Booking Upper Class Flights

I will be travelling to St Lucia in mid June. Friends advised me to book late as I may get a cheaper fare. But how late is too late?

Is there a best day or time to get best fare. I am totally clueless as to best thing to do as the fares seem very stable every time I look on the Virgin Atlantic site.

I would appreciate any advice

Anniel

[Neil]

Welcome - I am not sure the advise given by your friends is that great. The advise we tend to give on here, and it doesn't always work that way, is booking early usually gives the cheapest fares (excluding sales of course)

Seats are available in different fare buckets, and in upper class there are 4 different fare buckets (the difference between each one are all explained in detail here).

Only so many seats for each flight are available in each fare bucket, and once those have gone, you then have to move up to the next (and more expensive) fare bucket. So if you leave it late then you run the risk all the cheap fares will have gone and you will be stuck with the more expensive fares.

Also, the cheapest fare code in UC, is a Z fare, and that require purchase at least 21 days before departure.

The other problem with leaving it late, is that there are only 14 UC seats on the St Lucia flights, and they are popular so leaving it late, will again leave you running the risk all the seats on your required dates will be sold out.

Thanks,
Neil

Thank you for your welcome and for the info. Can I only see the various fare buckets once I have booked? Sorry for being so thick but I am not sure if the information is available before making a firm booking.

anniel

If you do a search for availability, there will be a 'fare breakdown' link on the screen that shows the price - if you click on that, you'll get a pop up window that shows the class bucket.

That said, if you're looking at UC, you'll first get asked if you're looking for a fare with or without a complimentary limo. If you say no to that, it will give you Z class if available, if you say yes, it will look for R, D or J (all of which come with the limo...)

[Neil]

You can see what the fare code is before you book.

When you are looking at the price matrix on the Virgin website, at the bottom right, just above the big continue button is some 'fare breakdown' text in red that you can click, this will open a new window and in there it will show you what fare code they are pricing for you (it is called class on there and will be either Z/R/D/J).

You can call Virgin and ask them to price you a specific class providing it is still available also.

Thanks,
Neil

Thanks for the information. Virgin are ringing me back as I have a return sector ticket unused and the chap wants to talk to Customer Relations.

Does anyone know which version of the 747 they use to fly to St.Lucia? I cannot remember the last plane used from Gatwick. I want to get a decent seat if it is possible when I am booking so late. BTW, the fare code is Z but still expensive!

I am so glad I found this site!

Anniel

[Neil]

Have a look at the seat maps on here (in the Toolbox section) it will be one of the LGW 747 configs. There are only 14 UC seats on the LGW fleet, and all of them are good, but booking so late means everyone that has booked before you will have had first pick at the seats.

I will be travelling to St Lucia in mid June. Friends advised me to book late as I may get a cheaper fare. But how late is too late?

Am not sure that advice ever works on a scheduled airline, a train or a coach trip either come to that.

As to getting a 'decent seat' you will be left with whatever is left. Once on the plane it makes no difference if you have a reweard G, a cheaper Z or a fully flexible J - you still get the same service.

The price will be what VS decides it is and as Neil alluded too it will only be the most expensive fares that will be available close to the flight date - the cheaper and book in advance ones will have gone.

BTW this is exactly the same model that the LCCs use. Book in advance and it is cheap, book the day before and it will be expensive.