Should pre-selection of UC seats be limited?

Booked a short notice trip to HKG for this week. Frustratingly few seats left - almost all by the bar which is a pretty rubbish place to sit if you plan on sleeping. [:(!]

This set me thinking. Should VS restrict/hold back some of the better seats for OLCI. By all means allow early bookers to select (unlike BA's foolish policy), but leave 8 or so for late bookers (who are more likely to be on more expensive tickets and carry shiny cards). Gives your better/higher yielding customers a chance at the better seats.

[preiffer]

No.

Just my H.O. of course... [:w] First come, first served - same rule applies to many situations in life.

I agree with first come, first served too I'm afraid. I've booked well in advance and paid in full at the time of booking as I booked through the VS website. This is one good selling point VS have over the Dark Side - you can pre-select your UC seat at the time of booking (as long as the 60% limit has not been reached) irrespective of the colour of your Flying Club card.

James

[preiffer]

And for reference, as some will confirm I am (quite often [:I]) one of those 'late-ish' bookers with many a shiny card. BUT I understand I'm coming to the party a little late in those cases so I'm happy with what I can get.

Originally posted by preiffer
And for reference, as some will confirm I am (quite often [:I]) one of those 'late-ish' bookers with many a shiny card. BUT I understand I'm coming to the party a little late in those cases so I'm happy with what I can get.

Indeed, ditto. Anyone paying or getting miles for the UC experience should be able to choose the seat they want from all that are available at the time of booking.

I agree, and there are 40% of the seats that become available with on line check-in, so just check-in early and then you have a better choice.

In my experience VS does in fact hold back some of the better seats for OLCI - at least on the 747s. Haven't been paying as much attention to the Airbus aircrafts as I don't fly them as often. I have seen rows 1,2 and 7 upstairs usually open up at OLCI, 12/14 downstairs as well as at least one of the 'removable separator' seat pairs in the bar cabin, etc etc; and row 6 can only be booked at the airport. Check in 24hrs ahead on the dot and you should usually have a very nice selection of seats, especially if you are traveling alone.

I think Virgin already ahve a perfect formula. 60% available for pre selection, the rest opening up at OLCI or at the airport.

If the selection currently available does not suit, you have plenty of opportunity to bag something else.

If anything was to change, Virgin could hold back more seats to be assigned at OLCI, to encourage people to use a service that in time will save Virgin money.

However, as I said, I think the current system is perfect.

Originally posted by Swanhunter
Booked a short notice trip to HKG for this week. Frustratingly few seats left - almost all by the bar which is a pretty rubbish place to sit if you plan on sleeping. [:(!]

This set me thinking. Should VS restrict/hold back some of the better seats for OLCI. By all means allow early bookers to select (unlike BA's foolish policy), but leave 8 or so for late bookers (who are more likely to be on more expensive tickets and carry shiny cards). Gives your better/higher yielding customers a chance at the better seats.

I think the current system of 60/40 ish is quite fair and reasonable, I am also a firm believer in the saying ' there's the quick and the disappointed' .... first come first served IMHO....

The other thing to keep in mind is... what is a 'better seat' ? ..... we all have slightly differing views on what a good seat is ..... so if VS try and second guess this it could all go horribly wrong. Just my 2c worth !!

Cheers
Mark [:D]

I just had a funny thought. Wouldn't it be interesting for a selected seat to be marked as B for baby, or BF for Baldbrit's Family. It would be funny watching all the seats around me empty one by one. Even better if there were sound effects, with a ding each time someone moved.

Ding ding ding ding ding ding...