A friend has been asking me about upgrading their Virgin flights and I'm sure I remember reading somewhere that it depended on your class of ticket wether or not you could upgrade. Can't seem to find it now - will someone please be kind enough to explain again what the different classes mean please.
Thanks
Julie
Air travel has a unique pricing structure which means that you can pay a fraction of the cost of a passenger sitting next to you, yet receive exactly the same service. This is because seats are sold in discount categories known as 'buckets'.
The three main buckets on Virgin Atlantic are J, W & Y which are full fare Upper Class, Premium Economy and Economy respectively. Within each class, the full fare bucket is then broken down into the various discount fares, which are all subsets of the full fare bucket. All seats will be available at the full fare price, but only a subset will be available at the discounted prices.
The codes Virgin use for revenue fares, in order of their bucket class priority, are;
Upper Class: J, D, Z
Premium Economy: W, S, K, H
Economy: Y, B, L, M, Q, X, V, N
All Upper Class and Premium Economy fare codes are mileage and tier point earners. The only non-eligible revenue fare is N class in Economy. Certain Economy fares (the more expensive ones) also provide a mileage bonus.
Officially, only certain fare codes can be upgraded with miles, although you might get lucky at the airport if they need to make some moves on an aircraft due to a busy flight. You can generally pay to upgrade any fare code with hard cash, although this is normally the difference in price between the fare you paid and the upgraded class - so you're not really gaining anything by starting with the low fare unless they are offering incentive pricing at the airport. Basically, the rule is, the cheaper your fare code, the more restrictions. However, once you're on that aircraft - the service is exactly the same.
You can also hold a ticket for a flight on Virgin Atlantic in a non-revenue fare code, such as a mileage reward or companion flight. These codes are;
Upper Class: G
Premium Economy & Economy: U
Economy: T
Non-revenue fare codes do not earn tier points or miles, and you will not be able to upgrade them.
Mach 2 is spot on far as Virgin is concerned. When we booked our tickets last September for Jul/Aug this year we wanted to use our airmiles to go in Premium Economy. Having looked at the fares for economy, which were in the mid £700 region, we were told that the cheapest UPGRADABLE (and that is the key word) seats were £880. In the end we got a companion fare because it worked out cheaper.
Depending on when you are flying you maybe able to upgrade at the airport. as Mach 2 said, but if it is during school holidays then your chances are a lot less.
Having an upgradable ticket and an upgrade being available are 2 very different things. Because airlines don't need to sell comparatively cheap upgrades to economy passengers at busy times, they tend not to be available in peak seasons.
I must admit if I want an upgrade I tend to book the cabin I want in the first place as I do travel mostly at peak times[msnwink]
Thanks Julie and Paul - I'll pass this on.
As for me I'd be more than happy to cling on to the tail with a parachute - just to be going [msnwink]
Julie
<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Originally posted by julieanne
Thanks Julie and Paul - I'll pass this on.
As for me I'd be more than happy to cling on to the tail with a parachute - just to be going [msnwink]
[/quote]
Julieanne - it would be a bit chilly[msnwink][msnwink][msnwink]
<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Originally posted by Mach 2
<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Originally posted by julieanne
Thanks Julie and Paul - I'll pass this on.
As for me I'd be more than happy to cling on to the tail with a parachute - just to be going [msnwink]
[/quote]
Julieanne - it would be a bit chilly[msnwink][msnwink][msnwink]
[/quote]
Yes Julie but think of all the space
And you'd be first off at the stand.[msnwink]
<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Originally posted by Macka
<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Originally posted by Mach 2
<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Originally posted by julieanne
Thanks Julie and Paul - I'll pass this on.
As for me I'd be more than happy to cling on to the tail with a parachute - just to be going [msnwink]
[/quote]
Julieanne - it would be a bit chilly[msnwink][msnwink][msnwink]
[/quote]
Yes Julie but think of all the space
And you'd be first off at the stand.[msnwink]
[/quote]
LOL!!!!![clap][clap][clap]
On a serious note though, Surely no Airline would refuse to take your money if there were empty seats in the next cabin?
Also, has anyone ever negotiated? Surely anythings better than nothing?
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