How to get Bulkhead Seats with Virgin?

[netmum]

I have a friend who would love to know the answer to this question. Is it worth joining their mileage programme?

Virgin experts needed!:D

Thanks

Rebecca

[floridadreamvilla.co.uk]

I recall somewhere it was mentioned that Virgin will do these seats but that they charge £50 extra for the priveledge :(.

[tinkerbell]

If you are friendly enough to the check in people, and happen to mention it while they are choosing your seat.....! I have been lucky more than once, so this does work! I am a frequent Virgin (?!) but I can't see how that would help really!

They won't let you sit in these seats if you are disabled in any way. or have young children, as they are of course emergency seats.

[steph_goodrum]

We always prebook our seats with Virgin to get what we prefer, and then we can ask if there are any bulkhead seats at checkin,if not we've usually got reasonable ones , exit ones are no good as our daughter is 16 and you have to be over 18 and physically fit. They usually keep the bulkhead ones for those travelling ith babies so you may find you get the legroom but could have a screaming baby (I know they won't all but you never know) so it's swings and roundabouts whether to go for them.
It's worth joining the mileage programme regardless as you will get your miles, each trip to Florida earns just under 9,000 miles so if you do five trips then the sixth can be free.
As John said if you want the extra legroom ones now they have started to charge £50. You can upgrade to Premium Economy for £150/£175 depending on who you book through, so if it's that much of an issue it might be worth a bit extra.

[markburwood]

WORD OR WARNING

If anyone's going to Florida with Virgin on 11th May 11.30ish flight I am taking my 3 children 6,4, and 2 month girl who normally starts screaming about 5pm to about 7pm.

Sorry to anybody flying then. Have a good trip:)

[steph_goodrum]

It wasn't personal Mark honest, I've had 16 years of childminding to acclimatise my ears and I usually find the best way to deal with a screaming child is to try and help occupy them rather than tut tut at the parents., at 2 months though there's not a lot you can do except walk up and down the plane.
:D

[markburwood]

Thanks Steph

Its not me i'm worried about but the poor passangers sitting around us.:(Hopefully on a Florida flight there will be lots of understanding parents.:(

[Karen]

Steph, do you have to book your tickets through Virgin themselves to register for the mileage programme?
We have booked flights for Christmas with Virgin through an independant agent, so wondered how to get ourselves registered. Thanks.

Re screaming children, we have taken our son out to our villa since he was 9 months old. The first trip (at 9 months) we booked a sky cot, but he was not interested in sleeping! He "sang" and played most of the way over, falling asleep just as we began our decent!

The second time we took his car seat on the plane, and he was just falling asleep, kicking the chair in front as he did so, when the lady who's seat he was kicking asked my husband, who was sitting next to our son, to stop him from doing so. Now, we all know how annoying it is to have your chair kicked, but as he was nearly asleep (and so was I, other wise I would have intervened) I would have said that as soon as he was asleep he would stop. However, my husband was not wise in the way of children, and moved his car seat, waking him in the process.
Then all hell was let loose and he cried and cried for over 1/2 an hour. Nothing would console him. The seat belt signs where on, and I could here people say "Oh, shut up!"
I was desperate, so I got up and walked to the cabin and asked for something to calm him. They gave me a tot of wiskey, but he did not want to know. But the distraction worked, and he stopped crying! So I drank the wiskey and felt a lot better for it. On the way back we saw another little girl sitting in her own seat (not a car seat) and I put him down next to her. They amused one another for about 10 minutes while I talked to the mother.
After that we got the cabin crew to take away his car seat and he was a good as gold for the rest of the flight.

And to our amazement at the end of the flight the cabin crew gave us a bottle of wine for coping so well :) Not bad, eh.

He is a lot better now he is older, and thankfully always sleeps on the return night flight!

[steph_goodrum]

Karen
No you can earn miles every time you fly on Virgin flights (some classes in economy may not qualify - the only one I've found is N but our tickets always seem to be Q - I always ask when I book since I found this out) Just wuote your membership no when you book or show your card at checkin to make sure the miles are added to your account. London to Orlando earns 8,600 miles for a return trip (40,000 miles gets a return ticket to the States). When you first register they send a cardboard card then when you've taken your first qualifying flight you get the proper plastic one sent. I'll find a link an e-mail it to you to join.
We didn't fly to the States until our daughter was 10 so never had the problems with young children but I know how upset they can get (usually more to the fact of beign restricted in a seat than any real problems and it can be difficult to pacify them, but like I say it doesn't help your own situation when you can see all your getting is sidewards glances from other people. I've had the temper tantrums with other peoples children I've looke dafter but fortunately only once with my own, on her 3rd birthday we took her to Windsor Safari park (where she fell in love with killer whales - well Winnie anyway!) having driven through the safari part and then parked up to walk round the zoo, my husband and brother wanted to watch the big cats being fed but we weren't sure if we had to drive back, so Michelle and I went into the education centre to ask, as we entered there was a 6' Burmese Python crawling across the floor, I went to ask amidst cries of "mummy I want to stroke the snake..." knowing time was short I said in a minute when we've found out....this was not good enough for her and at the top of her voice she screamed and stamped her foot" I want to stroke the snake ....now!!!" so being the tolerant mum I am, I said to her "oh go and stroke the snake then ....but don't blame me if he bites you!"

[tinkerbell]

Is this miles thing the same as my Frequent Virgin membership? I've been moving around so much in last couple of years, I have no idea which address they send any updates info etc to! Guess it'd be worth finding out!

[steph_goodrum]

Tinkerbell
If it is Frequent Virgin membership - that is the loyalty club of Virgin holidays (we belong to that one as well) which gives you things like 10% off their brochure prices, free car upgrade, best rooms available etc but not airmiles, you can join this when you've booked or been on your 3rd Virgin holiday.
The Virgin Atlantic loyalty club is called the Flying Club and this is the one you collect Freeway miles through, you can join this at any time.

[tinkerbell]

Oh! What a shame, I've flown with Virgin so many times, is this a new thing?? What a waste if not!

[steph_goodrum]

No it has been around for a while. Our first couple of trips we couldn't register as you used to have to do either 1 trip in Premium economy or 3 in economy in a year and it wasn't till we were buying th e house that we did the 3 and could register , then 3 months later they decided you could register and get miles after your 1st trip in economy (talk about Murphys law!), when you register you can alwasy ask them if they will backdate any of the miles if you've had any trips in the not too distant past. They can only say no.

[Karen]

Hi Steph,
Thanks for that info. We have also flown several times with Virgin, but only normally manage to go to Florida once a year. We could have gone more times this year, but we are TOO booked up:D
Do you need to go on Virgins website to register? And is it the Flying Club that you need to register with? I will have to ask the people we have booked our Christmas flights with what class it is. I have just found our last tickets with Virgin but cannot find the class on them. I will ask. Many thanks.

Re children and tantrums, our son is worse now than when he was younger. If we do not jump when he shouts jump he pulls this face and says "You make me so angry!!" (I wonder where he heard that one!!:D) I normally just raise my eyebrows and say "I beg your pardon" He soon gets the message!! (Why do we think when we have our own children that they will be little angels? I think it is nature tricking us!![}:)])

[steph_goodrum]

Hi Karen yes it's www.virgin-atlantic.com and then select Flying Club and it will tell you how to register. don't forget to register each of the family, children under 12 can't earn miles but if you register them at the same time then you don't have to remember when they are older.

As I said you've got nothing to lose by asking about recent flights, it would perhaps be better for them if they sent details with the tickets because there are probably many others who haven't joined who would gain.

[Karen]

Thanks Steph. I will get onto them:)