Upper Class overbooked email

Stupid question probably, but have a flight from LHR - JFK booked for next week in Upper. Used points, and I'm Silver (managed Gold for only one year!). Booked hotel for the night before etc. Just got an email saying:

"We are contacting you regarding your upcoming flight to New York (JFK) on x December 2024 . We’re so sorry to advise that this flight is overbooked in our Upper Class cabin due to recent changes in our flying programme. As a result we’re unable to accommodate all booked passengers on this service.


To prevent disappointment at the airport, we are looking for volunteers who would be prepared to accept an alternative flight. We currently have availability in our Upper Class cabin on the following flight:

[Later Delta flight details given]

If you are able to help us out by changing to this flight or to an alternative date where there are seats available, we will be pleased to offer you a choice of one compensation package per person from the below options for the inconvenience this will cause.

Either

A select voucher which can be exchanged for a £500 discount off your next Virgin Atlantic flight. The voucher can be redeemed for travel anywhere on our network and is valid for 3 years. (1 voucher per passenger)
Or
50,000 Flying club points (Per passenger)
Please reply to this email with your preferred option and we will action your request and issue your compensation accordingly. "

What do you think the chances are of being involuntarily downgraded if I don't volunteer? Right now it still shows the A350-1000 it was earlier, but who even knows what they could do with that. It wouldn't be a catastrophe to change, but I'd rather not when I had quite looked forward to the Virgin experience and all that. Just don't know how likely it is that other people will volunteer and whether or not they will let us know or not let me check in/force me into economy. Points aren't really worth it to me as compensation anymore either. Hoping some of the more frequent fliers have insight or experience. Not in the mood today!

Quite a few factors come into play when selecting pax for involuntary downgrades. It's not just Flying Club status (although this helps) but also the fare class booked. A FC Red passenger on a full fare J ticket [doubtless paid for by an employer] is probably on a similar level as a newly qualified FC Gold passenger travelling on a Z fare ticket, which they have likely paid for themselves for leisure travel. The computer will see that a FC Red passenger on a full J fare has potential good earning potential to move them through the FC membership levels.

Of course, the computer should also look at "how much money has this passenger made us over the years?" So Flying Club Gold for Life / WINGS membership should play a part. Also look at the pattern of flying, i.e. how frequently and in what fare buckets? Do they just scrape a Flying Club level renewal or do they smash it well within the membership year?

Bizarrely, meal selection also takes a part. If you've ordered a special meal, the flight is already catered when it comes to offloading decisions on the day / at the gate. If they can't palm your special meal off onto another passenger, it goes in the bin & someone potentially goes hungry.

Back in 2006 I was on a LHR-JFK flight and a passenger who was clearly at least Flying Club Gold (quite possibly WINGS) had been boarded and was enjoying his pre-departure drink at the bar. The FSM was going round everyone he could identify as being on a single person booking on the manifest in Upper offering them "lots of miles" to downgrade to Premium Economy - presumably to free up an Upper seat for this gent. FSM got no takers so he ended up offering the huy at the bar a Premium Economy seat, or "make your own travel arrangements". The pax only had hand luggage so he offloaded himself, not a happy bunny (clearly whatever reason he had to be in NYC was not time-critical).

From the email the OP seems to have had, it sounds like a leisure config A350-1000 is planned to be substituted to operate his flight. To put an aircraft with this light J config on the most profitable LHR-JFK route is madness. But recently, VS have not been known for their sanity... they Flying Club "enhancements" with dynamic pricing & the new Upper Menus that according to VS "have been well received" - read most internet forums and the exact opposite on the meal front is clear, ditto for Flying Club "enhancements".

Quite a few factors come into play when selecting pax for involuntary downgrades. It's not just Flying Club status (although this helps) but also the fare class booked. A FC Red passenger on a full fare J ticket [doubtless paid for by an employer] is probably on a similar level as a newly qualified FC Gold passenger travelling on a Z fare ticket, which they have likely paid for themselves for leisure travel. The computer will see that a FC Red passenger on a full J fare has potential good earning potential to move them through the FC membership levels.

Of course, the computer should also look at "how much money has this passenger made us over the years?" So Flying Club Gold for Life / WINGS membership should play a part. Also look at the pattern of flying, i.e. how frequently and in what fare buckets? Do they just scrape a Flying Club level renewal or do they smash it well within the membership year?

Bizarrely, meal selection also takes a part. If you've ordered a special meal, the flight is already catered when it comes to offloading decisions on the day / at the gate. If they can't palm your special meal off onto another passenger, it goes in the bin & someone potentially goes hungry.

Back in 2006 I was on a LHR-JFK flight and a passenger who was clearly at least Flying Club Gold (quite possibly WINGS) had been boarded and was enjoying his pre-departure drink at the bar. The FSM was going round everyone he could identify as being on a single person booking on the manifest in Upper offering them "lots of miles" to downgrade to Premium Economy - presumably to free up an Upper seat for this gent. FSM got no takers so he ended up offering the huy at the bar a Premium Economy seat, or "make your own travel arrangements". The pax only had hand luggage so he offloaded himself, not a happy bunny (clearly whatever reason he had to be in NYC was not time-critical).

From the email the OP seems to have had, it sounds like a leisure config A350-1000 is planned to be substituted to operate his flight. To put an aircraft with this light J config on the most profitable LHR-JFK route is madness. But recently, VS have not been known for their sanity... they Flying Club "enhancements" with dynamic pricing & the new Upper Menus that according to VS "have been well received" - read most internet forums and the exact opposite on the meal front is clear, ditto for Flying Club "enhancements".

Thank you for this! Gives me some insight. It's VS3 too, which usually seems like a popular one to me. They're not really endearing themselves to me lately either, between mediocre meals and the new points scheme etc. Overlooked a lot of niggles over the years and tried to stay loyal, but it's getting harder. Will see if I get the preselect menu email tomorrow I suppose, and then see (and try the online link with PNR if it doesn't come). Kind of tend to be the anxious person who feels like I have to volunteer so I know what will happen instead of dealing with uncertainty, but it's not even a great offer of compensation overall and maybe someone else will be more enthusiastic about it! Prefer Upper because I'm solo, but that might also make me more tempting to bump.

As above several factors play into the selection which will be looked at closer to the check-in window.

As you are aware you’ll have no visibility as to the uptake of the offers to the e-mail as to whether this will be a problem or not. The good thing with VS3 is it can often have many connections some of which may now be able to take a direct flight so may assist with the drop offs.

If I were you though and were “open” to volunteering I wouldn’t do so with the offering they are providing you in that e-mail and instead would leave it to the airport as the downgrade compensation from Upper is actually a completely free (no taxes) return ticket in Upper. You’ll still get your lounge/baggage/miles and TP’s etc.

At the current prices these days if your willing to give me a free return in J for a downgrade to W I would deffo consider it but that’s down to each individual circumstance.

The fact they are e-mailing indicates it is a heavy oversale but if you do end up being effected it is usually a 1 cabin downgrade.

Good luck whichever direction you choose!!

As above several factors play into the selection which will be looked at closer to the check-in window.

As you are aware you’ll have no visibility as to the uptake of the offers to the e-mail as to whether this will be a problem or not. The good thing with VS3 is it can often have many connections some of which may now be able to take a direct flight so may assist with the drop offs.

If I were you though and were “open” to volunteering I wouldn’t do so with the offering they are providing you in that e-mail and instead would leave it to the airport as the downgrade compensation from Upper is actually a completely free (no taxes) return ticket in Upper. You’ll still get your lounge/baggage/miles and TP’s etc.

At the current prices these days if your willing to give me a free return in J for a downgrade to W I would deffo consider it but that’s down to each individual circumstance.

The fact they are e-mailing indicates it is a heavy oversale but if you do end up being effected it is usually a 1 cabin downgrade.

Good luck whichever direction you choose!!

Thanks. It didn't really seem like a great offer. Now if I knew it had changed to the 787, I might be more eager to test-drive Delta One I suppose. But will probably hold out and hope they either let me be or offer something better. I'm not a nervous flyer on the flight, but find all this kind of stuff annoying. Luckily not the kind of situation where I absolutely have to be there at a certain time though.

The app still shows it as A350-1000 but a source tells me it will be changed to the neo, meaning overbooked by 2. Wait and see, I suppose! Have ordered a meal and chose a seat ages ago, FWIW. Everything else I'll just leave to fate. If it was a change to 787 or A333 I'd probably have tried the DL2 option, just to see what it was like.

Oversold by 2 minimum. The original 350 could have also been oversold.

Oversold by 2 minimum. The original 350 could have also been oversold.

True! That's just what they thought based on the loads they could see. All a bit of a pain. My Virgin love is fading...

[mitchja]

Made it onto VS3, and even got my sleep suit, as well as a sneaky peek at the 330 neo flight deck. Thanks everyone for the advice!