Free Upgrade, is it a thing of the past?

We were upgraded from PE to Upper when Virgin had over-booked PE on a BOS - LHR flight. We were Silver Card holders at the time. Some people were being offered cash to postpone their flight to the next day. We appeared to be on a special list, supports the theory that Silver/Gold Card status may have something to do with your eligability?

Totally irrelevant but the last post made me chuckle after what I just witnessed

Totally irrelevant but the last post made me chuckle after what I just witnessed

Oh, do tell...

I think it was the notion of a Boston flight being overbooked!

I think it was the notion of a Boston flight being overbooked!

Gotcha....

Yes nothing more than that pjh I'm afraid

Yes nothing more than that pjh I'm afraid

Curses...I had wondered whether there was a tale concerning Mr Babygro and upgrading... I lead a dull life....

There was something quite amusing actually ,as I said previously PE had 7 in it but during the flight I had a little wander and counted 14 ish ,I mentioned to a cc girl that I thought there was only 7 in PE on this flight and she said that was right and she knew who the imposters were( my words not hers ) and they would be returning to their rightful seats soon ,when I went to the toilet just before descent I had another peek and sure enough counted just the 7, I think the extras must have snuck in once the meal service had finished and lights were dimmed

Oddly enough I ended up getting an op-up earlier this week, but I agree with those that say they are rare - first one in about eight years of VA flying. I'm Au, and was travelling on a full-fare PE ticket. Checked in online, but couldn't get an aisle seat so went to the bag drop at LHR to see if one was available and they moved me up there.

Full fare PE will definitely be a consideration, as I believe that can cost more than a discounted J.

That is does Sealink, a full W PE ticket usually costs a hell of a lot more than a Z.

I think it is only fair, if there is availability in UC, that the W fare holders are bumped up a cabin. Not always the space though, or someone else gets there first ):

Op-ups do happen on full / overbooked flights. I was lucky enough to get two in a row at the gate in December flying out of LHR to BOS and JFK. I'm AU and was flying alone in PE, I guess someone on their own is much easier to move around......

My FF card number hasn't changed but the secondary number printed vertically on the rear of the card has progressively decreased every time that I've renewed Au.

A fun thought, and got to say, you have found some numbers I have in the past taken no notice of..

Here is the kicker... I have two AU cards for the current membership year (don't ask ii) ) and this little code is very diff on both of them, very diff as the letter and number sequence are in no way related or similar ?| Perhaps simple production markings?

I have a feeling that the best hiding place in this case is not in plain sight 8D

Just to add to this/see if it is normal practice, having just upgraded to Ag (for the first but hopefully not last time!) My number has changed COMPLETELY, not just the first three digits but the entire number. Is there a particular reason for this?

[honey lamb]

Just to add to this/see if it is normal practice, having just upgraded to Ag (for the first but hopefully not last time!) My number has changed COMPLETELY, not just the first three digits but the entire number. Is there a particular reason for this?

Yes, your number changes when you move from Red to Silver to Gold. Silver begins with the number 008 and Gold with the number 009 and it enables staff and crew to see at a glance what your status is. The numbers are all linked to your account so don't worry that you may have lost any miles you have accrued as a Red member. You haven't.

Thanks for clearing that up! I wasn't particularly worried about the miles, I had just noted that a previous poster had mentioned their FF number hadn't changed.

a friend of mine flew VS flight from JHB to LHR over Xmas and the check in lady said that if he sang a Xmas Carol to the VS staff at the Gate he may get upgraded. He didnt believe them until he reached the gate and saw a girl singing to the VS staff... so he tried his luck and got upgraded from Economy to UC. (they only picked one person and he was the lucky one)...

a friend of mine flew VS flight from JHB to LHR over Xmas and the check in lady said that if he sang a Xmas Carol to the VS staff at the Gate he may get upgraded. He didnt believe them until he reached the gate and saw a girl singing to the VS staff... so he tried his luck and got upgraded from Economy to UC. (they only picked one person and he was the lucky one)...

Do you think that if i try that in september i will have the same success? Or will they refuse to let me on the aircraft lol
Steve.

Try this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vLBKOcUbHR0