VS006 Aircraft change 19th September

Why, Why, Why!

VS006 MIA-LHR September 19th

We saved so hard, booked our tickets in the upper class bubble and got all excited about being on a 747 for the first time and when we logged in to the Virgin Atlantic site last night they have changed the aircraft to an A340.

No email. No notification. Just move our seats and separate us in the Upper Class cabin of the Airbus.

I know the seating is not guaranteed but it would have been nice to have been told.

Feel really disappointed to be honest.

Cheers Virgin.

Aircraft change is the way it is I am afaid, I dont think anyone usually gets tolds about them, they happen alot. Afraid you cannot blame Virgin for this one, just one of those things!!
I would think as they try to maximise profits on routes they will probably switch the 747's around quite a bit at the moment as its widely known a full 747 is a great way to make money but if they are not they are an even quicker way to loose money!

What they could be better at and I can understand your frustration is the fact when they move you they have a annoying habit if seating people apart! Out of interest are you on the same ticket or seperate ones?

quote:Originally posted by michaeljtodd
What they could be better at and I can understand your frustration is the fact when they move you they have a annoying habit if seating people apart! Out of interest are you on the same ticket or seperate ones?


I suspect the OP was originally in A & K (eg 5A and 5K). On the aircraft change, the seat numbers were maintained but are now on opposite sides of the cabin, with the D row in between. That's why I always try for 4K and 5K, good seats irrespective of whether its a 747 or a 340.

PS - in my experience they will do their best to get you back sat together on the day if it's not been possible before. There will be other people affected too.

Regards
RedV

I feel your frustration! the 747 is a far nicer way to go, we fly out a few days after you and noticed the changes almost immediately (midweek), so with a swift call to premier team we have our next best seats sorted (on a 346) that is. Interestingly enough its still showing a 747 for the return on the 10th october though, so you may still get to be on the 747 still.

Count yourself lucky they could have changed it for a crappy 343..hmmm....nice!

cheers

alex

[honey lamb]

quote:Originally posted by deviant1966

No email. No notification. Just move our seats and separate us in the Upper Class cabin of the Airbus.

I know the seating is not guaranteed but it would have been nice to have been told.

There have been numerous threads in the past about not notifying passengers of an aircraft change and therefore a seat request change. The reality is that passengers book by different methods - directly with VS; via other websites, e.g. Expedia; with travel agents; with companies like Virgin Holidays. In many cases such as with the third party bookings VS will not have an email address to notify people of changes to aircraft. OK, so you could argue that they could at least notify those who booked direct but sorting through a plane-load of passengers to find out which was which would be time-consuming and unrealistic given that seat requests are just that - requests.

Now that you know, unless the 60% of seats available for requests has been met you should be able to go into the website and change them. Failing that more seats will become available when OLCI opens

quote:Originally posted by honey lamb

The reality is that passengers book by different methods - directly with VS; via other websites, e.g. Expedia; with travel agents; with companies like Virgin Holidays. In many cases such as with the third party bookings VS will not have an email address to notify people of changes to aircraft.

Surely one of the advantages of registering as a frequent flyer is the the company do have your email address.
If the Flying Club number is associated with the booking, that can be the trigger for the warning email; could be another incentive to join and another benefit to members!

quote:Originally posted by deviant1966
Why, Why, Why!

VS006 MIA-LHR September 19th

We saved so hard, booked our tickets in the upper class bubble and got all excited about being on a 747 for the first time and when we logged in to the Virgin Atlantic site last night they have changed the aircraft to an A340.

No email. No notification. Just move our seats and separate us in the Upper Class cabin of the Airbus.

I know the seating is not guaranteed but it would have been nice to have been told.

Feel really disappointed to be honest.

Cheers Virgin.
Sympathise with your disappointment although last time I travelled VS6 I was disappointed the 'other way,' that is the original 346 was replaced by a summer schedule 747 in which my economy partner & I who'd booked and been allocated a pair of solitary seats in August were obliged to become part of a trio the following May.

If an airline really wanted to be user friendly it would (among many other things!) enable prospective passenger to state at the time of booking whether the a/c type and seating was particularly important, such as on a special occasion - birthday, honeymoon, etc. - in which case the passenger would be notified and offered alternatives as soon as the change was mooted.

In fairness, by allowing a degree of seat allocation at the time of booking, instead of only 24 hours before departure, Virgin is better than BA & many others.

Before airline bosses and their lackey apologists fall back on the usual excuse for poor service I'd suggest such a feature be available at additional cost, although not for the outrageously priced upper class tickets. Once seen as a revenue-raising feature objections would disappear quickly.

Although everyone likes a good price, the number of people who fly upper class shows there are many who are willing to pay a premium for good service. An important part of this is greater consideration for passengers.