can not prebook seats on virgin?

[lisuhut]

Hi
I am due to fly out on the 11th jan 4 adults and 2 very young children.
Have been trying to prebook flight seats on Virgin and am getting no where
It has at last let me on the site and let me order the childrens meals but i can not pre book the seats
I will be so mad if we are not seated together
They seem to be getting worse at everything
Any ideas please?
Have tried phoning them direct ,they say go on line

 

[orangetiggs]

you can prebook them, they are not guarenteed.

it might be that they are in the middle of changing the seat map or something like that but if you have logged in to order meals you shouldnt have a problem doing the seats

I say keep trying

 

[Obi Wan Kenobi]

Have you booked seats for the children?

 

[Stitch's Greatest Fa]

Hi, I have booked a sky cot and because of this it has fixed my seat and won't let me into the planner.

 

[islandmum]

if you've booked a skycot for one child it automatically means 1 adult will get a bulkhead seat with that child. Bulkhead seats are not prebookable for a regular traveller and the remaining passengers cannot prebook bulkhead seats to sit with that adult. The other child and adult will be put together to sit as every young child has to be with the assigned adult - but it may very well not be near you with the other child in the skycot - they may be right behind you or they may well be some rows behind you.

The other bulkhead seats are then asigned to any diabled traveller if there are any, or any other people who qualify for those seats. If there are any left over when you check in at the desk (they will not asign using OLCI) you may nab a couple more if you are very lucky.

But to be honest the chances of you all sitting bulkhead with the kids in skycots is pretty non-existent. Most likely will be 1 adults, 1 babe in the skycots, and the other 4 passengers somewhere else, hopefully together.

I would phone VA asap and get the other 4 seated together manually over the phone as they will be able to access the booking.

Its not VS's fault, this is how the airlines have to operate - bulkhead seating must be for those who need it (as you do with a child in a skycot), not for the other passengers accompanying you, which is why those seats are not open for seat bookings and are asigned by the airlines.

 

[lisuhut]

Thanks for the answers eveybody.
I have booked a seat for the three year old but not for the one year old as he is very clingy with his mum and we know he will not sit in a seat,as he did not when we went to Paris.
I will keep trying to book them ,i will not be happy if we are split, i have never had this trouble before with Virgin, but they seem to be getting worse rather than better .
Thanks again x

 

[Obi Wan Kenobi]

Thanks for the answers eveybody.
I have booked a seat for the three year old but not for the one year old as he is very clingy with his mum and we know he will not sit in a seat,as he did not when we went to Paris.
I will keep trying to book them ,i will not be happy if we are split, i have never had this trouble before with Virgin, but they seem to be getting worse rather than better .
Thanks again x

Virgin have never allowed you to pre request seats with a child not having a seat, the same way as you will not be able to checkin online, as you cannot checkin someone without a seat.

 

[Stitch's Greatest Fa]

Apart from skycot people and disabled people who else "qualifies" for bulkheads. Presumably if there is not a qualifying person then they will try to sit everyone together.

Thanks for your extremely negative post islandmum!

 

[Obi Wan Kenobi]

Whilst i can understand the reaosns for the bulkhead seats for the skycots, personallly, I have found them to have LESS leg room than ordinary seats, as if you are tall, there is no-where to stretch your legs out into, so you are always in one position, plus the locked arm rests means you cannot raise them to make more room.

The proble does occur if you have a few babies onboard the flight all needing skycots, as you can only get a couple in each center bulkhead.
Probably in that case they would seat other members of the group around the area of the bulkhead seats.

Virgin like all other scheduled airlines do try and keep families together, but it does depend on how full the flight is, how many disabled, how mant sky cots etc etc.

if your'e on the VS 27 at the moment the flight is wide open, only 41 in economy, VS15 even less with only five in economy, so seating together should not be too much of a problem

 

[Stitch's Greatest Fa]

Hey if there is anyone who is able to check the VS075 from MAN on 8th Aug to see how full I would be grateful.

Obi thanks, your reply made me feel better, I panicked after reading Islandmums post.

 

[Obi Wan Kenobi]

Hey if there is anyone who is able to check the VS075 from MAN on 8th Aug to see how full I would be grateful.

Obi thanks, your reply made me feel better, I panicked after reading Islandmums post.

About 15 economy seats left empty all singles.
Seat availability shows full 0 availability

 

[epcot.girl]

Thanks for your extremely negative post islandmum!

I found her info to be quite helpful That *is* how airlines have to operate. I imagine they do their best to keep families together, but depending on the number of other babies or disabled people, sometimes it's just not possible - especially with larger groups of people.

Whilst i can understand the reaosns for the bulkhead seats for the skycots, personallly, I have found them to have LESS leg room than ordinary seats, as if you are tall, there is no-where to stretch your legs out into, so you are always in one position, plus the locked arm rests means you cannot raise them to make more room.

I agree. Somehow, my bf and I got seated in bulkheads on our last flight home along with two other women. They were way more uncomfortable than the 'regular' economy seats - fixed arm rests, TV screens folded into them (and maybe the tray? I can't even remember!), and no place to stretch your feet into.

 

[lisuhut]

Hi
I am not trying to book for the baby with no seat,just for those of us that are in need of one !
It is important we are together for the littles ones ,i guess i will just have to kick off at the twilight check in then lol
Thanks everybody

 

[Elise79]

They will seat you together if they can and there is no need to 'kick off'. A polite request is all that is needed. The reason for you not being able to request seats has been explained - it is because you have one member of you party that does not have a seat.

Just get to twilight check in and ask to be seated together and I am sure they will do the best they can to get in the same area

 

[lisuhut]

My my 'KICK OFF' is just a figure of speach,if the infant does not have a seat ,i still do not see the problem in prebooking there are five others in the party and i only want five seats ,why should people travelling with infants be treated different to anybody else
I did not know this post would cause so much trouble, could be why i do not post much and just read
Thanks to those trying to help anyway.

 

[islandmum]

Apart from skycot people and disabled people who else "qualifies" for bulkheads. Presumably if there is not a qualifying person then they will try to sit everyone together.

Thanks for your extremely negative post islandmum!

well I'm so sorry you perceive the facts to be so negative ..... the OP asked the questions and I answered with the facts that are used by the airline.

Other people given bulkheads are taller people (my friend who is 6'8 for example always gets a bulkhead seat. Elderly people also who have problems with mobility.

Bulkhead seats are never assigned to regular passengers until the day of travel - and very rarely will they accomodate an entire party of 6 across the whole front row. You may get lucky - but why give the wrong impression?

Infact the airline is under no obligation to sit anyone together - they are perfectly within their rights to fling us all about all over the aircraft, but mostly they do accomodate us all if they can.

I find the truth is much better for the OP and hopefully answered their questions so they can contact VS with more info at their fingertips.

I hope the OP found the info I gave to be helpful - maybe not what they wanted to hear but helpful, and definately hope the flight works out well and they get good seating.


You may not like the truth Stitch's but no need to be snarky to the one who tells it.

 

[lisuhut]

Hi
Well i have now managed to book the seats !
After phone calls and e-mails and everybody telling me to phone somebody else, a kind young man from virgin holidays understood that i was getting stressed and worried
He phoned virgin atlanic and prebooked my seats both outbound and inbound
In return i asked to speak to his supervisor just to let them know that he had managed to do in one hour what i had tried to do for four months ( since April)
Thank you all again sorry it caused so much aggro.
Hugs all

 

[islandmum]

Hi
Well i have now managed to book the seats !
After phone calls and e-mails and everybody telling me to phone somebody else, a kind young man from virgin holidays understood that i was getting stressed and worried
He phoned virgin atlanic and prebooked my seats both outbound and inbound
In return i asked to speak to his supervisor just to let them know that he had managed to do in one hour what i had tried to do for four months ( since April)
Thank you all again sorry it caused so much aggro.
Hugs all

I've always found contacting them by phone is the easiest and best way to get a straight answer and some action - they can bypass the strict computer system we the public have to use.