not set in stone that you get all the benefits of the higher cabin. For example, one one of my op-up's the FSM very politely told me that they were under catered and that my UC meal choice would be last. It was all very civil and I was fine with it. I even offered to just have the meal I would have got in W. It never came to that in the end.

Not an issue. It could be if it was a special meal but pre order off the usual meal isn't a special meal.

But as your meal is from the normal menu they would just use it for someone else in your original cabin.

This is useful info, thanks. I've never been upgraded and probably won't be that lucky...but did wonder about preselect too because is says "special meal" on the boarding card. It's a tough call because the last time they didn't offer us the chance, my choice was gone by row 25 (on the A350) and I ended up with the chicken casserole which I hated.