UC & PE Availability Issue Jan09

Hi All

I have just got off the phone to the Premier Team after checking the website for Upper Class flights to New York over New Year, No problems with the outbound but the system is showing no availability for return flights in UC or PE on the 2nd, 3rd & 4th Jan! After seeing this on the web I thought it must be a system glitch as 36 hours ago there was availability accross the board for paid for and milage seats, now nothing at all!

Anyway the outcome of the phone conversation was she had never seen anything like it before but after her supervisor rang through to the operations team they were told that all Virgin Atlantics availability had gone and maybe try a travel agent as they might still have some availability.

She admitted in several years at Virgin she had never seen or heard anything like it before, my question is has anyone else? I find it hard to believe every Virgin UC and PE seat is taken for a 3 day period! If they are they are doing a much better trade than BA who have wide open availability on all days in Club!

Should I wait of just go with BA, I need 8 seats, ironically if I had needed 10 I could have gone through to a different part of Virgin and maybe got them, go figure!

Any thoughts would be great!

Thanks

VS website currently shows availability on the 3rd for at least 8 pax in PE and UC but nothing on 2nd or 4th although costs are a lot lower for the 5th

In my SABRE system I can see plenty of seats available

Sorry, what is SABRE?

The seats on the 3rd were not there earlier, they even confirmed that on the phone!

All very strange!

I would suggest that you keep trying - often persistence pays off. Good luck.

Originally posted by barnstaple
In my SABRE system I can see plenty of seats available

Interesting - in E-F availability on 3 Jan 09 for NYC-LHR looks like:

VS018 J0 D0 R0 Z0 W0 S0 K0 Y7 B0 L0 M0 Q0 X0 N0
VS004 J7 D0 R0 Z0 W0 S0 K0 Y7 B0 L0 M0 Q0 X0 N0
VS046 J7 D0 R0 Z0 W0 S0 K0 Y7 B0 L0 M0 Q0 X0 N0
VS002 J7 D0 R0 Z0 W0 S0 K0 Y7 B0 L0 M0 Q0 X0 N0
VS010 J7 D0 R0 Z0 W0 S0 K0 Y0 B0 L0 M0 Q0 X0 N0

So yup, pretty full I'd say - perhaps you might split your return flights 4 + 4?

[Decker]

Hmm sounds like VS blocking for a reason - perhaps while juggling scheduling?

Originally posted by Decker
Hmm sounds like VS blocking for a reason - perhaps while juggling scheduling?

But wouldn't they then block Y too? Or do they not matter

[Decker]

They've pretty much left the top price tickets as they'll put them on whatever flights are arranged [:)]

SABRE is a GDS

So does Sabre give any prices for these tickets?

I am started to think it is just a scheduling situation, find it hard to believe every flight is so booked up and all overnight!

Originally posted by slinky09

Originally posted by barnstaple
In my SABRE system I can see plenty of seats available

Interesting - in E-F availability on 3 Jan 09 for NYC-LHR looks like:

VS018 J0 D0 R0 Z0 W0 S0 K0 Y7 B0 L0 M0 Q0 X0 N0
VS004 J7 D0 R0 Z0 W0 S0 K0 Y7 B0 L0 M0 Q0 X0 N0
VS046 J7 D0 R0 Z0 W0 S0 K0 Y7 B0 L0 M0 Q0 X0 N0
VS002 J7 D0 R0 Z0 W0 S0 K0 Y7 B0 L0 M0 Q0 X0 N0
VS010 J7 D0 R0 Z0 W0 S0 K0 Y0 B0 L0 M0 Q0 X0 N0

So yup, pretty full I'd say - perhaps you might split your return flights 4 + 4?

Just looked at this more closely, is it not a bit strange that there is either availability of 7 seats of 0 seats! Is there some cutoff at 7 seats or is it another sign maybe they are holding seats deciding what to do with the New Year schedule?

Has anyone flown at just before and just after New Year in UC, what are the loads normally like. I remember a few years back flying on BA and it was very quiet!

VS never show more than 7 seats available in each fare bucket. If they did they'd be telling competitors how well their ticket sales were going.

Originally posted by McMaddog
VS never show more than 7 seats available in each fare bucket. If they did they'd be telling competitors how well their ticket sales were going.

Thanks for the info, makes sense when you put it that way!

Originally posted by McMaddog
VS never show more than 7 seats available in each fare bucket. If they did they'd be telling competitors how well their ticket sales were going.

And BA show 9 just because they can [}:)].

[honey lamb]

Also remember that the 2nd, 3rd and 4th January is the weekend immediately after Christmas/New Year/January sales in NYC and people who will have availed of one or all of these delights will be wanting to return home ready for the start of work at the beginning of the week. Last year when trying to book a return we couldn't do so until Monday 7th January for that same reason