Another Virgin seating question

[RobinHood's merrymen]

We are about to book for Nov 2008 with Virgin's newest brochure. The last we went to WDW, back in 2004 you could ring a number so many days before the flight date (something silly like 320 days before departure) However I can not find anything in this brochure. Is on-line the only way you can do it? How many days in advance can you request seating requirments? While I'm on, what a shock it was to find out what the fuel surcharges are. There is one sentence in the small print saying it will be added at the time of booking with no mention of price. I wasn't expecting to have £432 added to the quote for the 4 of us! I guess things have changed a little since 2004!

 

[Obi Wan Kenobi]

Virgin Atlantic allows bookings and seat reservations 336 days from the date of the flight, so in reality 336 days from the date of your return flight.
Virgin Holidays will book you more than that time, but still cannot book the actual seats before that 336 day window

 

[amystevekai&bump]

Virgin Atlantic allows bookings and seat reservations 336 days from the date of the flight, so in reality 336 days from the date of your return flight.
Virgin Holidays will book you more than that time, but still cannot book the actual seats before that 336 day window

can you do it twice - ie book the outbound seats when that date arrives and then the inbound ones when the second date arrives??

 

[Obi Wan Kenobi]

can you do it twice - ie book the outbound seats when that date arrives and then the inbound ones when the second date arrives??

I think (though I am not certain) that you can. You certainly can try.
You will need your Booking reference or E ticket number to try.

 

[Claire L]

can you do it twice - ie book the outbound seats when that date arrives and then the inbound ones when the second date arrives??

I think you booking only becomes 'live' on the system once the date for the return flight reaches 336 days so you cannot do them seperately at their respective 336 day windows unless booked as two single flights.

Claire

 

[CoralCayTownhome]

Seats seem to be released at different times. Once your 336 day window comes along book them but then you can log in at any time and review or change the seats to others that have become available.

 

[Obi Wan Kenobi]

60% are released at 336 days.
Into these seats go all the holiday/Travel agents bookings and from 336 days onwards all the current bookings (up to 60%)
They do not release bulkhead or emergency exit seats at this point, nor the rows 21,22,23 (the "mini" economy section next to the downstairs PE seats)

At 24 hours before the flight, the other 40% are released (or what is left of them on heavily booked flights) plus the mini economy seats and depending on the flight, some of the bulkhead seats.

You need to keep checking back at your seat assignment (I do even in UC) as a change of aircraft (and it only needs to be change of specified aircraft) will make the computer wipe all its pre requests!

Check each week as if you don't your seats could be re assigned.

 

[crabbie1]

Obi ,is the PE class seating onthe 747's from manchester always the same (ie some upstairs and some down)or does it sometimes have upper class upstairs?
I have been checking weekly.When do they normally notify a change of aircraft? Looking at one of the threads it was about a month before but I suppose it could change on the day eh.

 

[Obi Wan Kenobi]

Obi ,is the PE class seating onthe 747's from manchester always the same (ie some upstairs and some down)or does it sometimes have upper class upstairs?
I have been checking weekly.When do they normally notify a change of aircraft? Looking at one of the threads it was about a month before but I suppose it could change on the day eh.

99.999999% of the time it will be the LGW/MAN configuration with all upstairs PE and two rows of PE downstairs.
The reason for this is that they have to have seats in PE available for the disabled under the Disability Discrimination Act.

The only time you will have a change to a Heathrow aircraft is if there is a major problem with gatwick aircraft at a time when one of the gatwick aircraft is away on major servicing (normally in the winter quiet period) then you could have V-Port enabled aircraft.

It could cahnage on the day VS75 has had this on wednesday when the scheduled aircraft was damaged and a replacement flown in (in this case it was a LGW replacement)

 

[Lizzy Lemon]

I have rang the Special Needs helpline to ensure that we are all kept together due to our sons needs (when we get a formal autism diagnosis through they said to ring back) but until then we have been told there should be no problem sitting together, I hope this is true if so many people are requesting seats together how many are left for the actual check in day? We cannot possibly be parted from him and it wouldn't work for just one of us to be with him (just thinking about my frequent loo visits!). I've tried requesting seats but my booking ref wouldn't work due to TA's block booking.

 

[MorningGlory]

60% are released at 336 days.
Into these seats go all the holiday/Travel agents bookings and from 336 days onwards all the current bookings (up to 60%)
They do not release bulkhead or emergency exit seats at this point, nor the rows 21,22,23 (the "mini" economy section next to the downstairs PE seats)

At 24 hours before the flight, the other 40% are released (or what is left of them on heavily booked flights) plus the mini economy seats and depending on the flight, some of the bulkhead seats.

You need to keep checking back at your seat assignment (I do even in UC) as a change of aircraft (and it only needs to be change of specified aircraft) will make the computer wipe all its pre requests!

Check each week as if you don't your seats could be re assigned.

Are these seats better than the normal economy seats Obi?

Would it be worthwhile going to the 'manage your flights' bit 24 hours before departure to see if we can change to those seats?

 

[Obi Wan Kenobi]

Are these seats better than the normal economy seats Obi?

Would it be worthwhile going to the 'manage your flights' bit 24 hours before departure to see if we can change to those seats?

They are the same size seats as normal economy but, and this is the big but, they are in what is called Zone B, i.e. there are two rows of PE (Rows 81 & 82) then three rows of economy seating 21, 22 & 23 ABC, DEFG & HJK.
This is like a small private cabin, as you have behind 23 DEFG the stairs to the upper deck and the toilet/galley areas, so it's seperated from the rest of the economy cabin. The rows If I recall are serviced by the PE crew so its like a mini cabin.
Also if the flight is not full, well, if there are no pe downstairs, after take off...........

Whoops! forgot the other major benefit of these seats, you are one of the first off the aircraft due to their positioning!!

24 hours before your flight, its time then to check in on line, not manage your booking by the way

 

[wilma-bride]

In answer to the OP's question, you can phone VA direct and book the seats you require or you can obtain your VA booking ref and do it online. However, as I have discovered in the last couple of days, you can only do this once VH have released the details of your booking to VA. Unfortunately, there is no way of knowing when they plan to do this and despite several calls to the Mumbai/Delhi branch of VH rolleyes: ), I have been unable to get a straight answer. Consequently, I can not pre-book our seats even though we are now within the 336 day window

 

[MorningGlory]

They are the same size seats as normal economy but, and this is the big but, they are in what is called Zone B, i.e. there are two rows of PE (Rows 81 & 82) then three rows of economy seating 21, 22 & 23 ABC, DEFG & HJK.
This is like a small private cabin, as you have behind 23 DEFG the stairs to the upper deck and the toilet/galley areas, so it's seperated from the rest of the economy cabin. The rows If I recall are serviced by the PE crew so its like a mini cabin.
Also if the flight is not full, well, if there are no pe downstairs, after take off...........

Whoops! forgot the other major benefit of these seats, you are one of the first off the aircraft due to their positioning!!

24 hours before your flight, its time then to check in on line, not manage your booking by the way

But wouldn't I have to go into the 'manage your flights' part first to change to those seats (as they dont get released til 24hrs before departure, right?) before I do the online checkin? Or is there a part during online checkin where you can change your seats?

 

[Obi Wan Kenobi]

But wouldn't I have to go into the 'manage your flights' part first to change to those seats (as they dont get released til 24hrs before departure, right?) before I do the online checkin? Or is there a part during online checkin where you can change your seats?

Sorry paul, its been a long day and still more hours to go!
You are probably right. I havepersonally not done online check in, I like the walking up to the UC check in too much

Someone who has done it like Wayne will probably be along to confirm.

 

[MorningGlory]

Sorry paul, its been a long day and still more hours to go!
You are probably right. I havepersonally not done online check in, I like the walking up to the UC check in too much

Someone who has done it like Wayne will probably be along to confirm.

No worries, you've been a great help

I'll defintely try for them

 

[amystevekai&bump]

Sorry to be a pain - but one more question??!!!

When you say the remaining 40% are released 24 hours before - would that include the seats where you would have a Sky cot??

I did ask a Virgin rep if I could book a sky cot and she explained that it would depend on whether there were any disabled travellers on our flight and we wouldn't know until check - in.

I appreciate that a disabled traveller will have final priority over us, but was wondering if there is anything I should do to maximise my chances of a sky cot say over other travellers with small children???

(I'm a very terrified flyer and its our first time with children and I want to try and get a sky cot to make it easier if I possibly can!!)

Ohh - we will also be doing twilight check-in - will that help in my plight??!!