Virgin Holidays and PE seats

Hi,

I recently booked a holiday to Cuba with Virgin Holidays flying with VS to Havana. We are seated in PE and arranged on the phone at the time of booking a 'Upper deck request' for both flights. What does this actually mean, because when I logon to the VS website I don't have any seats pre-allocated.

When I asked about this Virgin Hols said 'we have a different system'?

Thanks for your help

[Neil]

Hi and welcome to V-Flyer.

Virgin Holidays have an 'exclusive' allocation on seats on the Upper Deck on the LGW/MAN 747's. These seats can only be allocated by VH and any pax who book directly with VS do not have the option to pre-select them through the VS site 'manage my booking' section.

I would have thought that on the VS site it would show your seat allocation when you are logged in, but I am not sure how it works exactly, so maybe it doesn't. Have you asked VH for which seat numbers they have allocated you? This should give you some reassurance that everything is ok.

Neil

Ring VH up and ask for the VS booking reference. In my experience VH give you two references, the first is the VH reference which usually ends with /s10 (representing summer 2010). At booking they should have given you another reference which refers to the booking of your seats with VS and allows you to go online and pre-select seats.

Some agents do not seem to know about the 2nd VS reference and will need a push to get it for you.


EDIT: Just taken my time to fully read the post...opps! I believe the system works by VH staff telling the VS staff where you want to seat. Certainly when I have dealt with VH, they always comment on how they will have to request that off VS through some sort of internal requests system (e.g.: extra J seats).

quote:Originally posted by Neil
Hi and welcome to V-Flyer.

I would have thought that on the VS site it would show your seat allocation when you are logged in, but I am not sure how it works exactly, so maybe it doesn't. Have you asked VH for which seat numbers they have allocated you? This should give you some reassurance that everything is ok.


My experience from earlier this year was that it doesn't show your seats; the forward area is simply completely greyed out on the VS site. That may, however, have been because I didn't make the 'Upper Deck Request' to VH. Instead I used the VH booking ref to access the system and nabbed seats in the rear of the bubble as the front wasnn't available and I didn't want to end up downstairs. When OLCI rolled around I found that I'd been shifted forward to the rear of the forward section (my preferred seats) so perhaps those had been allocated to me all along and I just didn't know it...

If you use the VH booking reference it will first say it can't find your booking, ask you to put in the flight / date / lead passenger details and then (usually) bring up the booking.

Enjoy Cuba...

Paul

Hi there

I have booked with Virgin Holidays but i didn't want to take a chance with their seat allocation so i rang the VH call centre and asked for my VA locator number which they gave me no problem, With that i was able to log on to the Manage My Booking page on the VA website and allocate my own choice of seat.
Hope that helps.

Thanks for all your replies guys, finding the site really useful.
quote:Originally posted by pjh
quote:Originally posted by Neil
Hi and welcome to V-Flyer.

I would have thought that on the VS site it would show your seat allocation when you are logged in, but I am not sure how it works exactly, so maybe it doesn't. Have you asked VH for which seat numbers they have allocated you? This should give you some reassurance that everything is ok.


My experience from earlier this year was that it doesn't show your seats; the forward area is simply completely greyed out on the VS site. That may, however, have been because I didn't make the 'Upper Deck Request' to VH. Instead I used the VH booking ref to access the system and nabbed seats in the rear of the bubble as the front wasnn't available and I didn't want to end up downstairs. When OLCI rolled around I found that I'd been shifted forward to the rear of the forward section (my preferred seats) so perhaps those had been allocated to me all along and I just didn't know it...

If you use the VH booking reference it will first say it can't find your booking, ask you to put in the flight / date / lead passenger details and then (usually) bring up the booking.

Enjoy Cuba...

Paul

My experience ties up with that, the forward area is greyed out on both flights (and deffo have Upper Deck request). A while back I managed to select rear seats in the Bubble for coming back, nothing at all free for going out. I'm hoping I have been allocated front seats and it will come good at OLCI.

quote:Originally posted by mark87652
Thanks for all your replies guys, finding the site really useful.
quote:Originally posted by pjh
quote:Originally posted by Neil
Hi and welcome to V-Flyer.

I would have thought that on the VS site it would show your seat allocation when you are logged in, but I am not sure how it works exactly, so maybe it doesn't. Have you asked VH for which seat numbers they have allocated you? This should give you some reassurance that everything is ok.


My experience from earlier this year was that it doesn't show your seats; the forward area is simply completely greyed out on the VS site. That may, however, have been because I didn't make the 'Upper Deck Request' to VH. Instead I used the VH booking ref to access the system and nabbed seats in the rear of the bubble as the front wasnn't available and I didn't want to end up downstairs. When OLCI rolled around I found that I'd been shifted forward to the rear of the forward section (my preferred seats) so perhaps those had been allocated to me all along and I just didn't know it...

If you use the VH booking reference it will first say it can't find your booking, ask you to put in the flight / date / lead passenger details and then (usually) bring up the booking.

Enjoy Cuba...

Paul

My experience ties up with that, the forward area is greyed out on both flights (and deffo have Upper Deck request). A while back I managed to select rear seats in the Bubble for coming back, nothing at all free for going out. I'm hoping I have been allocated front seats and it will come good at OLCI.


I have exactly the same situation, after reading a couple of threads on the subject on here and a phone call to VH, I'm reasonably confident we'll be seated in the bubble.

[mitchja]

Seat allocation in all cabins on VS flights with VH bookings is getting ridiculous now.

VS seem to have relinquished all control of this now and handed it over the VH. Don't try calling VH out of office hours or at weekends as only the flights department at VH can access VS bookings, who only work something like 08:00-18:00 weekdays.

Just hope VS also don't change your A/C or flight times, as you have to call VH now even to get your seats re-assigned when this happens too.

If you have a VH booking with VS flights, VS call centre staff (reservations or Flying Club) won't even look at the booking for you anymore and will tell you you need to call VH.

Regards

Sometimes this works in your favour

Booked a VH holiday 4 months ago to Kenya and booked economy seats. 4 weeks ago (go a week today) noticed on VS site that inbound upgrade to PE for our flights was 72 for the two of us! 360 for two for both legs. VS wouldn't talk to me and VH wanted to charge me 1,100 for the same upgrade to PE.

Anyway, after a bit of argie bargie with VH asking why the same 'Virgin' product had such a price differential (the mention of the word 'watchdog' spurred them into action, and I am aware that they are 2 separate companies) they agreed to refund the cost of the VS flights and the internal KQ connecting flights, leaving the rest of the holiday 'as is'. Booked direct on line with VS and KQ and after the full refund from VH, the net cost of the upgrade to PE was 280 for both of us on both legs.

Absolute bargain!