Thank you!

Hi

I’m another long term lurker – since 2007 – but have now signed up.

I’d like to say thank you to all your advice and wisdom – as I am now in receipt of 2 G’s out to LAX and back from SFO in April next year .

With best wishes

ScoobySu

Have a great trip. 179 days goes quickly.
I started my count down at 450 days now less than 130 OR as we noticed today only 4 more full moons.

Dick D

[buns]

Hi and welcome to V Flyer

Congrats on securing G's on such popular routes


buns

As Buns and D.com have said, congratulations. Good value G routes too, particularly with the LHR CH on the way out and the SFO CH on the return. Have you scored the double whammy of a 747 on the return?

........ Have you scored the double whammy of a 747 on the return?

Yesterday, I managed to secure two G's on exactly same route also for next April but both flights are on the Airbus - but never mind

........ Have you scored the double whammy of a 747 on the return?

Yesterday, I managed to secure two G's on exactly same route also for next April but both flights are on the Airbus - but never mind

When I read about the restored service and the availability of G's I looked myself and saw it would be an Airbus...but then still thought "excellent".

Hi

We're on VS023 going out and VS042 coming back so I'm not sure of the return plane at the moment as it's the seasonal flight - I'll be keeping an eye out to see if any seats open on the VS020 that we could possibly swap too

We found the returns - which as everybody has said has limited availability - and then worked backwards to get the outbound - lots of availability on the second LAX flights - which off course means more Clubhouse time

I've booked our hotel at LHR with parking & have ordered luggage tags from Pete but have still to do:

Hotel in LAX - near to the airport
Car hire from LAX to LAS - preferably a V8 soft top
Swap the hotel in Vegas when the deals come up - currently booked at Aria but aiming for Bellagio or Wynn
Zip lining at Border City canyon (did in 2008 - was fantastic)
Dinner at Prime overlooking the fountains
Flights from LAS to SFO - I can't find the VX First trick though?
Hotel in SFO

It's our Silver Wedding Anniversary celebrations trip so we're looking forward to it - and the planning of course - any more tips & hints are very welcome!

Thank you again

ScoobySu

PS How do I get smileys in my signature please?

[honey lamb]

Hello and welcome and congratulations on getting the Gs

Flights from LAS to SFO - I can't find the VX First trick though?

I presume you mean the cheap upgrade to First. They don't become available until T-6 hours dependent on space available. Basically, you don't do OLCI until then but you must have selected a seat in the cabin into which you are already booked. When you do OLCI after T-6 you have the option to change your seats and can then select and pay for seats in First. It's great value for money as you have 2 free bags as well as complimentary food and drink. I've been known to get up at 5am and go down to the lobby of the hotel in my jammies to do this when I had forgotten to charge my laptop.

This link will help

........ Have you scored the double whammy of a 747 on the return?

Yesterday, I managed to secure two G's on exactly same route also for next April but both flights are on the Airbus - but never mind

Hi Hev - would be great to meet up if our dates match up

HoneyLamb - Thank you - that's what I was after - now to debate whether to take the risk as First is currently the same price as Main Cabin Select but Ec is obviously much cheaper - after six days in Vegas I think we will definitely have two bags each (or I will at least )

Scooby Su

we have just returned from LAS and stayed 5 nights at the Aria. Great hotel, super location, slipped $20 into my passport when checking in and got upgraded to a suite FOC! There is a lively outdoor Mexican bar (Cabo Wabo) opposite the Bellagio that serves great food, cocktails and has a great atmosphere, good place to watch the fountains too. Can recommend www.scootcitytours.com for a great afternoon out in Red Rock Canyon.

[honey lamb]

HoneyLamb - Thank you - that's what I was after - now to debate whether to take the risk as First is currently the same price as Main Cabin Select but Ec is obviously much cheaper - after six days in Vegas I think we will definitely have two bags each (or I will at least )

Scooby Su

Do a dummy booking and when you have selected the fares you will be shown a seat map with the current upgrade availabilities. If it is wide open I would book economy but check from time to time to see if the cabin is filling up and if it looks dicey, I'd make my decision then.

Just to give you some of my experiences - each time I have done it, I have been successful but then I am a lone traveller. On one occasion, I did it at T-6hours and selected seat 1F but when I got my confirmation, there was no seat assigned and try as I might on the website, I couldn't get a seat selection. My credit card had been accepted but I was unsure as to whether or not the upgrade had been accepted. As luck would have it, I was accompanying a friend to SFO who was returning to Canada and I swung back to the Virgin America desk to check. What had happened was that two of us had selected the same seat almost simultaneously and the other person's selection got in first. I was in First but not in my selected seat - but that was OK (except that my seat mate was a bit of a dickhead but we won't go there )

On another occasion I had tried at T-6hours from the Starbucks place in the Outlet Mall north of Seattle. I must have been in the only Starbuck's place in North America that did not have wi-fi and so had to forego the pleasure of the cheap upgrade - or so I thought! Arriving back in Seattle I went to do OLCI and more in hope than expectation I checked the upgrade offerings to find that at T-5 hours, it was wide open. On that occasion the upgrade paid for itself as we had multiple delays which equalled multiple G&Ts as counted by V-Flyers in my TR

My last occasion (the one where I descended into the lobby of the hotel in my pj's) was good. I got the seat I wanted in 2F and happily travelled to the airport in SFO. While there I was aware of a passenger being paged numerous times to come to the desk at the gate. Once on board we were offered drinks while the rest of the passengers were boarding. The lady next to me asked for a Diet Coke but I (even though it was an 11am flight) decided that, in true V-Flyer form, as it was July 4 and therefore a holiday and I was on holiday, would have a G&T. At this my fellow passenger decided she would have a Sauvignon Blanc (I having told her that in Virgin time it is cocktail time somewhere in the world ) and as we bonded, it turned out that she was the passenger being paged! She had put her name down for an upgrade and in the absence of any other takers, she had been upgraded. Given the experience I had had of elite flyers being upgraded for free because of status, I asked her about this. No, she had been upgraded on there same terms that I had (albeit from Main Cabin Select) and had had to pay for it. I'm not sure why she had not been automatically upgraded but perhaps there had been others of the same ilk who had been wait-listed - or perhaps the combined juices of the fermented grape and juniper berry have addled my mind since it was so long ago

Emilyclare - we stayed at Aria in 2011 and it is very nice - hubby is a bit concerned over is proximity to Crystals though as he ended up buying me a new engagement/eternity ring from a certain shop with aqua packaging

We stayed at Bellagio with fountain view rooms in 2008 as it was a certain birthday year - as it's our Silver wedding anniversary we fancied doing the same again.

Honey Lamb - your TRs are legendary! I have bitten the bullet and used almost the last of our miles to bag First - cost me $11.20 in taxes! I know it's not the best use but we did want to guarantee we got them.