Whats thepoint of seat reservations in advance?

Fying today on VS073 Manchester to Orlando.

90 days ago, I selected 5 economy seats in the bubble.
Got to the airport hotel last night and did an online checkin to find we've been moved to the rear main cabin. The bubble shows no available seats.

I know the seat selection is not a reservation, but what is the point of it then?

All it does is provide the first opportunity for the customer to feel disappointment at Virgin when the seats you selected are changed by them anyway... Why would a company want that?

This is the same in all three cabins, VA will tell you that is a request not a reservation

Bad luck - I'd be miffed too if it were me.

As a general rule I think it is best to do OLCI as soon as it opens - if you leave it until later I think the chances of you being shifted increases significantly.

Sorry you were moved but on 10 flights with VS we never have been.

That's bad luck indeed. There must have been a good reason though.
Touch wood do far we have not been moved

Just paid 1400 for 5 upgrades to premium.
VA staff advised against the bubble as lost its exclusivity now its shared with economy, so we are sitting in PE just behind Upper.

Sorry to hear you have been moved, It has fortunately not happened to me but if it did without a good reason I.e plane change then I would be more than miffed,Problem is that I would already be in a negative mood before even boarding and then any tiny fault is magnified so by the end of the flight my view of Virgin would be negative when probably it was ok.

If you don't do OLCI at least 13 hours before departure, VS will automatically release your seats in to the system. This may have happened here.

If you don't do OLCI at least 13 hours before departure, VS will automatically release your seats in to the system. This may have happened here.

Is that in all cabins ? ?|

Yes, All Cabins

Great info thanks

Are you saying even though you have requested specific seats at T90 and have them shown on your reservation, that unless you check in on line VS will release them back into the system. If that's true it makes a mockery of the system and discriminates against people to don't have the facility to OLCI ): v( v(

OCLI needs a printed boarding pass right?

I tend to be on the move down to Heathrow somewhere after T-27 hours...

You don't have to print off a boarding pass

I wish they'd allow a wider window for OCLI. While I know the likes of Jet2 make it mandatory (to catch people out, and their baggage drop is pretty much like a checkin anyway). But they allow you do to it 28 days in advance, so you can check in for the return leg. Never managed to do that before, tend to have to seek out a printer in SF/Vegas/NY/Jamaica...

Depending on where we are when T-24 comes around I am generally sitting on top of my computer to check in.

The only time we didn't get our requested seats was on our return from Vegas a couple of years back with VH when checking in the agent would not give us our seats on the boarding card and put us near the loos :$

I was ready for an all out battle but HUBBY who is very even tempered dragged me away and said we have a seat whats the problem. He did agree that after the flight I was right.

I understand (but may be corrected) that the 13 hour rule is only for the outbound flight ,I do twighlight check in so that sorts that out and in the past I have just checked in at the airport as normal and kept my requested seats, maybe just lucky??
It seems the way of things in most walks of life that you are expected to have all the latest gizmos but I am afraid I am saddly lagging behind.

According to the VS website you need to complete OLCI at least 2 hours before departure - not 13 - otherwise any seat requests will become invalid. And to clarify - you DON'T need to self-print your boarding pass, so you can do OLCI on the move from any smartphone, tablet etc.

http://virginatlantic.custhelp.com/app/ ... il/a_id/86

The OP says he/she did do OLCI the night before, so presumably was moved because a large group needed to be sat together or something. Unfortunate, but it does happen and VS make no secret of that.

And let's not forget BA charge the majority of passengers to request a seat before check-in - yet they don't guarantee it either. It's one of those things and you just have to live with it.

[Neil]

If you don't do OLCI at least 13 hours before departure, VS will automatically release your seats in to the system. This may have happened here.

That used to be the case, but as already pointed out, it is at least 2 hours before now.

They kind of make it blazingly obvious all over the website its a request that can be changed, it is probably dissapointing not to get what you want but not something to be angry over. As I understand it they can even move you at the gate.