V-Flyer

Long Time Traveller, First Time Trip Reporter.
Wanted to share this with fellow travellers...

I was booked on a 'Q' class discounted economy ticket...credit crunch at work. I asked at the UC ticket desk at LHR whether I could upgrade using miles. They replied that my ticket was a non-flexible ticket, and first I would need to pay the fare difference. Fine I replied. They then phoned someone (I assume a supervisor) to find out the fare difference. This call took about 10 minutes (apologies to those in the q behind me). The agent then said that because my ticket was on a corporate discount fare, they were unable to calculate the fare difference, and that if I wanted to pay to upgrade, I would need to contact AMEX Travel (who I used to book the ticket in the first instance).

Baffled.

How can the airline not know how much I have paid for my ticket? I know that they give my company a rebate, so that is maybe why, but they should have it all on the system? Apparantly not. Anyway, knowing that contacting AMEX was not an option, as they would require a job number (which I could not justify for this trip) I enquired as to the other options available.

I was told that there were some 'day of departure' deals available. 150 to upgrade to PE, or 1200 to upgrade to UC. Both were one way. I agreed to the PE offer (thinking that the UC was not much of a 'deal', since a return UC ticket would have been about the same amount if booked early enough).

A few phone calls later, and I was told that I was assigned the last seat in PE. By this time there was a long Q at the UC check-in, so I was advised to go to the UC Suite to check-in (as I am a gold card holder). Up I went in the lift, through the door and to the empty UC suite. An agent soon appeared, and proceeded with my check-in. I asked for a window seat, and he pointed out that PE was oversold by 10 pax, and that they only had middle seats left, but since I was a gold card member he could free up a bulk-head seat for me. Great.
He took my bag and I was on my way, headed for the lounge.

Side thought - why would they allow me to buy a day of departure offer if PE was already oversold. I a guessing economy must have been oversold also.

In the lounge I had breakfast, etc and also a haircut. The flight was soon called, and I walked the short distance to the gate. As I handed the agent my boarding pass, the machine beeped, and she told me I had been upgraded. Woo hoo. So instead of paying the 1200 day of departure offer, I had got an UC seat for just 125 extra. Clearly this operational upgrade was due to me being a gold-card member. But strange since I had only just upgraded from a low discount economy to premium economy. Anyway, I was happy!

Flight was ok. Food was very average. The service was not remarkable in anyway. The IFE was dissapointing - it wasn't on-demand, which is what I had come to expect from the usual flights I do to LAX. Anyway who am I to complain in this situation.

Funny thing is that when I arrived at ORD, my case had an UC label attached to it. I guess that check-in agent in the UC Suite already knew I was going to get an operational upgrade (I had left before he has put it on the belt)...

So the long and short of it is - I am used to travelling regularly in fully flexible UC tickets (D). But this time I was on a discount economy ticket (Q). With no prospects of using miles to upgrade, I still managed to move from the back of the plane to the front paying only 125 in cash. Bargain. Thanks Virgin!!

Thanks for the TR and what an excellent result for you. I agree that it is very strange for VS to be selling on the day upgrades to PE when it is already over sold, obviously they knew they would have to do some op-ups and thought it might be a good way to make some extra cash.

Neil

Well done on the op-up; proves it can happen but I guess being a Gold really helped there.

BTW I thought that being a Gold meant that when you checked in you automatically got a UC label on your bags so they could go in the priority bin regardless of the cabin you were actually allocated ?

Hackneyguy

Thanks for the TR, that was some result!

quote:Originally posted by hackneyguy

BTW I thought that being a Gold meant that when you checked in you automatically got a UC label on your bags so they could go in the priority bin regardless of the cabin you were actually allocated ?

Yep - that is the case. [:I] [:D]

Nice to hear the ORD route has a full plane. Unless it was one of the consolidated ones after a cancellation? In which case it isn't such great news

Nick

Well done on the bargain op-up!!! Most airlines issue hundreds of different contracts to a range of agent, TMC's etc and often check in have no idea what kind of contract the ticket has been issued or what fare has been paid, hence the confusion at check in.

Are they still checking in UC in the UCW?

What a great result im sure you must have been sitting in the CH wondering about who the ten op-ups would be whilst clutching onto your gold card?

cheers

alex

quote:Originally posted by danlyo
The agent then said that because my ticket was on a corporate discount fare, they were unable to calculate the fare difference, and that if I wanted to pay to upgrade, I would need to contact AMEX Travel (who I used to book the ticket in the first instance).

Baffled.

How can the airline not know how much I have paid for my ticket? I know that they give my company a rebate, so that is maybe why, but they should have it all on the system? Apparantly not. Anyway, knowing that contacting AMEX was not an option, as they would require a job number (which I could not justify for this trip) I enquired as to the other options available.


There are a number of reasons for this. AMEX have a tangled web of negotiated fares, which they guard jealously. I'd bet my last pound that whatever fare was in the reservations system wasn't the fare that AMEX paid. It's hidden within pages of contracts. The mistake Virgin made at check in was saying 'I don't know', whereas they should just have quoted the 'deal of the day' rates.

quote:Originally posted by Neil
Thanks for the TR and what an excellent result for you. I agree that it is very strange for VS to be selling on the day upgrades to PE when it is already over sold, obviously they knew they would have to do some op-ups and thought it might be a good way to make some extra cash.

Neil


As the OP proves, 1200 is too much of a hike for many, but I wonder how many 150's they got that day?

quote:Originally posted by Alex V
What a great result im sure you must have been sitting in the CH wondering about who the ten op-ups would be whilst clutching onto your gold card?

cheers

alex


You bet [y]