Virgin, can I introduce your right hand to...

[preiffer]

...your left hand?

Just got an email today about Miles+Money fares - COOL...

So, the US deals:

New York 15,000 miles 1,119 4 Jul 08 31 Aug 08
Boston 15,000 miles 1,219 4 Jul 08 31 Aug 08
Washington DC 15,000 miles 1,219 4 Jul 08 31 Aug 08
Chicago 15,000 miles 1,221 4 Jul 08 31 Aug 08
Miami 15,000 miles 1,357 4 Jul 08 31 Aug 08
Los Angeles 15,000 miles 1,427 4 Jul 08 31 Aug 08
San Francisco 15,000 miles 1,427 4 Jul 08 31 Aug 08

Only then, I click on Virgin-Atlantic.com to see (yup, you guessed it) the Upper Class (FULL REVENUE (Z) fares):

New York (JFK) 3/4/9/10/ 1,139 02 Jul - 31 Aug 08
25/26/45/46
9/18/25/26 1,489 01 Sep - 31 Dec 08
New York (Newark) 1/2/17/18 1,139 02 Jul - 31 Aug 08
Boston 11/12 1,239 01 Jul - 31 Aug 08
1,589 02 Sep - 31 Oct 08
Washington 21/22/55/56 1,239 01 Jul - 31 Aug 08
1,589 02 Sep - 31 Oct 08
Chicago 39/40 1,241 01 Jul - 31 Aug 08
1,691 02 Sep - 31 Dec 08
Miami 5/6 1,377 01 Jul - 31 Aug 08
1,767 02 Sep - 31 Dec 08
Los Angeles 7/8/23/24 1,447 01 Jul - 31 Aug 08
23/24 1,837 02 Sep - 31 Dec 08
San Francisco 19/20 1,447 01 Jul - 31 Aug 08
1,837 02 Sep - 31 Dec 08

So, taking SFO as an example - that'd be either the 'huge M+M sale fare' of 15,000 miles, 1,427 and no miles earned OR umm.. 1,447, no miles spent, 10,700+ miles earned.

20 for 25,000+ miles? Seems like a cracking deal to me... [;)]


Ahem... [ii]

I received this email earlier as well. Took one glance at the fares and deleted the email.

[Nottingham Nick]

Ain't Marketing wonderful? [:D][:o)]

It's like their great Credit Card benefits that are don't seem great value to me, however I know they are great, because Virgin tell me so:

We have managed to secure great credit card benefits for our UK credit card customers, which include the Companion tickets and Premium Economy Reward Upgrades.

Originally posted by preiffer
...your left hand?
So, taking SFO as an example - that'd be either the 'huge M+M sale fare' of 15,000 miles, £1,427 and no miles earned OR umm.. £1,447, no miles spent, 10,700+ miles earned.

£20 for 25,000+ miles? Seems like a cracking deal to me... [;)]

Ahem, 26,000 miles earnt if Au ... so you lose c. 50,000 miles for twenty quid ... when that could be worth say £700 for a one way UC mileage redemption. As Nick says, the joys of marketing - ooops see right through that one [}:)].

We booked our flights to LA a few weeks ago and paid £1428 each. So had I waited for this deal I would have saved a £2 and spent 30K miles.

Glad I didn't wait.

Miopyk[8D]

Dear me! Internal communication doesn't seem to have been particularly evident here!

Surely just a bit of niche marketing targetting those who may have accumulated miles through the occasional VH trip, aren't actively pursuing a policy of miles collection and wouldn't think to check the VS site for fares. I returned home one weekend to find my dearly beloved, having received an MPM related email from FC, eagerly looking at the possibilities of an NYC trip . This is someone who manages a seven figure annual budget and can be terrier like in the pursuit of a discount, but she hadn't thought to check the standard 'sale' fares.

In a truly rational world the adept consumer would easily identify the deal that best serves their requirements, but imperfections always exist - otherwise why would people pay the prices they do for CDs / DVDs / electronic good on eBay when a quick surf over CDWOW, Play, Amazon, Dabs etc would show they could get the goods for less?

For VS presumably the MPM programme reduces the liability on their books related to the FC miles?

Paul

MPM works ok in Y as the number of miles required to get £1-200 off is low (2k). The problem comes with PE and UC where you still get the same reduction but have to use 7.5k or 15k respectively.

Originally posted by Strawberry Muppet
I received this email earlier as well. Took one glance at the fares and deleted the email.

Me too. What mindless idiot's idea was it to even release that while the specials are still on for UC for money only?!

Didn't I read on here once that the only benefit of a M+M U/C fare was if the Z's (and D's) were gone.

It gives you a flexible fare for the price of a Z (although without earning TP's / miles )

Yes - although I think they're booked into G class - if the Z's have run out then there is a chance that there are no G's either - at least until shortly before the flight (say a week or less)

[Darren Wheeler]

The Marketing Division of the Sirius Cybernetics Corporation Virgin Atlantic Airways are a bunch of mindless jerks who'll be the first against the wall when the revolution comes

[Nottingham Nick]

Originally posted by Darren Wheeler
The Marketing Division of the Sirius Cybernetics Corporation Virgin Atlantic Airways are a bunch of mindless jerks who'll be the first against the wall when the revolution comes

[oo][oo][oo]

[Scrooge]

Originally posted by Darren Wheeler
The Marketing Division of the Sirius Cybernetics Corporation Virgin Atlantic Airways are a bunch of mindless jerks who'll be the first against the wall when the revolution comes

Nope, sorry, they will be third, revenue management has the number 1 spot locked up tight, number two is the accounting department.

[RichardMannion]

And what's the odds I'll get a postcard flyer through the snail mail to tell me about these great MpM offers. I really do wonder at times.

I 've just thought, maybe they could have saved the money on putting out this promotion and put it towards the LGW 747 upgrades.

Miopyk[8D]

I rang reservation up looking to book NYC in Y with current sale fares and was quoted £412. Then the agent said let me see if I can find anything cheaper using some miles. He then came back with £459 + 2k miles. I said isn't £412 cheaper than £459 and I don't have to use any miles.

[quote]Originally posted by sky0000547
I rang reservation up looking to book NYC in Y with current sale fares and was quoted £412. Then the agent said let me see if I can find anything cheaper using some miles. He then came back with £459 + 2k miles. I said isn't £412 cheaper than £459 and I don't have to use any miles.

[:D] Wonderful - didn't they offer you a job?