Seat map

Brought up the seat map at T-60 days the seat map had been open for 1 hour and almost 2/3 of the lower deck of pe where full don't ask about the top deck that was full to. Managed to bag the last two window seats in the whole cabin, is this a technical fault or it is a very busy flight

is it a route used by virgin holidays?

i think that they use top deck for their PE bookings, maybe overflow then goes onto main deck?

Yes on a number of routes a significant number of PE seats aren't available to select because they're reserved for VH. If they're not needed by VH they're released for general selection a few days before departure so it's worth checking back every so often.

This is in my opion where VS lets it premium flying club members. I much prefer the BA system which keeps the best seats for golds, then silvers and then you can pay to select if a special seat is wanted. They don't give booking booked through BA holidays priority over status members and you can select from the moment you book. Perhaps if SRB had put as much focus into his IT system as he did in rebuilding Neckar island it would be sorted now

If I've paid upwards of £2k or £3k for a business class seat, I expect to be able to choose my seat for free. I can with VS, irrespective of status. I can't with BA.

Do VS still hold back 40% of seats for selection at OLCI? That would account for a good chunk not being available.

VH do get a special allocation but my understanding it that it was for 1/2 the PE seats upstairs not 1/2 of all PE seats.

As to status passengers getting to select seats at different stages before the flight I see plenty of complaints about this on BA flyer talk - usually on the basis that "I've paid £££ for my flight and yet they want more to select a seat" and "why should a gold get to select a seat and I can't isn't my money just as good?" Have also seen similar comments on the VS Face Book page too.

Maybe time to bring back the old days and you were given a seat when you checked-in???

If you paid £2k and your upset at not getting your seat of choice,just think how someone who spends £80k a year with that airline would feel if their choice of seat went to someone who bought it through the holidays sub company. I am sorry to say I my opinion VS has failed miserably on looking after its higher spending golds over the last few years. Sarastro tried to raise this point in a recent post and was shot down in flames. On my last flight with BA in September in the first cabin there were including myself 4 ex VS golds who had switched to BA due to feeling undervalued. I know people relate to other forums about people being unhappy, but that's because they a reforms where opinions good or bad are openly expressed whereas this site is a VS fan club and therefore highly biased towards VS.

I guess the issue is that "I" want "my" seat available when "I" want to book it..... so some people (e.g. golds) prefer their choices to be available based on status, as they (in theory) generate more revenue. But other people (i.e. those who can plan ahead, and so get a "cheap" class or a VH package prefer their choices available from when they book.

You can't satisfy both as they are polar opposites. Simple as that. In theory there should be no "bad seats" in UC or PE, so it shouldn't matter when the booking or seat reservation is made, and as (in theory) a portion of seats in each cabin is held back to the last minute any "required" changes should still be accommodated for family groups, etc.

I actually like the current T-60, as it seems to be a reasonable balance. I hate the BA way where if you don't have status you either pay or risk getting "a not so good seat".

My 2p's worth, anyway...

If I've paid upwards of £2k or £3k for a business class seat, I expect to be able to choose my seat for free. I can with VS, irrespective of status. I can't with BA.

Totally agree but I would like to do it during the booking period Having flown BA several times recently, I have chosen to 'pay for a seat request' whereas on Virgin it would have been free.

If you paid £2k and your upset at not getting your seat of choice, just think how someone who spends £80k a year with that airline would feel if their choice of seat went to someone who bought it through the holidays sub company. I am sorry to say I my opinion VS has failed miserably on looking after its higher spending golds over the last few years. .......... this site is a VS fan club and therefore highly biased towards VS.

Is that a person spending £80k or their company. Personally I think that makes a big difference.

Personally I loathe the 'status' and 'dykwIam' syndrome. All this nonsense of 'looking after their golds, silver etc'. A passenger is a passenger regardless of how many points or miles they have accrued. Treat everyone equal in the fare class they have purchased.

I would like to see all airlines agree to throw all the loyalty programmes out of the window and bring fares into line accordingly. Seats could be allocated on a first come basis and if needs be charge for them (coz fares would be significantly lower if loyalty programmes didn't need propping up).

Of course this site is favoured towards VS but there are plenty of derogatory comments and lots of constructive criticism written about about them too though . Basically airlines are like supermarkets - some are better than others but each will often exceed in a specific way.

Finally I agree totally that VH passengers should certainly not get 'special' seat allocation over someone who has bought their ticket via VS. It makes no sense, is utterly unfair and is yet another 'gimmick' which needs throwing out.

>>> Finally I agree totally that VH passengers should certainly not get 'special' seat allocation

I don't think they get a "special" allocation as such; I know on the LGW previous config with PE upstairs that half (the front half?) of PE was "reserved" for VH and then released a few days before the flight, and it looks like that "block" may now have been transferred to the main PE cabin in the latest config.

But I have a UC VH flight to Cuba in a couple of weeks, and I just reserved our seats at T-60 in the usual way, so nothing "special" there, and if I hadn't reserved them it would be pot luck at the airport. I presume most VH passengers are in groups of 2 or more, and that is why VH had a "block" to themselves, as well as the normal "non-reservable" portion that is held back anyway until check in.

The cost issue isn't relevant here - VA has said PE & UC reservations will not be chargeable, so it then becomes a case of "when" for those cabins...

Until the "chargeable" thing came along, we could all reserve at time of booking, and I don't recall that being a major issue then... and once the T-60 limit is removed, we will revert back to that T-330 window - the only difference is that some (most?) Y passengers will have to pay if they want reservations in advance, but a "family group" should always be "together" regardless as that is a CAA requirement for children. But as a couple of adults, then you could be split up, so if you don't want to risk that, give VA some more money - as you do with other airlines.

And BA do charge for non-status passengers to make reservations ahead of time in their premium cabins, unlike the VA approach.

>>> Finally I agree totally that VH passengers should certainly not get 'special' seat allocation

I don't think they get a "special" allocation as such; I know on the LGW previous config with PE upstairs that half (the front half?) of PE was "reserved" for VH and then released a few days before the flight, and it looks like that "block" may now have been transferred to the main PE cabin in the latest config.

....

And BA do charge for non-status passengers to make reservations ahead of time in their premium cabins, unlike the VA approach.

My viewpoint on the 'special' allocation is based on my experience of flying numerous times Gatwick to Orlando and I still consider the word 'special' allocation is relevant.

If rows of seats are blocked off for a specific group of passengers (VH) virtually right up to the OLCI period, then that's a special privilege only afforded to VH customers. Whether it happens on other flights, I cannot comment but my opinion is it should not happen on any route.

Some members of my family travelled to Orlando in July and when booking their package holiday back in 2013 with VH, they were told they "would be allocated PE seats upstairs if they wanted" and were even asked which seat numbers they would like VH to reserve for them. This was well before the usual T-60 period .
When 'other' passengers go in at T-60 those seats will be greyed out.

BA certainly do change for all seats in whichever class you're booked into, unless you have "status" , as I found out in April when I paid for our BA seats in order to sit together as a family!

>>Some members of my family travelled to Orlando in July and when booking their package holiday back in 2013 with VH, they were told they "would be allocated PE seats upstairs if they wanted" and were even asked which seat numbers they would like VH to reserve for them. This was well before the usual T-60 period>>

I imagine that at peak holiday times, the Orlando flights are almost a "charter flight" for VH! I don't think it's wrong for VH to "buy" a certain allocation in advance, and be able to manage their own reservations within their "own block"... I guess it is almost as if VH have "bought" such a large allocation that VS are happy to let them manage it in this way - they are separate companies, but under the same "umbrella" after all.