Need advice to make LGW-LAS best possible experience (econ)

Hi,

I am currently booked (via expedia) to fly economy LGW to LAS in a couple of weeks and would like some advice on whether it's worthwhile spending a few quid extra at the airport to make things a little bit more pleasant.

I have flown this route before (with the lads) and found it a reasonable experience in economy outbound. Inbound was not so great from a comfort point of view, especially given that we paid extra for exit row seats, but I'll go into that in a bit more detail below.

This time I am taking the wife, so I want to do what I can to make things as pleasant as possible for her (short of spending a small fortune on UC).

Anyway, to go into specifics, I would be interested to hear people's advice/opinions on the following:

1. Premium Economy - how much extra does it cost to upgrade at the airport and is it worth holding out for prices to drop? Or does the price drop at all closer to departure time if there are empty seats in the "bubble"?
I recall an announcement being made when we were waiting to board in LAS that some upgrades were available to purchase.
BTW, I will be checking in at the airport, rather than online (in the LGW transfer area).

2. Extra legroom seats - when I flew previously with Virgin I noticed on the outbound flight that some people had paid extra for the seats down the back at the windows which had more room(2 seats rather than 3). Again, what is the general consensus on these: are they worth purchasing/how much extra room do you have in reality/what is the cost?

3. Virgin Lounge/Clubhouse - how much does this cost, where/how do I pay to gain access and is it worth the cost of entry? What do you actually get for your money?
Or would I be just as well using the "free" facilities of the airport?


I wouldn't consider paying for exit row seats - as mentioned above we went for this option inbound last time I flew, but I was not impressed for the following reasons:
I was less comfortable due to the slightly narrower seats (tray in arm rest). Even though I'm not a particularly large man, I felt constricted in the seat.
When people were getting up to stretch their legs they would congregate in front of us. I found this irritating and not condusive to a restful flight. I was also conscious of stretching my legs out lest someone trip over my feet!


Thanks in advance for any help, and apologies for the long-winded first post; brevity is not a particular strong point of mine!

Be wary of seats at the back, means being last off the plane and a long wait at Las Vegas Customs behind everyone else. upgrades if available at the airport were £199 each one way when i last travelled and $348 for the return.

The purple extra legroom seats that you mention will give you an extra few inches of legroom and for £30 are in my opinion, a bargain.

Even if you get one of the sets of two at the back, they are still worth it. No one to hassle you/for you to hassle when you want to get out. Sure you might wait a few minutes more at immigration but it's better to have that when you have travelled ten hours in more comfort.
:X

[Pete]

If they are offering PE seats at the airport (normally £219 now, up from £199), check there's availability in the bubble before handing over your cash. The PE seat downstairs are a bit of a disappointment. An alternative would be £30 for 'extra legroom seats' in Economy. An extra 3" - which actually makes all the difference over a 9/10 hour flight.

If you want a bit of pampering on the way out, you might want to look at VIP lounge passes - normally about £15-£20 through various agents. Also worth checking the itinerary calendar on V-Flyer to see if anyone is travelling in Upper or as a Gold Card holder on the same day and is offering to take in a guest (the generosity of V-Flyers is world renown!)

If you want to treat your wife to a special surprise, you can also pre-order champagne and chocolates to be brought to your seat. Look under the 'celebrations' section on the duty free site.

[Pete]

Actually, how refreshing it is to be discussing something positive like someone looking forward to a flight again after the last few days of doom and gloom.

We always tried to grab the pairs at the back when we did West Coast flights - more leg room, space to the side of the window seat and just the two of us....

We always tried to grab the pairs at the back when we did West Coast flights - more leg room, space to the side of the window seat and just the two of us....

The exact reason why I think they're the best seats in economy. 8D

The purple extra legroom seats that you mention will give you an extra few inches of legroom and for £30 are in my opinion, a bargain.

Even if you get one of the sets of two at the back, they are still worth it. No one to hassle you/for you to hassle when you want to get out. Sure you might wait a few minutes more at immigration but it's better to have that when you have travelled ten hours in more comfort.
:X

Thanks for the advice, what position in the plane are the purple seats?

Also, is there a price difference between the purple seats @ £30.00 and the two-abreast seats at the back?

Wow, suprised at how quick you folks have responded. And very grateful!

The exact reason why I think they're the best seats in economy. 8D

Had I not been in such a hurry to press the "Submit" button I might not have ended up repeating a point you'd already made perfectly well..

Paul

ps Pete - the code is working; I just chose to override it... v(

Wow, suprised at how quick you folks have responded. And very grateful!

I think we're looking for any opportunity to stop running around like Private Frazer shouting "We're all doomed..."

If you want a bit of pampering on the way out, you might want to look at VIP lounge passes - normally about £15-£20 through various agents. Also worth checking the itinerary calendar on V-Flyer to see if anyone is travelling in Upper or as a Gold Card holder on the same day and is offering to take in a guest (the generosity of V-Flyers is world renown!)

Thanks, I'll take a look.
Can you recommend any lounges in particular?

Also, is there a price difference between the purple seats @ £30.00 and the two-abreast seats at the back?

About half of the sets of two are the purple coloured seats that cost £30. The other sets of two seats have normal legroom and can either be available for prebooking or when OLCI opens.

[Pete]

If you want a bit of pampering on the way out, you might want to look at VIP lounge passes - normally about £15-£20 through various agents. Also worth checking the itinerary calendar on V-Flyer to see if anyone is travelling in Upper or as a Gold Card holder on the same day and is offering to take in a guest (the generosity of V-Flyers is world renown!)

Thanks, I'll take a look.
Can you recommend any lounges in particular?

The Clubhouse in Gatwick would be my first choice, but since the only way in there would be as a guest of an Upper Class passenger or a Gold Card holder, you'd need to find a generous pair of V-Flyers flying on the same day as you (not necessarily to the same destination).

The Servisair Lounges are an alternative option. They have two lounges in the South Terminal at Gatwick, the Lingfield is family-friendly and the Ashdown is for adults only. Neither are quite as stunning as the Clubhouse, but they're still better than the jostle of the public terminal.

If you booked through Virgin Holidays, you also have the option of the V-ROOM, which is a stunning lounge exclusively for Virgin Holidays customers. Pre book it and it's £17 per adult, if you pay on the day of your departure, it's £20. Free food and soft drinks, and a pay bar. Great view of the airfield. Especially good if you've got ankle biters.

There's also the Number 1 Lounge in the South Terminal. I'm not sure I've ever seen a review of it on V-Flyer, but there are some short reviews here.

You could always ask at the ticket desk or when you're checking in at the airport, if you can buy access to the clubhouse.

I asked when I went to LAS back in February and was quoted £45 BUT I was in the PE check in line and I'm Ag.

What row are the furthest forward extra legroom (purple) seats (that are not exit row seats)?
I like the idea of the two abreast seats at the back, and if the other seats are not very far forward of them, there's very little decision.

You could always ask at the ticket desk or when you're checking in at the airport, if you can buy access to the clubhouse.

I asked when I went to LAS back in February and was quoted £45 BUT I was in the PE check in line and I'm Ag.

Would be nice to get in, but it's probably not very likely, especially given that I have a discounted economy fare which is not booked direct with Virgin.

I'll probably go with Pete's suggestion and pre-book one of the other lounges at Gatwick. From checking them out online the Number 1 lounge looks like it's going to be my choice.

The Servisair Lounges are an alternative option. They have two lounges in the South Terminal at Gatwick, the Lingfield is family-friendly and the Ashdown is for adults only. Neither are quite as stunning as the Clubhouse, but they're still better than the jostle of the public terminal.

Having looked at Gatwick lounge options, I'm leaning towards booking the No. 1 Lounge.
Any experience of that one Pete (or anyone)?

Number 1 Lounge in the South Terminal is excellent value for money. I used the lounge and found the service to be excellent. If I recall correctly you get to choose one meal of the menu and then unlimited drinks and snacks (muffins, biscuits, fruit).

The lounge is an improvement on the Escape shared lounge at MAN; however is not a clubhouse!

The 2's at the back of the 747 are excellent, I agree that the exit row seats are narrower and if you do not struggle for leg room then I would avoid them.

P.E. in the bubble on the LGW fleet is very good and I would say worth £219 for the upgrade at the airport for the journey to LAS.

Enjoy your flight

Mark

Another vote for the No 1 lounge. Used it a few weeks ago and I was very impressed.

Good service, a decent breakfast and unlimited drinks.

The only negative might be if it's very busy as it's waitress service and also it has fairly limited seating options. It was quiet when I visited though, so no issues.