Paying for PE

[AliceGardner]

"Self-upgrading" is apparently quite common in the US (on US domestic flights - i.e. people from economy sitting in First) - have read quite a lot about it and husband saw one case with his own eyes. Have also heard of it happening on BA intra-European flights (we fly BA a lot...). I think that it honestly depends on the crew - if they are on the ball it really wont happen, if they are not it can and does happen.

Haven't flown Virgin in some time (because of husband flies with BA quite a bit for his work, it works out better for us to fly with BA), so don't know if their staff tend to be "on the ball" for most of their flights. I always tended to find Virgin staff less "formal" and organised than BA staff.

I don't worry to much as long as I get the seat and service that I have paid for and no-one disturbs me. The worst thing is when people come through the curtain to use the business class loos or to chat to their friends in your cabin when you are trying to sleep. Those things shouldn't happen, but normally the staff don't monitor the rear Business cabin as much.

Alice

 

[wilma-bride]

I'm not sure I get it to be honest - but DeborahS, why don't you try it next time you fly to the states and report back and let us know how you get on

 

[islandmum]

I think this thread is a wind up....

I have to agree - the OP can say it till she's blue in the face but this simply does not happen.

With the headcounts taken to match manifesto reports IT CANT happen!

no case of "well it did" ....... NO it didnt, load of rubbish.

And if you dress nice and walk up and ASK for an upgrade .... thats one way not to get it. They will upgrade when financially necessary (as in overbooking in economy) or if you are connected in anyway to the airline or crew.

"karen" is a little pink piggy flying through the sky ..... unaided I think!

 

[wilma-bride]

"karen" is a little pink piggy flying through the sky ..... unaided I think!

Unaided maybe - but certainly not in PE

 

[AliceGardner]

IWith the headcounts taken to match manifesto reports IT CANT happen!

no case of "well it did" ....... NO it didnt, load of rubbish.

As I said, it certainly does happen on other airlines (certainly on intra-US and intra-European flights). But I have never seen anything specifically about it happening on Virgin before.

I would be surprised if people could get away with it regularly.

Alice

 

[london75]

I've certainly seen it happen on BA traveller plus in the past so don't see why it wouldn't happen occasionally on Virgin too.

On BA they used to wait until head counts were taken then head to spare seats in traveller plus and pretend to be asleep whenever passed. It was only a curtain though, I can't see anyone being successful in getting upstairs on a jumbo.

Personally it riles me to see happening, we save up and save up to have a little treat and some scum decide to steal what we worked hard for.

 

[Obi Wan Kenobi]

I have to say that if I was in PE and saw this happen, I would scream blue murder to the FA. I think most people in PE or UC (though that would not happen, as all of us in UC are logged onto a sheet showing our FF staus and names as suposidle the FSM is supposed to call us by name, though that rarely happens nowadays) woud do the same.

 

[DeborahS]

I have to say that if I was in PE and saw this happen, I would scream blue murder to the FA.

I think that is it when it happens most people don't know it is happening. If someone boards late is well dressed goes confidently to their seat maybe sees you looking at them smiles confidently at you and maybe even says "hello", do you think that they are upgrading themselves and don't belong? Are you going to scream at the stewardess to check that they didn't upgrade themselves?

Maybe it is wrong what they do. I think that I will ask at check-in for an upgrade instead, that can't hurt.

Still am surprised that nobody here has done it. Maybe we just have unusually dodgy friends lol. But we are "virgin" virgins this trip.

Deborah

 

[islandmum]

Unaided maybe - but certainly not in PE

indeed

 

[Obi Wan Kenobi]

I think that is it when it happens most people don't know it is happening. If someone boards late is well dressed goes confidently to their seat maybe sees you looking at them smiles confidently at you and maybe even says "hello", do you think that they are upgrading themselves and don't belong? Are you going to scream at the stewardess to check that they didn't upgrade themselves?

Maybe it is wrong what they do. I think that I will ask at check-in for an upgrade instead, that can't hurt.

Still am surprised that nobody here has done it. Maybe we just have unusually dodgy friends lol. But we are "virgin" virgins this trip.

Deborah

But Deborah, if someone boards late the FA will escort them to their seat as normally they will have problems getting their hand luggage into the lockers. They will NOT be able just to waltz on and head for PE without showing their boarding card. This is fundamental to the airline to check that the pax is on the right flight and that they are heading the right way.
Again, a head count is done to check the amount of pax vs the seats.

 

[Pooster]

We flew with VA on our honeymoon to Florida in 1999, our flight was delayed for 2 hrs but we were stuck on the plane, we got talking to the stewardess and she offered to upgrade us ONCE the flight had taken off, and not before, as she said there would be bedlam if people knew other passesngers were being upgraded, so i think your friends are pulling your leg.

Most upgrades happen at checkin, not once you are on the plane.

 

[kristieuk]

I completely agree - this just wouldn't happen without the stewardesses noticing! We have flown with DD when she was a baby, and although she was no trouble, the man sat next to us politley asked if he could change seats - we were in the first seats behind PE, and the stewardess said no, but in fairness when we had taken off, had a quiet word with the chap and he moved forward a row. But only with their say so and knowledge. It's not like a train where no-one keeps a track of who is sat where.

They know exactly who is who, and who should be sat where from the manifests - if there are two empty seats in economy where they should have passengers, this absolutely would be checked - if only for security purposes.

We are lucky enough to fly Club or PE now, and I think it's fantastic when people are upgraded by chance when eg a flight is full - that's like winning the lottery, almost once in a lifetime unless you are really lucky, but I would feel very aggrieved if I met your friends on a flight who seem to think they are somehow entitled to similar seats for free every time they fly.

 

[Netty]

wind up! no way that it can't be..

 

[UKDEB]

Much as I'd love to expose this as a wind-up, we have experienced it first-hand (and not as perpetrators, I hasten to add). However, on the couple of occasions it has happened, the guilty parties have quickly been rumbled and the cabin crew has been in big trouble. Frankly, if you want to experience PE, paying for it is by far the easiest route.

 

[DeborahS]

Spoke to Karen again last night and she is adamant... so unless she is lying, but I don't know why she would do that . Also according to london75 and Alice it does happen successfully on other airlines (BA etc) - so unless Virgin staff are so much more vigilant at catching them than staff of other airlines... Like Deb says the downside is that you can get caught.

I am not convinced about this theft thing somehow I doubt that a couple of people sneaking in and eating meals that would otherwise be thrown away and drinking drinks that they would have had in economy makes much of a difference to the companies bottom line or what the customer pays for their flights. Infact if they like PE enough after sneaking in they may well decide it is worth the money to pay for it next time (and not take the risk of being thrown out lol) in which case they would raise profits in the longer term. But somehow I bet all that profit stays with Virgin and none gets back to the customer.

But we wont do it though, will just ask at check-in instead (dressing smartly and being our usual polite and lovely selves).

Deborah

 

[Ali and boyz]

all I would say to this is - with all the added security etc nowadays there is now way I would ever sit any where that I wasn't assigned to.

 

[Dr.JumbaJookiba]

I am not convinced about this theft thing somehow I doubt that a couple of people sneaking in and eating meals that would otherwise be thrown away and drinking drinks that they would have had in economy makes much of a difference to the companies bottom line or what the customer pays for their flights.

You may claim it makes no difference to the the bottom line but as a regular PE flyer who pays the going rate for the seats (around £1000 return) it makes a big diference to me. Why should some thieving so and so pay economy fares and steal a PE seat and think it's clever ??

 

[Christopher5927]

I am not convinced about this theft thing
Deborah

OK. Try it in Tesco next time you are there: pay for a Value Jar of Coffee and actually take a jar of Alta Rica Coffee: see if Tesco think it is theft.

 

[london75]

OK. Try it in Tesco next time you are there: pay for a Value Jar of Coffee and actually take a jar of Alta Rica Coffee: see if Tesco think it is theft.

Nice example, I was trying to think of one.

Maybe I'm in the minority but I still take money back when people over-change me and if I get sent two products in the post by mistake when shopping I send one back.

Regardless of how the law sees it, surely it's just wrong? Do some people not have a "wrong-bone"? I cringe inside if I've even cut someone up in a queue at the supermarket!

 

[DeborahS]

You may claim it makes no difference to the the bottom line but as a regular PE flyer who pays the going rate for the seats (around £1000 return) it makes a big diference to me. Why should some thieving so and so pay economy fares and steal a PE seat and think it's clever ??

But would you be equally mad/jealous if the airline upgraded someone from economy to sit in the PE seat next to you? There is no physical difference to you if the airline upgraded them or if they upgraded themselves (infact, you would never know who upgraded them).

Deborah