Booking with Select Vouchers

I have 4 red select vouchers which I would like to use to book flights LGW-MCO next April. The economy flights have been released for the general public to buy but when I phoned Virgin I was told that the class of fare used to book select voucher seats won't be released for another 2-3 weeks!!

Surely by then all the economy seats are likely to have sold (as it's Easter) so there won't be any select class seats? Or will they hold some seats back for this fare class?

Am worried that my vouchers are completely worthless to me!

[Neil]

I believe the select vouchers are booked in to the N class fare codes, and that only a certain amount of select vouchers are available for redemption on each flight, so there is a chance you won't be able to use them on the exact flight you want. All you can really do is to keep calling FC, I believe that revenue management can open up some N class fares for select vouchers, if so they choose, so maybe try asking that.

RichardMannion is probably the most informed person about these, so hopefully he will be able to advise better.

Neil

[RichardMannion]

See the explanations for N and X class here:
http://www.v-flyer.com/codes.asp

See here too:
http://www.v-flyer.com/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=24377

Thanks Guys - will keep my fingers crossed for the next couple of weeks!!

I succesfully used 4 Select vouchers a few years ago for a trip to BGI in August. Being flexible about dates was the key.

Hope it all works out for you.

Paul

Well we've had no luck at all - tried 3 different flight routes and a variety of dates spanning a week or so but there's no availability at all!!

Four red select vouchers going to end up in the bin!

[Nottingham Nick]

Personally, I think, to use that number of vouchers you have to be a lot more flexible than just three routes in a one week window, around Easter, but other may disagree. [}:)]

Out of interest, what routes have you tried?

Nick

[RichardMannion]

Have you asked to have the miles instead?

You can normally exchange the Select Vouchers for Miles and credit your Flying account. Thats what I did in the end when I had one I thought I could n't use.

If we convert to miles then we end up paying nearly 1k in taxes and charges - the original fly-drive only cost 1800 so by the time we put a hire car on top then we've paid about the same so no benefit to us at all!!

We have tried extending our flight dates and now have a 3 week window in which to fly out (coming back anything from 10-18 days later) and have now tried LGW-MCO, MAN-MCO, LHR-MIA, GLA-MCO, LGW-HAV, LGW-MRU. Again there's no availability.

We're now in negotiation with Virgin as to the possibility of extended the expiry date on the vouchers.

To be honest my biggest issue with the whole thing is that everytime I talk to someone at Virgin I get given a completely different answer to what I was told before!

I thought you still pay taxes on the select vouchers as well. I believe I had to when I redeemed 3 many years ago.

Surely you have received the vouchers as the result of being bumped off from an original flight, as part of your trip. If you volunteered to off-load you get the vouchers.
If you were denied boarding, thats where the EU compensation scheme would kick in. That becomes a separate

With the mileage reductions to various destinations, you could use the miles to get to New York, and use half the miles.

How did you obtain the vouchers ?

[Neil]

quote:Originally posted by ukcobra
I thought you still pay taxes on the select vouchers as well. I believe I had to when I redeemed 3 many years ago.


Select vouchers include taxes, so there should be nothing to pay at all when using them.

[RichardMannion]

You could always supplement the miles with some from your own account, and then look to fly in a higher cabin. Offload the kids, and use the 4 vouchers together to get 2 Upper Class flights somewhere

quote:Originally posted by RichardMannion
You could always supplement the miles with some from your own account, and then look to fly in a higher cabin. Offload the kids, and use the 4 vouchers together to get 2 Upper Class flights somewhere


Am liking your thinking!!

Hopefully all sorted now - Virgin have agreed to extend the vouchers for us so we can now go anytime after my son finishes his exams next June!!