Changing connecting itinerary to nonstop on day of travel.

Flying LAX-BOS-LHR, LHR-LAX. Need to get into LHR by around 9:30am. Like anyone who’s paying on their own dime I try to save money and the PE fare on my date for the LAX-LHR nonstop was around $800 more than a connection through BOS using a codeshare flight on DL for the LAX-BOS segment. This itinerary was booked directly with VS.

I made an amateur mistake in not checking the connection time in BOS until a over a day after I booked and learned it was only an hour, and that’s not airside as there is no airside connection between Terminal A and Terminal E. I have TSA Pre-Check but still there is very little margin for error.

On the day of travel, if I present myself at the LAX VS counter and ask realllly nicely if I could get on the LAX-LHR nonstop, if there is space available is there any chance they might accommodate this request?

I think the only possible to answer this at the moment is "maybe". This may be one that you will have to report back to us on..!

I think the only possible to answer this at the moment is "maybe". This may be one that you will have to report back to us on..!

Managed to get the LAX-BOS segment changed to the earlier flight which departs LAX at 8:15am so I doubt there will be any VS agents working the counters that early. This gives me almost a 5 hour layover (!) at BOS. Not thrilled about getting up so early and having such a long hanging-around period but I really don't want to miss the BOS-LHR flight. While I won't have access to the CH, with the various credit cards I have I can do a little lounge-hopping like the DL SkyClubs in Terminal A and a couple Priority Pass lounges in E.

late to this threadbut whilst US airlines are more flexible about same day changes than European ones you do essentialy have to mantain your original routing and connection city especially if there is an international leg involved.

If you have 5 hours in BOS that's more than enough time (your energy permitting) to get yourself into downdown Boston for a couple of hours. If you take the silver line then it's free to downtown (including connecting to the red line at South Station.

Seconding a trip downtown. It takes no time at all to get into the city. If you did feel like staying airside the DL Skyclub in Terminal A satellite is quite decent.

late to this threadbut whilst US airlines are more flexible about same day changes than European ones you do essentialy have to mantain your original routing and connection city especially if there is an international leg involved.

If you have 5 hours in BOS that's more than enough time (your energy permitting) to get yourself into downdown Boston for a couple of hours. If you take the silver line then it's free to downtown (including connecting to the red line at South Station.

The Silver Line is free? That might instigate me to go into the city. (Yes, I get the irony of spending over $1k on an airplane ticket and getting happy about not paying a $2.50 bus fare). I'll report here how it all went down.

Yes it’s free going into the city but not back to the airport.

Just a follow-up on how this all panned out. As mentioned I cajoled the VS agent to change my LAX-BOS flight to they (very) earlier one after I explained to him that BOS has no post-security connection between Terminals A and E.

When I arrived at LAX at around 6:45am for my DL 8:15am flight, there were no signs of Virgin personnel. Considering the first VS flight isn’t scheduled to depart LAX until about 3pm, this wasn’t a surprise. So no changing of itinerary to a nonstop.

For my 5 hour layover in BOS after the LAX-BOS on-time arrival, I took the free Silver Line to South Station, walked about 5 minutes to an awesome dive bar/pub called Biddy Early’s and spent a little over an hour there. It was all the Boston I needed. Took the not-free Silver Line back to T5, took a shower at The Club, then sat in the CH (am Delta Gold so I was allowed even though I was in PE) and it turned out the BOS-LHR flight departed an hour late, meaning I would’ve easily made the connection from the originally booked LAX-BOS inbound and could’ve slept at home for another four hours. Oh well, better safe than sorry.

I'm a bit sorta mystified that after you shopped around for the cheapest fare you could see, missed the connection time issue, that you expect VS to rebook you on a direct on what is one their high yielding routes. Seems you made it but all the same, when you get a discount you know that comes with hassle, right?

I'm a bit sorta mystified that after you shopped around for the cheapest fare you could see, missed the connection time issue, that you expect VS to rebook you on a direct on what is one their high yielding routes. Seems you made it but all the same, when you get a discount you know that comes with hassle, right?

That was totally uncalled for. Sorry you feel the need to be combative after a post that was meant to be informative and perhaps somewhat entertaining about a very long city layover. I always like reading follow-ups to posters situations and in return I provide the same.

Let’s make this clear as it should’ve been make clear from the OP. I did not “expect” anything, nor is there any indication of such in the OP. We don’t know where you got the “expect” part from. Simply inquiring if they could have some day-of-travel leeway as moving passengers to other flights sometimes is to the airline’s benefit (overbooked flights, cancelled flights, etc.) is a far cry from “expecting” anything.